[Eats&Treats] Mockingbird Restaurant Jakarta

I love to eat (good food). My taste is pretty eclectic; I might go for Japanese food one day and craving for soto betawi the next day. One of the things my husband absolutely loathe about me is that sometimes I get so indecisive regarding food (because there are so many things I like!) that I can spend 20 minutes browsing the menu and couldn’t decide. It’s THAT bad. You don’t want to take me to a restaurant where they have 30 items on the menu. I’d drive people crazy with my indecisiveness.

That’s why I love the idea of Mockingbird’s limited set menu. By the way, the concept of the restaurant is affordable fine dining. They only have 3 sets to choose from. When I went there for dinner, it took me like 30 seconds to decide what I want. Each set consisted of an appetizer, entree and dessert. I’m not really accustomed to three-course-meal but when I like the food, I can eat A LOT. Mockingbird’s menu is updated every 3 months and when I went there, these were the three sets.

Set 1: The Flying Goat
Starter: Twice cooked chicken wings
Entree: Tandoori roasted lamb racks
Dessert: dessert of the day

Set 2: Cow Me To The Moon
Starter: Wagyu Beef Tartar
Entree: Angus Beef Tenderloin
Dessert: dessert of the day

Set 3: Underwater Fireworks
Starter: Seared Canadian Scallops
Entree: Crispy skin Barramundi
Dessert: dessert of the day

Tandoori roasted lamb rack with harison sauce, raita, eggplant salad, peppernade, roast potatoes and semorilla

My husband chose the Flying Goat and I, obviously, went for the beef course (duh). This will be my first time tasting beef tartar (raw) and I gotta say I was pretty apprehensive. The only beef tartar reference I have is in an episode of Mr. Bean (Steak Tartare act). Although it’s hilarious, it left me with a not-so-good impression of beef tartar and raw meat in general. Play the video and see what I mean. 😀

I was pleasantly surprised that I love it! It was served with poached egg and I like the combination of creamy egg yolk with the cold beef. The richness of the yolk is balanced with sharp tang of grated pecorino cheese.

Wagyu beef tartar with poached egg, pecorino cheese and semorilla

I asked my steak to be cooked medium rare (is there any other way?) and it was cooked perfectly. Beef was tender and the red wine jus complement it well. Now, here I must commend the chef for this plate. Aside from the perfect steak, the sides and garnishes were also superb. Mashed potato was simply the best I’ve ever had: perfectly smooth and creamy without being mush. The porcini cream is absolutely to die for! And although I don’t really care for the mushroom and caramelized shallots, nothing on the plate was bad. The shallots were quite nice actually, sweet and crunchy. I just don’t like the “zing”. I’m not a fan of shallots in general so my opinion might be biased.

100gr of Angus beef tenderloin with mashed potatoes, red wine jus, porcini cream, swiss brown mushroom and caramelised eschalots

Medium rare, just the way I like it!

For dessert, they have two options that day: creme brulee and pannacotta. So we both ordered each. Both were okay. My husband loved the pannacotta and the creme brulee was good. They were both complemented with tangy berry coulis to offset the richness of the dessert.

Vanilla bean panna cotta

Creme brulee

I have to admit that having given only three choices was liberating. I make decisions daily and constantly; regarding my children, work, my marriage, household. It can be overwhelming. So this little “freedom” of not having to think too much (albeit only about dinner) is refreshing. It’s funny, you’re being limited in some ways, but you feel liberated. This is something I would ponder about some more.

Back to Mockingbird. They are currently in the second “season”, meaning they have a whole new set menu to choose from. The menu will last for 2 months until they update it again. So I think I’ll be back there in a few weeks to try out their new menu. Can’t wait to see what they’re offering!

Advertisement

On My Playlist: Honey, I’m Good by Andy Grammer

The reason why I kept playing this song over and over is because of its catchy tune. It’s easy to listen to, that simple. But, upon closer scrutiny the lyric is also right up my alley. Instead of leaning toward promiscuity like so many contemporary songs, this song is about commitment and fidelity. That, I like. I only listen to the radio while driving and it’s been ages since I watched MTV. So I’ve been listening to this song quite a few times before ever seeing the video. It’s actually pretty cute, depicting couples holding up the number of how many months or years they have been together while singing to the song. Some are in a new relationship of 2-3 months, while some are well into their 50th year. It’s really heartwarming. If there is one thing I value in life, commitment will be on the top of the list. It’s no wonder I like the song and the video so much.

