Pho Toan Thang, Flemington

There might be a dozen restaurants near Flemington station but Pho Toan Thang is the only one you can guarantee will have a queue out the front. A long-held favourite with locals, the dining room is heaving with families, toddlers, couples, groups of friends and wizened pensioners. During peak hours, the queue out the front can be twenty-deep.



Pho Toan Thang might have a Vietnamese name, but

TREDICI RISTORANTE JAKARTA

Since I am tired of making the dramatic opening for new restaurants opening in Senopati, so let's just cut it off and get to the point: there's a new restaurant opening in the Senopati area - at Jalan Suryo to be exact -, ladies and gentlemen, I give you Tredici Ristorante!

This newcomer in the neighborhood is an Italian themed restaurant and as I am writing this, it's now 5 days old (counting from the grand opening). Truthfully speaking, this restaurant is cute, in a way classy, rustic, sophisticated, homey and photogenic! General case of restaurants with such criteria: buzz and crowds! On my visit (which by the way just yesterday), it was almost full house, while I think most people would choose to sit at the "outdoor" area that looks like garden, I was happy enough with the perfect seat next to the window.

Just in case you're wondering, Tredici means "thirteen" in Italian and rumor has it that there are 13 shareholders for this restaurant.

There were a lot of flowers around the venue and for an avid flower fan like me, I loved it!

There's something about the ambiance of the restaurant that I like, it indeed made me feel (a little) like I was somewhere in Italy with all those wood material applied all over the interior, jazz musics playing along, dim warm lighting and simply the whole design. 

I love quirky stuff like this, must admit the owner has nice sense!

Complimentary bread! I love the texture of the bread and you must have them while they're still warm as they're at the fluffiest, the cheese sticks was also quite nice with proper crunchiness! The portion also came with the olive oil and basil parmesan dipping that was really good. 

The "outdoor" area of Tredici, not exactly outdoor, just the area with more access to the natural light. 

Major Apple Mojito

IDR 35k

To be completely frank, most of the times when I order Apple Mojito, it's because I simply know what I want at the moment and pretty much how the drink tasted, but this one was certainly on the good range of the Mojito I've had. I love sour drinks and this was sour in the tastiest way, I was glad that they used the lemon juice to this drink as it freshen the drink up!

Zuppa di Funghi
IDR 32k
Was in the mood for this so I decided to give it a try. I honestly expected more than this, I just feel like it was lacking that "mushroom" flavor and seasoning, this was also lighter and personally I love the thicker one.

Pappardelle Casereccia
IDR 72k
Ordered this because this was the recommended one as well as the best seller and boy this was good! I really love the texture of the homemade pasta: just the right al dente that I want! This portion consist of pork sausage, green peas, mushroom, parmesan in incredibly tasty tomato sauce and truffle oil! The tomato sauce had the right amount of thickness and loving how the sauce stick nicely to the pasta!

It was just a quick lunch at this new restaurant and I wasn't disappointed with the food at all, in fact I wanna go back for more as I noticed they have some lobster dishes that I'm looking forward to try!

I noticed they're preparing another spot one level above Tredici, heard it's going to be a bar area called 13 Monkeys! Well I guess they truly believe in the number "13" against everyone's perception and belief of it, well I personally don't believe it that either it's just a freaking number, well but for some reasons there's also a belief that monkey is the symbol of good luck.

Based from what I experienced, Tredici is not just a new trending restaurant depending on pretty look, I can see their potential in growing and their urge to fight and survive. The F&B biz is actually very fun but there's still seriousness to keep in store, another critic to give, I think they should improve the service quality as I noticed the staffs were a little confused in explaining the menu and the after service like the billing.

In the meantime, GOOD LUCK TREDICI!

PS: getting here is not hard, it's located not far from Crematology Coffee Roasters

Tredici Ristorante
Jl. Suryo No. 42
Senopati, Kebayoran Baru
Jakarta Selatan 12190
021 - 720 4567
Pricing: $$, IDR 250k for two
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Map for Tredici Ristorante

IPPUDO RAMEN JAKARTA

Personally, this must be one of my most anticipated and awaited venture to open in Jakarta and just a few days ago, it did! The famous Ippudo Ramen is now opening in Jakarta!!!

