RIBS AND BIER CO KELAPA GADING - JAKARTA

Ribs and Bier Co. (R&B Co.) is not a newcomer on the biz, but for some reasons I feel like it's not that well known. Personally, I would say that it's because of the (sort of) isolated location, I myself am not a big Kelapa Gading person and honestly don't go here that often, but when I do, I try to really browse some places in a single visit.

R&B Co. is located in Ruko Graha Boulevard, if you haven't heard about it, let me guide you: if you make your way from MOI, keep straight until you see La Piazza and then turn right, before the red light, you'll see a U turn and then turn around, keep straight until you see Best Pong and you're on the spot! R&B Co. is located technically just behind the Indomaret #B19! Frankly speaking, even though this restaurant's located in townhouses complex and not crazy spacious, but I quite fond of its design, it's very-very simple but somehow there's a little sense of warmth there and adaptable. They have three floors on the building: the first and second floors have this more casual atmosphere with beer barrel chairs and couch (second floor) while the third floor's function for corporate meetings, private parties or communal activities. I personally like the first floor better because it feels more open with more lights and smoke-free.

Passion Fruit
IDR 32k
A good thirst quencher, lovin the rich passionfruit flavor which dominates the serving in a good way! You're going to notice a little lemon and pineapple flavor as well.

Hot Latte
IDR 28k
They're using Tanamera beans here and the flavor of their coffee should be pretty much like how Tanamera serves it in their stores: good balance, slightly acid but good for those with stomach or maag problem. I like that cute little bear latte art!

R&B Co. Ribs Salad
IDR 39k
Their salad was actually pretty decent. I found the meat (beef ribs) to be juicy, tender and fragrant and the vegetables were fresh! A good salad should be simple, hearty and fresh with proper seasoning (and a colorful one won't hurt ;P). The main star of this salad must be the ribs and the homemade cocktail sauce, having them together really live up the flavor and texture of the whole portion!

Chicken Nachos
IDR 37k
While I expected a bolder seasoning, the nachos chips were quite crunchy, the cheese and filling were generous!

Grilled Chicken Steak
IDR 58k
This was their take on the good old grilled chicken! I got the tender grilled chicken which was GOOD because chicken sometimes happened to be my least favorite protein, especially when it's freaking dry and boring. The tender chicken got even juicier with the help of the yummy mushroom sauce! Must admit they made good mushroom sauce. Presentation wise, I love how they paired this with fries (or mashed) and some greens! Good balance.

Pork Stripped
IDR 47k
The pork meat was juicy and tender and the seasoning really speaks! It's a little spicy but still not overwhelming and I like how they keep it simple with the seasoning as they're focusing on the meat flavor which correctly should be the main point! Probably one of my favorites of the day!

R&B Co. Pork Ribs
IDR 127k
Unlike most restaurants that I've visited before, how they presented the baby back ribs is pretty
unique, because the BBQ seasoning wasn't marinated together with the ribs and actually separated! At one point, this is a good alternative for those who are not fond of BBQ sauce and eventually left with no option. The meat was pretty tender and juicy and I think the picture does the talking already! Just look at how the light hit the surface of the ribs beautifully resulting this glazy effect! The serving came with mashed or fries and coleslaw as well.

Chocolate Lava Cake
IDR 38k
The good old chocolate lava cake, I don't think I can resist this. The cake was cooked on a decent temperature and yes they succeed in making that melted eruption! Sexually good looking <3.

Personally, I found this restaurant is underrated, I didn't find the food to be a disappointed, in fact some were quite impressive. Short to say, it could be worth that drive to Gading for. I think there's not a lot of places (or in fact: none) that serves ribs in Kelapa Gading except for Ribs Bier and Co. so if you're too lazy to drive all the way out of the North or probably flying to Bali, this could be a good treat for your rib craving and the pricing's not bad at all! Food here ranges from IDR 35k-IDR 135k, average spent for a couple should be IDR 200k-IDR 300k :).

Ribs and Bier Co.
Ruko Graha Boulevard Blok KGC No. B19
Jl. Boulevard Raya Kelapa Gading
Kelapa Gading, Jakarta Utara 14240
021 - 2937 5227
Opening Hours: 3 PM - 12 AM
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Map for Ribs and Bier Co.

Gold Coast Eats: MOS Burger, Miami Marketta Street Food Market and donuts from Blackboard Coffee and Paddock Bakery

There's one way to explore a city, and that's to track down its finest donuts. What greater reward is there than sinking your teeth into a soft and pillowy donut, a ring of sugar sticking relentlessly to your lips. It's how we ended up criss-crossing our way across the Gold Coast two weekends ago, finally arriving at Blackboard Coffee in Varsity Lakes.


