January 31st, 2015. The Park Lane Jakarta invited some foodies again to have lunch at Riva Grill Bar and Terrace. It’s a special event, where Riva introduced new menus. The magic hands of Chef Deden will enchant us right away.
Welcome Drink
When we arrived, they served us welcome drink. A very exotic mocktail with lovely colour. I forgot the name. But it was definitely refreshing and thirst-quenching.
Complimentary Bread
SMALL PLATES MENU
FROM THE GARDEN
Green Spinach Salad 65k
Australian spinach, strawberry and roasted almond flakes with lemon and olive oil dressing.
Red and Green. It’s like the colour of Christmas. I never liked green colour, but when you mix it with red, it became my favourite colour, Christmas colour 🙂 Ok, let’s talk about the taste. As you all know, vegetables were not my favourite anymore, but I can eat vegetables if a must. Funny thing, this spinach is so delicious, I could eat a full plate of it. And actually the almond flakes were the star in my mouth. Nice starter for that day.
Thai Garden Mango Salad 75k
Coriander roots, lemon juice and chili dressing.
Mango salad. Hmm.. I love mango, but not in salad hahaha.. The presentation was beautiful. But, actually the mango salad was not as I expected. But I believe it was super healthy hahaha.. Well for me, mango salad should taste like a fresh and fragrant meadows. And this one lacked of it. Only sour and a bit spicy.
Spanish Potato Fritata 65k
With mesclun salad and fresh tomato sauce.
Love it. I always love everything that are cooked with egg. Actually it’s like omelette but with spanish style. It’s very tasty. The fresh tomato sauce really enhanced the flavour of this fritata. But, this was one of the best starters. You should try this one when you eat at Riva. Recommended.
Frittata is an egg-based Italian dish similar to an omelette or crustless quiche, enriched with additional ingredients such as meats, cheeses, vegetables or pasta. The word frittata is Italian and translates to “fried”.
FROM THE SEA
Salmon Tortelinni 135k
Truffle cream sauce.
For me, the presentation was pretty simple. The truffle cream sauce was outstanding with rich texture and sensational flavour. The tortelinni was in a right texture. It was good to eat salmon with great pasta and great sauce.
Tortellini are ring-shaped pasta, sometimes also described as “navel shaped”, hence their alternative name of “belly button”. They are typically stuffed with a mix of meat or cheese.
Sauteed Salty Prawns 130k
With 2 types of tofu, crispy garlic, spring onion, hot chillies and rock salt.
They used 2 types of tofu. I love the tender one 🙂 The prawn was salty *of course* and a little bit spicy. It’s also well-seasoned. But for me, it’s a little bit too chewy. I missed the crunch crunch feeling when I bite the prawn.
Lobster Bisque 130k
With Japanese shimeji mushroom and crouton.
The presentation was very simple. But the foam made it a little bit classy. I think every dish that is using foam is classy hahaha.. Well, the lobster was lovely. I didn’t find a smelly lobster there. It’s kinda thick and rich of flavour. Hmmm.. need more croutons 😀
FROM THE FARM
Javanese Oxtail Consomme 195k
With oxtail terrine and vegetable brunoise.
To make a perfect consommé needs a high skill. This oxtail consommé was delicious. A little bit too salty for me, but you can balance it with white rice *yeah rite Yen, you wish* The oxtail terrine was tender. How to eat this dish? Just pour the consommé to the oxtail terrine, just like the photo below. And voila, ready to eat the dish 😀
In cooking, a consommé is a type of clear soup made from richly flavored stock or bouillon that has been clarified, a process which uses egg whites to remove fat and sediment. A consommé is made by adding a mixture of ground meats, together with mirepoix (a combination of carrots, celery, and leek), tomatoes, and egg whites into either bouillon or stock.
A terrine (French pronunciation: [tɛ.ʁin]) is a French forcemeat loaf similar to a pâté, made with more coarsely chopped ingredients. Terrines are usually served cold or at room temperature.
Brunoise is a culinary knife cut in which the food item is first julienned and then turned a quarter turn and diced again, producing cubes of about 3 mm or less on each side, or 1/8-inch dice. In France, a “brunoise” cut is smaller, 1 to 2 mm on each side, or 1/16-inch dice. Some typical vegetables for a brunoise are carrots, celery, leeks, and turnips. The diced vegetables are blanched briefly in salty boiling water and then submerged in salted ice water for a few seconds to set the color. The brunoise is used as a garnish in many dishes; it is often used to garnish consommé. A brunoise should be consistent in size and shape, as this helps to create a pleasing and professional presentation.
Riva Spring Roll 85k
Chicken, prawn and foie gras with blue cheese dip.
I love how they make the spring roll. It’s not too big, and not too small. Just the right size. Can you imagine, with the size, they filled it with chicken, prawn and foie gras? Dip it into the blue cheese. Aaaahmaziiiing!! You won’t notice that you’ve already eaten them all by yourself.
Chicken and Scallion Kuo Tie 95k
Pan fried chicken dumpling with soy chili sauce.
Yeah rite. Chicken kuo tie. Errr.. I prefer pork. LOL. Pork Kuo Tie please! Well, I had to accept that I ate chicken kuo tie 🙂 The filling was generous. And it tasted delicious.
MAIN COURSES
FROM THE GARDEN
Japanese Vegetable Fritters 95k
coated with Japanese tempura dough and served with tempura dressing.
One of my favourites. The tempura was perfectly fried. Dip the tempura into the dressing. It was amazing. Mostly I prefer prawn tempura, but turns out that vegetable was tasty too. I finished it instantly 🙂
Chinese Tofu Salad 95k
With shredded fresh vegetable, egg, crushed nuts and sweet soy chili dressing.
