C'est pas "voulez vous coucher avec moi se soir?", mais "voulez vous manger avec moi se jour?"
Translation: It's not "would you like to sleep with me this evening" (you know, the famous line from Lady Marmalade pop song), but I'm asking if you "would like to dine with me today?" ;)
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| Je suis sexy, non? |
Be warned, this post is going to be long, not because of words, but more because the photos in this post will show you, almost 90% of the entire menu served at this pretty, new, petite modern French dining in the heart of Jakarta. Avec Moi / avɛk mwah /, means 'with me' in French, so, stay tuned with me and I'll show you the wonders that this place has got to offer.
Avec Moi is located in the same complex as one of my favourite hipster cafe, Tanamera Coffee. The only downside is that parking is charged hourly (since it is inside an office shophouse complex), but if you live around the area, you could actually walk here.
The Place
The first thing you'll notice, is that there's rabbit everywhere inside Avec Moi, from the logo, paintings, decor, etc. But au contraire to the dark, dingy rabbit holes in the ground, this lovely place is actually quite well lit, and feels classy with the black interior elements. The place is not massive, but with 3 storeys available for sitting, it could accommodate a decent number of guests comfortably.
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| 1st Floor |
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| Bunny chick and carrot cake, oui! |
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| The bar (will be ready for public soon) on 3rd floor |
Now, there were 8 of us having lunch at the private space on the 2nd floor, right by the kitchen and each of us ordered different things on the menu, from the Hors d'Oeuvre (appetizer), Potage (soup), Pasta, Poisson & Crustaces (fish & shells), Viandes (meat) and Sucrerie (dessert).
Hors d'Oeuvre
We sampled 5 out of the 6 hors d'oeuvre items and (trying not to be making an overstatement here) I only have praises for all of them!
Foie Gras with spiced fruits & orange glaze.
The foie gras, was perfectly seared on both sides, as you can see in the photo below, golden brown edges flanking the creamy pale coloured core.
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| Foie Gras with spiced fruits & orange glaze IDR 155,000 |
Foie de Poulet - chicken liver rillettes, caramelised onions, pickled vegetables & grilled baguette.
My greatest compliment has got to go to the chicken liver rillettes, or pâté or paste. I once swore to myself that I would never eat innards (liver, intestines, and such). But Owner Chef Romano strongly recommended us to try his foie de poulet, so I decided to take a leap of faith. Chef Romano was a Head Chef of Gunther's (Gunther Modern French Dining in Singapore) after all, so what could possibly go wrong?
Alas my faith was well rewarded! My tongue danced in bliss as I felt the buttery rillette melted in my mouth, there was hardly any traces of the normally pungent liver scent at all! There was only lovely garlic scent and creamy texture, making it a perfect spread for the grilled baguette. I would never have guess it was made of liver if I hadn't read the menu.
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| Foie de Poulet - chicken liver rillettes, caramelised onions, pickled vegetables & grilled baguette IDR 50,000 |
Salmon Tartare, 63°C Sous Vide Egg and Grilled Baguette.
Sous vide / suː viːd /, is the French for vacuum, has become a widely used cooking method in many restaurants of late, especially at places that claim to be 'modern' or molecular. According to Heston Blumenthal, "sous-vide cooking is the single greatest advancement in cooking technology in decades", which is, in the most layman term, wrapping food in a vacuum plastic packets and soaking it in temperature-regulated water bath for the desired time. And I've got to tell you, 63°C sous vide egg is possibly the best Christmas gift for egg lovers out there...The whites are glistening and jelly-like and the yolk sphere just seem to beg to be pricked with a fork. This is what egg-porn is all about!
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| Salmon Tartare, 63°C Sous Vide Egg and Grilled Baguette IDR 83,000 |
Salade Avec Moi - fresh mesclun, roasted tomatoes, grilled chicken & Avec Moi house dressing, with choice of topping either pork bacon or grilled chicken.
I love the Salade Avec Moi, served with lean grilled chicken, it was really tasty that my friends who don't normally eat veggies also enjoy the salad!
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| Salade Avec Moi - fresh mesclun, roasted tomatoes, grilled chicken & Avec Moi house dressing IDR 58,000 |
French Escargots - de-shelled escargots, fresh pesto & grilled baguette. As I'm not a huge fan of snail, so I didn't try this one, but according to my friends who had this, the pesto was really fresh, they're home made pesto after all, by Chef Romano...
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| French Escargots - de-shelled escargots, fresh pesto & grilled baguette IDR 65,000 |
Potage
Mushroom Cappuccino, Tortellini (choice of pumpkin or foie gras filling). The mushroom cappuccino is quite thin, you could almost drink it like a real cappuccino.