I was in Bali - if you follow my Instagram you must know that I just had a splendid one week trip to Bali - the first day it officially opened for public, kinda sad for missing it because I love trying new places and actually be the first to spread the news to the public (and to preserve the existence of course *cough*), but that's okay, I was in the island of God so I guess I still win!

Just like the other happening joint, Ippudo definitely holds the title at the moment and that you can see from the freaking queue! I got there around 6 PM and the queue was already very long, I was the 20th people in line, and yes since so many of you are wondering if I always get special pass, NO I AM NOT! I am also a regular customer and I paid for what I ate, I am actually in a way happier like this, earn and spend the money on the food, that's how my life pretty much like: revolves around food. Little that I knew, it was actually the queue for the 6:40 PM opening and they were taking a break. I wonder why those people stood and waited that long, my first instinct was to go to Starbucks and spent a precious 45 minutes of me-time.

I guess I was just lucky! I came to Ippudo at 7.15 PM and it's just literally the moment they shouted "20" which was my number! Thank God for no queue!

I was quite surprised to learn that the restaurant wasn't as big as I expected, I thought it's at least going to be as big as the Pancious (located right beside but currently on renovation) and it's just like half of it, well not small either. Since the crowd was really packed I got seated at the unexpected communal table. Without the desire to sound like a Divo, honestly this was like the first time for me to be seated at the communal table and together I seated with four Japanese, somehow it's such an exciting experience and made me feel like I was actually in Japan. Trust me, Japanese ate so freaking fast. They didn't really chat when they're eating (at least that's what I noticed) and when they're done with all the eating stuff, they pay and they go, I guess it took them only 10 minutes to finish everything! Awesome lah!

FYI it took me 20 minutes because I wanted to enjoy the ramen (including the time to take pictures and chat with my bud!).

Shiromaru Chasiu (extra)
IDR 90k
I came with a friend and we both ordered the same thing: Shirotama Chasiu ramen, but I had mine with extra Tamago (8k). They actually had the default option (with chasiu but without the tamago) and the default option had less chasiu (which was unfortunate then). I was in my chasiu-mood and I needed extra so I went for this one. I have had Ippudo in Singapore before and one sip of the soup, I knew something wasn't very similiar, it's not bad, but I definitely prefer the Singapore one. The soup was savory and tasty, but for some reasons the more you try the soup, the more you noticed that it slowly got saltier and saltier and I mean that kind of saltiness from the MSG (I don't know if they're using it or now but it felt that way and pardon me if you don't). The consistency of the soup was lighter and less thick comparing to those Tonkotsu broth from Ikkudo or Tsurukamedou. I love having mine a little spicy because it lived up the flavor. On the other hand, the chasiu was thick but not the most tender that I've had.

The pricing for Shiromaru ramen started from IDR 68k (the most basic), IDR 76k (with the Tamago), IDR 83k (extra chasiu), IDR 90k (most complete with extra chasiu and Tamago).

Short to say, one bowl of Ippudo ramen reminds me of Marutama's broth and Tamago and also Ikkudo's noodle. I didn't take the pic of the Tamago as I forgot (case when you enjoy your ramen too well) but I loved the Tamago, the texture was just nice with runny consistency of the inside.

 Since the noodle's quite thin, I suggest you go with the hard noodle for a more well-balanced portion and on your palate as well.

Pork Bun
IDR 28k
I must say I quite like it in general but I was expecting the juicier and thicker fat, initially wanted a burst of flavor on one bite but it wasn't really happening. The seasoning on the bun was light but decent and the bun itself was fluffy and smooth. This one you should try!

After trying the Ippudo here, I honestly had very high expectations and I don't know I just can't help it! But based on my visit, the standards I set wasn't quite reached, maybe it's because I tried the one in Singapore and that one happened to be so damn perfect and here I found minor mistakes that affected quite critical. However, I must say I like the ramen but not crazy about it, but I do love the service. The staff was really kind, polite, attentive and helpful.

I don't mind going back here for more, I really do hope I'd get the better one ;).

