DONBURI ICHIYA LIVING WORLD - ALAM SUTERA

I am still in a phase where I still can't move on from my Japan trip, and the only salvation that's possible to impose is the Japanese food in Jakarta, even though it's hard to compare with the authentic Japanese food, I still find some restaurants in Jakarta actually serve good Japanese food.

Talking about Japanese food, what are you? Are you a sushi guy? Ramen guy? Rice bowl guy? Or basically every Japanese food guy? Recently I visited the newly opened Donburi Ichiya in Living World Alam Sutera, this is their second outlet (and as this post is written) that has been operating for three weeks. If you've been to their outlet in Lippo Mall Puri then you must be familiar with their main menu: rice bowl. Besides the set menus, what I love about their system is that you can customize your rice by putting every topping, meat, condiments and sauce as much & crazy as you want. Your bowl, your way.

Comparing to the one in Lippo Mal Puri, their Living World’s outlet is slightly smaller, but in sense more homey & better fit. If you’re a first timer when it comes to Donburi Ichiya, their order system is pretty much queuing order, almost canteen style (or those like Marugame Udon, Publik Markette, etc) where you start your way from a point, order and head to the cashier to proceed with the payment (FYI they accept cash only).

Open kitchen for customers’ eyes only!

Four easy steps in ordering (or customizing) your rice bowls (donburi):
1. Choose the bowl (mini or regular)
2. Choose the donburi (they have salmon aburi don, karaage don, yakitori don & gyu don)
3. Choose the sauce (garlic butter, soy honey, regular mayo, spicy mayo, wasabi mayo &  black pepper), a charge of IDR 4,545 will be applied for extra sauce
4. Choose the toppings (melted cheese, kimchi, tamago yaki, onsen tamago & japanese curry)

They currently have twelve default menus that the customers can choose to easen up the confusing choosing (when you think everything’s too good), four options are the more simple one like Gyu Don, Yakitori Don, Aburi Salmon Don & Karaage Don, and the other eight was the more appetizing & advanced looking, btw I had four of them! Generally they were tasty and I highly recommend you to add in the garlic butter as it enhances the flavor (giving that beautiful salty & garlicky flavor) and give that extra fragrance to your dish. If you love cheese & a little texture, then adding the melted cheese and tempura crumbs are almost mandatory!

Ontama Yakitori

IDR 42.727 (regular), IDR 38.181 (small)

You’re going to see a lot of onsen tamago in this post because I personally like it when the rice gets thicker, stickier and in a sense, creamier. If you don’t really like meat with sweet character (I don’t have any problem btw), the egg could tone it down. The chicken was marinated & seasoned & cooked beautifully without leaving the consistency to be dry.

Wasabi Mayo Aburi Salmon with Onsen Tamago

IDR 50.000 (regular), IDR 45.455 (small)
This one was one of my personal favs, I found that the more salty-savory flavor of the aburi salmon blended very well with the sweet mayonaisse sauce. The salmon itself was also cooked nicely & juicy.

Ontama Gyu Don

IDR 51.818 (regular), IDR 47.273 (small)
Their Gyu Don is one of the best sellers here: simmered beef & onion on rice, and their Ontama Gyu Don was just something more special. The beef was given generously, tender, sweet and had this appetizing smokey flavor. If you love the sweeter flavored beef, then this  might win you over.

Soy Honey Karaage with Melted Cheese

IDR 42.727 (regular), IDR 38.181 (small)

Deep fried chicken thigh cuts served on rice , glazed with soy honey sauce & topped with melted cheese! I must say this one was my pick of the day, my personal favorite! Since they’re using the chicken thigh, the meat was very tender, juicy with beautiful crispy coating, and plus they’re lovely seasoned! The cheese added the texture and that extra salty flavor which works with the sweet soy honey sauce. I am totally bias. Must order.

Deep fried tempura & fish ball

Overall, my experience with Donburi Ichiya was pretty pleasant. Must admit I liked most of their food and their fast friendly service, to cut things short: it’s an affordable heartwarming delicious treat for everyone. Congrats on the new store opening!

PS: THEY’RE NOW RUNNING A CONTEST WHERE YOU CAN WIN AN iPhone 6! FOLLOW THEIR INSTAGRAM @DONBURI_ICHIYAFOR MORE DETAILS

Donburi Ichiya
Living World Mall GF
Jl. Alam Sutera Boulevard, Serpong, Tangerang Selatan
Alam Sutera, Tangerang 15325
021 - 2970 4981
Average spending: IDR 150k/two
Dresscode: casual
WiFi: No
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email: eatandtreatsindo@gmail.com

Map for Living World

MS. CHOO BRASSERIE & BAR SENOPATI - JAKARTA

If you’re familiar with Publico and wondering where it’s going, well, you can now consider Publico taking his retirement because Ms. Choo is the one substituting him.

