Ocha & Bella

Dear fellow tasters,

After the fabulous Luna Negra dinner, with an enticing reason that she didn’t feel like going home just yet on a long Friday night, one of my friends impulsively dragged me and another lady to go for a quick after-dinner session.  Choice of place: another recent addition to the bustling culinary scene in Jakarta, Ocha & Bella.  Looking at the name, Ocha (Japanese green tea) and Bella (Italian for beautiful), the culinary establishment boasts a mixed menu of both east and west sides of the world. 

Luna Negra

Dear fellow tasters,

It is always exciting to write a post about a new hip, fancy restaurant and Luna Negra is one of them.  Because of all the built up excitement, I decided to move this review to the top of my to-write list.  I had heard and read rave reviews about the ‘black moon’ (translated from Spanish… or is it Italian?) restaurant-slash-bar, so I was quite excited when my friends finally agreed to go there.  This was after much rescheduling and long BBM contemplation.  Fortunately, another friend who couldn’t go with us that evening (you were missed) reminded us about making a reservation beforehand. Without this we probably would have ended up on the waiting list!

Pastis

Dear fellow tasters,

This post is fresh from last week’s Thursday lunch and I think I’ll just write about this first before I go back and post other past tastings.  Pastis Kitchen and Bar, snugged in at Aston at Kuningan Suites apartment, has been on my list-of-restaurants-to-visit for quite some time.  So past noon that day, my friends and I battled against the neverending Jakartan traffic jam and the cruel glaring sun and landed in Pastis’ cozy snazzy chandelier-adorned lounge.  Ah, the bliss.

Garibaldi

Dear fellow tasters,

My one day Singapore culinary journey nearly came to an end and what would be nicer than to end the evening with an Italian dinner at one of Singapore’s finest.  A brief research during the itinerary planning led me to Garibaldi, an Italian restaurant located near Raffles Hotel and within walking distance from City Hall MRT.  This restaurant gave out an intimidating feel, from the price tag on the menu and the exclusive outward appearance, but once I stepped over the front door, a friendly hostess politely greeted me and welcomed me to sit on a high stool, somehow a bit weird for a restaurant.  

Emilie

Dear fellow tasters,

Happy New Year 2011 or shall I say ‘Bonne Année 2011′.  It’s been a long-time longing for my friends and I to try this French restaurant but we always feel so intimidated by the definitely-not-so-cheap menu, so it feels like a dream come true when we finally decided to celebrate Christmas and also my birthday by living out our French culinary dream.  The imminent rain that day did not do much to dampen our spirit and stepping into the restaurant from the drizzle outside, we were welcomed by the friendly waiting staffs into the minimalist-but-elegant dominantly-white-colored dining area. 

Social House

Dear fellow tasters,

It’s been a year since my last post and I’ve made up my mind to continue this blog after having dinner recently with some friends in a nice fancy place called the Social House.  From this post onward, I’ll try to keep it short and simple but hopefully still readable and enjoyable.