[Personal] Pastry Lessons!

Hiya! Le sister her with a post! I've been away in Bangkok for a lil' bit last week, yes, with all the protests going on, but it's fine, thankfully it was the King's birthday while I was there so things were calmer.

So, I was over in Bangkok for a 3-days pastry course. I've always been interested in baking, cakes, and everything else; so I decided to give it a shot and see how much I will like it.

The 3 days were tiring, we had to stand from 9AM to 4PM, with an hour break for lunch; but time went by quickly, I truly had the happiest 3 days of the year. Glad that the group mates were really interesting people, and the teacher, Paulo, was really great as well.

 

I have never had any baking lessons before, so I can't say how good he is, or how well he was in teaching; but it felt legit and the class was really smooth sailing. He'd show us how to do it, and we'd get some hands-on experience every now and then.

 

At the very last day, we'd assemble everything that we've been working on during the 3 days, and when we're done with everything, we get to have the pastries and cakes! I had some while I was in Bangkok, and brought some back to Jakarta; they still tasted so good even after 2 days!

 

They have other classes not just Basic French Pastry, and every now and then they have guest chef teaching special classes. Scoot on over to their website : www.macaronbkk.com for more classes and their schedule.

It's not a sponsored post, I paid for everything, but I really enjoyed the 3 days while I was there and had so much fun. I'll most definitely be back to take their other classes. So I do recommend it to you guys who are interested, you guys can email or leave a comment if you have questions and I'll be more than happy to answer them :)

Macaron Pastry Training Centre

594 Soi Sukhumvit 63 (Ekamai)

Sukhumvit Road, Klongton Nua, Wattana

Bangkok, 10110 Thailand

[Review] Hide Yamamoto

Hide Yamamoto, a renowned Japanese Chef, has cooked for 3 generations of US president, Reagen, Clinton and Bush. He has finally set sail and opened his sixth restaurant here in Lotte Shopping Avenue, less than a month ago. We were more than excited when we saw his name show up on the screen while browsing through the restaurant index.

The restaurant is divided in sections where patrons can chose where they would like to sit, namely Sushi, Robata, Teppanyaki and a dining area. Where you sit does not limit the food that you are allowed to order, it just gives a different vibe as they have chefs stationed at each section side for the dining area. 

The have 3 lunch set menu which they serve everyday, ranging from 200-350thousand; and a teppan set menu that they serve all day everyday at 300thousand. They also have an extensive a la carte menu for more choices. 

We went for 2 sets of the lunch set menu, where we selected different items for more variety.

 

First Course, salad and sesame paste tofu. Between the 2, we recommend going for the Tofu, the texture is denser than the regular tofu but it has a distinct taste that would make us come back for more.

Second Course, assorted sashimi & roll, and vegetable and tiger prawn tempura. Air flown sashimi from Japan's very own Tsujiki Market, with fresh wasabi; and a plate of good ol' tempura. Though choice, but personally we'd go for the tempura, their dipping sauce is different from the ones we get from anything we've ever had. It's light but still has that kick in it.

Third Course, mini soy based ramen and mini kaisen don. Hands down the kaisen don win this round, however the ramen is not to be missed as well. The ramen broth is made with chicken stock, yet it's milky thick which made us thought it was pork based. The ramen itself is the problem, so a little improvement on the noodle would made it much more delightful.

The perfect dessert to end the meal, raspberry and lemon sorbet.

Overall, we had a good hearty lunch. Though the price might seem a little steep, but given the reputation and quality it was definitely worth every cent. Their service is also one to take note off, which we totally appreciate.There will most definitely be second visit. Do stop by earlier to get the prime middle seat of each station.

Hide Yamamoto

Lotte Shopping Avenue

5th floor - 02

Jl. Prof. Dr. Satrio Kav 3-5

South Jakarta

Telephone : (021) 298 89500

Operating Hours :

Monday - Saturday : Lunch 11AM - 3PM // Dinner 6PM - 11PM

Sunday & Public Holiday : Lunch 11Am - 3PM // Dinner 5PM - 10PM 

(Last order is 30minutes before closing time)

[Review] Le Quartier

Was over at Le Quartier the other weekend for late lunch, and it was still bustling. We've passed by numerous times, but only had the time in our books recently. The decor felt very European/Parisian Chic, almost like we were overseas for a while.

Complimentary basket of bread, they were nice and toasty but arrived only after some of our mains have arrived, which we thought was odd.

Soupe A L'Ognion Gratinee - 76thousand

What's a trip to a French Bistro without a cuppa of good ol' onion soup. Most definitely of the best ones we've tried here in Jakarta, do give it a try, especially in this wet, rainy season. 

White Ham and Truffle Oil Pizza - 136thousand

 Stone baked pizza served with green peas pesto, white ham, mushrooms, rockets and grated cheese. This is one of the two disappointing dish we had that day, the pizza dough was soggy which gave it a weird texture. In addition, we found the pizza to be too bland for our liking, so everything just fell flat.

(Random addition, the menu stated spinach, but pretty sure they were rockets.)

Fried Eggs and Oxtail Hash - 98 thousand

Fancy name but is really a simple dish which is just alright. This dish and the next probably fits better for brunch, not quite filling to last through the day.

Poached Eggs on Salmon Zucchini Cakes - 98thousand

Differing from the typical Eggs Benedict, they switched the bun for salmon zucchini cakes. They were quite alright, side for the slightly overcooked eggs.

Assorted Mushroom Risotto - 116thousand

Mushroom risotto served with lemon rind, soy peas and rockets. The lemon overpowered the mushroom, so it tasted more like lemon and peas risotto. For a mushroom risotto lover, it was a disappointing dish. Scoot over to Cacaote or De Luca for better ones!

Angel Hair Aglio Oilio with Herb Marinated Chicken Breast - 140thousand

Hands down one of The Best in town! The traffic all the way to Le Quartier is well worth it just for this dish alone! We don't hear Le Cousin W singing praises for a dish that often, it was just that good!

Red Velvet and Marshmallow Ice Cream + Salted Caramel and Caramelized Banana Ice Cream - 36thousand/each

The Red Velvet&Marshmallow consisted of red velvet crumbs, bits of marshmallow and an ice cream base, so overall, it as a weird texture to it.

For the Salted Caramel&Banana, the banana dominated the combination as you could barely taste caramel, not what we were expecting.

Parfait of Lemon and Raspbberies served with Sherbet - 66thousand

Lemon parfait set with raspberry jelly, topped with white chocolate crushed pistachios, fresh raspberries and creme Chantilly.

Orange - Grand Marnier Souffle - 78thousand

The soft and fluffy soft and fluffy didn't blew our minds away, it was just alright.

 Overall, it was an enjoyable meal. Le Cousin E mentioned that their grill selection was marvelous, so look out for our Take 2 on their grills. Otherwise, it was a good change of atmosphere from the typical fancy restaurant. It seemed posh yet relaxed at the same time. Don't get put of by the hefty price tag. Treat yourself to a hot cuppa Onion Soup, and Aglio Olio pasta; it's near the end of the year, you've earn a good meal. :)

Le Quartier

Jl. Gunawarman No. 34

Kebayaran Baru

Jakarta Selatan

Telephone : (021) 7278 8001

Operation Hours :

Monday - Sunday : 7.30AM - Onwards