Joyeux Noël and Bonne Année! 😀
Okay, I’m trying hard to use french here since I’m going to review a French cafe, but I failed miserably. So, I guess any attempt to sound smart would not be good for me.
Right, this Christmas long weekend was a true joy for me. I could finally go out and do some foodventuring. Well, since it’s a 4-free-days, I decided to take a little tour around south area. Just about yesterday, I ventured around Kemang and decided to have something for my belly in the beautiful rainy morning. So, I remembered a nice fancy place that my friends seemed to love, and effortlessly (since no traffic jam to be expected), I arrived at this little cafe called Sophie Authentique. The place was easy to find. It was located just across the Little Baghdad, and with a slow-motion drive, it’s piece of cake to find this fancy place with its blue and white exterior.
It was still raining, but me and my cousin decided to just run through the rain inside. After opening the door and stepped inside, the minimalist french vibe hit me. It was nice inside, kind of warm in contrast to the cold rainy weather outside. I could even smell the aroma of the pastry.
The setting was simple, using a lot of wood element, and we could see the drink station and the pastry station at the corners of the room. On almost every table, there was a pot of beautiful and colourful flowers. The pot of flowers lifted up the mood a bit in this room.
We took the table by the window which was not occupied at that moment. It is a table for three, with two normal four-legged-chair and the other one is a nest-like swing. The waiter kindly approached us and brought us the laminated f&b list. We did a quick order since I had known what to order. Croque Madame, 4 pieces of Mini Canele, a cup of Babycino and a cup of Cappuccino. We wanted a cup of Piccolo at first, but had to give it up since it wasn’t ready yet at the time. We’ll save it for next visit.
During the waiting time, I was just quiet. The ambiance drove me to keep calm, and somehow lost in thought. The mood and the setting was just perfect for a day-dreaming moment. Well, but it didn’t take long for the waiter to serve us our coffee, which came on a pretty-looking presentation. See this.
Well then, in another few minutes, our food was served. Then, time to have a taste. 😉
#Baby Cino (IDR 15 k)
Since I didn’t ask, and just ordered this out of instinct, I was a bit clueless about what to expect. Apparently, it was a mini cup of hot chocolate milk, or to be precise, frothed milk. It was chocolatey with velvety texture and it sure suited me perfectly. I have always fancied everything with chocolate, and this is no exception.
# Cappuccino (IDR 35 k)
When you don’t know what to order, just have a cup of cappuccino. It’s an advice of a friend. And well, the truth is, no one can go wrong when it comes to cappuccino. Well, uh, except for the foam texture, the balance of both coffee & milk and well, blah blah blah. Long story. And honestly, I didn’t know the detail, but I really think the Cappuccino was perfect for my taste. It was foamy, and without adding any sugar, it had a hint of sweet-end. Oh, the texture was soft, thick and just right.
# Mini Caneles Box of 4 (IDR 30 k)
Oh, Canele. I had no idea what it was to be honest, and it just looked fancy and exotic, to add more, it’s Parisian. So, I just had to have a try! When it was served , there were 4 tiny cylinder-shaped with sleek caramelized look. I cut it into two and found that the texture inside was sort of chewy-ish and looked like a baked custard. When I put it into my mouth, I could taste the subtle sweetness and caramel taste. The texture was chewy, a bit tough, challenging but in a good way. To put it bluntly, it had a bit of similarity with our Indonesian signature “Bika Ambon” texture, but only more tough and sort of more solid. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Will I pay for this in another visit? It depends. It’s pretty pricey for these four tiny things. But I do think the canele is mysterious. I am not craving it right now, but who knows later? 😉
# Croque Madame – Pork (IDR 70 k)
Okay, I came here for this. I heard the Croque Madame was good. And I came to have this for breakfast. Guess what? It was delicious! Oh, the generous cheese, the bread, the pork ham (well, you can choose to have pork or beef. No worries!) and the perfectly cooked sunny-side-up. Heaven! Croque Madame can be really tricky somehow. It looks very simple and you might think it is easy to make, just like a normal sandwich. That’s where you’re wrong. As simple as the ingredients are, each ingredient has to be taken care thoughtfully. The quality of the cheese, the bread and the ham have to be good, and not to mention that the bread has to be baked perfectly until it has a hint of crispiness. The sunny side up also has to have a melting yolk (well, but it’s up to each preference). D
I have tasted a few Croque Madame, and never really found it satisfying. But in Sophie Authentique, I was satisfied! Did I forget to mention that the green salad was delicious as well? The salad with vinaigrette dressing was a perfect companion for the Croque Madame.
After a good old smile, we decided to take away the Chocolate Croissant (IDR 20 k). But well, when we tried it, it was not that good apparently. But well, maybe it’s because we took it away and ate it after a few hours. Other than that, they also serve Quiches, Tarts, Cakes, Breads and other fine stuff.
So far, we had a really positive experience here. What I love the most was the Parisian ambiance and the drinks. Not to mention the Croque Madame which I totally loved to the moon and back. The prices are considered moderate. Some of the food and drinks are pretty affordable, but some are pretty pricey (I’m talking to you Caneles!). You might think the Croque Madame is pretty expensive, but well, for me it’s worth every penny!
Will I be back? A big yes! À tout à l’heure!
Pardon me for this, a selfie. 😀
This is my fav shot. 🙂
SOPHIE AUTHENTIQUE | JAKARTA
Jalan Kemang I, Splash
Phone: +6221-7192222
Instagram: @authentiquejkt
Opening Hours: Monday – Friday 09.00 – 17.00 WIB; Saturday & Sunday 08.00 – 19.00 WIB