As much as I love Starbucks, I'm pretty sure that this drink will be the death of me. The sight of this bottled frappuccino may be very beautiful and attractive, but I bullshit you not, what contained on the inside is not as good as what it looks from the outside.
Too sweet, too instant, and too expensive. The more I drink it, the more I can feel diabetes building up inside of my body. This Starbucks' beverage is just plain sugar with a dollop of milk and a drip of espresso. Even by the first sip, I can already taste that something's not right with this drink. It's too sweet, even for my liking! I told my Mom to take a few gulp just to make sure that my tastebud is not overreacting, and yet she shared the same opinion as me.
I actually bought two of them, this one is the Starbucks' Bottled Coffee Frappuccino Coffee Drink, and the other one is the Starbucks' Bottled Dulce de Leche Frappuccino Coffee Drink in which I forgot to take picture of before I drink it so it didn't make it to this particular blog post. But, despite all that, there was hardly any significant differences from each products; same artificial sweetness, same diabetes. My cousins and aunt tried a gulp each as well and they made the same sour face despite this drink being sweet as hell. "Too sweet," they said.
I don't think it's worth spending Rp36.000,00 for a bottle of diabetes. Sure, there's the bitterness from the coffee and the creamy texture of milk, but there was just way too much sweetener in this bottle. Don't get me wrong, though. I mean, if you are fond of coffee and are looking for some serious coffee business, you might as well go to a nice coffee shop anywhere that serves manual brewed coffee and asked the barista to make you a cup with its' best single origin coffee. It ought to be cheaper and nicer. But, if you are just drinking coffee for the sake of lifestyle, be it Starbucks, then help yourself.
It's half passed nine in the evening at Kuala Lumpur and my shuttle, that will take me to AACE, will arrive approximately six hours from now. Instead of sleeping, and resting my mind after hours of studying for an upcoming simulator check, I decided to write a bit because I'm in desperate need of refreshments.
I flew to Kuala Lumpur this morning. Got myself some Starbucks to sip as I wait for my gate to open, and I got me one of its' new line of beverage, the Pink Yogurt Frappuccino. I was actually going to get the Iced Raspberry Latte, but then I remember how I usually end up in a bad place after my regular dose of caffeine, so I settle with the non-caffeinated drink instead.
Starbucks' Pink Yogurt Frappuccino is a yogurt based drink mixed with God-knows-what, with color that reminds me of Chanel Oberlin and texture that somewhat similar to 7-Eleven's Slushie. I definitely can acknowledge the yogurt in the beverage, but the flavor escapes me. I have no idea what flavor this is. All I know, it's sweet, it's pink, it's weird, yet I drank the hell out of this cold beverage. It was not bad for a Rp25.000,00 priced drink, but I don't think I will comeback for more.
Pas kemarin di Bali, ada satu hari di mana gue dan Ibu gue jalan-jalan ke kota untuk belanja dan nonton film di bioskop. Karena rumah kami memang letaknya di desa, kanan kiri sawah semua dan kalau malam-malam gelapnya kayak lagi program Live In di pedalaman kampung, kami memang benar-benar harus ke kota kalau mau mencari hiburan. Perkebunan padi seketika berubah menjadi jalan raya yang diramaikan kendaraan berplat nomor DK. Gue pun menjadi semangat saat sampai tujuan karena udah lama nggak ngeliat papan reklame bulat berwarna hijau tua dengan tulisan Starbucks. "Bener-bener kayak orang desa main ke kota, ya," ucap Ibu gue.
Perjalanan dari Desa Pejeng ke Denpasar kurang lebih dua jam. Destinasi pertama kami adalah Mal Bali Galeria yang terletak di sisi Jalan By Pass. Dengan desain gedung yang sepertinya mengikuti gedung tradisional di Bali, Mal itu tampak beda dengan mall-mall lainnya yang pernah gue kunjungi. Hanya dua lantai, bangunannya luas dan tidak dihias dengan Air Conditioner di setiap sudutnya, dan dilengkapi dengan area berjalan yang hijau di tengah-tengahnya. Ibarat donat tapi dalam bentuk kotak dan adalah sebuah bangunan.
