All Time Favorite Dessert and Where To Find Them

Who doesn't love dessert? No meal complete without dessert. A dessert is a type of food that gives the finishing touch in the end of the meal to make it perfect. Dessert commonly taste sweet, but there are also the savoury taste in dessert, which usually made from cheese. Both are great and yummy. It’s just depend on your mood to go for sweet or savoury taste.

Nowadays, many people eat dessert without have to get meal at first in the same time. Not only that, eating variety of decent dessert now seems to be a part of lifestyle which is proven by the opening of many dessert shops and dessert restaurant which always pretty packed with people, young and old.

I personally really love dessert! I never afraid to try some new dessert because in my life there is no such a thing as diet. Moreover, I often confuse which dessert should I choose to eat, because they all are so tempting and look tasty.  Not a long time ago, there are many dessert which become a trendy dessert such as red velvet and rainbow cake. Even so, I have some kind of dessert which I often choose to eat and seems to be my all time favorite desserts rather than those trendy dessert.  So, here they are.

1. Cheesecake

Cheeseeee! As a dessert lovers, cheesecake is one of a “must try” dessert! With the savory taste from the cheese, sweet taste from the cake and cream, and enhanced by the sweet and sour taste from the strawberry or blueberry. Just one word. Perfect!  This cheese cake is definitely will always be my favorite dessert.

Many dessert shops provide cheesecake. But my favorite cheesecake is the one from The Harvest. In there, they provide many kind of cheesecake such as strawberry cheese cake, blueberry cheesecake or chocolate cheesecake. Honestly, i really like all of them. But if I really have to choose, i will go with the strawberry cheesecake! 

2. Chocolate Lava Cake

Chocolate! I wonder if there’s someone in this world who doesn’t love chocolate?  Because this heavenly taste is very irresistible right? Hehehe. Chocolate lava cake, is one of the best form of chocolate. Whoever who find this chocolate lava cake, we must be really thankfull to him. Hehehe. Do I exaggerate? I think I’m not because this chocolate lava cake will really make your day! The taste of the cake itself which is very tasty and adding by the super delicious chocolate lava melting and burst out from the center of it. It just like heaven on earth when you eat it. 

I personally really like Bakerzin warm chocolate cake without the orang at the bottom of it. That warm chocolate cake really had me hooked since from the very firts bite and since then, i couldn’t help but craving for it.

3. Ice Cream

I scream, you scream, we scream for ice cream!! Yes, this kind of dessert is very easy to find. Ice cream is a frozen food made ​​from diary products such as cream  and combined with flavorings and sweeteners. The mixture is cooled and mixed with a variety of fruit, chocolate,  chips, cookies and milk. It is very delicious when served in a temperate daytime heat.

My favorite dessert destination if i’m craving for ice cream is Ragusa. Ragusa is one of the “Legend” if it comes to place to get ice cream. It is located in Veteran street near Gambir station and Istqlal mosque. The place is quite small. The decorations is very unique and you can feel the vintage atmosphere there. I usually ordered their Ice Cream Spaghetti or their Banana Split! Both are really yummy!! The taste of the ice cream is creamy yet laid  so you will not feel “too much” of it. Ice cream in Ragusa is a home made ice cream. They made it by their own machine with special secret recipe from a long time ago. No wonder this place is very well-known even with the elderly people.

So Lokals, Which one is your all time favorite dessert? :)

Sunday Brunch in Jakarta

Relax di hari Minggu kayaknya emang cocok banget ya, Lokals. Tapi sekarang, sebagian dari kita mungkin bosan dengan rutinitas bangun siang dan berdiam di rumah, what an unproductive Sunday. Setelah padat dengan aktifitas seminggu yang melelahkan, you can refresh your weekend with something healthy, lho! Want to try something new? Get up earlier and do a healthy activities. Kalian bisa ke menuju Jalan Jendral Sudirman untuk jogging pagi atau bersepeda di daerah sana dengan mengajak pacar atau teman-teman kalian. Cobain kesana sebelum jam 8 pagi, karena sinar matahari disana sedang enak banget dan kalian bisa mulai jogging dari Bundaran Senayan hingga ke Bunderan Hotel Indonesia. Burn up your calories is enough? No! Fill your tummy with a good and healthy food. Setelah capek jogging, paling enak emang relax sambil nikmatin menu brunch di restoran sekitar sana. Here we recommend you 5 Best Brunch Restaurant around Jakarta!