What song is in your most played list? 🙂

Relaktasi

Dua bulan terakhir, setiap harinya bawa pulang hasil pumping maksimal 2 botol @100ml. Sedikit banget, walau impas dengan jumlah yang diminum Zaq tiap harinya. Ternyata memang anaknya kalau di rumah maunya makan. ASIP cuma mau kalau dia ngantuk. Biar begitu, udah niat untuk nambah frekwensi pumping di kantor, untuk merangsang produksi ASI.

Belum kesampaian, tiba-tiba ada KLB campak di kantor dan aku tertular 😢 Jadilah seminggu nggak ke kantor. Harusnya anak-anak diungsikan, ya, supaya nggak tertular. Tapi banyak faktor yang akhirnya berujung kita pasrah dan anak-anak tetap di rumah, termasuk si bayi 9 bulan.

Namanya bayi, mana dia tau emaknya lagi sakit. Dia taunya pabrik ASI kembali buka 24 jam, and he couldn’t be happier. Satu jam setelah makan pagi, pasti mulai ngak-ngek minta nyusu. Begitu pula setelah makan siang dan sore menjelang makan sore. Belum lagi kalau mau tidur siang dan kalau lagi iseng. Ujungnya nyusu, lah, pokoknya. Setelah seminggu seperti ini, mulai terasa ASI kayaknya makin banyak. Bahkan, sempat kepenuhan dan akhirnya dipompa karena anaknya lagi asyik main, nggak mau minum.

Stimulation is the key when breastfeeding is concerned. Makin sering menyusui, produksi makin banyak. In this case, I have proven it. Yang tadinya mau proses relaktasi lagi, jadinya sekarang tinggal maintain. Setelah udah ngantor lagi, pumping-nya harus ngikutin pola nyusu si Zaq. Dia nyusu juga sebentar-sebentar aja, kok. Jadi pumping juga harusnya nggak perlu sejam juga. Cuma dipersering, idealnya bisa tiga kali selama di kantor.

Sekarang tinggal gimana supaya nggak  keasyikan kerja sampe lupa pumping. Pasang alarm aja kali, ya?

Desk Drawer Essentials

For those working full time in an office, chances are you spend more than 6 hours in it. Me, I got in the office around 9 every morning and left after 6. Naturally, I have a few things stocked in my desk drawer. Here are some of my essentials.

Spending all day in an air-conditioned space can do things to your skin you wouldn’t like. That’s why I keep a tub of body butter in my drawer. I put some on in the mornings and reapply as needed. Currently residing in my drawer is Sephora Body Butter. This particular body butter is thick and somewhat tacky, so I seldom reapply.

Lip balm is also a must since I have notoriously dry, chapped lips. eos lip balm is probably not the best out there but I like the scent. Texture is “filmy”, like I feel there’s a film coating my lips after applying. This I could reapply 3-5 times a day.

The foot spray is a new addition to my arsenal. Some of my work shoes turned out to be foot sauna x___x So, to relieve aching, tired and hot feet I spray it on two-three times throughout the day. Smells nice, too. I think any foot spray will do but this Taman Sari Royal Heritage foot spray is very refreshing and has a minty, herbal scent.

Hand cream and cologne (both from L’Occitane) get minimum mileage since I don’t use them that often, but still nice to have. I usually put some cologne on before leaving for meeting, just for a little added confidence. The Verbena cologne smells refreshing and not overpowering, suitable for daytime. I know I should’ve used hand cream after each hand wash (which I do quite regularly), but more often than not, I forgot.  Still, it’s good to know I have some in case I do remember :p

Is there any other thing I should have in my work drawer? Do drop a comment and share your thoughts!

One Stop Shopping

Time is precious, and it’s just getting pricier and pricier. People would do their best to save time, therefore, saving other resources. Take it from someone who lives in traffic jam-infested city. Every minute wasted is a minute of your life you can’t buy back. 

Now, on to topic: one stop shopping. It’s preferable now to do all your shopping in a single location. This is why malls keep popping up around Jakarta, I think. I personally feel the advantage mall has. The father can get his new shirt, mommy can replenish her makeup cleanser, kids can get their alloted book of the week. End the day with grocery shopping. 