According to one of the owner, the F&B scene in Jakarta is being dominated with the western themed cuisine and it was exactly Publico, as one of the strategies to survive in the fun-delicious-but could be intimidating biz, one needs to be unique, and executing the evolution to Ms. Choo was their idea. While Publico’s menu was highly dominated with western cuisine, Ms. Choo came with pan-asian themed cuisines on the menu with a little modern twist.

There wasn’t any changes from the interior, it was exactly Publico’s: still beautiful with industrial and raw elements to it, dimmed and urban during the night (the second floor is meant for smokers fyi), only the music sounds a little more “Asian” now, but stil have that modern lounge vibe to it. I came as a guest on its bloggers food tasting event, there were 20+ menus served and we all ate like crazy.

PS: opinion on each food remains my own, I didn’t receive any monetary compensation or whatsoever.

Let’s start off with the beverages, the price range for the beverages here is from IDR 35k – 100k

Pink Blossom

IDR 75k
Beautiful combination of Gin, raspberry, yoghurt milk and lemon juice. Lovely balance of sweet & sour, fruity and pretty light, the “it” ladies drink.

I forgot to snap a pic of their White Empress (IDR 65k) but it was my personal favorite cocktail served that day! I am not an alcohol drinker, and since it’s very light and not to mention, dominated by lychee, there I fell! White Empress is an awesome combination of Gin, lychee liquor, rose petal syrup, egg whites & lychee juice.

Watermelon Cooler

IDR 35k

Refreshing fruity drink, light and easy.

Soymilk Pandan Grassjelly

IDR 35k
Their soymilk pandan grassjelly was unlike the common soymilk I’ve tried as the palm sugar flavor dominated the taste, but in a good way.

I noticed that they are big on porks and when I try to they indeed claimed that pork became one of their main proteins here, well I think Asian food does have a strong connection to pork and I love it, that shouldn’t be a bit of problem.

Food price range started from IDR 35k to IDR 280k

Charcoal Oven Barbeque Pork “Mu Yang” with Nam Jim Jaew Dipping Sauce

IDR 48k
This was hands down one of my personal favorites! The red pork was beautifully marinated with sweet-savory sauce & cooked perfectly leaving the meat to be completely tender. The Nam Jim Jaew sauce had this beautiful sourness to it and somehow balancing the sweetness of the meat. MUST TRY!

Szechuan Chili Salt School Prawns with Shrimp Paste Chili and Sriracha Coriander Aioli

IDR 48k
Deep fried crisy prawns that won’t make you stop munching, it’s those little addicting treats that could go with rice and more like toppings.

Crispy Dry Tom Yum Salt & Pepper Soft Shell Crab

IDR 48k
I wasn’t exactly thrilled of the certain parts of the crab, I understand that you can eat soft shell crab just like that, but it’s just my personal thing, I wasn’t comfortable having all that when I know there are certain parts that I shouldn’t eat. I expected that extra Tom Yum flavor as I found it was quite lacking.

Deep Fried Prawn & Almond Ball with Sriracha Coriander Aioli

IDR 48k
One of those simple comforting treats that I like! Bouncy balls, meaty and all together tasty!

Soft Shell Crab Pomelo Salad with Cashew, Green Mango Salad with Nuoc Cham Dressing // Crispy Barramundi & Mango Apple Minta Salad with Green Nam Jim Dressing

IDR 55k/IDR 58k
I initially thought both salad was going to be the same, only different toppings, but it’s actually quite different. The crispy barramundi salad was tad too sour for me while the soft shell pomelo salad had better balance thanks to the pomelo. Both salad had generous toppings and the greens were majorly mint leaves.

Deep Fried Soft Shell Crab Yellow Curry and Kaffir Lime Leaves

IDR 78k
Unlike what I initially thought, their yellow curry was creamy, but less creamy than what I initially expected and tasted lighter, but in a way, considering we had so much food that night, something light would really do, and in a sense, the lightness of the sauce and consistency somehow match the soft shell crab’s character.

Twice Cooked Beef Short Ribs with Coriander Nam Prik Pla

IDR 95k
Lucky for me, I think I’ve always been lucky when it comes to short ribs, well I think one shouldn’t mistakenly cook short ribs as it’s an admirable part of beef. Their short ribs was tender, beautifully marinated and fragrant.

Crispy Barramundi Fillet with Choo Chee Curry and Kaffir Lime Leaf

IDR 85k
This particular dish reminds me of E&O’s winning crispy barramundi dish, only I found the naming wasn’t exactly what it was as the barramundi wasn’t crispy, it’s more like a smooth & silky fillet. The Choo Chee Curry sauce was homemade and sure was tasty!

Grilled Dry Spice Rib Eye Beef Fillet with Nam Jim Jaew

IDR 98k
The rib eye honestly looked a little dry to me but as soon as you tasted it, it was unexpectedly still pretty tender, lightly seasoned and still leaving the natural meat flavor to speak for it self.

Charcoal Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chop with “Matah” Chili Relish

IDR 95k
Frankly speaking, this was my least favorite of the night as the meat was dry, the seasoning was light, but I expected the common traditional sambal matah instead of the one with too much shallot (and smell) inside.

