Note: This is a super-old post that should have been published at least half a year earlier, but here it goes, hoping that the information is still relevant!

I am ready for all the hate and mockery. But yeah, this is my first time to Bandung. My initial experience in this small city in West Java was amazing! I could easily proclaim that I am in love with Bandung! The weather, the people, the parks, the foods, and the well-designed environment in most part of the city surely make me want to come back for more. As this beautiful city is only 3 hours away by train from Jakarta, I would love to explore the city more in the future!

After finished doing some errands in Dago area, I was eager to look for some chill place to warm myself up in this windy afternoon. One Eighty Coffee & Music became our choice since it was nearby and lots of people recommended it. The location of this cafe is close to one of the most prestigious public universities in Indonesia, ITB. From the outside, I thought it was just another old house turned into a cafe, yet I was wondering what was the new fully-glazed structure right behind the house.

My curiosity was answered the moment I walked into the entrance hallway. I knew right away that this cafe was not an ordinary one. The mix-and-match materials of bricks, wooden decks, concrete, glass partitions, surely bring a unique vibe to this beautiful cafe. A renovation work of an old, typical house that went well, my first impression of this eatery was good and got even better when I walked into the main dining area.


Dimly decored, the main dining area felt mysterious with a lush outdoor spot at the back end of the room. When I walked near the outdoor area, I was amazed to see a shallow pool with dining tables and people sitting, eating in this beautiful area. Just like an oasis, we could play with the water (be careful with your gadgets though, especially if they are not water-proof) while enjoying foods and drinks here. Kudos to the designer that came up with this idea that many would not think of since Bandung is not a beach destination with its beach clubs.


Because my outfits were not prepared for the dip in the shallow pool dining area, I opted to go upstairs to see if there are any other spots that might be better to take food pictures than the minimally-lit ground floor. Turned out, the second floor was just as good. Blessed with abundant openings that allow natural lighting, the second-floor dining area was as lively as the pool dining below.


I was in love with the materials being used within this eatery. All natural wooden decks and bare plastered walls characterized this place in a very good way. Combined with some bare brick walls, this place is as cozy as it gets! I bet this place will age well as time goes by.


Okay here goes the food. Can I remember the taste, each one of them, after almost one year? Of course specifically not, but I remembered that it was worth the price. Talking about the price, since it is pretty close to a university, it seems like the prices of the food and beverage are set to be more college student friendly. Yet, even with affordable menus, the cafe presented each of their delicacies in a commendable way. Just look at how they serve the Hot Butter Scotch Chocolate, subtle isn't it?

Hot Butter Scotch Chocolate (IDR 28K)

I might be able to recall a little bit for the pizza and the poutine they served. First, the pizza had a soft base, American style, with a generous amount of toppings. Not that memorable, but good enough to be enjoyed while catching up with your friends. Uniquely enough, the pizza came with a tomato-based sauce.

Medium Quatro Carni (IDR 59K)

The Poutine, yes, this was the menu that I remembered as it tasted quite good. I love the creamy base and the fries were fluffy and crunchy at the same time. Love how they added slices of bell peppers to give extra flavor and texture. I could finish this all by myself if only I needed not to share this with my friend.

Poutine (IDR 48K)

One Eighty Coffee and Music also serves a plethora of desserts to accompany their coffee menus. I totally forgot the taste of this cake, but I got to admit, the presentation was great! All I remembered that it was not a perfect time to order an ice cream cake since it got quite chilly when we were there.

Coffee Ice Cream Cake (IDR 38K)

I am the kind of person who likes to do some mixing to my food whenever possible. So as you might already think about it, yes, Bibimbap is one of my favorite food! Recently, there comes a contender for Bibimbap, but with soba as the main ingredient. Some called it abura soba, some other named it maze-soba. Basically, it is an oil based soba dish with a lot of toppings to be mixed. After three times eating at Kokoro Mazesoba in one month period, I am certain that this restaurant, for me, serves the best maze-soba!

Kokoro Mazesoba has a number of branches in Jakarta, as well as in other countries. The one I visited for this blog is situated at Gandaria City shopping mall in South Jakarta. Especially for this branch, they do not serve pork, which is quite a letdown at first. Design-wise, this branch is seemingly crowded with its densely placed seatings and vibrant painting on one side of the walls. On the other side, we could see the open kitchen with its counter seating.


