Tucano's Churrascaria with the Carnivores

Oh, wow, I have been really unproductive in terms of writing this month! Do pardon my absence, I was busy procrastinating. Since I joined the gym, I’ve been having difficulties in terms of juggling work, hobby, social life, and life itself. I have to say, it is quite challenging. But, worry not! I do have something interesting to write about in this post, and it has something to do with luck and meat. 

Welcome to Tucano's Churrascaria!

Your girl here won an Rp800.000,00 worth of vouchers from Zomato to dine at Tucano’s Churrascaria in Sudirman, oo-wee! I was so excited when I got the announcement from Zomato through their Instagram account. I actually worked my ass off to win this giveaway - I had to ask numerous friends and family members to like this comment of mine on one of Zomato’s post in Instagram, the more likes I get, the bigger my chance to win - and I won! Kuddos to you, friends and family members.

I was lucky enough to be able to bring a plus one to dine at Tucano’s Churrascaria, so I brought Davie along with me. Yes, the carnivore was so excited that he get to eat meat as much as he wants. We took the opportunity to book a table for us, which was a clever idea of mine since it was a Saturday when we head to the Brazilian barbecue and buffet place and I already assumed that it was going to be packed. I was correct. 

A brief intro about the restaurant, Tucano’s Churrascaria is a restaurant that serves free-flow Brazilian barbecue meat and buffet. It is still considered new in Jakarta, mainly because it has only been running its’ business for three years, yet the restaurant is well known for its’ meat quality and “all you can eat” concept. I gotta say, the local people of Jakarta is very into, pretty much, anything on the house. The restaurant is open from Monday to Sunday and its’ opening hours are split into two, which are lunch (11.30 - 15.00) and dinner (17.30 - 22.00). 

In here, you can find all sorts of food that you can have as much as you desire. There is this side dish bar where you can have deep-fried munchies, salad, and condiment. Adjacent to it is the dessert bar, where there are cakes, fruits, puddings, and an intriguing chocolate fountain, along with some marshmallows, bananas, and a jar of buttery and sweet Brazilian cookies. The beverage options is also a plenty and you can have some drinks refilled free of charge as your heart content. Last, but not least, is the meat bar, with its’ endless ray of beef, chicken, and lamb being grilled in this big hunk of container. Jackpot!

The meat selection that you can get at Tucano's Churrascaria

The dessert bar

The meat section

Meat boy and I sat ourselves at this table for two near the window because I need that natural lighting for my money shots. Since it was our first time dining at Tucano’s Churrascaria, we asked one of the waiters to explained the standard operating procedure (ooo pilot-esque) to dine in. Let me just explain to you what the waiter briefed us. 

There are two type of menus, which are lunch and dinner. In each menu, there are two packages of buffet, which are the weekday menu and the weekend menu. Since it was a weekend, we had to go with the weekend menu, which is split into three types, the Regular, the Black Angus, and the Premium Wagyu. Now, each type has another two options to choose, which is A and B, where in B you can have lamb meat inserted to your choice of meat. Of course, being the greedy carnivores that we are, we opted for the option B Premium Wagyu. It costs around Rp600.000,00 for each person. A bit on the expensive side, but it is so much worth it if you’re planning to stuff yourself with lots and lots of food. Later on, the meat will be brought to our table by the waiters and they will slice the meat and served it on our plate. We only have to sweat ourselves to get the other side dishes and dessert, and, for the rest, the waiters at Tucano’s will treat us like kings and queens. 

 There are three chips with different colors - green, yellow, and red - available on our table and a big T-shaped iron to place them chips. Green chip means that we are ready to have any meat served to our table, yellow chip means that we want those sweet grilled pineapple glazed with cinnamon powder, not putting any chips means we are resting our appetite for another round of meat, and the red chip means that we are finished feasting. 

The side dishes station

Ready for your meat?

A moment after we placed our orders, the waiters came with their set of meat and sliced them away to paradise. 

