Travellers

Senin, 05 September 2016

Tasting the New Menus From PIZZAEXPRESS

Bicara soal pizza, boleh dibilang PIZZAEXPRESS merupakan salah satu restoran pizza yang saya ingat kalau lagi ngidam pizza. Some of my personal favorite pizzas here are their Carbonara Pizza, and Pollo e Porcini. Rupanya setiap beberapa bulan sekali, PIZZAEXPRESS selalu menghadirkan menu ataupun resep baru untuk para customernya, seperti pada Agustus kemarin, PIZZAEXPRESS baru saja mengeluarkan rangkaian menu barunya. Mari kita temui menu apa saja yang menjadi andalan terbaru dari PIZZAEXPRESS.

Summer Colada

Sebelum mencoba sebagian dari menu baru yang ada, saya mencoba Summer Colada ini yang dibuat khusus untuk bulan Ramadhan yang telah lalu. Summer Colada merupakan campuran dari coconut syrup, strawberry syrup, pineapple, mint leaves, dan dari deretan tersebut kalian mungkin sudah dapat menduga tingkat kemanisan dari minuman ini. Mungkin cocok untuk berbuka puasa, namun terlalu manis untuk lidah saya.

Dough Balls Formaggi - IDR 38K

Sambil menunggu menu-menu baru disajikan, menu appetizer khas PIZZAEXPRESS ini disajikan - Dough Balls Formaggi dengan garlic butter. Chewy, soft, and savory.

Dan sambil nunggu makanan datang, kalian juga bisa melihat langsung proses pembuatan pizza dan kawan-kawannya di PIZZAEXPRESS yang memang mengusung konsep open kitchen.

Calamari - IDR 57K

Masih sambil menunggu menu-menu baru disajikan, acara cemil lucu dilanjutkan mengunyah Calamari dengan caesar dressing dan lemon.

Dan inilah sebagian dari menu-menu baru yang sudah dapat dipesan di PIZZAEXPRESS sejak bulan Agustus kemarin:

Poached Pear & Gorgonzolla Salad - IDR 87K

Salad ini terdiri dari poached pear, gorgonzolla cheese, mixed leaves, rockets, walnut, house dressing, parmesan crisps dan disajikan dengan warm bread sticks. Paduan rasa di atas piring ini cukup unik dan seimbang. Rasa manis diperoleh dari bintang menu ini yaitu poached pear, sementara rasa asin yang kuat didapatkan dari gorgonzolla cheese, dilengkapi dengan rasa asam dari house dressing. I think you should eat a little bit of everything in one bite.

Al Tonno (Classic Pizza) - IDR 89K

Untuk menu pizza terbaru ada Al Tonno yang toppingnya terdiri dari tuna, red onion, green pepper, cajun spices. Rasanya cukup pedas namun tolerable - a perfect choice for tuna and spicy food lovers.

Sassi Romana - IDR 115K

Selain itu ada Sassi Romana yang toppingnya terdiri atas crumbled sausage, diced red onion, thyme, oregano, fennel, mozarella, rocket, spicy parmesan crisps. Menurut saya parmesan crisps merupakan highlight dari menu ini, karena tanpa parmesan crisps yang asin dan pedas, pizza yang kaya herbs ini rasanya akan sedikit asing bagi lidah yang biasa menikmati American styled pizza.

Spaghetti Pollo Picante - IDR 65K

And meet the latest pasta dish from PIZZAEXPRESS: Spaghetti Pollo Picante! Spaghetti with marinated chicken in garlic oil, smoked chili powder, chopped parsley, red chili. Buat saya, kepedasannya masih level sedang, dan keseluruhan rasanya cocok dengan selera saya yang cenderung suka pasta yang asin, pedas, dan sedikit oily. Namun buat beberapa orang, menu ini masih terlalu pedas.

Cannoli Siciliana - IDR 62K

Salah satu menu baru di bagian dessert adalah si Cannoli Siciliana ini yang berupa classic fried pastry tube berisikan ricotta cream dan chocolate chips. Simply sweet and lovely.

Selain menu-menu di atas, masih ada menu baru lainnya seperti Hawaiian Pizzaexpress, Gnocchi Nocciola, juga Pear & Vanilla Ice Cream.

Nah kalau yang di atas ini gak ada di menu, karena merupakan kreasi saya sendiri untuk acara kompetisi di PIZZAEXPRESS hari itu, almost won, but too bad I didn't. At least I got to taste my own pizza. Every once in a while, you deserve to treat yourself a box of pizza.

-------

PIZZAEXPRESS

Senayan City

Kota Kasablanka

Bintaro 9 Walk

Lippo Mall Kemang

Pondok Indah Mall 2

Citywalk Sudirman

AEON MALL

Mall Kelapa Gading 3

Grand Indonesia

Lotte Shopping Avenue

Kemang (Pizza Marzano)

Supermal Karawaci (Pizza Marzano)

Facebook: PizzaExpressIndonesia

Twitter/Instagram: @PizzaExpressIDN

Minggu, 04 September 2016

JAMBA JUICE - Blending Now At Sogo, Central Park

Kalau kalian suka mondar-mandir Central Park seperti saya, pasti melihat sebuah tempat baru di dalam Sogo, ataupun dari Tribeca Park yang bertuliskan JAMBA JUICE. Tempat ini baru saja dibuka sekitar semingguan yang lalu. Dari namanya kalian pasti sudah bisa menduga bahwa spesialisasi tempat ini ada jus. Seperti apakah minuman yang dapat ditemukan di gerai jus yang sudah ada sejak tahun 1990 ini dan telah tersebar di berbagai belahan dunia?

