MAARKEZE GRAND INDONESIA - JAKARTA

I mentioned on my previous post just how big this year is for coffee, and NOW ANOTHER ONE!

After terrific success of Ombe Kofie followed by yet another successful Southern sibling, Djule Kofi, they are finally opening their third coffee shop, or should I say cafe? MAARKEZE in Grand Indonesia, and as this entry is posted, I just went there a few hours ago for a brunch date with my dear friend, Yenny from Yenny Makan Mulu <3

Their grand opening was on the September 28th, but I skipped their invitation sent to me on my Instagram (as I privated my message tab and don't check them often enough) and I was still in Bangkok and just arrived very-very recently (postcards from Bangkok coming very soon). Maarkeze is located inside the Central department store on the 1st floor and located around the well-known Social House, I suggest coming from East Mall and make your way via escalator from Uniqlo or NOMZ as it's easier to access.

The scent of new spot = the fresh scent of flowers!

 Maarkeze powered by Ombe Kofie, I forgot to ask what Maarkeze means, but I will update this post once I know, or maybe you know? Drop 'em below!

The design and ambiance of Maarkeze was totally different comparing to Ombe or Djule, it was overall a bit more dimmed with warm tone as it's located inside a shoppng mall and a bit of industrial details but still very homey. The cafe wasn't exactly spacious and could accomodate probably as many as 30 people maximum (including the seats at their coffee bar). I mentioned that Maarkeze was more to the cafe side comparing to previous successors as it's finally their first outlet which served proper all day breakfast and brunch menu. Range of the food might not be ultra-various, but they seemed pretty good just by looking at their menu.

PS: We both shared three food menus here, but Ajie and Jojo happened to make two of them free complimentaries for us upon payment (thank you very much guys). Price range for the food here is around 60k-70k with range varying from Crostini/Toast, Sandwich and Mini Pizza. Anyway, pizzas are available a little later than both crostini and sandwich on a daily basis around lunch time.

Original White - IDR 45k
Expect to find selections of coffees like the following: Espresso, Double Espresso, Macchiato, Black, Lungo, Mini White (available in double), Regular White (available in double), Filter V60/Kalita, Jamaica Blue Mountain, Panama Geisha white price ranging from IDR 30k-125k.

Flavor wise? Hey it's basically like having Djule Kofi only in a completely different set, and Djule is one of my most favorite coffee shops in town, so it's definitely good. The regular white was light but still pretty much bodi-ed with subtle and clean finish that I really like!

Iced Salted Caramel White - IDR 55k
This was recommended by Ajie and it was a very good one, even though I was expecting more hints of salty flavor from the salted caramel. I really like the combination on this one as it did not end up tasting cheap with the bold coffee flavor still dominating this drink. If you love sweet coffees than this one is for you. Thank you for the recommendation!

Cold Brew Nitro - IDR 50k

This is the highlight beverage menu here and ONLY AVAILABLE IN MAARKEZE, Jojo told me that this Cold Nitro Brew has been very popular among women. In a glance, this looks like a coffee beer with the with foam on top of it and flavor wise, I really like this one as it had this really nice and balanced mild-rich coffee flavor, not too acid for my liking! I personally am not a big fan of cold brews but this is seriously very nice you might convert after this one.

Tuna Crostini - IDR 60k

The sourdough they're using for their crostinis and how well they cooked it made it such a perfect toast base with this crunchy and moist consistency and as a base for the other toppings in this dish such as tuna (of course), boiled egg, mayonnaise, cucumber pickles and shredded cheese. Overall, I find myself liking the tuna version more than the chicken avocado (read below), the seasoning was spot on and as an avid rocket leaves fan, I appreciate their generosity in giving much on a single serving. YUM!

Chicken Avocado Crostini - IDR 60k

This has the potential to be very good actually, but I just wasn't a big fan of the avocado cream cheese ,not that it's cheesy (in fact, it's not that cheesy - and you know I am not a big cheese fan), but the texture wasn't too appealing for my palate, I prefer the mashed avocado better to be honest.

Smoked Chicken Pesto - IDR 70k

Their smoked chicken pesto sandwich on the other hand was simple but nice, the Rye bread was grilled nicely with semi-crunchy coating and moist all the way to the middle and inside you'll find condiments such as smoked chicken, rocket leaves (YAS MORE), pesto spread, pickles and mayonnaise. The chicken was tender and something about cheese and rocket leaves that meant to be together as the aroma and that unique rocket leave flavor was something that I was most fond of, the pesto sauce dressing was nice but I would have wanted more!

Good coffee, good food (I would love to see more options in the future), if you're specialty coffee people you might cheer their existence as finally there's a good artisan coffee shop in Grand Indonesia. Good luck and pack them this weekend!!!

