The best part about being in Jakarta...

...is leaving Jakarta. Oops, did I just say that out loud! It's true, especially when your destination is Bali...happy holidays to me! (Note to self : don't forget to come back!)

Not so guilty pizza at Pizza Marzano, Kemang

Pizza Marzano, or Pizza Express as it now seems to be wanting to be known, is pretty widespread around Jakarta. Although I'm particularly a fan of the one in Kemang, I have seen many dotted around the city satisfying customers with their pizzas and pastas. Why do I particularly like the one in Kemang? Mainly because, it sits at the corner of a busy crossroads and while you nibble on your pizza crust you can really see the craziness that is Jakarta zooming by the window. Another reason I'm a fan? Well, with my ever-expanding waistband, I was delighted to stumble across their 500 calorie meal offer. It is a super thin crust pizza with a hole cut in the middle and filled with salad. I like the one with the jalapeños, mozzarella and salami. It gives a bit of a kick to the dish. The other option is more basic. At least there are two choices though. When it came to the table it looked so good that I couldn't wait to dig in and almost forgot to take a photo! Considering you are eating pizza and it's only 500 calories, this is very satisfying. The crust was thin and crispy while the toppings were generous. The salad was a decent helping and topped with sown cheese and light dressing. I felt nicely content after it and only needed to finish off with a cappuccino. If you are not trying to watch your waistline, fear not, there is also an excellent selection of regular gajillion calorie pizzas and pastas (I've tried a few on occasion). So, next time you need that pizza fix, stop by this charming restaurant where you can get the fix a little less guiltily...now that's got to make you feel better any day of the week!

The best bananas in town...

There are bananas and then there are bananas, these are the latter... Let me introduce you to what are quite possibly the perfect baking bananas. In Indonesia when you go to the supermarket there are a range of bananas to choose from ranging in size, shape and colour. It was only here that I first learnt that the banana indeed was as varied as the apple. So it was that I happened to stumble across pisang Ambon or as you might translate into English - Ambon banana. Ambon is a place in Indonesia so I'm guessing that these wonderful bananas might hail from there. Nevertheless let me talk a little about why I have bestowed upon them such a prestigious title. I wanted to make banana bread and per chance picked up these bananas and brought them home to do the job. What resulted was quite possibly the best banana bread I have ever baked. First of all when you mash up these bananas they turn very quickly into a soft purée. Once added to your batter and deposited in the oven they release such a delicious aroma that one instantly starts to salivate. This aroma continues once the bread is removed. Then comes the best part...cutting into the bread. You find the most dark golden colour inside, the bread is full of speckles and when you taste it, well the rich flavour of the banana just overwhelms you as when cooked this banana almost takes on a honey like flavour to it as well. So, my friends, fear not if you think that you can't bake a cake because with a bunch of these you really can do no wrong...

Sunday brunch at Kinara, Kemang

Oh, I am totally, fabulously, wonderfully stuffed. I feel so deliciously full of spices and all things India that I am quite content to while away the rest of my Sunday doing absolutely nothing but perhaps resting a glass of ice tea on my ever expanding girth.

Kinara, truly a must visit in Jakarta and what better way to take in all the deliciousness it has to offer than with a Sunday brunch buffet. At Rp. 150,000 (non-alcoholic beverages) it is quite a steal. To be honest I cannot do beer and buffet together. The beer fills me up and doesn't leave room for much else. Those of you who would be interested it is a further bargain at Rp. 200,000 for free flow beer.

Firstly, the restaurant itself is a pleasure to the eye, with it's beautiful Indian-inspired interiors. I spent so much time photographing as many pretty doorways and furnishings that I didn't get round to photographing the food. However, that should not deter you. The food was divine! All the dishes for the buffet were laid out in copper display trays and there was an excellent range - rogan josh, dhal, paneer, tandoori chicken to name a few. There was a selection of rice as well as naan bread. They had a lovely salad section with poppadoms and a variety of chutneys, raita and sauces. The soft drinks on offer included mango juice, sweet or salty lassi and water. You could also have dosai made fresh for you. Total bliss! I wanted to stay and eat forever. The food was so full of flavours and so satisfying. I adore Indian food and a buffet like this is pure perfection. The place was busy and had a wonderful Sunday buzz to it. I would thoroughly recommend a visit to Kinara for a Sunday treat and indulgence. Only problem...you might find yourself wanting to come back every Sunday!