Ippudo Ramen
Pacific Place 5th floor, unit 5.37
Jl. Jendral Sudirman Kav. 52-53
SCBD, Jakarta Selatan 12190
Opening Hours: 11 AM - 10 PM
Pricing: $$, IDR 250k for two
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Map for Pacific Place

Three Lanes and Seven Alleys, Haymarket Chinatown

Stinky tofu. Its infamy might precede itself but the version at the newly opened Three Lanes and Seven Alleys isn't half as scary as you'd think. Cubes of tofu have been deep-fried so they develop a golden shell. We can't detect much fermentation in the tofu cubes themselves, but the sauce on the side packs a heftier punch. It has all the hallmarks of stinky tofu, like someone left a wedge of

La Galette Patisserie, Merrylands

Here's the easiest and cheapest way to do a food tour. Head somewhere new and wander the streets. It's what we did when we visited Merrylands for the first time a couple of months ago, a suburb that caused several colleagues to be taken aback when I mentioned where I going. Often these are the places you want to visit. You won't find a whole street filled with shiny franchises and fancy cafes

THE PENINSULA MAKATI MANILA: HOTEL REVIEW

Before I start writing the essential of this entry, I just want to say that:

I FREAKING LOVE MANILA!!!

I love this city for so many bloody reasons. I have mentioned on my previous post that Manila to me, is like 70% Singapore and 30% Jakarta. I love big cities, especially the downtown area and fortunate enough I stayed the whole time during my Manila days in Metro Manila, the downtown of Philippines!

This time I'm going to be blogging about the hotel that I stayed at while I was in Manila. I spent four days and three nights in Makati (Metro Manila) and the whole time I stayed at this gorgeous five star hotel: THE PENINSULA MANILA!

I gotta admit I always get excited whenever I want to and about to travel, especially when it's a sponsored trip with the itinerary and the name of the hotels I've never been before, I always Google everything and this one was no exception! The hotel looked incredible online and when I actually arrived and stepped my feet on the marble lobby, it was "GLAM" times 100!

There's something about the smell of the hotel that's (mostly) different from one another and I just loved it. Call me psycho or anything but if you're agree with this, raise your hands, if you don't, raise your standards! The lobby had this Victorian look with a touch of elegance and class, along with the ambiance, this flowery scent lingered all over the venue, since I arrived quite late, during the night, the lighting was dim but very heartwarming and... GRAND!

Okay, nuff yakking! PHOTOS!!!

left: side entrance for pedestrians, right: the fountain decoration. PS: took all the day pictures the following day for better pics quality.

The hotel entrance

I love you...

Check in was ultra smooth and easy, it took less than five minutes for me to be "escorted" to my room. I am a classic guy who appreciate simplicity (but with a little touch of class of course) and I just adore their simple-designed room with Amber, Maroon and Gold color applied to the interior. Again, the dim lighting increased the romantic and mellow (in a fashionably good way) ambiance. Nothing very unique and complicated about the room's design, it's just the proper size, proper design, proper everything to me.

The heartwarming welcome desserts and letter.

They had this medium sized bathroom that I was fond of, it's (again) very simple but chic and stylish. Inside the bathroom you're going to find a shower room, a toilet and a medium sized bathtub for one. They have very good warm water control, literally took less than 10 seconds to have the water heated but it took more than 15 minutes to enjoy my shower time.

Talking about the toilet, Pinoys here actually prefer using the phrase "Comfort Room" rather than WC or toilet itself.

They also had good range of bathroom amenities. I appreciated the extra effort for the packaging :).

They provide two large towels, two mini towels to rinse your hands and two bathrobes!

Cherry on top: Oscar De La Renta bath products! I was sold, they smelled so freaking good with this mixture of rose, Amber and Jasmine scent or whatever that was I don't really care it smelled just right!

I seriously love to smell nice and I've mentioned here in the blog so many times, I get hideously flamboyant when it comes to scent and only scent! Okay, serious question, where can I find these in Jakarta? Because I seriously am going to purchase the shower gel!

I appreciated their effort to put the speaker phone in the toilet but I am pretty sure I would never let people know I was bowling while telephoning </3.

Bed sweet bed! King sized bed with white linens and ultra comfort!

Bedside controls, oh I love this magic thing, especially when I was already on the most comfortable laying position and too lazy to get up and do the manual adjustments. Technology rocks and fattening.

Whenever I travel, I tend to wake up earlier minus the bad mood, but in Jakarta, it's a whole different story in contrary, but something you're left with no option especially in you have this itinerary that you should follow LOL!!! But I love waking up and knowing the fact that I was in Manila and the best part about waking up in a luxurious hotel? Luxurious breakfast in following!!! I super love hotel breakfasts it's sometimes one of the reasons to live and wake up early in the morning #majorLOL! Before we get to the breakie part, I'm going to tour you guys around their pool and garden area.