Siang itu, kami mampir ke bioskop yang ada di Mal Bali Galeria dan menikmatti indahnya nonton film keluaran terbaru dalam keadaan sepi. Belum pernah, seumur hidup gue, gue nonton film dengan keadaan sesepi dan sekosong itu. Cuma ada lima orang doang dalam satu studio!
Kami nonton Alien: Covenant. Gue penggemar berat seri film Alien karena itu adalah makanan sehari-hari gue saat gue masih berumur 4 tahun. Iya, sekecil itu gue udah nonton film garapan Ridley Scott dari yang pertama sampai yang keempat. Gue bahkan inget banget di suatu siang, saat gue masih TK dan sedang disuapin sama Ibu gue, gue lebih memilih nonton Alien ketimbang film Robin Hood karya Disney.
Tapi film itu pun yang menyebabkan gue takut setengah mati berenang di kolam, dan di laut. Pokoknya aktivitas apapun yang mengharuskan gue untuk berinteraksi dengan air, gue ogah, dan ketakutan ini berlangsung sampai gue kelas 3 SD. Akhirnya, setelah gue dipaksa ikut kursus dan berhasil berenang dari tepi kolam ke tepi seberangnya, dalam keadaan hujan badai yang membuat air kolamnya butek nggak karuan, atas dorongan Bapak gue, gue pun berhasil menghilangkan rasa takut dikejar-kejar Xenomorph di dalam air.
Selesai nonton film, gue kepingin makan yang berkuah karena, ternyata gue baru sadar bahwa makanan berkuah adalah comfort food buat gue, gue mendapat kabar yang nggak enakin. Jadi, ketimbang seharian mecucu dan menyebarkan hawa negatif ke seluruh penjuru Denpasar, gue memutuskan untuk makan Soto Betawi di Kafe Betawi.
Ditemani kerupuk oren yang rasanya terlalu bagus kalau dibandingin dengan kerupuk oren ala tukang ketoprak gerobakan, gue melahap Soto Betawi gue yang dihias dengan remahan emping dan bawang goreng. Rasanya nggak kayak Soto Betawi sama sekali, lebih kayak sayur lodeh. Terlalu banyak santan, terlalu manis, dan nggak ada gurih-gurihnya blas. Agak mengecewakan, tapi cukup untuk menghibur hati yang lagi gundah. Ditambahin sambel pun nggak ngaruh apa-apa karena rasanya tetap kayak sayur lodeh dan bukan rasa soto.
Sebelum meninggalkan Mal Bali Galieria, untuk ketemuan dengan Tante gue di daerah Seminyak, gue sempet mampir ke gerai Starbucks yang membuka cabangnya di mal tersebut dan membeli tumbler yang gue kepingin dari kapan tau. Sayangnya, desain tumbler yang gue mau udah nggak ada, karena udah lewat musimnya, jadinya gue pilih yang paling murah aja. Tadinya gue mau bayar pakai Starbucks Card, karena bisa dikasih diskon 10% untuk tumbler-nya dan dapat minuman gratis seukuran Tall, sayangnya mesin pengoperasian kartunya sedang error. Batal dapat diskon, deh. But I got me this tall-sized Iced Shaken Lemonade, with Passion Fruit Tea and less ice, so yay!
Yang tadinya mau ketemuan di Nalu Bowls harus diganti karena, saat itu, Nalu Bowls akan tutup dalam waktu satu jam. Akhirnya kami pindah haluan dan memutuskan untuk ketemuan di Earth Cafe yang terletak di sisi Jalan Kayu Aya.
Nggak susah kok untuk menemukan Earth Cafe ini karena terbantu dengan papan reklame warna hijau yang kemungkinannya kecil untuk kelewatan. Awalnya sempat bingung mau parkir di mana karena cafe ini mungil banget, tapi ternyata ada parkiran khusus di dalamnya yang bisa memuat mobil dalam hitungan jari dan beberapa motor.