I remember a conversation like a decade ago with my sister and a cousin. Back when I was studying Psychology. We talked about business ideas and I thought it would be interesting to be a marriage counselor. My cousin replied she could see herself as a wedding planner. My sister, then a law student, said that divorce lawyer made good money. 

Now wouldn’t that be an interesting business? A complete cycle of marriage services. We could plan your wedding, get you some expert counsel when you face problems in your ten-year-anniversary, and, if all else fails, hook you up with a divorce lawyer to settle everything. Of course, special rate applies to those who use our service since the wedding. 

Thoughts? 😋

*disclaimer: don’t take this too seriously. Seriously.

Btw, none of us actually becomes what we talked about. It is still, sadly, just an idea. 

(In)Adequate

Nobody’s perfect. Not only that, even if you are so bloody good at something you can never actually do it perfectly. To err is human, and that’s exactly what we are.

Still, we can’t always settle for less, can we? It is also our nature to desire the best of everything. And we strive for the best. When your strive doesn’t result in the best possible outcome, that’s when the feeling of inadequacy hit.

Although normal, left uncheck, this feeling of inadequacy can make someone feel somewhat depressed. 😦 It’s probably necessary to think about it rationally every time the feeling emerges.

In my case, sometimes I feel like I could’ve done better, I should’ve done things differently, better, more well-thought, etc. I feel like I’m inadequate as a (insert noun here: mother, wife, employee, daughter, sister, etc), because I did something wrong, so that things are not as they ideally are. But did I try my best? Yes. Did I strive for the result I hoped for? Yes. Did I put in enough effort? Yes. So, should I beat myself down for my “failure”? Rationally, no. But, I feel what I feel. Hopefully it will motivate me to do better. To strive even harder.

Balada Sisir

Inilah salahnya kalau sisir cuma punya satu. Harusnya ada lebih, supaya sisirnya bisa aplusan kalau udah waktunya dibersihkan/dicuci.

Minggu lalu, entah mengapa sisir satu-satunya raib. Rasanya terakhir pake seperti biasa di kantor, lalu masuk tas. Again, my usual MO. Lha, kok, tetiba ngga jelas di mana keberadaannya. Bongkar tas, bongkar laci, bongkar tas alat pumping, cari di kolong tempat tidur: nihil. Mana pulaaaa, rambut saya pan lumayan panzang, yak. Susah ini kalo ngga nyisir. Sampai akhirnya, saat pak suami belanja bulanan, minta beliin sisir baru. Btw, Yes, my husband is willing to go grocery shopping all on his own. Guess I’m just blessed.

Jadilah, punya sisir baru. Legaaa banget rasanya. On Monday morning, sampe ke kantor, taro barang-barang, buka tas. Jreng. Benda pertama yang terlihat: sisir yang disangka hilang. Someone(thing) is messing with me. Nggak mungkin itu sisir cuma ketelisut. Gue nggak ganti-ganti tas. And I rummaged like there’s no tomorrow looking for that brush.

Oh, well. On the bright side, now I have two hair brushes. Jadi kalau kejadian ketelisut lagi salah satunya, ada serepnya. *berusaha positif*

Exhausted

Consider yourself warned. I’m about to rant.

I know every pregnancy is different and I shouldn’t expect otherwise. This one though, really do a number on me. Circumstances are clearly different this time around since I’m working full time. With the other two pregnancies I was at home. Add that to the fact that I am older, live a sedentary lifestyle and perhaps with the aid of pregnancy hormones, in my 32nd week I feel exhausted most of the time. I drive to work and will continue to do so until my leave since it’s the best option. Usually it takes only around 30 mins to get to work, not long by Jakarta standard. Still, I arrive at the office slightly tired from it. I spend the day sitting with the occasional walks to the pantry or loo. This probably contribute to my stiff shoulders and back pains. Then I drive home, which usually takes 30-45 mins due to traffic.

Usually I come straight upstairs. Nowadays, the climb will make my knees hurt. Hurt, damn it. I may not be the fittest person but never have I experience knee pains! Aren’t those for people (read: older people) with some kind of joint problems or injuries? Surely not me?

Each night, all I could do is curl up on my bed, trying to ease the various aches. Oh, have I mentioned that I get short breaths, too? Sleeping is tricky. I need to make sure my belly is safe, I can breathe properly and I’m generally comfortable. Sometimes I can only get two out of three.