1.     KOI Café and Gallery – Jl Mahakam I No. 2, Jakarta Selatan

Restoran yang berkonsep gallery café ini ada di daerah Mahakam, Blok M tepatnya bersebelahan dengan Hotel Mahakam. Atmosphere yang ada di restoran ini bisa membuat kalian relax setelah lelah menjalankan aktifitas selama seminggu. Suara musik yang tidak begitu keras dengan warna interior yang chic and calm, make this restaurant become a great place to have a deep conversation with your friends. Kalian bisa coba egg benedict yang ditawarkan mereka atau jika ingin yang manis, bisa juga mencoba apple crumble dari café ini. A very good and cozy place to have brunch with your friends.

2.     Social House – Grand Indonesia East Mall 1st Floor

Very hungry after you get healthy? Coba deh brunch di Social House. Restoran dengan konsep wooden interior ini berlokasi di Grand Indonesia, East Mall. Mereka memiliki menu breakfast dari mulai egg benedict, beef, ricotta hot cakes, dan banyak lagi. Restoran ini memberikan atmosphere yang casual and calm, enak kok untuk nikmatin brunch kalian sambil duduk di balcony area dimana kalian bisa melihat jalan Sudirman yang kosong di pagi hari. Namun jangan datang terlalu siang ya Lokals, karena resto ini cukup penuh saat brunch time.

3.     Loewy – Jln Lingkar Mega Kuningan E 42 No. 1

Suka dengan konsep retro? Kalian bisa mampir ke daerah Kuningan dan cari restoran yang bernama Loewy. Cocok juga nih untuk tempat brunch kalian, karena ambience yang casual dan calm bisa bikin kalian relax di pagi hari. Menu yang ditawarkan memang paling pas untuk brunch, seperti French toast, pancakes, waffles, dan banyak yang lainnya. Platting dari makanan mereka juga cukup simple, tidak menggunakan teknik platting yang terlalu mewah. Very cozy and comfortable atmosphere to relaxing your Sunday.

4.     Parc 19 – Jl. Taman Kemang Raya No.19

Brunch identik dengan suasana santai, mengobrol kecil dengan teman, sambil meneguk teh atau kopi. Ketiga hal itu bisa kalian rasakan di Parc 19. Restoran yang berada di daerah Kemang ini memang sudah buka dari mulai pagi. Sehingga setelah kalian jogging, bisa langsung mampir menikmati brunch di restoran ini. Area restoran ini cukup luas dan tidak begitu ramai, so quite nice to have a good talk with your friends. Walaupun menu brunch Parc 19 belum begitu banyak, tapi kalian bisa cobain salad dan desserts yang disajikan.

5.     Pad@28 – Jalan Tulodong Atas 28, Senopati, Jakarta

Pasti kalian capek kan setelah jogging pagi-pagi di hari minggu. Paling enak emang relax duduk di sofa sambil ngemil-ngemil. Nah, di Pad@28 yang berlokasi di daerah Senopati ini kalian bisa santai bersama teman kalian. Karena dengan konsep living room yang dibawakan oleh Pad@28, cocok untuk brunch time kalian. Restoran ini menyajikan menu-menu eropa dan ada menu desserts juga kalau memang kalian lebih suka makanan manis di pagi hari.

Where to Spend Your Saturday Night

Saturday Night memang malam yang paling ditunggu-tunggu untuk menghabiskan waktu bersama teman-teman. Nightlife yang sedang berkembang pesat di Jakarta semakin menarik perhatian kita untuk mencoba setiap tempat-tempat baru. Mungkin sebagian dari kalian sering bingung dalam menentukan tempat yang cocok untuk melepas penat bareng teman-teman diantara banyaknya pilihan nightclub di Jakarta sekarang ini. And here are some places that we recommend  for your Saturday Night Party!

1.     Fable:

Nightclub ini berlokasi di Kawasan SCBD, Jl. Jendral Sudirman, Jakarta Selatan dan merupakan salah satu club favorit di Jakarta sekarang ini. Kalau kalian bosan dengan suasana party yang begitu-begitu saja, Fable sering mengadakan event yang seru belakangan ini, seperti Valentine’s day Party, Halloween Party, dan Campus Night. Mostly, musik yang diputar ber-genre Hip-hop dan RnB. Tentu saja, after midnight, beat musiknya semakin seru untuk turun ke dance floor. Crowd yang memenuhi dance floor juga sangat asik bagi kalian yang tidak mau hanya diam duduk di kursi, dance like the dance floor is yours! Dari segi luasnya, club ini cukup luas dengan dance floor yang tepat berada di tengah dan tidak jauh dari bar area. Rata-rata pengunjung yang datang ke Fable merupakan anak kuliahan (around 20 y.o.), so be friendly and hopefully kalian bisa memperluas pergaulan kalian disana.

