Before going to India, I was not much of a fan of Indian food. Even my knowledge of it was limited to Chicken Tikka Masala. Continue reading “My newly found love – Indian Food.”
Category: Partnership
Komunal 88 Cafe Market
Last week I received an invitation through this post to visit a newly opened Cafe in Kemang area called Komunal 88 Cafe Market – to try their Croissant. Since I am a self-proclaimed Croissant enthusiast, I decided to visit the Cafe last Saturday!
When I arrived, I was greeted by a friendly waitress by the name of Agustina and she showed me around the cafe before I got seated. As you can see, Komunal 88 is still on Soft Opening period, she said that they still don’t have a complete menu. But since I came there for the Croissant, I did not give too much of attention to the menu.
I loved what I saw. The cafe looks sleek and modern but at the same time comfortable. I can imagine spending time here to work or simply hanging out with my family or friends. Since I came there for brunch at around 10 AM, I also saw that most guests besides myself were expat families.
Okay, let’s talk about the Croissant now.
The Croissant (70 gr), is priced at IDR 12.000. I think the price is reasonable, judging by the size. I was intrigued to have a bite the moment I saw this lovely bunch! Soooo tempting, right?
The croissant (and all bakery items, for that matter), are baked fresh daily. No wonder it looks so tempting. As much as I like that they take quality really serious, but I could not help but wonder about the taste. Is it the kind of food that’s only pretty but not that delicious to be eaten?
Of course not! I hope my pictures can do the justice, but the croissant is so good! It’s definitely one of the best croissants I’ve had in Jakarta. It has the prefect golden color, showing that it was perfectly baked. It’s crispy on the outside – that crispy, you know when you chew it, you can hear yourself crunching. BUT, it has a moist and fluffy filling inside, making it so chewy at the same time. OH-SO-GOOD! I give it 5 out of 5 stars for price, appearance, and of course – taste.
Moving on, I spent a good 2 hours in the cafe. While I was there I actually finished some blog post drafts, hehehe. Of course, I also got to try their other food and drinks in addition to the croissant. First, I had a portion of Parmigiano Puffs (IDR 15.000) and Flat White (IDR 40.000). While Flat White is self explanatory (it tasted good, for sure!), Parmigiano Puffs is a unique to me because that’s the first time I had one. Translated literally it is a cheese puff, a bit like choux, with apparent cheese taste. I think it’s the perfect nibbles.
Then as I was thirsty, I asked for another drink. My waiter recommended me to try their Black Lemon Coffee (IDR 35.000). It was described to have a strong lemon taste, making it fresh, but with a taste of coffee at the same time. Sounds interesting, right? When I tried it, the description I was told was true! It is a unique drink, giving you a fresh feeling plus a delicious taste of coffee. Perfect for a hot afternoon.
So far I’ve told you about the food and drinks that I had – all delicious and beyond my expectation. What I also love about Komunal 88 is that they are very serious in everything that they do. Like how they sell merchandise – but not ordinary ones. All are nicely designed, plus with a good cause. Like the tumblers, for example. It’s meant to reduce plastics, and every time you buy a drink with the tumbler for takeaway, the drink will be half-price.
Oh, another interesting fact – Komunal 88 also adapts an old Italian custom – Suspended Coffee. Whenever you feel like doing something good for others, buy a cup of suspended coffee (or water/bread) here and it will be given to an anonymous after you left.
Did I enjoy my visit? Will I come back? Of course 🙂
When you are in Kemang area, don’t forget to pay a visit! Have a great week and stay safe, fellow Jakartans!
Komunal 88 Cafe Market
Jalan Ampera Raya 5-6
Pejaten Barat
Tel: +62 21 7197000
Challenge Accepted!
This is the fifth post in the “Christa in the UK” series – stories from the year 2009 and 2010 during my time living, studying, working and traveling in a small beach town called Bournemouth in South West England.
I still remember my very first “Strategic Marketing and Branding” class at Bournemouth University. We were put in groups of 4 and had to discuss about the future of TV. I was the only Indonesian in my class and also the only Asian in that small group. As much as I was very eager to learn and keen to succeed, I was confused. I did not know what to contribute to the group’s discussion. I thought I am outspoken enough as a person, but at that moment I felt afraid to say a word. My group mates were European students, they appeared much more experienced and more confident.
Of course they were more experienced, at least about the subject we were discussing. Back then in Indonesia TV was still the biggest media. It was still growing in Indonesia, yet in that warm classroom we were discussing about what is next after TV, how can TV survive the future in Europe. They are Europeans, so they must know what was being talked about. They were able to express their opinions and contribute to the discussion. Me? I was struggling to speak, I felt shy, I felt incompetent.
At the end of the session, I finally managed to express my confusion to my group. I was able to explain the situation in Indonesia, where I came from. I managed to overcome my struggle, but I have to admit that it was quite a rough start to my journey in getting a masters degree.
You see, going abroad obviously is very challenging. Behind the glitters of actually living abroad, there’s the learning process, which was very much different to what I experienced back home. It can be daunting, it can be stressful – Oops, don’t be discouraged though, it will be very rewarding in the end, you just got to go through it! 🙂
How to succeed, then? I think, the key is having a careful preparation. Prepare as early as possible – by preparation I mean everything! Prepare to live in a different culture, prepare to study in a different learning environment, prepare to be homesick too, hehehe. Like I mentioned in this post, going to study abroad needs a lot of preparation. I consider myself lucky because I was able to adapt to the “foreign” environment quite smoothly. But still, now you know that I had my challenges. It was hard, but I managed. I wish I had more help though…
Btw, not long ago I had the opportunity to meet with EF‘s country manager in Jakarta. EF may be familiar to some of you for its language schools. But little did I know that EF also means Education First, a worldwide organisation which offers various study programs in many countries (They also run an English program in Bournemouth! 😀). What interests me is that they have a University Preparation program which can help future students to prepare before going to study abroad.