Maybe I need a massage.

Play Problem

Bisa dikatakan gue ini lahir dan besar di perkotaan. Kecuali periode 5 tahun saat Papa tugas di kota kecil di Sumatera Utara, sebagian besar hidup gue, ya, di Jakarta. Menengok ke belakang, periode 5 tahun di luar Jakarta itu ternyata adalah masa-masa menyenangkan dan nggak habis gue syukuri hingga saat ini. Why? Selama 5 tahun itu, ternyata (ho oh, baru sadar setelah dewasa) gue mengalami apa yang mungkin bisa disebut masa kecil yang cukup ideal. I got to play. Main di luar, eksplorasi lingkungan sekitar, lari sampai capek, manjat pohon, getting dirty, main di “comberan”, tersandung, jatuh, badan luka, menangis. Semua hal “normal” yang sekarang malah jadi barang langka. Gue coba bandingin dengan kegiatan anak gue sendiri saat ini di usia yang kira-kira sama dengan gue waktu itu: usia TK. Anak-anak gue lebih banyak bermain pasif di dalam rumah. Nonton TV (btw, ini juga ternyata bukan bermain), main gadget, main puzzle, menggambar dll. Kalau mau main agak aktif, paling di depan cluster rumah kami yang “hanya” berupa jalan aspal sepanjang beberapa ratus meter. Lumayan buat naik sepeda atau lari-lari, sih. Tapi sebentar juga bosan mereka.

Ngga berani foto sendiri. Cari temen :p

Tanggal 12 April yang lalu gue hadir di acara #KidsToday Project Blogger Gathering, diundang Mommies Daily. Main event-nya adalah pemutaran video #KidsToday Project dan talkshow tentang pentingnya bermain bersama psikolog Roslina Verauli. Dalam salah satu video ada curhatan anak-anak perkotaan tentang apa yang mereka inginkan. Mayoritas ingin punya tempat bermain yang lebih banyak: taman, lapangan bola, jalur skateboard. Kebayang, sih. Anak-anak itu, kan, energinya besar. Mereka butuh tempat untuk menyalurkan semua energi itu. Cara paling oke memang bermain aktif. Ini dia yang sekarang agak susah dipenuhi. Bersyukurlah kalau rumahnya dekat taman (sekarang syukurnya udah mulai banyak, ya), tinggal bawa anak-anak ke sana lalu bisa lari-lari. Itu pilihan paling mudah, sih. Lha, wong, ke pantai aja musti bayar. *bersungut-sungut* Area main khusus anak yang rada lengkap juga ada, dengan biaya yang lumayan (hampir seratus ribu per anak). Sudah pasti nggak tiap minggu ke sini, ya. Habis uang belanja gue. Btw coba liat video yang gue maksud di atas itu ya.

Ngomongin soal bermain, Mbak Vera juga bilang anak usia TK itu perlu kira-kira lima jam per hari untuk bermain. Deg! Anak gue udah memenuhi porsi ini belum, ya? Mereka lebih banyak nonton TV dan itu bukan bermain. Terlebih lagi, banyak skill yang hanya bisa dilatih kalau anak bermain aktif di luar ruangan: motorik kasar, kemampuan spasial/keruangan, some agility; those are easier to acquire when playing outside. Oiya, bermain itu juga mengasah fungsi eksekutif, lho. Kemampuan-kemampuan seperti pengambilan keputusan, inisiatif, nalar, kepemimpinan dan followership bisa terasah sambil bermain! Ini PR gue dan Arief, nih. Sadar banget, kok, kalau selama ini anak-anak kurang banget porsi bermain aktifnya. Perlu diinget juga nanti pas sudah pada sekolah (terutama SD) untuk nggak membebani mereka dengan terlalu banyak les dan kegiatan. Tinggal orang tuanya aja, nih, yang mesti lebih rajin cariin tempat mereka bisa main. They won’t be preschoolers forever, right? Anywho, acara kemarin itu seru banget karena topiknya yang cukup penting bagi emak-emak seperti yours truly. Selain itu, seneng juga bisa keemu temen-temen blogger Mommies Daily yang lain. Tentunya, tak lengkap kalau ngga pake foto-foto! Ini emak-emak nggak kalah kenes sama anak-anak kalau udah urusan foto bareng.

