Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Smoking Joe's - Not Just For The Meat Lovers

About a week ago, I tried this new restaurant, Smoking Joe's, based on the recommendation of my friend Asti.
She said this place is a must try for meat lovers like me, and so I went there and gave it a go.

When I heard the name Smoking Joe's, what comes to mind is an american BBQ diner, so am quite surprised when I first saw the place. The ambiance was kind of fancy and loungy, supported with the soft yellowish lighting and the bossa songs. And so I was a bit worried about the price. However, when I opened the menu, turned out it was quite OK. Main courses start from 50K-ish (Pasta), and for the meat platters start from 80K-ish. The steaks which are the most expensive ones on the menu start at 175K-ish for 250gr. But with their big portion, I'd say it was really worth it. If you don' eat that much, you can just share and add desserts, and you'll be fine. As for the drinks,  they (non alcoholic ones) are also within acceptable range. For instance, the Ice Lychee Tea I ordered was only 17.5K - not bad for a nice restaurant like this.

Now why am I yapping on the price before getting to the foods?  That's just not right.

Let's move on to the food. There were four of us but we decided to order 3 main courses first because Asti had mentioned of the big portion

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This is the Beef Brisket Platter. They slow smoked this for 12 hours with their special sauce to make sure it is absorbed perfectly. And it sure did. I love love love it! Just eating the brisket alone without additional chili/mustard/ketchup is already good! This one's the large one, priced at 98K and comes with 2 side dishes of your choice. Trust me, it is more than enough for sharing!

Photo_2

Behold, Smoking Joe's Philly Cheese Steak! I am also so in love with this one! I love how it's cheesy but not too much it makes you nauseous. I love the tender, juicy meat inside, and I love the focaccia bread, toasted to perfection! Yum! This one's about 70K-ish, including 1 side dish of your choice. 

We also ordered the sirloin steak (no pic, sorry - but seriously, it looks just like any other steak ;P). Also good, but not so special for me. I mean, you can get a good plate of steak at a more affordable price at Mastro, right? But the beef brisket platter and philly cheese steak? not so sure!

And then comes the desserts. The oh-so-fabulous desserts!

First, my fave - American Apple Pie
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Don't be deceived by the appearance, it's not as sweet as it looks - but it does taste as GOOD as it looks! The crust is so tasty and buttery, and the filling is just delish! Love how the apple filling still tastes fresh. Nomnomnom my mouth is watery just imagining it!

And then there's the Toll House Cookie 
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Must try for choco chip cookie lovers! Warm,  fresh-from-the-oven soft-baked-cookie combined with ice cream is just something you can't say no to!

Another dessert we ordered was the classic warm chocolate melt cake
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It was alright, but not that special. If you want warm choco melt cake, probably Loewy/Koi/Bakerzin would be better places to go to

So now you see why I said that Smoking Joe's is not just for the meat lovers, right? If you're into meat AND desserts, like me, give this place a try. You won't regret it!

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Saturday, April 09, 2011

Magnum Cafe Jakarta: A Twist To Your Magnum Experience

First, a little introduction.
Magnum Cafe is a pop-up restaurant from Magnum. Yes, Magnum the Ice Cream from Wall's.

It's located at Grand Indonesia Shopping Town, West Mall - 5th Floor, and it's a pop-up restaurant, meaning it will only be around temporarily, in this case - only 3 months, from March to May 2011.
I've been to the place twice, once for the grand opening, and once again after that, for a family dinner.

Dinner, you ask? So this is a real restaurant, not only a place for ice cream? Yes, that's correct. Aside from the Magnum sticks (the same ones you can find at supermarkets), they also have hot food, a wide selection of drinks made from Magnum elements, and of course, to-die-for desserts using Magnum sticks as the main ingredient.

Magnum Cafe was built with such attention to details. They even have their benches shaped like Magnum Sticks, so cute!

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Ushers dressed thematically for the grand opening
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Interior

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Magnum Stick Bench! Cuteness!


My friend, @tachril, asked me: So what's the difference between eating Magnums at Magnum Cafe and just eating it at home?
Well, first of all, here you can customize your own Magnum! You can choose the stick (vanilla/chocolate), the chocolate dip (milk/dark),the topping(s) - and they will create the Magnum stick for you!

Dipping_station

Myo_magnum

This is Vanilla Stick + Milk Choco + Hazelnut Topping

They also provide a wide selection of Desserts, all with a touch of Magnum Sticks, of course. Seriously, looking at the menu literally stressed me out every time, because they all look so good!
Not just so good, but also so big! You really need to save some space in your stomach for these desserts, I'm telling you!


For the waffle-ice cream combo lovers, any of these two would be the perfect choice

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Waffle de Aristocrat: Waffle + Magnums + Profiteroles + Choco Sauce

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Waffle de Imperia : Waffle + Magnums + Shredded Coconut + Caramel Sauce


If you're into ice cream combined with bread, pastries or the likes, any of these three might just be the one for you

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Honey Palais du Royale: Magnums on Glazed French Toast

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Lord Sandwich: THREE Magnums in a croissant

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Millefoglie ala Magnum


For the strawberry lovers, you should try this one! I love the Magnum - Strawberries - Marshmallows combo!

Strawberry


I was also very fond of the drinks there! If you're too full for dessert, you can still have a taste of Magnum by ordering one of their drinks creations

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Magic Mocha: Blended chocolate truffle Magnum Stick with espresso and chocolate syrup

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Kingdom Far Far Away: Blueberry Blended Frappe topped with Classic Magnum stick


The hot foods are also delicious, BTW! I've tried the Shrimp Aglio Alio Spaghetti, Pette Dipollo ai Funghi (Chicken with creamy mushroom sauce), Nachos, Lamb Ribs, and they're all really good!

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A Knight's Tale: BBQ Lamb Ribs with Spicy Magnum Chocolate Sauce


The place is always very packed, so if you're curious to try, you might want to consider going there not on normal meal hours. If you come for lunch/dinner on the hour, you can expect a looo~oong queue.

Oooh, they also have a giant Magnum dummy there, in case you want to take a picture beside it, for fun - like I did xDD

Me_and_magnum



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