TANPOPO JAPANESE IZAYAKA YATAI - NEW OUTLET IN PLUIT!

I have heard that Tanpopo has improved its performance, because quite frankly, my very first visit wasn't exactly the most memorable, but you know what? Even as soon as I revisited Tanpopo and the moment I arrived after the last time, the vibe itself was quite different in a good way, but not sure why, but anyway, here for the food!

As I am typing this blog post, Tanpopo just recently opened a new outlet in Pluit (across Pluit Village), but I went to their original outlet in Gandaria, which is located not too far from Gandaria City. For those who are not familiar with the brand, Tanpopo focuses in serving Izakaya Japanese cuisine in forms of teppanyaki, yakiniku, suki, shabu-shabu and hamayaki, altogether in this Japanese food stall space where you can access the options easily, and not to mention, the live open kitchen.

GOOD NEWS for my Muslim friends, Tanpopo is 100% halal and besides beef, guests can enjoy selections of chicken and seafood too! For health watchers out there, they don't cook their food with MSG here.

Hamayaki Karubi (IDR 25k), Hamayaki Momo Teriyaki (IDR 15k), Hamayaki Squid (IDR 25k)

Angus Tenderloin in the making...

Grilled Chicken

The chicken was quite tender, properly cooked but it was the white sauce that's really giving more flavor as well as enhancing it.

Angus Tenderloin
Dice-cut Angus beef served with garlic chips, sauteed vegetables and drenched in creamy white sauce!

Teppanyaki USDA Short Ribs - IDR 45k

This one happens to be one of their best sellers and one of my personal favorite too: thinly sliced tender beef with sauteed vegetable on the side, gracefully seasoned, savory goodness with a hint of sweet, overall tasty.

Teppanyaki Beef Chunk - IDR 55k

Okay, here's where things got different compared to my last visit: THEY NOW INSTALL charcoal grill on the table for communal grill, where on their early days they used the personal grill which was super inconvenient due to the amount of smoke it produced and right off the dinner, the smell of grill smoke was all over me, good job on that!

More to that, more new menus, like this large sukiyaki pot to share. I love the sweet tasty soup! The broth was really meaty, savory with the right amount of sweetness infused! The beef was fatty but I found it to be the rightest for this kind of serving (due to the melting fat giving more flavor), and you will also find various veges too.

Some cuts and slices that I had for yakiniku that night: USDA Short Ribs (IDR 35k), Angus Tenderloin (IDR 80k), Basil Chicken. I recommend that thee Angus Tenderloin is sliced before cooked because if you cook it in full, it will take more time to cook and it will firmer in texture! As for the carefully sliced short ribs, no problemo!

The chicken, if you cook it right (and FYI do cook chicken longer because you can't have it half-cooked), it can be properly tender, so when it comes to yakiniku, my answer will and always be depending on how you cook it, but I think the base proteins are fresh enough!

The price tag for the proteins and dishes are affordable, and I think Tanpopo is the kind of place that you go to get your Japanese food craving fulfilled, along with the affordable price tag and friendly vibe, but do note that you go here not to get the best meat/the most premium meat, what you pay is what you get.

Tanpopo Japanese Izakaya Yatai

Jl. Sultan Iskandar Muda No. 99E
Arteri Pondok Indah (across Gandaria City)
Kebayoran Lama, Jakarta Selatan
0877 - 7758 - 3858
Opening hours: 6 PM-12 AM
Average spending for two: IDR 250k
Dresscode: casual
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Map for Tanpopo Jakarta

IGNASIA'S PANTAI INDAH KAPUK

For the last two years, I have seen a rapid growth for healthy indulgence and I am pretty sure that all-things-healthy are going to have more recognition as the years roll, I just feel like people nowadays tend to understand more how important it is to consume healthier food and the idea of you-are-what-you-eat! At the moment I might not be the master of it as my job requires me to sample various feast, but align with what I am saying, in this entry I'll briefly review the newly opened healthy dessert cafe in Pantai Indah Kapuk: IGNASIA'S (or Cake Me Away by Ignasia).

The cafe's named after its owner, Ignasia, a passionate baker who started the business from a small home business and now realizing her dream to have her own dessert cafe, and by dessert I am talking about her homemade cakes, fruit based chia pudding, and smoothie bowls. They say believe in your dreams.

On the day of my visit, I noticed they're still finishing little details of the cafe's front construction but the main dining area is finished.

The cafe is not the most spacious but the interior is so well decorated and pretty with major white color, hanging plants, and wood combination, my favorite seat is of course the one next to the window for the natural light charm and also good for pictures. Anyway, my date yesterday, my preggo sister!

They have 9 choices of Smoothie Bowls that you can further customize to your liking and add extra various toppings such as Fruits (banana, kiwi, strawberry, orange), Crunch (granola, almond, nuts) and Superfoods (raisin, goji berry, chia seeds, cranberries, sunflowers seeds), 5 actual Smoothies (lol), 7 kinds of whole cakes (and available in slices too), Tartlets, Swiss Rolls and Cheesecakes. If you fancy anything else besides smoothie for the drinks, they also have organic coffee, fresh juices, and non-coffee drinks (tea, chocolate). Speaking of organic, Ignasia's parents business are in the organic items business, so when it comes to organic ingredients, I bet she has the basic knowledge and taste for it.

Price range for the smoothie bowls starts from IDR 45k-55k (with toppings fro IDR 7k), smoothies for IDR 35k and cakes at IDR 40k. Loving the price tag on the smoothie bowls as normally the other ones in Jakarta are so fucking bloody expensive damnit.

