Dear fellow tasters,
Several weeks ago, I invited myself, actually more like tagged along a blogger friend Febi from Ingredients of Life, to a dinner at a newly opened French inspired bistro, down in crowded Kemang area. The place is called Madeleine Bistro and it’s located at the far end of Kemang Raya street, on the newly-constructed modern-architected Kemang 89 building. Stepping into the high-ceilinged glass-windowed dining area felt like a French escape from the hustle-bustle of hurried Jakartan life. I loved how the subdued lighting, the empty frames hung on the wall, the massive lamp-slash-pot with colocasia plants, and the French decors on the glass windows, created a cozy welcoming atmosphere.
Apparently, Febi and I were the first to arrive that evening. So while we waited, we were served a platter of mini madeleine cake (I suppose that’s where the name came from), which was wonderful to eat with a cup of hot lemon tea. After all the guests made their appearance, we browsed around the soft-launched menu. There were nine of us and we ordered different dishes from the menu, most of them to share as following.
Entree & Soupe
- Vol au Vent de Fruit de Mer: Puff pastry parceled mix seafood served with spinach and bechamel – This was one delightful entrée dish. The seafood was cooked perfectly, especially the tender squid. The pastry was crunchy; the cream sauce tasted delectable, and the tobiko (flying fish roe) added a nice Japanese twist.
- Salade Nicoise: Traditional Nice’s salad served with minute seared tuna and anchovies – The salad tasted refreshing although I didn’t get to try the seared tuna. I also liked the diced apple and the tangy dressing.
- Rougie Foie Gras: Pan seared goose liver slice served with caramelized apple – If you have doubts about how they force-feed those goose to produce foie gras, you might just forget about all that once you’ve tasted this dish. It literally melted in my mouth with a smooth delicate taste and the caramelized apple added a sweet balancing flavor.
- Cappuccino de Champignon: Creamy mushroom soup served with quail egg and truffle milky foam – It was quite fancy for a mushroom soup with the foamy top (thus the cappuccino name), finely sliced potatoes, and poached quail egg.
La Grillade & Le Plat Principal
- Grilled Lamb Rack served with mashed potato, sautéed mushroom and green peppercorn sauce – The lamb rack appeared pink and way too medium to my liking but they apparently did that on purpose and we could request the kitchen to grill it some more. Once a bit more done, the lamb tasted deliciously tender and juicy.
- Confit de Canard: Own fat preserved leg of Magred duck served with fennel and orange salad – The duck confit was quite enjoyable with an agreeable saltiness level. It would have been even tastier with crispier skin.
- Groseilles Rouges Cotelette d’Agneau: Red currant mustard crust lamb chop served with olive mashed and ratatouille vegetables – I didn’t get a taste of this main course but it sure looked appetizing.
- Gnocchis Fait Maison: Home made potato gnocchi with mushroom and cream sauce – It tasted pretty nice with the lovely creamy mushroomy sauce although the gnocchi’s texture could have been more al dente.
- Poulet de Bresse d’epinards: Spinach stuffed chicken breast served with polenta and Romaine – The chicken was scrumptious and I loved the taste of the brownish sauce.
Dessert
- Cafe et Chocolat Semifreddo: Half frozen coffee and chocolate flavor mousse served with diced berry – Although a bit hard to cut with the spoon, this semifreddo (half frozen) dessert was extremely enjoyable. Well, what’s not to love about coffee and chocolate combined together!
- Warm Cherries Jubilee: Black cherry flambeed served with pumpkin seed tuile and vanilla ice cream – Just like the title, the cherries were simply something of a jubilation.
It was a much enjoyable dinner and I had a wonderful time meeting the other dinner guests. The best part was when we asked for the bill and they said that it was already taken care of by the owners. Merci Monsieur Tatyo, Madame Indra Handayani, and Madame Fathia Syarif for the lovely Madeleine Bistro dinner. I will definitely be back for more Frenchness.
Bon Appétit!
The taster’s notes:
Favorite dish – the seafood vol au vent, foie gras, and the desserts
What to try next time – anything French and delectable
Food rating 
Price rating 
Ambiance rating
Service rating
Damage 0/pax, would have been around 200k-300k/pax
Good Food and Good Friends for Good Life 
Huaaaaaaa gue belom sempet review nih..abis gk dapet foto-foto yang bagus nya…gue niat banget buat dateng lagi bareng ichil, biar ada yang motret cantik…gue pengen pesen Grilled Lamb Rack nya lagi..enaaaak bangettt…ataau kita bareng lagi kesino yookkk ? 😀
Haha, gw juga foto seadanya nih, ada yang pake flash ada yang nggak… Grilled lamb racknya kan buat berempat gituh… Hayu aja gw mah 😀
Dino, itu bukan sorbet.. itu Granita. buat cleansing the palate..
ayuk kesana bareng-bareng yuk! saya suka banget sama makanannyaaaaaaaa 😀
Imel: hehe, thanks for the correction yah 😀
Iya yuks ke sana lagi, apa nunggu ada disdus apa livingsocial voucher lagi? Hehehe