We took the opportunity of our empty stomach to head to the side dishes station to get whatever that caught our attention. There was no room for salad on that day as I declared it to be my cheat day, so I got myself a lot of Garlic Bread and Brazilian Cheese Bread. I also got me some Garlic Pasta, some deep-fried goodies filled with spicy chicken and beef, and some fried potatoes. Davie, on the one hand, grabbed anything that looked appetizing - in this case, everything. There were Sweet and Sour Chicken Leg, Fried Polenta, Cheese-stuffed Meatballs, and many more. We sure went all in in this joint. 

Ya boi was definitely into it

More meat, please!

We tried every meat on the menu that afternoon and they were all deliciously fulfilling. Despite the fact that they don’t serve pork here at Tucano’s, the wide selection of beef, lamb, and chicken was more than enough to satisfy the hunger for meat. Everything was delicious, yet my favorite was the Coracao (Chicken Heart). Not everyone likes chicken heart, though. But, for me, it’s my jam! I also love the combination of the Alcatra (Top Sirloin) and grilled pineapple. Though, I have to say, I love the grilled pineapple at Bali’s Brazilian Australian BBQ more than the one here at Tucano’s. Compared to the one in Bali, where the pineapple was glazed with a sweet concoction before it is grilled, the flavor of pineapple at Tucano’s didn’t blend quite well with the cinnamon powder. On the other hand, the Alcatra (Top Sirloin) and the Picanha (Premium Top Sirloin) are the MVPs of Tucano’s Churrascaria. People love them and Tucano’s truly love it when the people love the meat. 

As delicious as they were, Davie and I agreed that the meat selections didn’t have that startle effect (ooo another pilot-esque) on us. They were delicious while they last, but that’s it. Some of the meat were grilled well done to the point where they were just a tad bit too dry. As a fan of meat, Davie was not that impressed, though he enjoyed every slices because meat are still meat. I assume that the kitchen staff had to speed up the grilling process because it was a full house that day, hence the dry meat as the ending result. 

I have to brag about the Brazilian Cheese Bread, though! The bread had this texture unlike anything I have ever ate before. It was chewy and very cheesy. It was as if I was eating this mochi doughnut, but more chewy. While the surface of the bread was a bit dusty, I assume from the flour, the inside was moist, chewy, and I could definitely tasted the strong cheese within the bread. Though this bread is included in your selection of dishes, you have to ask the waiter to bring you some as they are not on display. The bread is a favorite, they run out as soon as they got out of the oven. A definite must try!

When the restaurant is packed, diners are timed to finish feasting in 90 minutes. According to the crowd we saw on that day, we assume it to be a full house, yet nobody came to our table to give us a heads up that our time is almost up, so we ended up staying for three hours. We took our breaks in between dinning so that there will be room for more meat and dessert. Davie even had his cigarette break and came back as hungry as ever. We sure didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity of having free-flow meat for our first meal of the day. 

My share of Beef Hump, Grilled Pineapple, and Top Sirloin

My share of side dishes. Carbs a plenty!

During my break, I headed to the meat bar and chatted with the sous chef of Tucano’s Churrascaria named Pak Rahmat. Pak Rahmat here shared some insight about the restaurant, as well as the amount of meat that they have been using. “We use about two tons of meat each month,” he said, “but, on a peak season like these days, we can use up to four tons of meat within the month of December itself.” Boy, that’s a lot of meat! The fact that this restaurant use an “all you can eat” concept sure got me thinking, “Is the income bigger than the outcome?” Then, Pak Rahmat told me that he got his high quality meat from this meat vendor that sells a large number of meat for a cheaper price, “So, the restaurant do gain profit, despite it being a buffet restaurant.” I stood there chatting with Pak Rahmat as he dive into the raw meat and prepare another stack of Picanha to grill for the guests. 

The famous Brazilian Cheese Bread

Pak Rahmat then introduced me to the head chef of Tucano’s Churrascaria, Aldecy da Silva Bastos, a native Brazilian. Chef Aldecy was not as chatty as Pak Rahmat, but he sure smiled when I complimented his Brazilian Cheese Bread. I noticed that he was in the middle of preparing some food when Pak Rahmat called out to him to greet me, so I offered him to go back to his station because I don’t want to be an obstacle. Then, I bid my goodbye to Pak Rahmat and went back to my table for a second round. There, I was welcomed with Davie who was busy stuffing his face with the side dishes he got earlier. 

