A Sanctuary Named Sophie Authentique

I really need to get away from everything. I need a place where I can be with me, a place where I can be myself, a place where I can enjoy the simplicity of myself without having a care about what people may think about me.

Back then, I found this place at Kemang named Sophie Authentique, a petite bakery on the side of the road that specialize in French cuisine. I fell immediately in love the moment I step into the bakery. The atmosphere is very nice and friendly. Simple white walls with minimum, yet sophisticated, decorations. Very appealing placement of tables and chairs, along with adorable furniture to go with. Sophie Authentique screamed aesthetic at its' every corners.

The food, despite the fact that they may cost a lot for college students, is breathtakingly beautiful and delicious. I have always been a fan of bread and what I had that day was a Croque Madame. Slightly different with Croque Monsieur, Croque Madame has the same ingredients to make, but with an addition of an egg. Nicely toasted loafs of bread, sandwiching a hearty amount of beef and cheese, then topped with more cheese, and garnished with a beautiful sunny-side-up that goes along well with the complimentary salad on the side. What a breakfast.

I had a cup of Cappuccino to go with my Croque Madame. As I remembered, the Cappuccino was nice and it didn't have that extra sourness that comes up whenever the espresso was served too early. It came with a flower-shaped sugar cookie that tasted non-other than how a sugar cookie would taste like.

Mom had her share of sandwich and hot beverage also. She went with the Beef Croissant, with salad on the side, and a mug of Hot Cocoa that looked beautiful with its' tulip late art on the surface.

To end my breakfast that morning, I had a piece of this beautiful brown French dessert named Canellé. Very chewy in texture, a bit sticky on the outside judging from the caramelized sugar that they used to make this delicious munchies. The taste of it reminded me of a traditional Indonesian dessert that can usually be found at most traditional wet market. Its' name is Kue Cucur. With a shape that looks like a typical flying saucer in comic books, this traditional snack is one of my favorite because of its' sweet taste and chewy texture.

Oh, how I wish I could feel at ease. I wish I could feel happy living my life without having any care about what the future got in store for me. I wish I could go back to the time when happiness could be obtain just by a single bite of ice cream. Now, I don't think food can save me. I don't even know what am I in to have a thought of wanting to be saved.


Sophie Authentique
Jl. Kemang Selatan 1, No. 20A
Kemang, Jakarta Selatan

Opening Hours:
Monday - Sunday: 8AM - 5PM

Contact:
(+62)21 728 0011

Lenôtre Paris

This evening, I dined at Lenôtre Paris in Villaggio Mall with Tante Rosi and Nabila. As I expected from a French restaurant, the place is very luxurious and high-class-like. Black dominated the color of the dining place, nonetheless the lack of lighting emphasizes the rich atmosphere. Chairs and couches were available for those who have specific preference. The restaurant is very big, it even has its' own dessert display on the left side of the dining area. Good Lord, those petite cream puffs and cakes looked very beautiful and mouth-watering, and they were not-surprisingly expensive. 

Most of the waiter and waitresses are from the Philippines. They were very nice and polite when they served us, yet there were some who were not fluent in English, making in difficult for us to place our orders. 

Lenôtre Paris in Villaggio

Le dining area

Wide selection of sweet treats

I was going to order myself a glass of either Cafe Latte or Cappuccino, but I changed my mind and had a glass of sour Lemon Mint instead. Nabila had the same thirst-quenching beverage as me, while Tante Rosi had a bottle of mineral water. The Lemon Mint was super sour in a good way and it made me feel good about consuming it, because all of the fat that I ate will be washed away with a gulp or two.

A glass of refreshingly sour Lemon Mint

A bottle of Evian

The dishes were surprisingly served super fast! We only have to wait for around 10 minutes after we placed our orders for the food to be served on our table. The waiter gave us a complementary bakery basket set, consisted of 6 kinds of dinner rolls. The bakery basket was served with three different side toppings, which were Smoked Cheese, Fresh Tomato Sauce, and Garlic Butter. I love the butter the most, followed by the tomato, then the cheese. Combine those three all together in one toast and you will get a combination of unique flavor, just like how Remy from Disney's Ratatouille describe.

Complimentary bakery basket set

Clock-wise: Fresh Tomato Sauce, Smoked Cheese, Garlic Butter

The Onion Rings tasted unexpected in a good way! I'm not a person who is fond of onion rings, but it turned out that the deep-fried rings were delicious. Instead of the usual frying-a-layer-of-onion-in-savory-batter, the chef grind the onion beforehand and mix it with other ingredients, shaped them similar to ear hoops, dipped them into a bowl of savory batter, and fried until golden brown in color. Those onion rings were crispy and savory, and it didn't taste like onion, nor reek like one at all.

Onion Rings

Tante Rosi had a plate of Sauteed Vegetables. Consisted of broccoli, zucchini, carrots, and snow peas, those greens had a balance flavor according to her. "The amount of salt that the chef used was perfect," she said, followed by, "Oh my, the snow peas are deliciously sweet!". 

Sauteed Vegetables

Nabila had a bowl of Baked Macaroni Chicken and Mushroom, while I had a set of Philadelphia Steak. We share our meal together, so technically I had both dishes for dinner. 

Nabila's Baked Macaroni Chicken and Mushroom was very delicious and creamy! Served sizzling hot, best eaten when it's still warm. The macaroni were nicely boiled, not too mushy, nor too stiff. Topped with cream sauce and melted cheese, the flavor is just amazing! Hating the mushroom, like always, thank God the flavor didn't blend with the entire dish.

Baked Macaroni Chicken & Mushroom

My Philadelphia Steak, on the other hand, was not as fantastic as I thought it would be. In the menu was written, "Sesame bread, beef filet, onion, capsicum, mushrooms, mayonnaise, mozzarella cheese, salad, spiral potato". I was hoping for a couple of stiff European bread sandwiching a generous amount of shredded beef bathe in sweet sauce decorated with melted cheese. Instead, I got a warm puffy buns with less than a handful of sliced beef, a couple layers of cheese, and mixed sauce which flavors I could not distinguish. Don't get me wrong, the sandwich was tasty, but it was not as jaw-dropping and lip-smacking as I thought it would be.

Philadelphia Steak

Not as fantastic as I thought it would be

It was a great experience to dine at Lenôtre Paris. The food were great, the service was good, the ambience of the dining place was nice. All in all, I had a nice time at the French restaurant and is looking forward to pay another visit when I get the chance. 

P.S. make sure you bring an awful-lot of Riyals when you dine at this restaurant. Do you know how much does a box of Macaroons, with 20 pieces each, costs? 160 Riyals!

Lenôtre Paris
Villaggio Mall, High End Section

Phone: (+974) 4450 7255

Opening Hours:
Monday - Sunday: 8 AM - 11 PM