Colette & Lola, Senopati

When you live in a crazy city like Jakarta and you have to deal with heat, traffic, overcrowding and general craziness, I believe in order to survive you must treat yourself. A special little treat on a weekly basis will ensure you hold on to whatever sanity you might have had to begin with before you set foot off the plane. Well, Colette & Lola would be one of those places you must consider going for a treat. With the tag line 'cakes & dreams' one feels as you push the cupcake shaped handle of this cake shop that there lies a world of gastronomical delights inside.

The interior certainly doesn't disappoint. I felt like a 5 year old in a candy store as I was tickled with pastel pinks, blues, yellows and greens. The shelves are covered with baking treasures and trinkets and I felt the need to pick up everything and touch it. 

We were handed a menu, but told that only soft drinks and water were available. No problem. If I want coffee I will go to a cafe. I'm here for the cake and want to savour every mouthful, not have it overpowered or washed away with swigs of coffee. We went with the bottle of water.

There was a decent selection of cakes to choose from that included individual cakes, cupcakes and macarons. We settled on 'My Lady Grey', 'Bittersweet Love' and 'Oreo Cake'.

The cakes were priced at around Rp.28,000 and above. Unfortunately, I can't give you exact numbers as hubby paid and then threw away the receipt.

First up was 'My Lady Grey' a delicious mousse and sponge cake infused with the subtle taste of Lady Grey tea. I personally adore Earl Grey and Lady Grey tea so this really tickled my taste buds. I've made Eary Grey cupcakes before and loved the infusion of the tea in the sponge. This had enough of the taste of tea. The addition of the chocolate topping and the chocolate sponge in the middle of the mousse was perfect. 

Next up was 'Bittersweet Love' a chocolate tart with a biscuit base and a chocolate ganache filling. This was probably my least favourite. The biscuit base was a little dry and hard when it was first served up (maybe because it had just come out of the fridge?) but I would have liked the base a little more moist. It was actually starting to come away from the tart at one point and we all know that all good tarts should keep their important bits together....

Finally, there was the Oreo Cake. This was very appetising with its soft chocolate sponge base and creamy Oreo topping that had bits of soft Oreo biscuit going through it. This was probably my favourite of the three.

The owners of this cake shop are also the owners of Kitchenette, which I reviewed not so long ago. They are called Ismaya Group and they own a number of eateries around the city. I particularly like the way in the two places I have been so far they make visiting their establishments a whole dining experience. So, it's not just the food but also the decor, the ambiance, and the mood. For me, that is the direction eating out is moving towards - a whole dining experience. This shop has definitely created a unique experience, highlighted by the queues outside for a table on a daily basis. I know I will definitely be back to sample some of the other goodies I saw on display...don't you think you deserve a treat, too?