When we felt like we had enough, we asked for the bill and checked out. Thanks to Zomato and its’ vouchers, we only had to pay a third of what we ate that day, woohoo! I can say that our first experience dining at Tucano’s Churrascaria was not a let down. It may be expensive, but the diversity and the quality of the food was totally worth it. Be sure to check out Tucano’s Churrascaria page on Zomato to get the full menu and prep yourself about what you want when you dine at the restaurant. Oh, and be sure to come with an empty stomach!

Tucano’s Churrascaria

Pavilion Retail Arcade, Ground Floor

Jl. K. H. Mas Mansyur, Sudirman

Jakarta 

Opening Hours:

MON - SUN: 11.30 AM - 03.00 PM // 05.30 PM - 10.00 PM

Contact:

+62 21 8060 2045, extension 522

Instagram • Zomato 

P. S. I booked my table through Zomato. It was very simple, no fuss whatsoever! I do recommend you to do the same. It gets quite crowded at the restaurant, even on weekdays 

Maple & Oak and Friends

This was almost a year ago, on the day my best friend turned 23. She invited me, and some of her closest friends who are my friends as well, to a brunch at this adorable restaurant at Menteng named Maple & Oak. I brought nothing but myself and a bouquet of sunflowers for her. Though roses and daises are nice, I’ve always been fond of sunflowers more. 

The Birthday Girl

There were less than ten of house and we had food coming to our table according to our orders. I had me Maple & Oak’s signature Maple Butter Brioche and a Strawberry Sour Mocktail. Angel had her share of Seared Salmon, while Cindy had a plate of nicely roasted beef with sautéed vegetables which name escapes me. Febby had a burger and Sally, who came a bit late because she was working at that time, had the same menu like I did.

I can't with myself.

All of the food were beautiful. Mine was breathtaking: a plate of toasted brioche drizzled with the restaurant’s signature maple truffle butter, garnished with beef bacon and scrambled eggs, and a sprinkle of sliced strawberries and cherry tomatoes. It came with another serving of maple syrup just in case I needed an extra kick of sweetness, which in fact yes. 

Maybe I wasn’t familiar with how truffle oil tasted like. To me, the scrambled egg tasted very very fishy and dreadful. I thought it was uncooked, but then again I used to eat half-boiled egg, so it shouldn’t be a problem. I asked the girls to taste the egg as well and they all understood what the horrible flavor tasted like. So, I asked one of the staff to check with the chef regarding the quality of the food.

Maple Butter Brioche

Angel's Seared Salmon

A few minutes later, he came back and explained that it was supposed to taste like that. But, he was kind enough to offer me to recook the egg. I accepted the offer and got a well done egg in the end. It still had the fishy aftertaste, but I could deal with that. 

My Strawberry Sour Mocktail

My toasted brioche, on the other hand, was amazing combined with the butter and the maple syrup. I’ve learnt to love bacon and maple, so the combination was awesome. Despite the fact that it’s beef instead of pork bacon, it was thickly sliced and grilled to perfection. The veggies on the sides were fresh and very delightful to the palate as a flavor neutralizer. 

Cindy's burger, with fries on the side.

Cindy's meal of the day. 

The other food was also amazing as I got to taste a wee bite of each dishes. Angel’s salmon was soft and savory, Cindy’s beef was smoky and flavorful and very tender, while Febby’s burger patty was just on point. 

Work that angle, Angel!

My mocktail sure was fresh and thirst quenching. The strawberry was there, but it didn’t dominate the flavor of the drink. It had a bit of sourness in it from the lime, and the amount of mint was enough for me to nibble on.

We also had desserts: Mascarpone Blueberry Crumble and Bailey’s Tiramisu. Both of the desserts were basically two glasses filled with cake crumbs, garnishes, and creams. They were very delicious, but my favorite was the Mascarpone Blueberry Crumble simply because I’m not into Bailey’s. 