Parish, Kyai Maja

Well, what a disappointment it was visiting this cake shop. I had heard that their cakes were supposed to be good, rich and very chocolatey. In my mind that is always a recipe for success. When I looked them up online, they stated that their Diablo cake (or devils food) was their speciality and I'm a big fan of all things devilish!

From the outside the shop looked classy and sleek. As we passed through the doors, the first thing I saw was the cupcake display. The cupcakes looked inviting but there wasn't a huge amount of them. I went for the Diablo cupcake as when it is a shops speciality one must indulge. But oh dear! If that's the speciality then I'm not much interested in the other flavours on offer. The cake was served straight from the refrigerated display case and it was hard and so was the chocolate ganache topping. There was a decent enough chocolate flavour but it was overshadowed by the hardness of the cake. Cake is not meant to be hard...EVER! So disappointing. 

I was also disappointed with the vibe in the shop. After visiting Colette and Lola, and being impressed by the ambiance and decor. In comparison, I found this shop rather lacking any kind of ambiance. The larger cakes were just displayed in a case at the back of the shop, amidst white decor with some cake boxes placed here and there. This shop also tries to sell itself on its 'decorating bar' as they say you can buy your cake and self-decorate. This seems like a fun and creative element that doesn't quite fit with the sleek, white interior. However, even the decorating area lacked fun and sparkle. The decorations were pretty basic - small bags of coloured icing, cherries, chopped up marshmallows, m & m's, and some chocolate balls. Where was the fun stuff? I would have liked to have seen some edible glitter, pearls, different shaped sprinkles, chocolate shavings, etc. they could have even had some pictures on the wall for inspiration or had a display board where after you decorated you could photograph your creation and have it pinned up. The shop felt cold and stuffy. No welcoming smiles when we came in, no greeting. It was all very get your cake and go. Not my kind of shop. If I am spending money in your shop, I want to feel like the service and ambiance is encouraging me to stay and buy more. I want to feel like I don't want to leave. It also looked like one of the owners was sitting on the sofa in the shop. He had his laptop in front of him and a stack of bills beside him on the sofa. My first thought...get an office! No one wants to see you calculating your finances in a cake shop. Cake shops are where you go to indulge, sometimes to forget, sometimes to celebrate, but always to tantalise the taste buds and satisfy the stomach. Take your bills elsewhere...if you are in the shop, be there, sell your product, satisfy your customer. Some people just don't get it. Well, I do. I know what I want out of a cake shop and I certainly didn't get it here. Suffice to say, I won't be becoming a member of this 'Parish'!

Wine deprivation...

Ok, if you really can't live without your glass of wine every evening, then don't come to Jakarta. Unless of course, you are coming to work in a job with a massive salary and you really will not know what to do with your money every month. In which case, you won't mind spending €40 - €50 on a bottle of wine that would probably cost you a quarter of that back home. Being a teacher, I don't really have that option. No big salary equals no frequent purchasing of wine. What can I say? It SUCKS. I thought I could be one of those 'oh I don't need a glass of wine in the evening to relax me' types. However after two and a half months (only!) in Jakarta, I realise I was wrong. I am one of those 'I need a BOTTLE of wine in the evening to relax me' types. I miss wine. We could buy bottles of the stuff in Dublin for €7. Good, decent wine. Not possible here. Not ever! But yesterday, I had a moment of weakness and I caved in. It wasn't planned. We were at Bali Deli in Blok M and they were having 'specials' on the wine. I use specials here in the very loose sense because let's face it, if the prices they were offering here were called specials in Ireland there would be a riot! I bought one bottle for the grand sum of Rp. 199,000 which is equivalent to about €13. So not bad. I convince myself I am getting a bargain. I swear I carried the plastic bottle from the check out to motorbike to apartment like it was a crystal vase. I bordered on the neurotic. It was scary. Anytime the motorbike hit a pothole, I exclaimed 'protect the wine'. Yes, my friends, this is what two and a half months in Jakarta without wine does to someone. Frightening! Mind you, if you had to face the streets of Jakarta with such a treasured purchase you might find yourself doing the same. I hope Bali Deli has a few more 'specials' over the coming weeks!