2.     Domain:

Club yang berada di Senayan City ini memang memang sudah hits banget sejak 2009, Lokals! Untuk kamu yang senang bersosialisasi, Domain sangat cocok dijadikan tempat untuk teman-teman. Pengunjung yang datang ke Domain rata-rata merupakan anak kuliahan dan young executives (around 18-30 y.o.). Lagu-lagu yang diputar merupakan lagu-lagu yang berjejer di deretan TOP 40, jadi euphoria yang ada semakin seru. Namun sayangnya, Domain sangat sempit untuk ukuran club jika dibandingkan dengan club lain sehingga para pengunjung yang nge-dance di dance floor tidak jarang sering bersenggolan dengan pengunjung lain. Walaupun begitu tenang saja, nightclub ini merupakan tempat yang aman untuk clubbing. Untuk masuk ke club ini, kalian diharuskan untuk dress up karena club ini cukup strict dalam urusan pakaian. Put on your shoes and heels, get ready to the dance floor!

3.     X2/Equinox:

Kedua club ini berada dalam satu Club Complex tepatnya di Plaza Senayan Lantai 4 dan 5. X2/Equinox sering mengadakan event yang lumayan menarik dengan sexy dancer yang ikut meramaikan event. Dari segi soundsystem, kedua club ini sangat bagus. Musik yang diputar mostly bergenre House, Progressive, Hip-Hop, dan RnB. Dancefloor yang luas dan crowd didalamnya juga asik, makes X2/Equinox are good place where you can enjoy dancing.

4.     Prive

Club yang dulunya merupakan area IndoChine ini berada di FX Lifestyle X’nter Sudirman. Prive mengharuskan kalian untuk mengocek uang sebesar Rp150.000,00 per person sebagai FDC untuk bisa masuk ke club ini. Harga minumannya masih cukup affordable. Musik yang diputar cukup enak dengan genre RnB. Dancefloor-nya juga cukup luas to get the beat on the dancefloor.

5.     Immigrant:

Salah satu club yang bisa dibilang paling dikunjungi oleh para foreigner. Rata-rata pengunjung Immigrant berusia 25-40 tahun. Memang lebih tua dibandingkan dengan club lain yang ada di Jakarta. Immigrant berlokasi di Plaza Indonesia Lantai 6. Area club-nya cukup luas, namun kurang asik untuk dancing around. Dengan desain interior bergaya Classic NYC, tempat ini masih recommended enough untuk menghabiskan Saturday Night kalian.

It Takes Two To Tango, Romantic Restaurant in Town.

Candle light dinner is a must try for couples who are in love. Restaurant with a romantic atmosphere will certainly enhance your candle light dinner experience with your partner. Here's a restaurant recommendations that can be used as an alternative option to invite your loved one. Beside providing many good food, their restaurant ambiance will also make you feel that the love is in the air. Worth try!

Emelie French Restauran

For those who love French food, Emilie is a right place to go. This stand alone restaurant located in Senopati area is a fine dining restaurant with romantic French ambience and delightful French cuisine. Try their signature dishes like Le Barramundi, Le Cote de Boeuf, and Le Filet de Boeuf. But you have to make sure that you have an extra budget if you really wanna go there because the price is quite high. If you order à la carte, you should pay between Rp100k and Rp250k for an appetizer, and between Rp350k to Rp600k for a main dish. If you include the drinks, you'll end up paying around Rp1 million for your meal. However, Emelie is excellent when it comes to service, taste, presentation and atmosphere. 

Luna negra

Luna Negra is a restaurant specializing in Italian cuisine that located in Bapindo Plaza Building, Sudirman. With an old New York City setting, red brick walls and perfect dim lights, Luna Negra will make you feel a warm and romantic atmosphere. It  will certainly be able to make you and your partner willing to spend a lot of time here, accompanied with delicious meals with authentic Italian flavors. The menu features mostly home-made pasta and authentic Italian pizzas. The prices vary a lot, but on average, it is Rp100k for a pizza and slightly less for pasta which is around Rp60k to Rp80k. This restaurant also provide variety of tempting wine to complete your candle light dinner moment. This restaurant is definitely one of the good option for a romantic dinner with your lover. Just don’t forget to reserve, especially during the weekend because this restaurant usually pretty crowded.