On the table, there are some condiments like vinegar, chili powder, and the extra spicy chili paste. There is also a serving suggestion on each table for those who are still oblivious to what they are going to eat here. Well, basically, we are told to mix the whole thing within two minutes after the dish arrives at our table.


The only menu that I ordered for three times in a row of my visits was Zenbu Nose Mazesoba. Since they only serve chicken and beef, I went for the chicken because I was quite cautious that the beef might be so-so. After the dish arrived, I was so excited to dig into it, but well, I took some nice pictures before the dish transform into something more beautiful!

Zenbu Nose Mazesoba Chicken (IDR 92K)

Mixing it, I started to break the nicely placed egg yolk on top of the dish. After that, I took up the soba below and mixed the whole toppings of garlic, onion, minced meats, bamboo shoots, nori, fish powder and the chicken slices until the dish transforms as a new-looking and more appetizing and juicier-looking dish. The taste? Heavenly! The mixed dish turned out as a unity of flavor. Every ingredient really complemented the soba and I was quite astonished that the taste was really similar to the same dish containing pork. Well, my disappointment was gone and I enjoyed the maze-soba so much! The chicken slices were also not at all overcooked, the juiciness was still maintained and tasted great. To put it shortly, the dish, brought me to cloud nine!


If you are a daredevil and love to have your maze-soba spicy, you could try to add some super spicy chili paste provided. I warn you, especially for those who could not handle spiciness not to add this thing. Once, I added two spoonfuls of the chili paste and regretted it right away. Half spoon would be nice for a nice extra kick of spiciness.


The thing that I loved while eating here is the ending of the dish. Kindly say, or 'shout' as it is written in the menu book, "Oimeshi" to have additional spoons of steamed rice to be mixed with the remaining sauce from your maze-soba. The result? A small and tasty mixed rice to fill the empty spot on your stomach. After I finished the dish and left not a single grain of rice behind, the dish greeted me with a kind "Arigato" which was a very nice touch to the whole eating experience.


Kokoro Mazesoba is surely the place to go to experience the maze-soba experience. I loved how they could maintain the same quality whenever and wherever I ate the same dish. Another dish that easily gets onto my favorite dish list!


KOKORO MAZESOBA
Gandaria City, Upper Ground Floor
Jl. Sultan Iskandar Muda, Gandaria, Jakarta
+6221 2708 1495
Website | Facebook | Instagram

Somehow, I don't even know why, I was always reluctant to try Vietnamese food. I would have this mindset that Vietnamese food will not suit my tastebud. Hell, I was so wrong and so thankful that I tried to eat Vietnamese food for the first time here in monViet. I actually passed by this restaurant for quite a lot of time during my stay in Jakarta and only until recently that I decided to eat here.

monViet, of which I visited in Pondok Indah Mall, is a restaurant franchise developed by a Vietnamese guy called Hai with his mother's family recipe in his hand. His intention to introduce this delicacy to people outside Vietnam finally gave birth to this authentic Vietnamese restaurant. I would say I am very happy if this is the real taste of Vietnam cuisine since I haven't been to Vietnam to taste the real deal.


Entering the restaurant, it was as if I was transported to Hoi An, Vietnam. Well, I haven't been there, but I have seen quite a lot of pictures on the web that I am obnoxiously sure that they are trying to represent that image (lol). Well, you could see why they are representing Hoi An from the bright yellow colored walls that are meant to replicate the houses' facade from the ancient town. Moreover, the lanterns hanging around the restaurants surely give away the vibe of Hoi An. They also know how to make the details, like the furniture and dinnerware, to enhance the feels of being in of the most visited towns in Vietnam.

Pho Dac Biet (IDR 87K)

The dish was served with a plate of Thai basil leaves and a big slice of lime. Before putting the whole side dish into the bowl of noodle, I tried the dish as it was. My experience of the first spoonful of the rice noodle, a sliced beef, and broth, turned out to be love at the first mouthful of it. Rich, flavorful, savory, and somehow fresh! I was astonished and at the same time regretted why I never tried this delicacy earlier. Pho could be one of my favorite food and my unreasonable negative thought of Vietnamese food directly vanished by tasting this well-made noodle dish.

Next, I tried to put the side dish of Thai basil leaves and squeeze the lime juice to see what will happen, only to find that it gave a better, greater rich taste to the dish! It would not be for everyone though, especially for the Thai basil leaves. For me, I really loved how the herbs added an extra texture and a small kick of spiciness to the dish. And for the lime, it added the freshness that I liked from pho. I couldn't help myself to leave the broth unfinished. So this pho was ended as an empty bowl! That was how delicious it was to me and moreover, the aftertaste didn't irritate my throat like some other soup noodle dishes.


