A Well-spent Afternoon at Yamalu

I was introduced to this hidden gem by a sweetheart named Nona. Nona here shares the same frequency as I do, hence explaining why we fit each other well. We both love coffee places with great food and aesthetic surroundings, and when she stumbled upon Yamalu, she immediately DMed me saying that I need to visit this place ASAP. Thank the stars the both of us were free this week, so we set a date to visit the coffee shop together. 

It was a Thursday afternoon when me, Davie, and Anggita arrived at the hidden coffee shop. Yamalu is located on the corner of the street somewhere in South Jakarta. We entered a gate, which then leaded us to the backyard of a big house. In that backyard was where Yamalu was hidden. The breezy coffee shop is surrounded with green grass and trees, along with some houseplants here and there. Both indoor and outdoor seatings were available, and of course we opted for the outdoor seating. 

We ordered a lot of food and drink because we were famished and it was way passed our lunch time. I got me a plate of Lemon Chicken Risotto, Davie got himself some Butter Rice with Chicken Karaage, and Anggita settled for the Sup Iga Sapi because she was sold when the staff guaranteed her about the deliciousness of the dish. Nona didn’t order any meal, but we also had some Calamary, Chilly Fries, and Chicken Karaage to share, as well some petite Canelés. 

I don’t recall ever having a Risotto before in my life, so I don’t know how Risotto are supposed to tastes like. But, I am sure that my Lemon Chicken Risotto was delicious! For some reason, the lemon worked well with the other food ingredients, such as chicken and mushroom. The flavor of my meal was savory, yet refreshingly citrusy. The firmness of the rice was just on point - not too mushy to be called rice, yet not too firm either to be called uncooked rice. This Risotto is best combined with a crunchy side dish, like the Calamari, or the Chicken Karaage!

I don’t often go for iced beverage with coffee base, because then I will get a more bold-bodied coffee which I’m not that fond of, but since it was a hot afternoon, I decided to get me the Yamalu Fix. This drink is a mix of espresso, milk, and a homemade palm sugar concoction made by the staff of Yamalu themselves. I was welcomed with a frothy milk on the top of the cold beverage, with dashes of cinnamon as well. The drink needed to be stirred well, otherwise I would be sipping on a handful of palm sugar. It really was delicious, to say the least, and the texture was very milky and simply enjoyable. 

I tried a sip of Anggita’s Sup Iga Sapi’s broth and it really did tasted delicious. Very savory, very flavorful, and the beef broth was beyond delectable. I would say that if the staff could use less seasoning on the broth, the whole dish would tasted even better. There were plenty of diced meat inside the soup. Big chunks of ‘em! Anggita was really having a challenging time in finishing her lunch, despite the fact that she shared her portion with Davie and me already. 

After lunch was finished, it was time for dessert! Nona recommended me the Canelé and I got me a plate of them, which consisted of four petite pieces of Canelés. I love me a good crunchy and chewy texture and those were exactly what I got from Yamalu’s Canelés! The outside texture was very crunchy, and the sugar used to make the french dessert was nicely caramelized. I did a cross section of the small munchies and was welcomed with a very nice honey color, along with a series of holes like how Canelés are supposed to be. I took a bite of it and went straight to paradise. This is, by far, the best Canelé I have ever had!

We ended our rendezvous with a series of photos at the garden adjacent to where we were seated. It truly was a fun and well-spent afternoon!

Yamalu

Jl. Deplu Raya, No. 16

Bintaro, Jakarta

Opening Hours:

MON - SUN: 9 AM - 8 PM

Contact:

+62 821 1212 8692

Bake-a-Boo!

I knew Bake-a-Boo from a friend of mine in Bali. He seems to be fond of dessert and he once showed me a picture of a cold beverage with a stack of doughnut on top, which was Bake-a-Boo’s. It looked promising to me, so I decided to check the bakery out last night with Nadja. 

Bake-a-Boo’s doughnut was okay and slightly heavy. It was definitely chewy, maybe because they’re using potato as its’ basic ingredients, but the texture is getting stale probably because it was already late at night. I had me the one with Regal crumbs on top, which was slightly mushy from being exposed to the air for quite a while now. Both flavors, of the doughnut and the Regal biscuits, worked quite well with each other. The white cream (I’m guessing it was butter cream) that was keeping the crackers intact with the doughnut didn’t have a dominating flavor that could ruin the whole flavor wheel, which is good. It had an airy texture similar to a mousse. 

I took home a Powdered Sugar Doughnut for Mom and she loved it! For her, the doughnut was very delicious. “It will still be delicious even without the powdered sugar coating”, she said.

The thing about Bake-a-Boo’s doughnuts is that it can’t be compared to Dough Darlings’, or Dunkin’ Donuts’. The doughnuts at this petite bakery had a very similar taste and texture to those doughnuts that I usually buy at the traditional market - in which, some people usually refer them as “donat kampung”. It tasted good, but I think people who are more fond of artisan doughnuts will have a difficult time in giving Bake-a-Boo’s doughnuts a #1 trophy in their hearts. As for people who fancy traditional doughnuts more, like my Mom, this doughnut is bomb!

