[Recipe] Chocolate Oreo Truffles

Le Sister made these little balls of yummies some time ago. The mixer wasn't working so she hasn't been able to bake for almost a month now, and her hands were itching. These were sooo easy to make, it's a no brainer, even if you have never baked before, it'll be a challenge to mess this one up. 

You'll need :

-oreo cookies

-cream cheese

-chocolate to melt (milk/dark/white)

-sprinkles (for decoration)

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1. Crush you cookies! Le Sister used the stone thing you'd normally use to make chilli, or you could put them in a ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin or anything heavy. Make sure there are no big pieces, so your truffles wouldn't be lumpy; or don't bother if you like some crisp in it. ;)

2. Add in the cream cheese! Add them bit by bit, mix them well before adding more so you don't end up with too much cream cheese in it. Use the back of the spoon the mix them together.

3. Roll them into balls! Being slightly OCD, Le Sister weigh them10 grams each before rolling; but you could just roll them to any size you like, and place them on parchment/baking paper. Store them in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, so that it'd be easier to coat them with chocolate.

4. Melt your chocolate! Pop your chocolate into the microwave, or put your chocolates in a bowl, placed in another with hot water. Confusing much? Youtube 'melting chocolates' and you'll get it ;) Dip the truffles in the melted chocolate, with 2 spoons or a toothpick, and place them back on your baking paper. You could stop here and freeze them back like I did, or continue decorating them. 

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There are no exact measurements for them as Le Sister made them with a roll of oreo, and add cream cheese until it's about the right taste and consistency, not too crumbly and not too gooey, they should stick together and not fall apart. Fret not if you added in too much cream cheese, it's still bound to taste yummy!

If you try this out, do let us know in the comments, how it goes and if you like it! 

Have fun :)

[Review] Bengawan - Keraton Hotel

 

 We went to visit Bengawan on a Sunday for their Sunday Brunch, it is located at the Keraton Hotel, which is right next to the new Plaza Indonesia building. With an elegant chic decor, the restaurant serves both a la carte and buffet, with a mix of Indonesian and International menu.

This particular island holds salad, mini cold dishes and Japanese.

 

 

 The fresh seafood island, serving oysters, scallops, prawn, crayfish, crab legs, octopus, and caviar too.

 

 

 At a corner near the pool, you can find pasta and grilled beef station. The steak was good but not great, especially after having The Best Steak days before.

The grill/BBQ station, the cook grills them for you on the spot, with a selection of Chicken, Lamb, Seafood, Wagyu beef and the creme de la creme, Kobe beef  for you to choose from.

The Indonesian section. We found a pebble in one of our rice, and the server seemed genuinely surprised and promptly apologized, so all is well :)

 

 

 

Noodle soup, Onion Soup and Tempura that were just so so. Better save your tummy for the seafood or grills.

 

Saving the best for the last. There actually is a Foie Gras station, where they melt in your mouth, quite literally.

 The dessert station. We were all looking forward to dessert, as Le Sister and Cousin A were both sweet-toothed, but it disappointed them both. Even with the wide selection of cakes, both local and western, chocolate fondue, macarons, jelly and even ice cream, the only one we think deserved a mention is the chocolate mousse.

 

A thing to note is that the Sunday Brunch includes drinks - tea, juices, soft drinks and water (mineral and sparkling). We appreciate this as normally buffets do not include drinks, so it's nice for a change, to not worry about how much the drink bill is gonna come up to.

Overall, we had a great brunch, the food were fresh, the selection were good, the servers were attentive. You really couldn't ask for more from a buffet, except maybe pay a bit more attention to the dessert section ;)

Sunday Brunch : Rp. 598,000 nett (inclusive of all drinks except alchohol)
Regular Lunch : Rp. 348,480 nett (inclusive of hot tea and coffee only)
-price as of 19 February 2013-

Keraton at The Plaza

Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 15

Jakarta 10350

Indonesia

Telephone : (021) 5068 0000

Business Hour
Monday - Friday : 6AM - 10AM
Saturday - Sunday : 6AM - 10:30AM

[Review] Convivium

We're aware that this little gem has been around for quite some time now, we've been wanting to try this out for ages and we finally did, on a Saturday night with Le Cousins.

The place was just nice and cozy, with not that many tables set out, it feels somewhat homey. It is designed with mainly wooden panels, an open kitchen and little knick knacks filling the racks. It's probably the Christmas decorations though, we went last month after Christmas.

Complementary bread sticks to start the meal.

Cold Cut Platter - 160thousand

Had this as our appetizer, it came with salami, 2 types of prosciutto and parma ham if i'm not mistaken, served with bread. They were light and full of flavour,

Clams Mussels Soup - 45thousand

Mushroom Cream Soup - 35thousand

Both soups were disappointing, the Mushroom Cream Soup was too thick and filling. We'd recommend ordering a heavier main, and leave out the soup.

