Monday, January 6, 2014

School Food Blooming Mari, Central Park Mall


School Food Blooming Mari has opened since a year ago in Central Park mall. It is a franchise from South Korea that already has more than 80 outlets. 


Korean pop songs are played as the background sound.

The interior of the restaurant looks like a modern school canteen.

The restaurant has a capacity of 400 seats. 
Colorful chairs with a nice view to the Tribeca park.


Before I came to this restaurant, I already heard a couple of reviews from my friends. They told me that most of the food tasted mediocre except for the Original Topokki. I was quite intrigued to try myself how the food tasted. 

So today, I tried their three signature dishes.

Blooming Mari - Rp. 75.000
Teriyaki Bulgogi mari wrapped in egg and mozzarella cheese, served with salad.

My first time to try Mari (more popular known as Kimbap in Korea). It does not taste like sushi because although the appearance looks the same as sushi but it tasted different. Sushi is vinegared rice wrapped with seaweed and raw fish whilst Mari (Kimbap) is rice seasoned light with salt and sesame oil, then filled with a variation of cooked fillings like chicken, beef, fishcake, crab meat, eggs. 

Although I couldn't really taste the mozzarella cheese but I think the combination between the Teriyaki Bulgogi and Jjang-a-chi is really nice. It is even better to eat it with mayonnaise. 

Hot Carbonara Topokki - Rp. 85.000
Spicy Topokki with Carbonara cream sauce.
A mix between Italian and Korean taste. This is absolutely an ingenious tasty dish! 

Traditional Bibimbap - Rp. 70.000
A traditional healthy food of Korea, served in a stone pot.

The best way to eat is to stir first the ingredients while it is still hot, together with Gochujang (hot chili paste). This Bibimbap tasted a bit bland but maybe because I put only a spoon of the Gochujang on it. 

Condiments:
Jjang-a-chi (pickled radish), Spicy Jjang-a-chi and Spicy Kimchi (pickled cabbage).  
I really like the sweet tangy Jjang-a-chi, claimed as a very healthy pickle. It has a unique texture and crunchy.
There are two types of Kimchi (normal and fermented). The fermented became my favorite one because it tasted more sour and a bit spicer than the normal.

Left: Gong Woon Violet - Rp. 35.000
A blend of milk and fruits that helped to soothe the spiciness in my mouth.
Right: Su Jeong Gwa (Cinnamon Punch) - Rp. 28.000
A drink made of cinnamon, ginger and brown sugar that definitely would be nicer if it is served as a hot drink instead of a cold drink.

The signature refreshing drinks:
Left: Cotton Strawberry Athie - Rp. 35.000
Sweet strawberry and light soda water.
Right: Fine Blue Athie - Rp. 35.000
Fresh pineapple and orange flavored blue curacao. I think it is quite innovative to find fine grated pineapple in the drink. 
Current currency:
1 USD = Rp. 12.200
All prices subjected to tax and service charge.

Overall, the taste of the food was unique and also fusion. It might tasted a bit bland for Indonesian taste bud except for the spicy ones. But then, I enjoyed the food at School Food Blooming Mari.

Location:
School Food Blooming Mari
Central Park Mall 3rd Floor
Jl. Jend. S. Parman Kav. 28
West Jakarta
Phone: 29200316 

3 comments:

  1. Is it just me or the price for the drink is kinda expensive? Lol I don't know it just not me to spend that much on drink XD the traditional bibimbap looks interesting~ remind me with gado gado for some reason XD

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  2. Iqbal: I think the price of the drinks in this restaurant is standard, just like in the other restaurants.

    I was looking back to the picture of Bibimbap and yes, it looks similar to gado-gado minus the peanut sauce, hahaha...

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  3. the toppoki is pricey, i prefer mujigae for korean food like this

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