Torico, FX Sudirman

Sushi anyone? A friend brought me along to Torico in FX Sudirman for some more reasonably priced Japanese food recently. I say reasonably priced because normally my favourite Japanese dining spot here is Sushi Tei. I've been to their restaurants in Singapore and Bali and quality is always good and the taste very satisfying. So, for me, I'm happy to pay a little more if I know I'm going to be happy with what I get. Torico is a tad more simple. It's an open restaurant on the first floor of the mall. Once you get your menu, you write down your own order. The food is brought pretty swiftly to the table and standard is reasonable. I ordered a dragon roll (it's my favourite at Sushi Tei) which was a lot more basic than what I'm used to at Sushi Tei, some dumplings and a beef hot plate. At the end, I certainly wasn't full or I must admit incredibly satisfied. I felt the food was lacking a certain something...maybe taste. Anyway, I won't be in any great hurry to get my Japanese fix here again...

Margarita heaven at Amigos, Kemang

You have a lot to live up to when you state on the front of your menu that you have the best margarita in Jakarta. Luckily for Amigos in Kemang, the drink absolutely lives up to expectation! I adore margaritas. The  divine mix of tequila and lime is so satisfying especially with that sprinkling of salt around the edges. In Bali, my favourite place to drink margaritas was at TJ's in Poppies Gang 1 and Amigos has definitely become my favourite place for them in Jakarta.

From the moment you pass through the doors, Amigos satisfies on all levels. You are struck by the warm, welcoming ambiance, the traditional, rustic decor and the Latin tunes emerging from the speakers. You slide into yor seat and begin your perusal of the menu. Amigos covers all the Mexican favourites - nachos, quesadillas, enchiladas, fajitas, burritos and chimichanga. You are spoilt for choice. We decided on nachos to start with and I went with chicken fajitas for my main course while my hubby chose his favourite, enchiladas. Of course, needless to say, two classic frozen margaritas were ordered and swiftly delivered to the table. They were divine. It's been awhile since margarita and I hooked up, so I was gasping for a sip. The drink was good and strong. There is nothing I despise more than weak, watered down drinks, it borders on the criminal. I saw on the table a sign advertising Monday Madness where all drinks are 50% off. This in itself makes a return visit compulsory. The thought of margaritas for only Rp. 45,000 sends tingles through my taste buds! Our nachos came our promptly and were good, but not amazing. I would have liked some jalapeños on there to give that extra kick, the cheese was also quite stringy which meant that you had to pull the tortilla chips away and wrap wayward strands of cheese around them. However, saying that we polished off the lot and scooped up any refrained beans that were left.

Our main course came shortly afterwards and this was so incredibly satisfying. My fajitas were piled high on the hot plate with onions and peppers. There was lots of chicken, a very generous amount. They gave me three tortillas and a dish of condiments that included sour cream, salsa, guacamole and hot sauce. I will definitely be coming back for these. Hubby was also very pleased with his enchiladas and was well and truly stuffed after he finished everything on his plate. Well almost stuffed...we did have room for one more of Jakarta's best margaritas! If you like Mexican, get yourself down here...you won't be disappointed!

Jakarta's best margarita...

Nachos...

Beef enchiladas...

Tortillas...

Condiments...

Chicken fajitas...

Floating away at Cozy Jakarta, Gandaria

Yes, today I was reunited with an old friend. That friend would be Cozy. When I lived in Bali I regularly visited Cozy. It is a place of peace and tranquility. They do the best shiatsu head massage I have ever experienced. So, you can imagine my joy to find that they have a branch here in Jakarta. So being a bit of a Cozy veteran, I was keen to see whether standards were similar to those I have always experienced in Bali. Cozy Jakarta did not disappoint. There is the same attention to detail throughout from the cool, tranquil decor to the uniforms of the staff. You step from the raging Jakarta street outside into a bubble of calm. I think your shoulders actually drop a couple of centimetres just walking through the door. I always get the same treatment. I find something so intensely calming about having my head massaged and the shiatsu head massage has it all. You disappear up the dimly lit corridor into halls with statues with fingers pressed gently to their lips. Turn off your mobiles, put your troubles away for this is one and a half hours of pure bliss and you want to make sure you enjoy every second of it. The masseuse will offer you music but I never take it, I rather enjoy the sound of the water coming from the row of aquariums. Each aquarium is positioned in front of your chair. Once the massage begins I find myself constantly wanting to float away because the whole experience is so relaxing, from the oil in your hair, to the pressure put on different points on your head to the calming strokes. The only downside - it all seems to finish too soon. Then your hair is lovingly washed of all remnants of oil, combed and dried - you even get some delicious tingling tonic sprayed in. You reach the reception to leave feeling refreshed, relaxed and rejuvenated again to...face that raging Jakarta street out front! I generally find myself lingering in the lobby on the comfy sofa not wanting to do that part. But I'll be back again soon because with a friend like Cozy, who would want to stay away for long...