Brunch with the girls. 

Maple & Oak

De Ritz Building, Ground Floor

Jl. HOS. Cokroaminoto No. 91

Menteng, Jakarta

Opening Hours:

MON - SAT: 8AM - 9PM

SUN: 8AM - 8PM

Contact:

(+62)21 390 6757

MICU: Mimi Cucu

Dulu, dibandingin anak-anak lain yang udah berhenti ngedot saat umur mereka beranjak lima tahun, gue baru berhenti ngedot saat gue mau masuk SD. Alhasil, karena frekuensi ngedot gue yang nggak kekontrol saat itu, gigi gue jadi agak maju dan berantakan sampai-sampai gue harus mengorbankan masa-masa SMA gue bulak-balik ke dokter gigi untuk kontrol behel. Tapi, semua itu nggak membuat gue menyesal kenapa gue berhenti ngedotnya terlambat, karena gue seneng ngedot. Seneng. Banget. Sampai sekarang aja gue masih suka kebayang sensasi nyedot dari botol dot yang ujungnya kenyel-kenyel itu. 

On the one hand, setelah dipikir-pikir, sepertinya imajinasi gue agak telat berkembangnya, karena gue nurut-nurut aja saat dikasih botol dot isi susu dari gue pertama mulai ngedot sampai gue berumur empat tahun. Nah, baru deh, saat gue bertambah umur baru kepikiran untuk mengisi botol dot dengan minuman rasa-rasa macem es teh manis, nutrisari, dan bahkan susu putih campur sirup campolay dingin. 

Gue masih ingat senangnya gue seperti apa saat gue bisa ngedot siang-siang, menikmati dingin dan segarnya es teh manis di teras rumah saat matahari lagi terik-teriknya, dan nggak cuma ngedot susu setiap malam sebelum tidur. Untungnya, diumur gue yang segini, gue udah berhenti ngedot. Bisa-bisa, gue ngedot Whiskey tiap akhir pekan.. 

Nah, akhir pekan kemarin, gue nggak sengaja menemukan food booth yang mengobati rasa kangen gue terhadap botol dot. Thank God for MICU!

MICU: Mimi Cucu

MICU, atau Mimi Cucu, adalah satu dari sekian banyak local food brand yang lagi buka lapak di Central Park Mall, Jakarta. Food booth ini menyajikan susu dengan berbagai macam rasa dengan penyajian yang unik, yang bisa melepas rasa kangen kita terhadap masa kecil kita dulu, yaitu di dalam botol dot.

Satu botol susu olahan MICU ini bisa kita dapetin dengan harga Rp30.000,00, yang menurut gue nggak lebih dari pemborosan belaka, karena produk ini udah pasti mahal di botol dotnya. True, setelah susunya habis, kita bisa aja bawa botol dotnya pulang dan dicuci sampai bersih untuk pemakaian selanjutnya, tapi tetap aja menurut gue produk ini mahal.

Terlepas dari penyajiannya yang unik, MICU menyediakan berbagai macam varian rasa yang menarik banget, seperti contohnya Choco Oreo, Oreo Strawberry, Marie Regal, Strawberry Nutela, dan masih banyak lagi. Dari semua varian rasa, gue memutuskan untuk mencoba rasa pisang. Bisa dibilang gue cari aman, karena gue nggak mau Rp30.000,00 gue terbuang percuma untuk sebotol susu yang rasanya nggak cocok di lidah gue.

Banana flavored milk by MICU

Gue pernah mencoba susu rasa pisang sebelumnya dan, sorry to say, Banana milk olahan MICU rasanya biasa aja. Nothing special about it. It tasted simply like banana and milk. Susu yang disajikan saat dingin-dinginnya ini memiliki tekstur yang creamy dan agak kental, tapi cukup ringan dan nggak bikin mual. Enak, tapi biasa aja. Gue yakin gue bisa ngedapetin minuman yang sama di alun-alun kota Magetan dengan harga yang jauh lebih murah.