Segarra Seaside Escape

This restaurant, which is located in North Jakarta, has a direct view to the sea. Accompanied by evening sea breezes, spacious open air and dim lights, a romantic atmosphere can be felt if you dine here. I recommend you to reserve the outdoor area rather than the semi outdoor area because the sunset view or night view of the sea just makes everything feels more romantic. The menu offered here is also very suitable for seafood lovers. But if you do not feel like eating seafood, then do not worry because Segarra Seaside Escape also provides other international menus such as pasta, steak and some other Asian menus. The price here considered pretty high because minimum purchase in here is Rp500k. However, this restaurant is very suitable for those of you who want to escape for a moment from the hassle of the city and enter a romantic night-sea atmosphere together with your loved ones.

So, are you ready to plan a memorable candle light dinner with your lover, Lokals? J

Stuck and Immovable, List of Things That are Trapped in my Head

by Raditya Nacho Pradana

This past few weeks have been a blessing for me, I got a new job (an intership program actually, Is it classified as a job people?)  I turned 20 last July, I had a girlfriend (it’s so important I even have to write it down) my last GPA was surprisingly decent, I am feeling like I am in my prime and happier than ever (not sure whether i am really happy, or  just becoming more enthusiastic and optimistic towards life, well either way, i think both are good things), anyway  I want to share you some things that have been in my head for quite a while, there are this beautiful cult movies, funky and soul reaching music, food that keeps me curious, and a book that blows my mind. Ok, let’s start from movies:

Dazed and Confused (1993 Movie)

This movie reminds me of my Higschool, SMA Pangudi Luhur, and all of the wacky, silly, crazy, fun and inspirational things we have done, Higschool is that period of time that you wish could stay forever, and i am grateful because when I look back at my Highschol time, I have no regret whatsoever for things that i have done.

Dazed and Confused is about School's breaking up for the summer of '76 in States. The seniors debate party politics while next term's freshmen run the gauntlet of brutal initiation rites, barely comforted by the knowledge that they'll someday become the seniors. No one's looking much farther ahead than that. This has a free-wheeling, 'day-in-the-life-of' structure which allows writer/director Richard Linklater (Mind you, Linklater is also famous for his series of Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and recently Before Midnight umm and oh yeah School of Rock) in his second feature, to eavesdrop on an ensemble cast without much in the way of dramatic plot. The movie is plotless but fun at the same time, and really gives you that nostalgic feeling everytime you watched it. Go download it through torrent! Err i mean go buy the original DVD!

From the Ritz to the Rubble by Arctic Monkeys (2011 – 2012)

The song was just perfect, fast paced and yet funky, the song’s taken from the Suck It and See album, and in my opinion the best song in that album, competing fiercely with Fake Tales of San Fransisco and When the Sun Goes Down. The lyrics are golden

Got too deep but how deep is too deep?

Well I'm so glad they turned us all away we'll put it down to fate

I said a thousand million things that I could never say this morning

Got too deep, but how deep is too deep?

This town's a different town today

This town's a different town to what it was last night

You couldn't have done that on a Sunday

Basically the songs ramble about going out and other stuff, have it a go listen to it now!

Ramen

There is this Ikkudo Ichi Ramen, Everybody talk about this Ramen Place like it is the only decent Ramen Place in Jakarta, and everytime they talk about it the more curious i become, too bad this Ikkudo is way too far from where i live, it takes much effort and motivation to finally go there, soon maybe, from what i have heard, Ikkudo Ichi allows us to choose the thickness and density of the noodle, you could choose between hard, soft, and medium, then you could also personalise your broth and oil, you have option to choose the level of intensity whether you want it to be light or maximum, the ramen comes with quite a cheap price, only 39K for their signature dish which is Tori Kara - chicken ramen with special red sauce, topped with boiled eggs, wakame, and sesame seeds, my friend also told me that beside ramen, the hero of the restaurant is a grilled beef, eventhough it comes with a quite expensive price – around 59K for 5 slice of beef. All this stories from my friend only make the wants of trying this food grow even stronger.