Blackboard Coffee at Varsity Lakes

THE ALL NEW MAZDA 2: 24 HOURS TAKE AND GO!

Advertorial

The name “Mazda” is not a baby when it comes to the automotive business, well indeed it's still some people's babe tho. Their cars are stylish, sporty and unconventional. First founded and established in Japan back in 1920 and after more than 9 decades, it’s one of the most populars automobile brands in the world.

Appearance wise, The “All New Mazda 2” (or Mazda Demio as it’s known in Japan) is like the combination of bold and delicate design (and by delicate I mean deliciously good looking), it’s just perfect for you stylish people with young and free spirited soul! This car is the 6th generation of the Mazda car family that inheritates Mazda’s series of advanced technology such as SKYACTIV Technology, Kodo-Soul of Motion, i-Activsense and MZD Connect. If you’re finding yourself a little lost about the technology, rest assure as I’ll explain it to you.

The SKYACTIV-G technology help connecting the SKYACTIV-MT for manual cars and SKYACTIV-Drive for matic cars (sports mode). Not only that, the car is also equipped with SKYACTIV-CHASSIS and SKYACTIV-BODY. The main idea of the technology is to maximize and optimize the agility, ability and the comfort in driving, fuel comsumption, protection and convience. Talking about fuel comsumption, the car is also equipped with the i-Stop technology which allows the cars to immediately stop on the red light or traffic jam!

The KODO – Soul of Motion technology is a part of the Mazda design and it speaks on their car’s exterior and interior. Prime materials for the best protection and aesthetically gorgeous looking <3.

Their MZD Connect will help you connect to your entertainment station in just a few taps away! Integrated smartly with the MZD Connect, the connectivity won’t interrupt your concentration while driving. The i-Activsense technology comes to rescue when it comes to the safety! Safe technology feature such as ABS, EBD, EBA, DSC, TCS, ESS, HLA and SCBS (with two SRS airbags) will maximize the safety optimization. Safety always comes first my dear!

After all of those advanced technology, stylish and ergonomic design, no wonder why this car is crowned JAPAN CAR OF THE YEAR 2014-2015! YAY!

Now let’s talk about the cool event!

The Mazda 24 Hours Take and Go event was held for two days (4-5 February 2015) where 30 selected journalists participated in this event by testing out the cars and to experience the *ahem* awesomeness that this car has in store! The idea is to test-drive this car 24 HOURS NON STOP around Jakarta, including the few opted spots (depending on the divided team). FYI, by NON STOP I mean without turning off the engine or a single break, even for a second. The 30 journalists then divided into 5 groups: The Voyager, The Seeker, The Explorer, The Traveler.

To spice up the event, aside from visiting the assigned spots and collecting the points, on the second day, the participants were also required to participate in three mandatory activities such as: The Frisky Shot Paintball in Taman Kridaloka Senayan, The Eyeless Drive in Mazda Thamrin and The Skyscrapper Catcher in Plaza Semanggi. Along with these special tasks, the participants were able to try the sophistication of All New Mazda2 features such as Dynamic Stability Control, Parking Distance Sensor, and Hill Launch Assist.

The Voyagers team was the one who won and grabbed the champion spot! The team earned 365 points and managed to make it on 83 venues! The Explorers and The Seekers group followed the champion earning each the second and third spot with 360 and 314 points!

The event was such a success and filled with so much experience and of course, memorable! 24 hours non-stop drive just as equal as non-stop fun! Thank you Mazda for making such event, this should be held regularly, and this kind of event proved that you’re still the main drive in the automotive industry of Indonesia!

LET'S ZOOM ZOOM!!!

This post is brought to you by Mazda

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Ken's Sushi Bar Dining, Bexley North

Japanese food is famously expensive, right? Not at this suburban hideaway. Bexley North locals have known about Ken’s for years. Dinner is almost impossible to get into unless you have a booking at this humble 36-seater. Lunchtimes are just as chaotic. There’s a good reason: they’re sending out quality Japanese at very reasonable prices.


Prawn katsu lunch special $9.80
Two sushi rolls, two

GIA JAKARTA

The past few months, the Ismaya group has been expanding their business by opening some ventures like Publik Markette, the new Colette and Lola (both located in Grand Indonesia) and this particular one called GIA. Something about the naming that I like, it's simple but resemble elegance and class, but somehow French like while their concept is an Italian restaurant.

GIA is the high end venture a.k.a fine dining restaurant from the Ismaya group, it's located in Sampoerna Strategic Square, the exact same spot from what was Bibliotheque. I've been stalking GIA on their Instagram and the hashtag as well, from that I expected a certain level of elegance, well the naming certainly does, but to be frank I was a little down for expecting too high on the interior and actually see it with my very own eyes: I know it's tidy, neat, clean and nowhere near bad, but somehow lacking that sense of fanciness. There dining area was divided into two (not fully sure why): one located near the bar area and another one located on the other side. They also have a little lounge and waiting room on the other entrance of this restaurant, now that little lounge I was quite fond of!

