Torico, FX Sudirman, Jakarta

Alright, so my girlfriend and I were sniping for lunch somewhere in Fx Sudirman and ended up in Torico. You see, the menu is similar to other Japanese restaurants in Indonesia like sushi, ramen, and so on. SO! we  came up with this idea to challenge the chef!

We only wanna eat the best! ... with the right price, of course. The waiters couldn't understand what we want, so the manager had to deal with it. It's simple, I told him that every menu looks delicious and I didn't know what to order, so I let the chef decide it for us. The manager understood and he conveyed what we wanted to the chef.

Voila! Here's the first menu that the chef's cooked for us. Seafood Curry Ramen! He's right on the money, I'm a curry addict. Serve me a curry is a good move.

The ramen is pretty good; Torico is pretty generous with their ramen. The broth is also good, the curry is not too strong and the way they garnish their ramen is unusual, different than other ramen we ate in the past. Slice of carrots, spinach, and corn can only be found in Torico's ramen, I guess. As a curry addict, I have to tell the world the number I got from my Curry-o-Meter: It's 7.5/10.  

The second one was a sushi roll. Honestly, I was disappointed when we were served a sushi roll. I mean, your chef's best shouldn't be sushi roll. I looked forward for donburi, teriyaki, or maybe another bowl of ramen. But, that's the risk we have to take.

This is Ebi Tempura Roll. To me it's meh, just like another sushi rolls, nothing special. Sorry Torico :(

When we asked for the bill, the manager served us with another dish. We were like, "We didn't order this one." He knew and he said this dish was a complimentary from them. We were like, awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww... <3

This stuff, friends, I must say is pretty good. Really good. This dish should be one of their best. I don't remember the name of it, but it's rolled beef with enoki mushroom wrapped in it. The beef was pretty moist and my girlfriend has hots for enoki, so I'd say it's a perfect complimentary from them.  

Once the bill came out, it's still below 100k. Not bad, right? 

My Final Verdict: Would I come again? Yes. Torico is a very good place to have lunch in the middle of the month. Thank you Torico! See you again.

Best Soba at Fuji Soba, Lotte Shopping Avenue

Best Topokki at School Food, Lotte Shopping Avenue

Our journey to challenge chefs in any restaurants continue. This one we stopped at School Food, a Korean restaurant. Like most Korean restaurant in Indonesia, they put their price ridiculously high; not good for middle class customers. What made me end up here, though? Check this out!

Toppoki!!!!! Yes I do love toppoki. They are chewy, usually serve spicy, and fill your stomach in no time. Gotta love them. Like usual, we don't order anything but let the chef's decide. 

The chef didn't disappoint me. He gave us nothing less than yummy toppoki. 

I don't remember the name of the dish, but I gotta say, it's one of the best toppoki I've ever eaten in my life. I give it 9.5/10.

The dish served with Chicken Katsu & Fish Cake, garnished with green onion and melted cheese. MMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... so so so so so good. Rp. 200k well spent.

We also ordered a drink. You guessed it, we asked their bartender to give us his best mix. Here it is, magical tropical smoothie. Pretty gooddddddd :D

So, what do I say about this place? Great place, cozy ambiance, the price is a great barrier so not so many  people eat here. The food was pretty good although it's a bit pricey. 

Final Verdict: Yep, I'll come again, maybe when it's early date of the month hahaha. I'll try other menu, the Toppoki Carbonara sounds very appetizing... right?

Pancious, Senayan City

I guess Pancious is already well-known by food lovers. It's mainstream and you can find it in any major Malls in Jakarta. Well, it didn't stop us to challenge the chef! 

Pancious, you're up!

Actually, we ate something before we stopped here, that's why we only order their pancakes. BUT IT'S PANCIOUS! They are proud with their pancakes, so we narrow our challenge down: Bring us your best pancakes!

You might say I got this in wrong order, but at first we wanna have a dessert, so we ordered sweet pancake first.

This one is chocolate peanut butter and almond pancake, topped with vanilla ice cream. The waiter said that this pancake is one of their best, chef recommendation and people's favorite. But this time, it's our time to be the judge. What I think: It is pretty good. The pancake is well cooked; fluffy, soft, and well seasoned. The topping also not disappointing at all. They are the right combo for such pancake!

We tried to stop after that dessert pancake, but the menu seduced us up. We couldn't stop after done eating our first pancakes. So we challenged the chef again, this time we asked for savory pancakes. 

Here it is! The pancake is topped with beef patty and melted cheese. I have to say, Pancious, you live up to your reputation. Your pancakes are yummy. This one is very very good. I have to give it 8/10. I need more carbo, prolly french fries or onion rings to garnish this dish up! 

Final Verdict: Very very nice. We loved it! We will try your other pancakes someday. You just wait for it, Pancious! :)