My Es Coklat, on the other hand, was very delicious! The chocolate used to make this cold drink had a very familiar flavor that reminded me of my childhood. It was slightly sweet, yet dominated by bitterness, which worked well to neutralize the sweetness that I obtained from the doughnut. It was a rather thick drink, but it’s a good thing that they gave a handful of ice cubes to tone down that thickness as time went by. 

Nadja’s Baileys Cookies and Cream ice cream was very hard for me to savor. I could taste the strong alcoholic beverage within the ice cream and I am no fan of Baileys. For me, the combination of cream and alcohol doesn’t work well. Nadja, on the other hand, had a hard time distinguishing the Baileys. But, I do have to say that the ice cream had a very nice creamy texture. 

Bake-a-Boo has this very chill and laid-back atmosphere, very suitable for those of you who would love to enjoy a chat with some munchies. There are indoor seatings, with great lighting and cute spots for you to take pictures with, as well as outdoor seatings for you to enjoy a few puffs in between your doughnut. The service given to the customer was good and the staffs were very friendly. It was a bit challenging to find a parking spot for cars though because the parking lot is very narrow.

Bake-a-Boo

Jl. Senopati, No. 15

Senopati, Jakarta Selatan

Opening Hours:

MON - SUN: 10 AM - 10 PM

Instagram

Another Gluten-free Pasta

Beberapa malam yang lalu, Kinan memutuskan untuk masak untuk makan malam. Kali ini, ditemani oleh tetangga kost, tetangga seberang yang sepertinya sedang berantem, dan sorotan flash dari HP karena lampu yang di dapur mati.

Seperti biasa, pasta yang digunakan adalah pasta gluten-free. Kenapa gluten-free? Hal ini dikarenakan Kinan sangat takut menjadi gendut, oleh karena itu sebisa mungkin Kinan menggunakan bahan-bahan yang bisa memperlambat kenaikan berat badannya. Dan, terlebih dari itu, gluten-free pasta itu sehat, lho!

Modal bawang putih di tumis pakai minyak kelapa, makan malampun sudah tersedia. Eits, tapi nggak hanya itu saja. Saus dasar yang digunakan untuk membuat masakan ini adalah saus Bolognese botolan garapan San Remo. Rasanya cukup manis, tapi nggak berlebihan. Gurihnya pun ada, dan tomat yang dipakai untuk membuat saus ini melimpah. Tambahkan sedikit garam Himalaya dan daging ayam giling untuk menambah cita rasa, lalu jadilah!

Sayang, mangkok yang dipakai adalah mangkok Doraemon. Kurang aestetik. 

(Not so) Kynd Community

Despite its’ beautiful and aesthetic Instagram spots, Kynd Community is lacking of kindness in terms of handling the locals. 

It was during one morning when I decided to head North in search of a nice breakfast spot. After a good half an hour of browsing through Zomato, I decided to give Kynd Community a chance despite the distance that it took to get there from where I’m living. 

When I arrived, I was awestruck with how pink and beautiful the place was. It has this tropical vibe going on and it is definitely the home base of a bunch of VSCO girls from around the world. I placed myself at this seat right at the corner, that has a wall with leafs and words painted on it, which is the number one spot to take pictures to. One of the waitress was slightly reluctant in giving me the seat, maybe because I was just by myself that morning, but she eventually gave in. 

I was in the mood of having beautiful food so that I could take pictures of it and post it in my Instagram, so I opted for a DIY Gourmet Toast. I ordered a piece of guten-free bread with avocado, scrambled tofu, beet hummus, and asparagus for my toppings. I know, there was too much toppings going on on my piece of toast, but I didn’t mind. As for the drink, I got myself a Pink Latte, that consisted of beetroot, cacao, vanilla, and cinnamon. Ten minutes in and my meal was served.

The bread has this sourdough-like texture - with all its’ holes on its’ surface, not to mention the brick-like, yet crispy, crusts. It was savory and chewy, and I enjoyed it very much. The toppings that I ordered came in a small plate each, which was generously filled to the brim. I got give sticks of fat asparagus that was, probably, grilled nicely with oil and garlic. Combine all these toppings and you got yourself an Instagram food. 

Too bad, despite its’ delicious food and artistic scenery, the service at Kynd Community was off. Well, at least for me, because I was the only local dinning in that morning. Other tables were occupied with tourists from the US, Australia, Korea, Japan, and they were all treated with full attention and in a very friendly manner. Unlike me, who had to came up to the counter to get myself another piece of toast because I was left hanging as I waved my hand to call one of the waitresses. Another thing was that they way they talked to me was rather upsetting - no smiles, eyebrows frowning, and the tone was a bit unfriendly. 

To the waitresses at Kynd Community, please treat your guests equally. I know, the place was maybe designated for international tourists, but when a local girl needs her aesthetic needs fulfilled she ought to comply. 

Kynd Community

Jl. Petitenget, No. 12

Kerobokan, Kelod

Bali

Opening Hours:

MON - SUN: 6 AM - 5 PM // 6 PM - 10 PM

Contact:

+62 859 3112 0209

Burger Dates

Boyfriend and I have been really enthusiast about burgers these days. During most of our dates, we would usually go to any dinning place that serves good meat, or mouth-watering burgers. I know it’s not good for my diet, because burgers are nothing without the buns, but I think I can have a cheat day, or two, once in a while. 