 Green and White Tagliatelle with Meatballs - 65thousand

The 'official' name on the menu was something else, but that is what it says on the receipt.

A tomato based pasta served with meatballs, the sauce itself was decent, but the meatballs were really good!

Tagliatelle al Porcini - 65thousand

Homemade tagliatelle served with sauteed porcini mushrooms.

Tortellini al Salmone con Burro e Salvia - 65thousand 

 A homemade pasta filled with salmon in butter and sage sauce. We were taken aback when this dish arrived on our table, thinking who would want to order this little one. Boy, were we wrong, this was really yummy and skillfully seasoned, just enough butter to taste but not too overpowering.

Definitely a recommended dish!

Pizza Carnivora - 80thousand

Tomato based with mozzarella and beef bolognaise

 

 Tagliata Mushroom with Truffle Oil - 180thousand

The star of the night!! Medium cooked steak served with mushrooms and truffle oil. When it came it didn't looked convincing like the Tortellini, we even let it sit on the table for quite awhile, not daring to try it. 

However, this is hands down one of The Best Steak, we've ever tried. It smells good, tastes good, textures good; it deserved an A++. This coming out from our foodie Cousin A, really is a feat, considering he lives in a country where steak is almost a staple.

Pannacotta - 30thousand

Being an Italian restaurant, Le Sister thought it'd be a good idea to order a pannacotta. Definitely a miss from us. The texture's all wrong and thick, and too milky. The only dish that we did not finish. Such a disappointment.

 

Gelato Sorbetto Sampler - 70thousand

Came with 9 flavours in shot glasses: 

Gelati - Risotto Mascarpone, Earl Grey, Bacon, Squid Ink, Red Velvet

Sorbetti -  Orange Basil, Lychee, Lime Rosemary, Strawberry Chilli

We didn't get to try the Bacon, they were out of it, so we had 2 servings of Red Velvet in exchange. Although the Gelato sounds tad gross, they tasted mostly creamy. They did not taste exactly like how it originally is. We all prefered the Sorbetti more, as they were light and fresh, especially the Orange Basil and Lychee. Strawberry Chilli was alright as well, you only get the chilli kick as an aftertaste.

Definitely a fun one to try when you're dining in a group.

Cold cuts and cheese for sale as well, if you find them addictive at the end of the meal.

It's definitely a place we'd stop by when we're feeling for a homey Italian or a good steak. :)

Convivium Cafe Deli

Jl, Panglima Polim IX No. 1

Kebayoran Baru

Jakarta 12160

Telephone: (021) 7269963

Business Hour :

Tuesday -Sunday

11:00AM - 10:30PM

[Review] Hanmodoom Korean Restaraunt

Korean is definitely one of our frequent place to have dinner, they tend to offer a lot of choices from grills to soup. This particular once, specialised in 1 kind of soup, Chueo Tang, a fish soup. This is a common practice in Korea, where a restaurant serve only a specialised dish.

The dining area. Upon entrance, we noticed that all the other customer were Korean. They must have been serving authentic Korean food, no?

The traditional sitting area.

The banchans! Korean restaurant would typically served small complimentary dish to go with the meal. We would get excited when we see a new dish we've never tried before.



The pan fried tofu served were really soft and fragrant. We asked for another plate of it.

This we never expect to see on our dining table. The server didn't know what it exactly was, but we suspect it was the inside of silkworm cocoons, since she said it would be good for our skin.



Despite being xxxx, about it, we tried it. Let's just say we won't be eating it again in the near future, but it's worth a try though.



The Chueo Tang, it is tad thicker than the normal soups, as it had blended fish in it. It is served with some greens, and soy bean paste, and we add our own black pepper and sesame seed at the table to suit of taste. It tasted different than any other Korean soup we've tried, where it is normally beef based, but we enjoyed this dish nonetheless.





The Chueo Twigim, where the same type of fish from the soup is made into Korean Tempura. The crust(?) is the same as the one you would normally get at Japanese Restaurant, very crunchy. We had half a portion, and at 85thousand, we think it is overpriced.






We also had the Yangyeom So Galbi, which is marinated beef strip. It is sweet and well-seasoned, and very soft too. It came in 2 strips, and for 200thousand, we think it is slightly overpriced too.

Do pay a visit to their toilet, we were pleasantly surprised when we saw this. They had new toothbrushes, toothpastes and mouthwash ready for their customer. Probably more apt for lunchtime, where their customer would be meeting people afterwards, since it is located near the CBD area.

We don't know the address for this restaurant, but it is located at Jl. Senopati near Yellowfin. It is hard to miss, as it is crowded almost every time we pass by, and there is a big picture of a Korean lady on the billboard.