Aside from the long romantic walk to the fridge, I also enjoy the long romantic walk at the garden.

They had a medium sized pool, not ultra big but I guess it's big and comfy enough for a quick dip and rounds.

Proceeding to breakfast! The breakfast spot in Peninsula Manila is this restaurant called ESCOLTA!

Proceeding to the pre-breakfast, submitting your room number!

They're serving International and local Filipino cuisine, the range and variety of the food were decent and the options were quite interesting.

Fresh juices. They had the freshest yummiest Mango juice I've ever found in hotels!

All you can eat Sashimi, wasn't a huge fan of this one but I did love the salmon (didn't take pictures because so many people took it the display looked fugly).

Filipino sausage or known as Longaniza. This one contained pork!

Top shot Instaworthy mandatory shot! PS: they have amazing omelette!

Fluffy and tasty Chasiu Bao. YUM!

Sweet ending is another essentials and even better, guilty pleasures in buffet! Their Purple Yam (Ube) ice cream was fantastic!

Just when you think I was done with the lobby, oh no my friend you're wrong! I actually wanted to show you how the lobby looked during the night but it was quite dark and so many people walking around I couldn't seem to find where to take decent shots so I better show you guys how the lobby looked during the morning, along with the incredible morning light <3.

At certain times (heard if the hotel's occupancy reached 100%), Escolta expanded the breakfast to the lobby until 10 AM and I was fortunate enough to experience the breakfast in both conditions (indoor and semi-outdoor/lobby). I totally love having breakfast in the lobby, not only because of the better light, the set and the ambiance were also royal but in the same time humble and bonding, also as happy as I knew the fact that the occupancy of the hotel was high!

Fresh flowers supplied everyday!

The Omelette section, seriously, the best freaking Omelette I've had so far!

They had good variety of pastries and set beautifully in this stall.

Will I ever stop with the omelettes?

To be completely honest, me and Julia set this waffle for the sake of a pretty picture but since we're *ahem* true foodies and couldn't stand the look of the melting ice creams on top of the hot fragrant waffle, we decided to give this a try and yes it was freaking awesome. The waffle had this adorable and moist texture!

I am proud enough to declare that Escolta is one of the best hotel buffet restaurants I've ever been! The food was nice, the service was quick and professional and the staffs were just attentive, but as in overall I still love everything that Sana Sini offers (currently the top of my list!).

This was taken on the afternoon and I gotta be honest here. I've been to many hotels in Jakarta but I have never seen a hotel lobby this crowded and actually almost 100% of the tables were occupied. I looked around and literally observed tables per tables, they're not just sitting around, they're actually ordering.

Live music everyday all day!

Took a little stroll around the neighborhood to capture some unexpected moments. This was the shot of Peninsula Makati from a distance.

Missing the busy street of Metro Manila!

But actually you can see more pictures of my Philippine trip on the previous posts! Click HERE for my Puerto Princesa trip and click HERE for my 10 things to do in the Manila list.

Staying in Peninsula Makati is mandatory, it's surely one of the best hotels in Manila (aside from the 5-star status), it's just strategically located in Metro Manila, the downtown of Manila, near the shopping areas, literally 15 minutes walk to the famous Greenbelt area and decent view of the busy streets, well at least for me that kind of view is pleasant enough!

Among my stay, I didn't experience anything bad, the hospitality was nice, the service was also nice and quick (including when I ask for this and that to be delivered to my room) and I totally recommend you guys staying here while you're in Manila, mostly for their simplicity, and no, I did not get paid by the hotel to write this one, it's purely from my point of view as a guest.

Special thanks for Cebu Pacific Air for arranging this splendid trip, it's my first time going to Manila and yes it's memorable! THANKS!

The Philippines’ largest airline, Cebu Pacific Air flies from Jakarta to Manila four times weekly, and from Denpasar to Manila  twice weekly. Lowest year-round fares to to Manila start at USD 99. From the same Manila Airport Terminal 3, passengers can easily connect to 33 other destinations in the widest network in the Philippines.  For more details, visit www.cebupacificair.com or follow @CebuPacificAir on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Peninsula Manila
1226 Makati City, Metro Manila
Philippines
+63 2887 2888
Pricing: $$$
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

FIND ME HERE

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email: eatandtreatsindo@gmail.com

Map for The Peninsula Manila hotel