Tried three cakes Red Velvet Cake, Cheese Cake and Carrot Cake, since I have always been an avid fan of Carrot Cake I guess that one was my favorite! It was very moist without much texture (even though some people like the extra crunch from the nut), very simple but I expected the stronger and bolder cinnamon aroma and hint, but texture wise: beautiful! The Red Velvet cake was something that I was a bit skeptical about but it was my sister's favorite, it was again, moist, with the right balance of sweetness and as for the Cheese Cake, I didn't try but my sister did.

From the Smoothie Bowl series, I tried four of their highlighted menus: Ignasia's Signature (the purple one) which consist of Red Dragon as the base, Bana-Nut, Blend-Nana and Juicy Fruity.

Clockwise starting from the purple one: Ignasia's Signature, Juicy Fruity, Blend-Nana and Bana-Nut, and the center is the Mango Chia Pudding (more on that below)

Ignasia's Signature: red dragon fruit, banana, strawberry, blueberry, avocado, soy milk, yogurt
Bana-Nut: banana, peanut butter, yogurt, soy milk
Blend-Nana: banana, yogurt, cacao powder, skimmed milk
Juicy Fruity: mango, pear, pineapple, avocado, chia seeds, skimmed milk

If you ask me to name my favorite then it would be the Bana-Nut, I found this one having the boldest flavor, and I might be biased here since I love peanut butter and the combo on the Bana-Nut was amazing! My least favorite would be the Juicy Fruity, just not the texture I like, but flavor wise I kinda like it, generally I found their smoothie bowls to be pretty good (and not to mention the affordable price).

Mango Chia Pudding - IDR 45k
I like their smoothie bowls but I LOVE their Mango Chia Pudding, I think this was my favorite item from this cafe for the spot on everything: sweet, creamy but altogether delicate and beautiful on my palate! I don't know are you more the smoothie bowl person or the chia pudding person? I might be the chia pudding person as I love the healthy porridge like texture and when it comes to mango, can't say no to! MUST TRY!

There's not a lot of healthy cafes in Pantai Indah Kapuk and the arrival of Ignasia's adds in more options to those who fancy some smoothie bowl goodness but too lazy to drive to the South!

Ignasia's

Ruko Cordoba Blok D No. 15 (next to Locupan)

Pantai Indah Kapuk

Jakarta Utara

021 - 5698 3539

Average spending for two: IDR 100k
Dresscode: none
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Map for Locupan Lovers

JOE AND DOUGH PLAZA INDONESIA

THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED JOE AND DOUGH IS FINALLY OPENING... TOMORROW...IN PLAZA INDONESIA!!!

I was invited to the exclusive preview a few days ago and since the cafe is officially opening tomorrow, I thought I'mma do a brief review of it! Joe and Dough is located at the 2nd floor of Plaza Indonesia, precisely across Sephora and for those who are not aware, it's originated from Singapore! In Singapore alone, they already have 12 outlets spread all over the country. They're best known for their coffee and pastries but here they also cater mains too!

Something about the branding that I really like: simple with a pop factor, and the interior is also pleasant to the eye (and presence), it's pop, vibey while still neat with touch of youthful and playful (sometimes I explain how I feel better with Indonesian slang words but I hope you get my point). At the front part of the cafe you'll see pastries display and OMG they look so freaking tempting, there's also a coffee bar and communal table in the center, AND BOY DO I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE SOY HERE!!! I have been trying to consume less and less full cream milk and opt for soy for substitute. I tried their SOY LATTE and to be frank it's GOOD!!!

Besides their gorgeous flaky butter croissants, you can also find other ones more variants and flavors (matcha, cream) and some classics like Kouign Amman, Cruffins, various breads and CAKES, all displayed so so beautifully!

One of the highlighted cakes here has got to be the Black Sesame Cake, well I didn't try this one as this was my friend's order, but my friend said the cake was pretty tasty, pretty moist with the right sweetness and amount of black sesame flavor in a cake!

...why order separately when you can get both in a single serving? I'm talking about one of their signature menu: JD Cookie Coffee! It's basically this Picollo style coffee inside this dense cookie cup and chocolate dressing at the lip area. I honestly found the cookie to be nice especially with that extra sweetness from the chocolate, and the coffee's light (probably this lighter kind of Picollo compared to the ones that I've tried elsewhere), but with this lovely balance that I like and smooth aftertaste! The marshmallow really didn't do much for me, I kinda ignored its presence LOL!

Their croissant is a strong contender for most patisseries in town, it is really really well made, scroll down to see the wonderful texture! It's fragrant, flaky, airy, soft and not overly buttery just the kind of croissants that I like!

The croissants here are priced at IDR 25k

Smoked Salmon Hash with 63 Degree Egg - IDR 90k

This is just...SO GOOD! To be completely frank with you guys, way above my expectation! If you really look at it, it's such a simple dish but everything's altogether cooked or seasoned perfectly! The smoked salmon is given generously and so beautifully seasoned (just salty and fresh me super likey!), the sous vid egg is also perfect and the hash-brown has this beautiful crunch and moisture that I like! A MUST TRY!

I wish I can try more food to experience and review, but from what I've tasted, I found everything to be enjoyable, I am so going back for more food and for the ambiance, I think this will easily be one of my new favorite places in Plaza Indonesia to chill and have some alone time to work on my stuff, anyway welcome to my hometown and good luck!

Joe and Dough

Plaza Indonesia 2nd floor

Jakarta Pusat 10350

Opening hours: 10 AM-10 PM

Average spending for two: IDR 300k

Dresscode: none

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