Byurger

Pasar Cipete

Jl. Pangeran Antasari, No. 10

Fatmawati, Jakarta

SUN - THU: 11 AM - 10 PM // FRI - SAT: 11 AM - 12 AM

Located at Pasar Cipete, this small burger joint serves very juicy burgers, with different options of fillings and sauces. The price of the burgers ranges from Rp30.000,00 to Rp70.000,00, depending on what kind of burger you’re having. They also provide a DIY burger for those of you who are feeling creative, or maybe picky regarding what you eat. The prices of each ingredients ranged from Rp5.000,00 to Rp50.000,00. 

Boyfriend opted for the Chi Chi Burger, which consisted of ground beef patty, caramelized onion, confit garlic aioli, curly lettuce, beef bacon, and pickles. I had me the Uncle Phil Burger that was made out of sliced beef and cheese, aioli, and caramelized onion. Both came with the fluffiest and most succulent buns I have ever tasted within a burger. They were crazy soft you don’t have to poke it to make a hole. 

My Uncle Phil Burger was delicious and very very juicy. The sliced beef shared a similar texture with Yoshinoya’s original beef bowl’s beef, which is very thin and fatty. The flavor created from combining the sliced beef with caramelized onion was just bomb! 

I tried a bite of Davie’s Chi Chi Burger and was slightly disappointed by how dull it tasted. Don’t get me wrong, it was delicious to say the least, but it was lacking of surprises. There was no umph, and Davie agreed with me. 

Lawless Burger Bar

Jalan Kemang Selatan 8, No. 67H - 67I

Kemang, Jakarta Selatan

Opening Hours:

SUN - THU: 11 AM - 10 PM

FRI - SAT: 11 AM - 12 AM

Upstair's Bar: 11 AM - 1 AM

We took down the Lemmy during this one afternoon and we couldn’t move afterwards. The ginormous burger was just too much to handle by myself I didn’t finish the top bun because I was just too full. We should have ordered one burger and shared it, but we were too hungry when we arrived at the burger joint we decided to get this monstrous burger each. 

The Lemmy here is the most epic burger that you can find at Lawless Burger Bar. It consisted of two thick meat patties, beef brisket, melted cheese, a generous amount of onion rings within the burger, beef bacon strips, a slab of pickle, a sunny-side-up, and a generous serving of sauce. It costed approximately Rp135.000,00 (excluding tax) for this particular burger.

Read the entire story here. 

Outback Steakhouse

Kuningan City, Ground Floor

Jl. Prof. Dr. Satrio, Kuningan, Jakarta

MON - SUN: 11.30 AM - 10 PM

This is, by far, the fanciest burger place we have ever visited. Again, we were so hungry during this particular evening, we decided to get a burger each. Little did we know, the burger came with a handful of hand-cut fries and a medium-sized dinner roll. 

The Typhoon Burger is what they call this humongous burger. Consisted of Outback’s homemade fried onion rings, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, a funky sauce that goes by the name Typhoon Bloom, and of course a thick-ass juicy beef patty. Gosh, we both had a really hard time finishing our meal. I could only finish the bottom bun and I only ate half of the fries because I was too full from munching on the dinner roll earlier while I was waiting for my burger to be served. 

This dish was no joke. All the ingredients used to create this baby are high quality ingredients. One of the butler, who was taking our order, asked us beforehand about how we wanted our beef patties to be. We opted for medium-well and medium-well was what we got - brownish grey on the outside and slightly pink on the inside. The meat went well with the onion rings - they were thick, battered in breadcrumbs, deep-fried, and well seasoned. I ate my french fries by dipping them into the Typhoon Bloom sauce, which tasted like a spicy mayonnaise, but didn’t put any on the burger because the burger was that flavorful it didn’t need any extra seasoning. 

I love the burger buns! The inner part of the buns was fluffy and soft, yet the outer part was crispy and chewy. One bun was enough to fill my tummy, though. This meal costed us Rp149.900,00 (excluding the tax) each. Not that cheap, but doable once in a while. 10/10 would come back for more. 

Burgushi

Jl. Panglima Polim V, No. 38D

Dharmawangsa, Jakarta

MON - SUN: 10 AM - 10 PM

A fusion of a burger and a sushi! We had the Beef Monster Burgushi, which didn’t look anything like the advertisement, but plenty enough to fill both of our stomach. It consisted of deep-fried sushi rice battered in breadcrumbs sandwiching two beef patties, two slices of cheese, cuts of beef bacon bits, a sunny-side-up, and a generous amount of Takoyaki sauce, wrapped in crispy seaweed. This burger costed us Rp39.000,00. 

In my opinion, rice and beef patties don’t work well when they’re combined. I would prefer to have my rice with salmon and spicy mayonnaise if I knew that the flavor combo would be this weird. Nonetheless, we managed to finish the whole thing because we needed that extra energy boost before LANY’s Malibu Nights World Tour concert started. 

Read the entire story here.