Roasted Seabass Fillet with Coconut Red Curry, Thai Basil Lime in Banana Leaves

IDR 85k

If you know “pepes ikan” then it’s the classier and more advanced version of the good old yummy treat. Another personal favorite of mine for the bold seasoning and smooth seabass meat, just the perfect pair with rice!

Crispy Twice Cooked Pork Belly with Caramel Tamarind Glaze and Nam Prik Pla

IDR 95k
This happened to be on my top 2 of the night (if I could rate it), the pork belly was big, chunky, incredibly juicy, tender and marinated beautifully! Some of you might not like the sweeter type of pork (and I do too normally) but when you pair it with pork belly, it just feels right, the fat & juicy part of the pork belly really add in a little texture & flavor play to the whole dish. I highly recommend you to have this on your order.

Crispy Pork Hock On The Bone with Tamarind Sauce & Nam Jim Jeaw

IDR 280k
We’ve come to my personal favorite of the night, short to say, their pork knuckle dish! It was HUGE chunk of pork knuckle, cooked just on the right timing & temperature with crispy coating, juicy fats and tender meat! The tamarind sauce played a big role here, it really lived up the overall flavor and my appetitite. I think one portion could be shared for four people.

Stir Fried Prawns Pad Prik King with Red Curry Paste Kaffir Lime & Green Beans

IDR 65k
Obsessed with the big chunky prawns as it’s very juicy!

Stir Fried Clams Nam Prik Pao & Thai Basil

IDR 65k
The clams were generous but unfortunately the actual meat pieces were small.

Pad Kee Mao Spicy Rice Noodle with Prawn, Bean Sprouts, Chinese Broccoli & Basil

IDR 60k
Pad Kee Mao can simply be translated as “drunken noodles” or “kwetiau”, and this dish was another favorite of mine for its proper seasoning (even though I expected it to be a little salty, but so far so good), proper default spiciness, that smokey wok hei aroma and flavor, and simply the scent of the cooked basil leaves that made it very Thai. Don’t mistaken Chinese Broccoli as it’s actually kailan, not actual broccoli. MUST TRY!

DESSERT!!!
We’ve come to my favorite part of the post! Gosh it’s freaking LONG my fingers are numbing.

Fried Hazelnut Nutella Sesame Balls with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

IDR 40k

If you normally find sesame balls with mung bean filling, red bean filling or chocolate (the more modern touch), here comes Nutella! I never expected a simple dish could taste this good, but in the end, it’s freaking Nutella and anything with Nutella is NEVER wrong, well that if you don’t mix terasi with Nutella, as what Aline told me because we’re raving about how Nutella changes out lives! Anyway, this is the dessert that you have to try: simple, sweet, tasty and one hell of a guilty pleasure!

Valrhona Mint Chocolate Mars Bar Peanuts with Salted Caramel Sauce

IDR 48k

This Valrhona chocolate dessert is such a Publico trademark, and now Ms. Choo is doing a more fun changes to it by changing the filling to mint cream. The dessert was ultra smooth, tasty with perfect combination of mint and chocolate and melt in your mouth! The salted caramel sauce was thick and add in that more pleasant flavor to the serving. Much love for this one, God I love desserts!

Vanilla Pandan Pannacotta with Salted Gula Malaka & Coconut Chantily

IDR 40k
This particular dessert was more Indonesian & Singaporean, in terms of ingredients and flavor. It reminded me of es dawet ayu for the salted Gula Malaka which played a big role to the dessert. I expected the pannacotta to be a little softer and creamier, but flavor wise: GOOD!

Deep Fried Chinese Doughnut with Valrhona Pandan Custard

IDR 35k
Underestimated this one for its boring cakwe look, but I actually mistaken it as it’s actually shaped doughnut. The doughnut was not greasy, but texture wise: soft & fluffy! The Valrhona pandan custard was not overly sweet and compliment well with the doughnut.

Coincidentally, some of the food reminds me of E&O signature dishes, even though E&O still won me over (until now there isn’t any restaurant that surpasses E&O on my personal list) for its more advanced & bolder flavor, but I must say that the food in Ms. Choo was fresh, refreshing and generally nicely executed! They used a lot of coriander, kaffir lime & Nam Prik Pao & Nam Jim Jeaw on the menu but all that just made the food tasted better. I really wish them all the best of luck and please keep up with the good quality, even better if they can always be creative with the menu. That’s what they really need to do to survive in the business. BEST OF LUCK!

Ms. Choo Brasserie and Bar
Jalan Senopati Raya No. 65
Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan 12110
021 - 5296 4960
Average spending: IDR 300k for two
Dresscode: sporty casual
WiFi: yes!
INSTAGRAM

FIND ME HERE

FACEBOOK || TWITTER || INSTAGRAM || GOOGLE+

email: eatandtreatsindo@gmail.com

Map for Ms. Choo Brasserie & Bar