Bareng fellow blogger dan tim Mommies Daily

Foto dari @ariendasapari. Heboh benerrrr

Pulangnya kita juga dibekali dengan hasil foto di photobooth dan juga goodie bag! Needless to say, gue berbinar-binar bahagia karena isinya adalah: Rinso Cair! Ohmyimsohappyicouldclimbmountains! I’m such a mom. 😀 Oiya, Rinso juga mengadakan blog competition, lho. Lumayan ada hadiah uang tunai, voucher Gramedia dan suplai produk Rinso! Cek di sini, yak.

Obat Sepi Saat Ditinggal Biz Trip

Dua tahun belakangan ini suami lagi sering dapet rezeki dinas. Walau kerja, kita anggep rezeki aja, kan bisa jalan-jalan. Nah, masalahnye (keluar betawinya), yang ditinggal ini loh, nelongso. Lumayan ditinggal lima hari sampe seminggu. Komunikasi tergantung ada wifi apa enggak. Walau ada anak dua ribut di rumah, nggak ada suami tetep beda rasanya.

Nah, biar yang ditinggal (gue) nggak terlalu bete, I distract myself by compiling a shopping list. In my case it usually consisted of makeup or skincare. Kenapa gue bilang ini distracting? Saat bikin list-nya, gue jadi nggak mikirin nanti gimana sepinya pas ditinggal. Gue kalo bikin list oleh-oleh gini bisa lama, lho. Bukan apa-apa, dana soalnya terbatas, dan yang gue mau banyak 😀 Jadi gue list yang gue mau, research selengkapnya warna de el el yang gue mau, lalu edit sampe jumlahnya masuk akal. Kadang gue bikin list nggak cuma buat gue doang. Suami gue itu selalu bingung beliin oleh-oleh apa buat keluarga yang lain. Jadi biasanya gue bikinin juga list oleh-oleh massal ini: buat keluarga Sawo, keluarga Lenteng, anak-anak, temen kantornya segala. Cuma sampai situ? Nggak, lah. Gue list juga tiap item bisa dibeli di mana. Nama toko, areanya , kalau ada bahkan alamat. Ini buat memastikan itu oleh-oleh kebeli. Kalau dia nggak tau di mana tempatnya, bisa-bisa nggak kebeli. Manyun lah gue. Riset toko ini juga lumayan menyita waktu karena gue pastiin tokonya berada dekat hotel tempat dia nginep, atau deket lokasi meetingnya, atau deket lokasi nantinya dia jalan-jalan. Kadang kalau itinerary-nya lengkap, belanjaan gue-lah yang menyesuaikan dengan toko-toko yang accessible sesuai itin. Yep, I’m thorough.

Hasilnya

Adanya list belanja ini juga memotivasi suami gue untuk lebih sering komunikasi, entah via sms atau Face Time. Soalnya soon or later dia pasti butuh nanya ke gue soal list oleh-oleh ini. Misal, udah sampe toko tapi warnanya ngga ada. Biasanya udah gue kasih alternatif warna/produk juga, sih. Nah, biasanya dia akan menghubungi di saat-saat seperti itu. Kalau ada wifi gratis lumayan, bisa Face Time. Sekalian kangen-kangenan, dong. 😀

Setelah pak suami pulang dan kita bongkar oleh-oleh, rasa kangen dan kesepian selama ditinggal bisa terobati setelah liat belanjaan, hahahaaaaaa… Apalagi kalau semua berhasil kebeli, ikut lega karena riset gue berguna dan ngebantu. Aneh? Iya, kali. Biarin aja, deh. Everyone has their own coping mechanism and this is one of mine.

satu hal yang bisa gue sarankan untuk yang mau nitip oleh-oleh, buatlah list selengkap mungkin. Pikirkan juga, yang beli ngerti barangnya apa nggak? Salah satu alasan gue bikin list selengkap yellow pages adalah karena suami gue laki-laki (well, duh) yang nggak mudheng makeup atau skincare. List yang jelas akan mempermudah dia belanja dan nggak harus selalu bergantung pada sales assistant di toko. Kalau dirimu mau nitip beliin gadget ke orang yang nggak ngerti gadget, sama, kan? Siapin spek-nya supaya nggak salah beli. Nanti nitip aipon yang kebeli aipod kan situ juga yang bete?  Selamat nitip!