Karena saat itu gue lagi sok-sokan mau menerapkan hidup hits dengan diet sehat, jadilah gue pesan chia pudding parfait ini yang nama aslinya gue lupa. Parfait ini terbuat dari chia seeds yang dicampur dengan almond milk hingga mengembang, yang kemudian dihias dengan potongan stroberi, potongan mangga, taburan kuaci dan goji berry, tumpahan pemanis alami yang terbuat dari kurma, sedikit yogurt, dan parutan kelapa kering. Wow, Kinan jadi vegan! Hidup vegan!
Gue nggak nyangka makanan sekecil ini ternyata semengenyangkan itu. Asli, gue kenyang banget makan beginian doang! Beberapa suap terakhir itu rasanya menyiksa, entah kenapa. Sebenarnya enak kok, meskipun kalau chia puddingnya dimakan sendiri aja akan terasa sangat hambar maka dari itu dikasih segala hiasan biar ada rasa sedikit, tapi lama-lama lidah gue bosen juga dengan makanan vegan dan organik ini. Gue sangat merekomendasikan parfait ini untuk kalian yang asli vegan dan yang sedang diet sehat.
Sementara itu, Ibu gue tengah sibuk dengan jamur goreng kriuk dan jus C4-nya yang terdiri dari wortel, timun, dan apel. Kenapa ya, rumput tetangga selalu kelihatan lebih hijau? Kayaknya enak banget Ibu gue ngunyah potongan-potongan jamur yang dibalut tepung garing nan gurih. Makannya pakai kecap asin pula, tambah enak kan jadinya!
Sudah, deh, setelah kenyang menyantap biji ngembang yang rasanya hambar itu, gue dan Ibu gue memutuskan untuk kembali ke Desa Pejeng. Sudah cukup jalan-jalannya di kota, besok-besok lagi kalau udah suntuk dengan sawah dan segala hutan belantaranya. Dan gue pun harus menyetir dalam posisi kekenyangan yang membuat gue agak mengantuk. Sip.
Kafe Betawi
Mal Bali Galeria
Jl. By Pass I Gusti Ngurah Rai
Opening Hours:
Monday - Sunday: 10AM - 10PM
Starbucks
Mal Bali Galeria
Jl. By Pass I Gusti Ngurah Rai
What is Saturday without hanging out with your friends at a fancy cafe?
KKKID is reunited once again and TIS Square made an awesome meeting point.
Just KKKID being awesome, with each different charms
TIS Square is your exceptionally efficient hang out place for teenagers and adults, where you can find various choice of restaurants and cafes, along with its numerous cuisine to dig in. Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks are two of the most commonly visited cafe that you would find at TIS Square, along with Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Food, such as Indonesian food, Japanese food, and western-style food, are available incase if you want to have a quick culinary adventure. It has been a while since me, Icha, and Dila meet up, so we decided to dine in at TIS Square, at Sushi-Ya to be exact.
At Sushi-Ya, both cold and hot ocha only cost Rp5000,00 each serving
Unagi roll-ups at its best, served with
sweet and salty soy sauce and sesame seeds
Mochi Matcha Ice Cream is a perfect dessert for those of you
who wouldn't say no to an invitation to a food adventure
We spent hours at Sushi-Ya, sharing stories and catching up with each others. The food was delicious and they didn't cost much like those fancy Japanese restaurants that you can find in fancy malls. The soon as we finished our food, and had great time fancying some ridiculously good-looking waiters, we head out to Starbucks to grab some drinks and cakes.
It was pretty late, and I would probably stay up if I had some coffee, so I bought a nice glass of ice chocolate and a medium-sized chocolate chip cookie instead. Dila, one of my best friend, told me to ask the Starbucks' worker for some extra milk. "What for," I asked. "To dip the cookie in it," she replied. I have to say, that is one brilliant idea, not to mention they don't charge us for extra quarters for the milk. So, I did what Dila told me to do and that was one splendid food adventure she got me in to.
A glass of ice chocolate and a small cup of milk
for the non-nocturnal beings
There is an inner cookie-monster side
inside of everybody
TIS Square
Tebet Indraya Square (TIS)
Jl. Letnan Jendral MT. Haryono No. 9
Jakarta Selatan, DKI Jakarta 12810
