IO, Jakarta – Connoisseurs of tea, may not be as lucky as the fans of coffee outlets if its ‘scattered’ in different areas in Jakarta. Yes, cafe or shop which specialized in providing tea beverage is still relatively rare in Jakarta and other major cities in Indonesia. In contrast to the coffee shop that has been widely spread out in almost all regions. Starting from a small coffee shop in Kemang, to a large outlet mall and the central region. While the place for tea, maybe only one or two outlets are to be found. One of them is Lewis & Carroll Tea (LCT), which is located at the district of Blok M, South Jakarta. Becoming a relaxing place to enjoy the warm cup of tea, LCT is the ‘answer’ for lovers of tea drinks that want to feel different sensations while sipping this drink. There are about a dozen flavors of tea that can be enjoyed from the classic to unique flavors.
The cafe is located in the hook area so it is quite easy to find. The building is quite large, decorated with ceramic pots on the front that is characteristic. At first glance from the front, LCT looks more like a boutique or furniture shop. There are several sets of chairs at the patio table, reserved for visitors who want to enjoy a glass of tea while smoking. As you go inside, the room looks quite spacious with a long wooden table in the middle. On the table, they have placed a variety of furniture to drink tea from cups, teapot to serving plates. The collections on display are for sale if there are visitors who want to bring them home.
LCT interior design is fairly simple. Most of the seating is in the form of long sofa with chairs and marble tables. You can choose to sit in an area overlooking the center of the room, near the stairs or near a window. Atmosphere when I came here in mid morning is quite comfortable, with natural light from the sun which is quite bright. Some of the visitors who come here look like they want to have a relaxing time with fun conversations while enjoying tea. There also utilize this place for a casual meeting.
It’s time to try the tea which is a mainstay of the cafe interior palette dominated by brown and white. For new visitors they may be a little confused with a selection of teas which are available in the menu list. There is a choice of black tea, green tea, white tea and oolong tea classic. Each type of tea has a ‘derivative’, such as in black tea blended with various other materials referred to black blend. There is also a blend of green, white and oolong blend. Generally, other ingredients are blended in tea in the form of pieces of dried fruit, herbs or flowers. In order to choose more easily whichever is the preferred tea blends, tea supplied samples are placed in clear glass tubes. Visitors can inhale and determine what type of tea they want to order. In addition there is also a selection of teas herbal drinks, steeping flowers and refreshing fruit drink.
I tried one of their tea heritage, Mad Midnight Sun is a mixture of black tea, ginger, cinnamon and cardamom. Tasted the exotic flavors of various spices included in the tea, but not strong enough to provide a warm sensation to the throat. Only the aroma of the spices give different flavor in black tea. If you want to taste something more ‘sweet’, you may want to choose Safari Sunset. The mixture of herbal rooibos tea, dried orange pieces, liquorice root and dried papaya. Citrus aroma is dominant, with a touch of ‘sweet’ of liquorice. Papaya flavor is not too pronounced, so pretty ‘aman’jika you do not like the scent of fruit that is strong enough.
From the group of steeping flowers, I chose the book Winter Bloom; white tea, amaranth (a kind of grain), Jasmine and Marigold. The scent of the tea tasted quite complete and had quite a soothing aroma. Want to sip tea with milk? Try Imperial Grade Matcha Latte. Unlike the matcha latte in general, the drink is more dominant than the matcha taste of milk, and there is a bit of a bitter taste of the original matcha powder. LCT variants of food in quite a lot, from appetizer, main course to dessert. I ordered the appetizer menu which was recommended by one of the staff, the Potato Skin Guacamole. Potatoes stuffed melted cheese served with guacamole sauce. As for the main course can choose Norwegian Pan Fried Salmon, or Crusted Grilled Chicken. Both menus served with mashed potato and salad. For dessert try the Kyoto Matcha mandatory Panna Cotta. The panna cotta was very soft textured, with a delicious creamy taste and a hint of matcha.
For you lovers of teas it will be good to enter Lewis & Carroll Tea into your list of visits. As a lot of tea variants can be tasted in the atmosphere of a warm and cozy restaurant, which is suitable for seeking tranquility during the weekend. (aldo)