Colette & Lola revisited...for more cakes and dreams

So, I said I would be back and back I went. It was a friends birthday and they decided they absolutely must have cake from Colette & Lola on their special day. This of course gave me the opportunity to do some more cake tasting. This visit, it was Rainbow Cake and A Salty Pimp. The rainbow cake was so so. Let's face it, with this cake you are purely selecting it based on its appearance. You WANT it to look pretty. It tasted like vanilla sponge and the four lumps of different coloured sponge was not the most attractive decoration on top. I would have expected something a little more creative to really put the wow factor in the appearance. At this point I am rather tired of rainbow cake. I first made it at home in the form of a cupcake about 3 years ago when it was very rare to find rainbow cake in any cake shop. I remember the delight of friends when they first bit into it and saw the rainbow, they were mesmerised and so impressed. Now it seems like rainbow cake is everywhere you turn and the wonder of it has been lost. I wouldn't order this again.

Let's move on to the second cake...it's called 'A Salty Pimp' and the name itself is a delight. However as soon as I spied it in the cake cabinet I knew I had to have it. All that deliciousness inside hidden by deliciousness on top! I could see cream, caramel, chocolate, puffs...yum! When it was brought to the table I couldn't wait to dive into it. I wasn't disappointed! The cake was pure delight. The inside was a soft creamy caramel mousse with a sweet short crust pastry on the bottom. However, my only complaint was the base was again very hard when it came out of the fridge and took some Arnold Schwarzenegger like actions to break into! The topping was dreamy, the puffs were lovely and light and just kind of melted on the tongue leaving you with a taste of the chocolate and almonds and the cream was not overly sweet with the caramel drizzle. This could quite possible be my new favourite.

This visit I also decided to try some coffee - for post cake enjoyment, of course. However, I was a little disappointed as I ordered an iced cafe latte and was brought a hot one. When I reminded staff of my order I think they just poured it into a different cup and added ice. The ice of course proceeded to melt quickly as the drink was slightly warm when I got it with the ice almost melted. I could hardly taste any coffee, the colour of the latte was milky and the melted ice made it in all, a bit of a watery milky mess. When I drink iced coffee, even though it's iced, I still want it to taste like coffee. I did however agree wholeheartedly with the comment on the side of the cup!

Chilis, Sarinah

Chilis reminds me a little of Hard Rock Cafe - same kinda vibe, same massive portions, same massive prices just no music paraphernalia gracing the walls. However, sometimes you just have to give into the craving for super-sized everything and splurge a little. The menu here has your regular American fare - steaks, ribs, burgers and then there are some Mexican dishes thrown in for good measure. I zone in on these because I love my nachos, burritos, tacos and enchiladas and Mexican food is not widely available here. We ordered nachos and the chicken wings and then a chicken quesadilla salad. As there were two of us we felt this would be ample to share. Ok so the photos in the menu showed juicy succulent wings - the ones that came out on the serving dish seemed rather skinny and the sauce I felt was rather dry. Basically, I didn't have any on my fingers that needed licking off. No fun! So these were pretty disappointing. Then came the chicken quesadilla salad. There were two different kinds of salad dressing (confusing?) a decent helping of chopped grilled chicken breast and plenty of veggies. The quesadilla was a bit soggy and bland though. I would have liked the tortilla a bit more crispy and the filling to have had a bit of a zing in it. Finally our nachos arrived. Now anyone who has had nachos at Hard Rock knows that they come out scattered on a huge plate with lots of sour cream, salsa and guacamole. Delicious! Here, there was a tablespoon of sour cream, a little less of salsa and no guacamole (it was extra). The nachos were all arranged neatly on the plate and the cheese had been layered on thick...a little bit too thick for my liking which is strange because I do like my cheese. Then the bill came, a whopping Rp. 402,000 in total for two starters and a salad plus two soft drinks. Daylight robbery! I won't be coming back here in a hurry. I shall wait for my trip to Bali and for a visit to my favourite Mexican restaurant TJ's in Kuta for my next Mexican fix. Chilis can have their chillies and eat them!