I didn't have the chance to tried the restaurant's specialty: Bun Bo Hue, which is said to be quite spicy. But I am glad that I tried their Banh Mi, the well-known Vietnamese sandwich. It is surely influenced by the French people since the base bread they usually use is baguette. I ordered Banh Mi Thit Cha, a baguette overfilled with shredded spiced chicken, ham, chicken liver pate, as well as herbs and vegetable garnishes. For this dish, we could opt to have the banh mi to be sliced into max four pieces for a more effortless experience eating it.

Banh Mi Thit Cha (IDR 66K)

Again, this was totally an unexpected experience. Another love at first bite. The banh mi has many levels and textures of amazing taste. Starting from the very crunchy baguette crust yet very soft and fluffy inside. The fillings blended as a whole extremely tasty experience! The garnishes and spices really gave the whole dish a punch of freshness to the dish and complemented the meats inside. If you take a good look at the picture, you could also find some small slices of spicy chilli. It is surely very spicy when you got to have a direct bite, but all I could say that the chili slices were also an unexpectedly good experience. I could really eat this kind of food every day! It really makes sense why this dish is very popular among the travelers in Vietnam.


My first experience of tasting Vietnamese delicacy surely is a good one. Thankfully, I could experience it here at monViet. This could be my regular spot whenever I am craving for some freshness and tanginess of Banh Mi and Pho! For those wanting to experience what they said at authentic Vietnamese food, this is the place to go.

Once in a while, I love to try random eateries and since the presence of Zomato, it became so easy to foresee whether a restaurant or cafe is worth to be visited. As I am right now staying near Pondok Indah Mall, it is not impossible that there would be a time when I have had visited each one of the eateries there (lol). So long story short, Blacklisted, was on my list.

Blacklisted is a cafe that serves coffee as their specialty along with all-day breakfast foods. Aside from that, you could find quite a variety of menus to choose from, similar to what a usual cafe could offer. In Pondok Indah Mall, this cafe is located on the Street Gallery complex, side by side with a plethora of restaurants and cafes. From the outside, the cafe seems to be crampy and have a very limited seating. Turns out, they provide a greater space at the back reserved for smoking area. Thankfully, I arrived pretty early that there is no single person inside and could enjoy the better-designed space without any smokers.


I had a great first impression when I entered this better-looking dining area. The interior design is very contemporary and somewhat classy. The black wall finish somehow complements the brown leather banquette, wooden chair, and white marble tabletop. The classy-feel, thanks to the leather sofa, become pretty prominent as it contrasts with the wall and floor color. I really love how they combine the color scheme of black, white, and brown. Not forget to mention the beautiful pendant lamps that shape like upside-down classic lanterns.

On one side of the interior, we could see yellow jars, teapot, and cups adorn the whole interior. Quite bold, and turns out that the yellow color is the trademark color of their brand.

After looking around, I found a spot, or we could say a corner that was very interesting in terms of design. Looks like a study area or reading area in a library, with aesthetic decorations adorns the shelves above the table.


I somehow did not choose from the coffee menu nor the breakfast menu. Well, I could be planning to go back here for that as how enjoyable the ambiance is. At that opportunity, I tried their Mushroom Soup with Truffle Oil. Tasted quite good and really love the garlic bread that came with it. The soup was thick and have a nice earthy taste to it. And hey, the portion was big and suited to my liking. A great start to my meal.


The main dish that I ordered that noon was Norwegian Salmon with Lemon Beurre Blanc. To be honest, I was risking myself to order this as this was my first time eating salmon that was pan-seared. As I always loved my salmon to be smoked or sauteed in order to keep the moisture, pan-seared salmon, in my thought would be dry and overcooked. Thankfully I was wrong! The dried part was only on the outside and moreover added an extra crispy texture to the usual moist and succulent salmon. The mashed potato and the lemon butter sauce also went pretty well with the salmon. I love this dish!


I may not have tried their specialty and could not judge the cafe quite yet. But through my short experience here, I love the interior so much that I would come back just to enjoy that. For the food, it was great and it might be a representation of how the whole menu in this cafe taste. Since this cafe is not new, it would also reflect how they could keep up with their food quality.


BLACKLISTED