HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015 for the beautiful souls out there (yes, I mean you!). It’s been a long tough ride last year in 2014, and now, just in a sudden glimpse of fireworks, a digit has changed.  It’s 2015 and I have a hunch that it’s going to be a challenging year, personally. Well, I’m not a fortune teller, so we’d better see it ourselves. 🙂
So, this post is dedicated to a cafe that I visited last year, oh, I meant  in 2014, which is in fact just days ago. It’s right after I visited Sophie Authentique, I stumbled into a newly-opened cafe, which at first sight, looked pretty standard. It was not equipped with signboard yet, and it was just marked with a “Soft-Opening” sign. We hesitated at first, since it looked pretty new and we were worried it wasn’t really open yet. Eventually, we parked and walked in without knowing what to expect. But we hoped that we could at least have a cup of coffee. We weren’t wrong tho’.
As we’re stepping inside, a waiter came to us nicely and seemed welcoming. I spontaneously asked him whether it was open or not. Then he said that it was open. However, they only served coffee and pastries at the moment. Happy with the answer (since we’re not looking for heavy meal), we found our own favourite table which is at the corner of the room, by the window. Lighting and view are best when it’s by a window.
Seems like this spot will be a favourite spot for their customers.
I noticed that they had some items to be offered to customers too, from napkins to tumblers. They looked pretty, but I didn’t pay attention with the price though.
Oh, for pastries, we got to pick them up directly from the pastry shelves. The choices were limited at the time, since it was a soft opening period. We picked ourselves some madeleines and financiers. Later that time, we couldn’t resist to grab the Croissant and Parmigiano Puff. We were told that the pastries were baked daily and ready to be enjoyed every morning at 8. Yes, they bake pastries themselves, on site, so that they can maintain the quality and the freshness.
For the coffee, I initially chose Nutellaccino (yes, I have a soft spot for Nutella) which sounded totally tempting, but unfortunately, it was not available yet. Moving on, I finally chose another interesting option, Rojali. I was just curious about their Rojali. Can it beat the famous Rojali from another well-known coffee joint? Meanwhile, my cousin had himself a cup of Latte, the safe option.
# Honey and Brown Sugar Madeleine (IDR 5,2 k)
These madeleines looked sexy and it tasted delicious. What made it different to the normal madeleines is that it has the sweet lingering element of honey and brown sugar. Though it might sound a tad too sweet, it wasn’t as sweet as I had thought. The sweetness was just right, like it was designed to please our taste buds but at the same time, held us at the edge of wanting some more. The texture was moist.
# Financier Vanilla Almond and Financier Chocolate (IDR 4 k)
These were new to me as I had never tasted a financier before. Apparently it is pretty similar to their madeleine, only moister and somehow lighter. From the flavours available, I prefer their Vanilla Almond which was delightful with the captivating almond flavour. The chocolate flavour wasn’t bad at all too. It had the chocolate kick which I always love, but for this financier, the vanilla almond just tasted better.
# Hot Latte – 200 ml (IDR 38 k)
The latte they served was perfectly good. The combination of the steamed milk and espresso was just well-balance and right in the mouth. No sugar needed! Drinking it sip by sip while accompanied by the cloudy weather couldn’t possibly go wrong.
Oh, we had a complimentary Sparkling Water and I had no idea why (didn’t even ask). But of course, the sparkling water was refreshing, like any other sparkling water. 😀
# Ice Drip Coffee – Rojali/Milk/Coffee (IDR 35 k)
As mentioned earlier, I was curious how their Rojali was going to taste like. It’s a unique drink which I think, is not easy to make. Rojali is always my favourite when coming to one famous coffee joint in Gandaria, and this drink normally consists of cold brew coffee, sparkling water, lime and ice. In here, the barista apparently, was still trying to perfect their Ice Drip Coffee. So, we were then served with the rojali as a complimentary drink. After a sip, I honestly think that it wasn’t nearly as good yet. I couldn’t really taste the lime, and the coffee was underwhelming. I think the combination of the ingredients wasn’t right yet. With some practices, I bet the barista will catch up soon. Let’s see then.
Just soon after trying the Rojali, the barista came to us and served us another drink unexpectedly. It’s the Ice Drip Coffee, but instead of using lime, it utilized lemon as the source of kick. After tasting it, it seemed promising actually. It tasted a bit like cider, with a stronger acidic sensation in comparison to their initial Rojali. However, I do think that not everybody will be able to enjoy this. Especially since most people might have ‘known’ the Rojali with Lime (after all, Rojali comes from Rock Java Lime). 🙂
# Croissant (IDR 12 k)
I never understood the goodness of Croissant. Every Croissant I had tasted was either bland or just okay, thus I usually skipped having Croissants in most bakeries or cafes. I could never appreciate Croissant. But here, with the oh-so-good smell and all, the Croissant is good! It was so delicious, so soft, flaky-ish on the outside and amazingly buttery inside, in an addictive kind of way.  Oh, I couldn’t explain how captivated I was once I tasted the Croissant here. And what’s more is that the Croissant only cost us IDR 12 k per each! When you come to Komunal 88, do try the Croissant!
# Parmigiano Puff (IDR 1,5 k)
The best deal of the day! Definitely hands down to this petite puff which was deceiving and boring at first sight. However, it was definitely an underestimation since the puff was totally good. The tiny puff was so fragrant with classy cheese signature, and the savoury sensation really brought out the goodness. Another must try when you visit Komunal 88.
That’s all for the food and drinks that we managed to try that day. The impression we have for Komunal 88 is no doubt a positive one. There were of course, some aspects that require some improvement, but they’re just in a soft-opening mode, and in this phase, I’m sure they will slowly fix things accordingly. But taste-wise? Thumbs up for the pastries. We really wish that Komunal 88 will have more to offer soon, as this visit definitely is not our last. Oh, please make the Nutellaccino ready soon!
As an added bonus, the owner, JC Blachere, came to this place at that time and we were lucky to have met him for a short chat. From the short meeting and conversation alone, we could easily sum up that he is an extremely passionate amazing person (with a good sense of humor too). He told us about the vision, and about how he was looking for local producers in supplying good quality ingredients. We were also told about how he had planned in having a cafe like this, which will also serve as a clean market, a deli where people can come and visit to purchase their needs, pastries, and stuff. And I can really see where he plans to head to with Komunal 88. It’s not a far-fetched condition and I do think that his passion will definitely lead Komunal 88 to what he has envisioned. Komunal 88 itself is going to offer the daily needs from 88 Italia (yes, their name comes from this), all the original, good-quality products for customers.
For you readers, I encourage you to come here and give Komunal 88 a visit. If you like french pastries, you will definitely want to come here. And if you like a place to have good coffee, you should come here. In case you’re looking for this place, just find Ampera Six Commercial Building (with the glittering tiny round pieces for panelling). It’s not far from jalan Kemang Raya.
Best of luck for Komunal 88! Looking forward to more good stuff soon.
Oh, pardon my selfie. 🙂
KOMUNAL 88 | JAKARTA
Ampera Six Commercial Building
Jalan Ampera Raya No.5-6
Pejaten Barat, Pasar Minggu
Jakarta 12510, Indonesia
Phone: +6221-7197000
Instagram: @komunal88
Contact: komunal88@ptkm.biz
Opening Hours: 7.00 WIB till late