Of course there are also other sources of help, but I think the kind of programs that EF offer would be very much helpful in helping you to adapt – not only to the culture, but most importantly, the learning environment. Because at the end of the day, we all wish to be successful in our education, right? 🙂
Cheers,
Tradisi di bulan Desember
Bulan Desember selalu jadi bulan yang ekstra bahagia buat saya. Namanya juga akhir tahun ya kan, aura liburan nya kerasa banget. Padahal 4 tahun kebelakang saya tidak pernah liburan di bulan Desember lho, tapi bawaan nya tetap suasana liburan, hehehe. Tambahan lagi, di akhir Desember saya berulang tahun, kebetulan pas di hari Natal. Saya pribadi tidak merayakan Natal sih, tapi Ibu dan keluarga besar saya merayakan, jadi saya ikutan merayakan kebahagiaan nya 🙂
Nah, dari kecil keluarga besar saya yang dari Ibu itu selalu punya tradisi kumpul – kumpul di malam Natal, di rumah Kakak nya Opa saya di daerah Jakarta Pusat. Tradisi nya begini.. Tanggal 24 sore, Ibu saya pergi ke gereja. Setelah Ibu selesai gereja, Saya, Ayah dan Adik menjemput Ibu dan kami makan malam keluarga (hampir setiap taun biasanya makan steak di Gandy Steakhouse Menteng), kemudian kami pergi ke rumah keluarga itu. Disana sebenarnya nggak ada acara spesial sih, kami makan lagi (!!!) hahaha, sambil kumpul – kumpul dengan keluarga besar. Oh iya, ada tradisi tukar kado juga di keluarga kami.
Jadi di rumahnya ada pohon Natal dimana kami bisa menempatkan kado di bawah pohon itu. Kemudian, kami melakukan countdown ke tanggal 25 dan tepat jam 12 malam kami semua saling salam – salaman. Keluarga besar saling mengucapkan selamat natal, tetapi khusus untuk saya, “selamat ulang tahun!” 🙂 Setelah itu kami mencari nama masing – masing di tumpukan kado dan sibuk buka kado sambil menebak – nebak secret santa kami. Tidak lama lewat jam 12, kami pulang dan siang hari nya open house di rumah, biasanya keluarga dari ayah saya datang untuk merayakan ulang tahun saya sekaligus memberikan selamat kepada Ibu, Oma dan Opa saya.
Sepanjang saya bisa ingat, tiap tahun begitulah tradisi nya. Tradisi nya tetap berjalan bahkan ketika Ayah, Oma dan Opa saya sudah meninggal dunia kira kira 7 tahun yang lalu. Kami tetap berkumpul, walaupun member nya berkurang :’)
Tetapi, tengah tahun ini, keluarga besar memutuskan untuk menjual rumah di Jakarta Pusat itu. Awalnya tidak ada pengaruh nya buat saya, tapi kemudian saya ingat.. dimana kami akan berkumpul di malam Natal nanti? Akhirnya setelah berdiskusi panjang, keluarga kami memutuskan untuk berkumpul di rumah tante saya. Selain perubahan tempat, salah satu sepupu saya punya ide untuk memberikan dress code bagi acara malam Natal nanti, supaya acara nya lebih meriah (dan lebih bagus kalau difoto! :p). Pilihan dress code nya adalah hitam dan emas (soalnya merah dan hijau terlalu mainstream, hahahaha).
Adanya dress code berarti ada kesempatan untuk belanja, hahahaha. Namanya juga cewek, nggak jauh jauh dari belanja :p Saya kepikiran untuk pakai dress hitam dan kalung bernuansa emas. Eh, ngga tau deng soal kalung emas nya, soalnya sebenarnya saya agak males pakai aksesoris. Tapi yang pasti saya kini sedang mencari dress hitam. Pulang kerja kemarin saya sempat lihat – lihat di Pondok Indah Mall, tapi tidak ketemu yang sreg. Lalu saya browsing deh.
Pas lagi browsing, saya ketemu halaman koleksi dress hitam di Zalora Indonesia. Lengkap banget koleksinya! Ada banyak pilihan dress hitam berbagai model, mulai dari kasual hingga glamour. Harganya juga beragam, mulai dari 200ribu-an, lumayan banget kan? Gara – gara keasikan browsing dress hitam di Zalora ini, saya udah naksir 2 dress.. Hahaha, padahal niatnya nyari 1 aja. Gimana nih, bantuin saya milih dong teman teman, lebih bagus yang mana ya buat saya, antara Sheer Panelled Varsity Kimono Shift Dress atau Cape Sleeve Woven Dress? 🙂
Oke sambil saya menimbang – nimbang antara 2 dress tersebut, mari balik lagi ke cerita awal saya hehe, inti nya saya excited menyambut Natal, walaupun ada perubahan di tradisi, tapi tetap bisa kumpul dengan keluarga. Pada akhirnya itu yang paling penting kan 🙂 kalau kamu, ada tradisi spesial ngga di bulan Desember?
Christa Bercerita 