When I put in my mouth, suddenly my head cried, “Tahu Telor!!!” Yup, it tasted similar with “tahu telor.” I looooove it. The crushed nuts and sweet soy chili dressing were complimenting each other. The result: outstanding dish. Love love love..
Waldorf Salad 110k
with green apple, celery, roasted walnuts and mayonnaise.
Well, it’s really beautiful presentation. I fell in love. Too bad I didn’t like apple. Not even in a form of salad. But.. But.. I love the roasted walnuts! It’s the best thing here I guess. Sorry, I just didn’t like apple. 😦
FROM THE SEA
Pan Fried Barramundi 155k
Black and white shimeji mushroom, green asparagus, blended leek and purple shallot – yellow root sauce.
I think I ate a lot of Barramundi since I became foodblogger. And it became one of my favourite fish dish. The meat was tender and mild. The yellow root sauce enhanced the flavour of the barramundi. It tasted not too strong. Recommended dish!
Barramundi have a mild flavour and a white, flaky flesh, with varying amount of body fat.
Breaded Dory Fillet Roulade
Stuffed with fennel, celery and red onion served antiboise sauce.
Actually, I love dory. But, this dish wasn’t my favourite. It tasted just plain. Lack of salt, I think. Even the antiboise sauce did nothing to the flavour. Sorry to say, just not right for my palate.
Seared Norwegian Salmon Medallion 195k
Truffle infused potato mousseline, vegetable ragout with coriander and lemon cream sauce.
Love the presentation. So pretty with beautiful colours. And they served the salmon medallion with cute form. It’s really an appetizing dish. I really love the potato mousseline. It was smooth and tender. Really pampering my tastebud. One recommended dish.
FROM THE FARM
4 Hours – Slow Cooked Poached Chicken 165k
with pocini, green asparagus, morels and “vin jaune.”
First, I thought the chicken would be just like a usual chicken dish. But, when I ate the chicken, I snapped. Turned out, it’s delicious. Tender and moist and juicy. The 4 hours slow cooked was not a waste, definitely hahaha.. The “vin jaune” enhanced the flavour of the dish.
Vin jaune (French for “yellow wine”) is a special and characteristic type of white wine made in the Jura region in eastern France. It is similar to dry finoSherry and gets its character from being matured in a barrel under a film of yeast, known as the voile, on the wine’s surface. Vin jaune shares many similarities with Sherry, including some aromas, but unlike Sherry, it is not a fortified wine. The wine is made from the Savagnin grape, with some of the most premium examples coming from the marl based vineyards in the Château-Chalon AOC.
Braised Australian Lamb Foreshank 225k
Smokey garlic and potato mousse line with own jus.
I found the presentation of the dish was cool. The lamb looked dashing. I said to myself, “Wow, what a macho lamb.” I rarely eat lamb, but I love it. It was tender and juicy. And good thing it’s not that smelly. Yup, lamb has a certain scent that sometimes is too strong. But, this lamb from Riva was not as strong as other lamb. Just the right scent with perfect flavour.
Low – Oven Baked Asian Soy Chicken 145k
Vegetable pickle, mashed roasted purple sweet potato and garlic yogurt dip.
Not my favourite. It’s delicious indeed but not that special for me. But the presentation was breathtaking. The combination of the colours was stunning. Too bad, I didn’t like the taste of the chicken. It’s too common for my taste bud, sorry 😦
FROM THE GRILL
250gr Sher Wagyu Tenderloin 520k
All time favourite hahaha.. Everytime I went to Riva, this was my first choice 😀 Say no more to this sher wagyu tenderloin. It melted in my mouth and also in my heart. Superb!
DESSERTS
Chocolate Ginger Mousse 85k
Crunchy chocolate ginger mousse, strawberry sauce and vanilla ice cream.
Best dessert that day! Melt in your mouth. Not too sweet. A little bit bitter, actually. First I thought it will be super weird with ginger, but turned out it enhanced the taste of the chocolate. I just loved it!
Blueberry Financier 85k
Oreo crumb, raspberry sorbet, almond paste quenelle and blueberry sauce.
The financier was sweet and delish. But I found it too dense. The presentation was simple and pretty. I love the almond paste quenelle hihihi.. I think cute was the right term for it 🙂
Riva Summer Pudding 85k
with berries and passion fruit sorbet.
Sour! Hahaha. Yup, it’s refreshing too. But in my mind I shouted out loud, “SOUR!!!” LOL. But the passion fruit sorbet was lovely 🙂 Recommended for those who love sour dessert 😀
COCKTAILS
Spaghetti Margaritta
Spaghetti on Strawberry Margaritta
Love the colour of it. Didn’t really like the spaghetti. Yup, jelly was my least favourite. But, the presentation? Sensual!
Choco Mint Smoky
Jack Daniel’s, Peppermint Syrup, Bailey’s and Fresh Milk.
The presentation? Not attractive. But when I sipped it.. It blew out my mind. LOL. Not exaggerating but you should try this one. The ingredients mixed perfectly. It was sweet and delicious. Like me. LOL.
Fruit Platter Cocktail
Jelly on Tequila Sunrise, Jelly on Lychee Martini, Jelly on Strawberry Daiquiri.
Gorgeous! Nothing else to say. It was cute and quite unique. The cocktails were in the jelly inside the fruits. Such a special cocktail. Although, for me, it’s not a drink. 😀
Thank you Riva and Park Lane for the treat. Definitely a wonderful moment.
RIVA Grill Bar Terrace
The Park Lane Jakarta
Jalan Casablanca Kav. 18
Jakarta 12870
Phone: 021-8282000
FB Fan Page: Riva Grill Bar Terrace
twitter: @Riva_GrillnBar