Saya datang ke tempat ini di hari pembukaannya, jadi saat itu kondisinya cukup ramai. Ukuran gerai JAMBA JUICE di Sogo, Central Park ini tidak terlalu besar, hanya ada sekitar 2-3 meja di dalamnya.

Salah satu menu yang tersedia di JAMBA JUICE Indonesia saat ini adalah Energy Bowls yang merupakan campuran real whole fruit dengan susu ataupun susu almond, serta natural granola - sounds super duper healthy. Selain itu ada Classic Smoothies yang terdiri dari buah-buahan, jus, dan susu, juga Superfood Smoothies yang kaya serat dan protein.

Highlight dari produk JAMBA JUICE adalah mereka tidak menggunakan high fructose corn syrup, lalu tanpa perasa dan pengawet buatan, serta mengandung zero trans fat.

Just pick your favorite blend, order it, and they'll make it for you right away.

Buat pecinta buah, kalian bisa mencoba Classic Smoothies yang terdiri dari campuran beberapa jenis buah.

Mango A-Go-Go (59K-12Oz) / Pineapple Blush (39K-12Oz)

Smoothies di JAMBA JUICE dapat dipesan dalam 2 ukuran, yaitu 12 Oz dan 16 Oz. Mango A-Go-Go merupakan campuran dari mango, passion fruit, dan pineapple, cukup tertebak lah yah gabungan rasa dari ketiganya - manis dan asam, dengan aroma nanas yang cukup kuat dan tekstur mangga yang cukup terasa. Sedangkan untuk Pineapple Blush, walaupun judulnya pineapple, warnanya cenderung keunguan karena terdiri dari campuran dragon fruit, mango, dan passion fruit. Mirip-mirip yah dengan Mango A-Go-Go, hanya dragon fruit saja yang membuat keduanya berbeda.

Chocolate Crunch - 52K-12Oz

I don't really like fruits actually, and if you are like me, then go for their Superfood Smoothies. Saya mencoba si Chocolate Crunch ini yang merupakan campuran susu coklat, pisang, dan granola. Banana is the most acceptable fruit for me (after durian I guess), so I love this mix so much! Keseluruhan rasanya tidak terlalu manis, dengan tekstur yang cukup padat dan terasa granolanya.

Will I come back for more? I think so. I'm kinda curious with the other Superfood Smoothies like Matcha Green Tea, PB Chocolate Love, and Avocado Almond Ambrosia. And of course I would like to slurp more Chocolate Crunch. But since their prices are pretty high for drinks (well, maybe because they use premium ingredients), I think I might come back just once in a while.

-------

JAMBA JUICE

Sogo Central Park (GF Level)

Instagram @jambajuiceid

Senin, 25 Juli 2016

SOUTH KOREA TRIP (2016): Gapyeong Day Trip Part 3 - LIGHTING FESTIVAL at The Garden of Morning Calm

Finally I manage to continue this Gapyeong Day Trip series. So, my last stop was The Garden of the Morning Calm (아침고요수목원). I arrived around 5 PM, and the weather was getting even colder. Of course you would expect to see colorful flowers when you visit a garden, but apparently you would not see any blooming flowers on March, it's still winter time! So why did I visit a garden on winter time? So it happens that every winter (from early December to late March), a Lighting Festival is being held at The Garden of the Morning Calm. What could you expect to witness at this festival? Let's take a look.

It took around 50 minutes to reach The Garden of the Morning Calm from Petite France by Gapyeong Tour Bus. The bus was super crowded that I had to sit at the floor next to the entrance door. I might be able to sit on the next bus, but considering the time I spent to queue for the bus heading to Petite France from Nami Island, well I just hopped into the available bus. 50 minutes was a way to go, sitting with no space really left for my feet. But anyway, I managed to survive and arrived at this place.

Here is the admission fee list:

[Individuals]
Adults: Weekends · Public Holidays 9,000 won / Discount (Weekdays) 8,000 won
Teenagers: Weekends · Public Holidays 6,500 won / Discount (Weekdays) 6,000 won
Children: Weekends · Public Holidays 5,500 won / Discount (Weekdays) 5,000 won

[Groups]
Adults: Weekdays 7,000 won
Teenagers: Weekdays 5,000 won
Children: Weekdays 4,000 won

As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, the weather was getting colder as the sun prepared to set. The Lighting Festival starts at 6 PM. So as an act of surviving the chill, I entered the glasshouse. It was much warmer there.

The glasshouse is the only place you may expect to see the local blooming flowers around winter time. There wasn't much to see, but it was too cold outside.

A little bit about this place. This garden is the oldest private garden in Korea, name was inspired by a poem written by Sir Tagore, a great Indian poet, who described Korea during the Joseon Dynasty as "The Land of the Morning Calm." (source). Other than the Lighting Festival, the garden holds different festivals on each season. Spring Garden Festival on spring, Festival of Roses, Hydrangeas and Roses of Sharon on summer, and Festival of Chrysanthemums and Autumnal Tints on autumn.

Here are the scenes you should expect when visiting this place around winter time before 6 PM.

Finally it was 6 PM. you could see the lighting from afar - I was in front of the glasshouse.

The withered trees, bushes, and gates were being covered by colorful lights.

It was even more beautiful when the sky was getting darker. There were many stunning wire figures covered with lights. I felt like it was December in the middle of March.

I transformed into an Eskimo as it was getting darker and even colder, but the view worth the chill.

I think The Garden of Morning Calm worth a visit on any season. I bet this place is beautiful when the flowers bloom. There will be a few more posts regarding my not so recent trip to South Korea, please wait for it patiently. Annyeong!