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Maarkeze

Central Dept. Store - 1st fl

Grand Indonesia Shopping Mall East Mall

Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 1
Jakarta Pusat 10310
Opening Hours: 10 AM - 10 PM
Average spending for two: IDR 200k (with food)
Dresscode: Casual

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Map for Grand Indonesia Shopping Town

COMMON GROUNDS PONDOK INDAH MALL 2

The Southerners should cheer because one of my most favorite coffee shops in Jakarta is finally opening another branch of theirs! Congratulations Common Grounds (especially Yoshi, Yanto and Aston) for the opening of your newest shop in Pondok Indah Mall 2, damn this year is so huge for coffee!

Something about their overall design that reminds me of the more minimalist, brighter and cleaner version of St. Ali Setiabudi, and I am loving the chicness and simplicity of it! Monochrome with earthy tones are the main theme of this outlet, it was totally different with their first and pioneer outlet in Citywalk Sudirman. I honestly did not have any idea that they're opening today, I guessed I was just lucky as I planned to meet my friend in PIM 2, only to find out that the new Common Grounds was opening. So damn excited.

 La Marzocco to rock your coffee

Iced Latte - IDR 40k // Baileys Chocolate Cake - IDR 45k

The menus here are exactly the same as their Citywalk outlet with the same cakes and pastry selections from Ladies Who Bake. It was a quick visit to their outlet and we only had coffee and nibble to share, which was the fantastic Chocolate Baileys Cake, it caught my eye from the display and I just had to order it because it looked so fucking moist and it actually was! It might sound strange but why the heck did I love the iced latte here better than their Citywalk outlet? It had this right creaminess that I like and with quite clean finish, different barista maybe? While my friend ordered the iced chocolate but I didn't have any sip.

 Moist cake with rich chocolate and Baileys flavor, not too sweet for my liking. LOVE!

There you have it! Not talking much in this post because come on, they're already so popular that you don't need to introduce them, but if you're a first timer to my blog, you should know that they are also one of my favorite all day breakfast and brunch cafes in Jakarta as their food are consistently good (never disappoint me), and my favorite was this Uncle Phil Fried Chicken with extra drizzle of truffle oil + truffle fries and you would just die! Their Eggs Benedict and Breakfast Burrito are among my personal favorites in town as well.

By the time I went here, they were not 100% ready as some of my initial orders were not available, so I suggest calling to check the availability of your favorite menus here.

CONGRATULATIONS, and as usual, BEST OF LUCK!

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Common Grounds

Pondok Indah Mall 2

Jalan Metro Pondok Indah 

Jakarta Selatan 12310
Opening hours: 10 AM-10 PM
Average spending for two: IDR 150k
Dresscode: casual
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Map for Pondok Indah Mall 2

NALU BOWLS JAKARTA

Attention everyone: NALU BOWLS is finally opening in Jakarta, making it one of the newest cafes in Jakarta as this post is written.

This post is going to be a very short review of Nalu Bowls Jakarta which very recently opened its first official branch in Jakarta at Jalan Kemang Timur No. 69D (beside Sunset Limited coffee shop), the design of this particular branch reminds me of their Milk and Madu branch in Canggu where it's a little more indoor (with outdoor area as well), slightly larger than their Canggu outlet and actually air-conditioned. The outlet was easily noticable not only because I personally knew where Sunset Limited was located, but also because how the store's appearance: still with their signature washed out white paint "coloring" the wooden parts of the architecture giving this Hawaii and Bali like ambiance.

The menus and price were identical to the ones in Bali: 6 smoothie bowl menus with price ranging from IDR 60k-85k, relatively pricey.

I only had one menu (that's why this is a short review, but updates are possible in the future) which was their Maverick (IDR 85k) to check out whether it's the same as the one that I had in Bali.

Maverick with additional Acai seeds - IDR 107k 

Maverick consists of Acai blend base topped with fruits like strawberries, bananas, coconut flakes and all dressed in honey drizzle. Flavor wise, it was pretty much the same as the one that I had in Bali: perfectly sweet, fresh with a sense of healthy, flavorful, fruity along with this smooth blend texture that I like in contrary to the crunchy coconut flakes and granola, short to say: I like it.

If you want to make it prettier, you can add more color to it with additional kiwi, mango or more strawberries. Additional toppings are available here with price ranging from IDR 3k-10k such as: granola, bee pollen, goji berries, chia seeds, almond, mixed berries, honey, cashew nuts, mango and banana.

It's refreshing that Nalu Bowls is finally coming to Jakarta, we don't have that much smoothie bowl shack catering in town and healthy indulgence is a growing trend.

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Nalu Bowls Jakarta

Jalan Kemang Timur No. 69D

Kemang - Jakarta Selatan 12730
Opening hours: 11 AM-7 PM
Average spending for two: IDR 150k
Dresscode: casual
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Map for Sunset Limited (Nalu Bowls is beside)