Gue nggak merekomendasikan kalian untuk membeli produk ini simply karena produknya yang overpriced. Kalau kalian pingin melepas rindu masa kecil kalian dengan minum susu dari dot, gue saranin kalian beli dot berkualitas bagus di apotik terdekat dan isi dengan susu ultra. That way, kalian nggak perlu bulak-balik keluar duit Rp30.000,00 untuk minuman di dalam botol susu yang, sebenernya, kalian bisa bikin sendiri dan bahkan mungkin lebih enak.

Look at that bundle of joy!

Kue Ape

This particular street food is famous for its' physical appearance that resembles a woman's breast. Its' basic ingredients consists of flour and milk, with an addition of sugar to make it taste sweet. Natural food coloring, such as pandan leaf, is also used to give a hint of green in this munchie.

I live my life without the absence of the street food, as I usually spend Rp10.000,00 to get me five of this babies every Sunday after church when I feel like it. Surely, Indonesian citizen are already familiar with this particular snack. But, for those who aren't, allow me introduce you to the famous Kue Ape.

Kue Ape vendor near my church

A set of Kue Ape molder

As I have said before, Kue Ape is famous for its' physical appearance that resembles a woman's breasts. Half of the population in Jakarta are more familiar with the term Kue Tetek, instead of Kue Ape, as tetek is a slang in Indonesian for breasts.

How does it resembles a woman's breast, you asked. Well, the food itself is basically a super super thin pancake molded in a tiny pan - it is round in shape, with super thin crust on the sides and chewy cooked batter in the middle. Now, the chewy part in the middle of the Kue Ape peaked as the batter cooks, making it looks like a tense nipple, hence the origin of the name for this famous Jakartans street food. 

Look at that thin crust!

Kue Ape doesn't vary much in color, as they only come in two kinds, white and green. I have always think that the vendor used a generous amount of pandan leaf to make the green Kue Ape batter. But, there is also a chance that he is using an artificial food coloring to color the batter to save time and energy. Who knows? As for the white Kue Ape batter,  I assume the vendor didn't add any coloring into the mixture. 

My favorite part of Kue Ape is, obviously, the thin crust! I'm not a big fan of the "nipple" simply because is not as fun and crispy as the crust. In terms of flavor and taste, both crust and middle part are as sweet and as floury. Sometimes, the sugary goodness gradually develops into a bitter after taste, as if the vendor is using a low quality sugar. But, all in all, it is still fun to munch on this babies! 

Pandan flavored Kue Ape

Does it looks like yours?

Hard Rock Cafe Jakarta

Mom, Dad, and I paid a visit to Hard Rock Cafe Jakarta today, the one that's located at Pacific Place. It was 7.30 in the evening when we arrived. Mom booked us a table in advance, so it didn't take long for the waiter to escort us to our seats. The restaurant was not that crowded for a Saturday night, yet maybe it was just because we were a bit too early. One of the waiters said to us that there would be live music performance tonight, so we decided to order us some food while we wait.

Hard Rock Cafe Jakarta

Not that crowded for a Saturday night, right?

I ordered myself a glass of Strawberry Basil Lemonade, while Mom and Dad had their pint of Heineken. If it wasn't for the promise I made to myself - about how I'm not going to drink any alcohol until I turn 20 - I would probably settle down for a Pina Colada, or Cosmopolitan. I have never drink any of those two cocktails before, and I'm dying to taste one so that I can release myself from curiosity. 

Strawberry Basil Lemonade is basically your typical cold and thirst-quenching lemonade, but with a little garnish of crushed strawberries and basil. The combination of those three elements made this drink highly recommended for those who fancy a sourly fresh light beverage. Not that sour compared to lime mint, yet not that sweet compared to punch. It was lacking of sweetness for my taste, but it was nice and very enjoyable while it lasted. 

Strawberry Basil Lemonade

It turned out, I finished my Strawberry Basil Lemonade faster than I expected, I ended up ordering a second beverage: Wildberry Smoothie. A combination of fresh banana, wildberry syrup, pina colada mix, and orange juice blended into one refreshing tutty fruitty smoothie that would give a little kick to your taste bud. I like this one better than the Strawberry Basil Lemonade. The sweetness was just right for my taste, not to mention it had a quite light texture for a smoothie - not too clumpy, nor liquid-like - but it needed a little bit more banana in it.