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| Mushroom Cappuccino, Tortellini (foie gras IDR 82,000 | Pumpkin IDR 55,000) |
Pasta
Prawn Pasta - roasted tiger prawns in garlic, sous vide eggs, chili flakes and parsley |
| popping the sous vide egg |
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| Prawn Pasta IDR 88,000 |
Pasta Bacon Carbonara - roasted pork bacon, sous vide eggs grated parmigiano, garlic & fresh ground Sarawak black pepper. What I truly loved about the pasta is, although they seem slightly thicker than the average spaghetti, they're perfectly al dente. I normally prefer angel hair, but if you offer me the spaghetti here, I would definitely accept the offer with gusto!
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| Pasta Bacon Carbonara IDR 78,000 |
Poisson & Crustaces
Seabass Grenobloise - pan seared fillet seabass with grenobloise condiment & potato mash. Lovely, tender & moist sea bass...I'm guessing It was cooked sous vide as well, before being seared in the pan. And oh, I must warn you, the potato mash is unbelievably smooth. Definitely one of the best I've eaten so far.
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| Seabass Grenobloise IDR 98,000 |
Crevette Geante Tigree - grilled jumbo tiger prawns, sauce Diablo, bell peppers & mash potato.
Fresh, jumbo prawns in delightful sweet and peppery sauce. If you do not want to stuff yourself, then this dish is perfect for main course, because you'll want to save room for the dessert ;)
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| Crevette Geante Tigree IDR 120,000 |
Norwegian Salmon - pan seared, served with blue shell mussels, cream sauce & mash potato.
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| Norwegian Salmon IDR 150,000 |
Viandes
Boeuf Bourguignon - sous vide wagyu beef shank, red wine jus, grilled sous vide vegetables & mash potato. I loved everything we had so far, but this boeuf bourguignon has left a much memorable impression in my taste buds. Extremely tender beef slices in a melee of vegetables, potato mash and tasty jus. With a glass of merlot in hand, I thought this must be heaven ;)
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| Red meat + red wine = c'est parfait! |
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| Boeuf Bourguignon IDR 140,000 |
Duck Leg Confit - sous vide duck leg in duck fat, grapes & tomato concasse, mash potato. Another incredible dish by Chef Romano, the (giant) duck leg (haha!), fell of the bone (is this really duck or is it chicken disguised as a duck LOL) and paired well with the lovely caramelised onions.
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| Duck Leg Confit IDR 145,000 |
6 Hours Sous Vide Chicken - cooked sous vide with the bone and then roasted and served with pommery mustard cream sauce and served with grilled sous vide vegetables.
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| 6 Hours Sous Vide Chicken IDR 130,000 |
Burger with Kakuni Pork Belly topping - specially crafted minced beef, mixed slice lettuce, caramelised onions, fries This has got to be the most incredible burger I've ever had. If I were to pay a hefty price for a burger, this will be one of them. The pork belly and the minced beef literally melted in my mouth, need I say more?
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| Burger with Kakuni Pork Belly topping IDR 138,000 | Oven Roasted Foie Gras topping IDR 210.000 |
Sucrerie
Orange Souffle - orange zest, segment orange and Haagen Dazs ice cream. Chef Romano's personal twist, instead of making boring chocolate souffle, he uses actual fresh orange zest in the souffle. Just look at the photo below, perfectly raised and crusty burnt top that cracks at the poke of my spoon, revealing the spongy & moist inside.
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| Orange Souffle IDR 60,000 |
Valrhona Chocolate Fondant with Haagen Dazs ice cream. The photo below should be sufficient to do all the description, and this is Valrhona by the way, so it's not too sweet.
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| Valrhona Chocolate Fondant with Haagen Dazs ice cream IDR 65,000 |
~ Afterthought ~
What a lovely massive lunch it has been! It was an absolutely enjoyable meal, over amazing food, laughter, some merlot and lovely French songs in the background. Avec Moi would definitely be my to-go French restaurant, not only because of its central location, but also for its affordable price. Is it worth it? Oui, absolutement!
*) Prices are subject to Government Tax & Service Charge
Open Hours:
Lunch: 11.30 AM - 2 PM (daily)
Dinner: 6 PM - 9.30 PM (Sunday - Thursday) | 6 PM - 10.30 PM (Friday & Saturday)
Avec moi restaurant & Bar
Thamrin City Office Park Block AA-01
Jl. Kebon Kacang Raya
Central Jakarta ( -click to open map- )
Reservation: +6221 29625878
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