They also serve wine here!

If I don't come in groups, my favorite spot would be the corner seating with the hanging bubble-like lamps.

COMPLIMENTARY BREAD
I love the presentation of this bread because it's unique and not common. The bread had two sides: the black one with the parmesan garlic filling and the yellow one with onion and black olive filling. Best served warm as it's still fluffy and fragrant. The serving came with olive dust (which I thought was either sugar or Feta cheese).

Caserecce with Garlic Confit, Broccolini, Spinach, Parmesan and Chili
If you're not familiar with Caserecce, it's actually a form of pasta that looks like a twisted roll and narrow in form. I was fond of the consistency of the pasta, perfectly al-dente and proper in chewiness. The seasoning was very good, it was tasty, flavorful, garlic-y, fragrant and indeed quite spicy. Somehow the seasoning reminded me of the Asian cuisine, but in the most delicious way!

Tuna Bottarga Linguine Aglio Olio, Cherry Tomatoes, Parsley and Sicilian Crumbs
Again if you're not familiar, Bottarga is actually a Mediterranean dish created from the roe punch of a tuna or grey mullet fish (normally the grey mullet one costs more). First of all, the contrast of this dish was pretty good thanks to the Sicilian crumbs! Something about the seasoning that brought me to the feeling of Asian cuisine (and I did ask my friend and she felt the same way). The linguine was cooked al-dente and it's recommended to have the pasta with the tomato squished along.

Cartoccio - Baked Barramundi with Octopus, Mussels, Olives, Tomato and Pinot Grigio
The Barramundi was cooked beautifully leaving the meat to be soft, smooth and still silky, but the champ must be the Barramundi skin for me! First it was cooked semi-crispy and since the serving came with the Pinot Grigio white wine base broth, even after the surface of the skin turned a little more moist and wet, the flavor got even better: you got there salty, smokey, savory and fragrant (thanks to the zest!). The broth was quite tasty and flavorful. The portion came with beautiful octopus, mussels (love the mussels), olives, tomatoes and breads.

Bistecca - 250 gram Char-Grilled "Stockyard" Sirloin, Veal Jus, Gorgonzolla Polenta and Tatsoi
From the moment it got served to the table, I got a good feeling already that this steak would be very good, as you can see: thick Sirloin cut that looks incredibly juicy and tender! WELL IT FREAKING WAS!!! The meat was incredibly juicy & tender, and it was cooked on the "medium" state resulting the original meat flavor along with the juicy fats as the highlight! The veal jus was another bliss, it was this savory-meaty broth that was such a perfect match to the grilled steak. Their polenta might not be my thing (prefer smooth, creamy mashed potato) but that didn't bother me in any way, as to me, that Sirloin did all the talking already! The Tatsoi or spinach mustard was seasoned very lightly and with truffle oil making it very fragrant!

Cannoli Sicilani
One of their signature dessert dish here is this Cannoli Siciliani. I personally wasn't a big fan of the Ricotta cream Cannoli but I super duper love their Hazelnut Ice Cream as it reminds me (closest) to Ferrero Chocolate in the ice cream form! The green stuff was claimed as Pistachio crumb but I found the flavor to be a little weird while the popcorn indeed gave a little contrast to the texture.

Traditional Tiramisu
This Tiramisu is the recipe which originally belong to the chef's grandmom. Frankly speaking, I've never been an avid fan of Tiramisu because they use Mascarpone cream cheese and as you guys know, I am not a fan of cheese. However, the consistency of this Tiramisu was sort of light comparing to the creamier and cheesier Tiramisu I've had elsewhere, but my friends gave good reviews of this one so I think it's probably only my personal preference ;).

Overall, I had good experience in GIA. The food was good, the ambiance was decent and the pricing for what claimed as "fine dining restaurant" was not bad. BTW the head chef here is Chef Tomasso who used to run Pepenero Bali and Safehouse in Kuningan, have tried his food before and undoubtedly good. A couple here should be able to spend around IDR 500k and that's a pretty good deal. The service was also friendly and attentive, didn't experience any snobbish shit which is good <3.

Going to put this in my Valentine's Dinner recommendation list, read HERE in case you haven't.

GIA
Sampoerna Strategic Square
South Tower, GF Unit 7-8
Jl. Jendral Sudirman Kav. 45-46
Jakarta Selatan 12950
021 - 5795 3300
Pricing: $$$ - IDR 500k/couple
Dresscode: smart casual
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Map for Sampoerna Strategic Square