Wildberry Smoothie

We started off with a Jumbo Combo, a mixed plate of appetizers such as, Santa Fe Spring Rolls, Hickory-smoked Chicken Wings, Onion Rings, Potato Skins, and Tupelo Chicken Tenders - served with four different kind of sauce: Tartar sauce, mayonnaise, tomato sauce, and Thousand Island Dressing. 

My favorite was the Tupelo Chicken Tenders and Potato Skins. The chicken tenders were deep-fried into perfection, brown in color and very crispy. They were slightly spicy because the batter contained bits of pepper in it. I love it best to be eaten with some Tartar sauce, as it added more flavor into the already-salty-and-savory chicken tenders. On the one hand, the Potato Skin were also enjoyable. Topped with some Jack and Cheddar cheese, seasoned bacon bits, and green onion, the potato had been a second favorite of mine. The edges were crispy and chewy at the same time, while the middle part of the potato was not mushy like how I expected it would be. Nicely seasoned, nicely grilled, and nicely served. 

Nothing special about the Onion Ring. Like always, I ended up getting rid of the onion and enjoyed the deep-fried batter instead. Again, it tasted better when its' dipped in Tartar sauce. 

Santa Fe Spring Rolls were filled with spinach, black beans, cilantro, corn, jalapeños, diced red peppers and jack cheese, which was nice and healthy, but it was clearly not a favorite of mine. They were nicely stuffed as there were no empty squishy space in the spring rolls. I'm guessing vegetarians are very much fond of this particular appetizer. 

I'm not a big fan of chicken wings. Hard Rock Cafe's Hickory-smoked Chicken Wings didn't change my opinion about my likings towards this particular dish. Mom was fond of its sour and piquant flavor though, but not me. Even when its' well-cooked and not oily, I still didn't like it. 

Jumbo Combo

The main course that I had was a plate of Grilled Salmon Fillet. I shared my plate with Dad, and it only took us around 15 minutes to finish our meal. The fillet was topped with Merlot-garlic butter, and served with a couple scoop of garlic mashed potato and vegetables. I personally loved the garlic butter on top of the salmon as it melted down the fillet. It enhanced the flavor and the savoriness of the nicely grilled fish. 

Grilled Salmon Fillet

Mom is allergic to any kind of seafood, so she didn't join Dad and I in devouring the salmon. Instead, she ordered herself a plate of New York Strip Steak. Nicely grilled and cooked, the meat was very tender and savory. You wouldn't miss the oil spurted out from the meat as you penetrate a fork in it and slice it open with a knife. It was an enjoyable sight.

New York Strip Steak

I was super stuffed after I finished my salmon, but there were still an extra space for some dessert, so I ordered myself Hard Rock Cafe's famous Hot Fudge Brownie. I had to wait for 15 minutes for my brownie to be ready, and it was worth while. My plate of dessert was very appealing - square-shaped brownie topped with vanilla flavored Haagen Dazs ice cream, whipped cream, chopped walnut, hot fudge, chocolate sprinkles, and cherry on top. 

The brownies itself was slightly sticky, a bit warm, and it had this amount of sweet that would make you feel sick if you eat it too much. A couple scoop of vanilla ice cream went well with the brownie as it neutralize the taste that you got from eating the chocolate cake. The whipped cream was different compared to other whipped cream I have ever tasted in my life as it had this thick texture, not that sweet, and it was not airy even the slightest bit. Overall, the brownie made an excellent dessert and a perfect closure for a fancy diner.

Hot Fudge Brownie

Hard Rock Cafe Jakarta

Pacific Place, Ground Floor #G-05

SCBD LOT 3-5

Jalan Jendral Sudirman, Kav. 54-55 

Jakarta Indonesia

Opening Hours: 

Sunday - Thursday : 11AM - 1AM

Friday - Saturday: 11AM - 2AM

Contact: 

+62 21 5797 3055

+62 21 5797 3044