Room by Emma Donnoghue

This book is captivating, beautifully written by Emma Donoghue, it is built on two intense bounds: the limited point of view of the narrator, a 5-year-old boy named Jack; and the confines of Jack’s physical world, an 11-by-11-foot room where he lives with his mother. We enter the book strongly planted within these restrictions. We know only what Jack knows, and the drama is isntant, as is our sense of disorientation over why these characters are in this place. This one of a kind book, very rare i have seen book that can utilise a child narrator this good before, go give it a read, and feel different after you read this book.

Yeah, that’s it, four things that are stranded in my head, hoping to pop them all before the end of this month, Ciao!

4 Artsy Places in Jakarta Where You Could See and be Seen

by Raditya Nacho Pradana

Jakartans now perceive being artsy as a big new trend, people are finding ways so they could look as artsy as possible, thankfully now in Jakarta, there are people that combine the concept of a restaurant, art gallery, theater, bar and cafe under one roof to feed this wants and trends, and like all of past trends , this trend will someday come to an end, but hey let’s not talk about how will it end - let’s savour the moment where art is seen as a new status level and enjoy the list that i have made regarding top 4 Artsy places in Jakarta, so that you could be one of those pretentious hipster that loves art! (kidding here, no offense hipsters!)

·         TrystLiving Gallery and Resto, Kemang

Located in Kemang, TrystLiving is a place where cafe and furniture met with the art and quality design and comfort. In TrystLiving, they want us to experience what they call a wood experience in which they convert wood into something that can make people enjoy how the wood should be enjoyed. In their gallery of furniture you will be able to see an unusual form of wood that will blow your mind and make you go “aaah how beautiful”. The design and shape that they created is something out of the box that creative, dynamic, minimalist, modern, comfortable, and primarily for use. But not only gallery they also have a cafe that serves delicious pasta and cold beers. TrystLiving is definitely a place to see and be seen!

·         Dia.lo.gue Artspace and Coffee, Kemang

Dia.lo.gue is a common artspace that is open to the public. Basically their intent is to provide a space where a genuine creative dialogue can start to happen between artists, designers and the general public. This ethos is reflected in their name, which translates in local Betawi language as ‘He/She – You – Me’, and in their logogram, which can be interpreted as individuals of many different characters, ages and personalities.

As a public artspace, dia.lo.gue is open to types of art and design. Many artist have perform there such as our favorite darlings, White Shoes and The Couples Company (they are musician in case you cavemen don’t know them) who released their book and mini-album there, many interesting discussions and seminar has also taken place in Dia.lo.gue, infamous designers has also showcased their works in Dia.lo.gue. they also have some really good looking cafe that serves coffee and small foods, i recommend you to take a shot at their Grilled Pesto Chicken and Avocado Coffee which are for me a match made in heaven,  Dia.lo.gue is indoubtedly one of the place worth going!

·         Salihara Komunitas Salihara, Pasar Minggu

From the four places that i will recommend you, i think Salihara is by far the most consistent place that offers you fine qualities art, ranging from theater (many big theater group has perform here e.g. Teater Koma, Teater Mandiri, Garasi Teater, and other big names in theater play industry), not only famous for its theater place, Salihara also held discussions, writing festival, art exhibition (paintings, sculpture, art installations, etc.) Public lectures and monthly Jazz event.

Once named “The Best Art Space” (2010) by the magazine Time Out Jakarta and as one of the “10 Most Unique Places in Jakarta” (2010) by Metro TV, the architecture of Komunitas Salihara has also been described as, “Architecture which applies environmentally friendly aspects” by Green Design Award 2009. Not to forget, they also have Kopitiam Oey in front of the area, restaurant that is owned and supervised by Bondan Winarno, give their coffee and mi kepiting a try if you come to Salihara. Conclusion, Salihara is definitely a place that gives all.

·         KOI Restaurant & Gallery, Kemang

Located also in Kemang, hippest area in South Jakarta i must say, KOI Kemang really stand out between the three place I mentioned before, in terms of food, they have one of the best desserts in town, for me personally I love their mille feuille and dessert platter, Food aside, KOI Kemang also exhibit pantings and furniture regularly, they focused mainly on the Furniture because it is also one of their business line. This place is packed usually by people in their early 20s and late 30s, KOI Kemang is definitely a treat for your eyes and tummy.

Ok, that’s a wrap Lokals, hope you enjoy my recommendation, let’s be artsy and pretentious!