Hanging at Bureau : Coffee, Meals and More
Bureau seems like a formal name stating a place that is used as an office for business purpose. It is not the case for a new establishment in Malang called “Bureau”. Sitting atop of a renowned clothing store RSCH at Soekarno Hatta, Malang, the place is a café with a minimalist industrial concept. We ascended upon the stair to reach the second floor of the building to visit Bureau. The café was divided into two areas which are smoking area that is placed in a semi-outdoor balcony space and non-smoking area that is placed indoor. We were greeted to pick any spot indoor which is styled in mostly wooden interior and earthy tone colors. There was a long counter slash cashier desk that was placed near the entrance, we could read the menu selection there on the blackboard, as well as choosing some cakes that were on display. Bureau’s menu offers a wide range selection of appetizer, finger snacks, main course, dessert, caffeine based drinks, and non-caffeine based drinks. We decided to try their rice bowl, mix fusion main course, waffles with Iced Americano, Vanilla Frappe, Lemon Tea and Mango + Orange Mixed Juice.
Within 15-20 minutes, the rice bowls which were Chicken Honey Sauce rice bowl and Korean Sweet and Sour Chicken rice bowl came first. The dishes came with a cup of mayonnaise, a bowl of rice with fried chicken pieces glazed in preferred sauce with a sprinkle of roasted sesame seed. They also had potato chips on them to add the extra crunch and carbohydrate. Chicken Honey Sauce was crunchy outside and moist inside, although it lacked the sweetness of the honey that should have been more obvious. Sweet and sour chicken tasted balanced of both flavors which came from the combination of Korean gochujang (red pepper paste), vinegar and sugar. The addition of mayonnaise added a layer of texture to the dish and served an alternative flavor to the dishes.
We opted Creamy Grilled Chicken from mix fusion menu category which was comprised of grilled chicken breast, potato wedges, sautéed mix vegetables and cream-based sauce. It came a little later than the previous dish, the chicken was grilled well, not so charred but perfectly cooked. The potato wedges had this soft and tender interior while retaining its crisp exterior with the skin still intact. The potato must be poached and seasoned first before it was fried. The cream sauce was pretty nice, we could clearly taste the basil, a little bit of parsley, and the stock combined with the heavy cream. Albeit looking scarce, Creamy Grilled Chicken was actually filling especially with the huge chunks of potato wedges.
Our waffles took so long to make, and we finally found out that they only had one waffle maker in the house. Well, with more people coming to the spot we think it should be appropriate to add more kitchen utensils to not let Bureau’s customers wait in vain for their waffles. Chocolate Sundae waffle was waffle topped with a generous amount of thick chocolate paste, a scoop of chocolate ice cream, a drizzle of more chocolate and a sprinkle of peanut. What could have gone wrong with this dish? The waffle tends to have a chewier profile rather than cake-like. It seemed like the batter was thick enough to produce this kind of waffle. Banana Salted Caramel waffle was the chef’s recommendation so we had a high hope towards it. The waffle was topped with caramel sauce, with caramelized banana chunks, vanilla ice cream and almond flakes. Well, the saltiness did not come through enough since it was overpowered with the sweet caramel flavor. So maybe next time, they should add a very tiny sprinkle of sea salt before serving the dish to the customer.
Their drinks were fine, with the Iced Americano having a perfect balanced of bitterness and acidity. The earthy coffee bean flavor that sometimes came out when the roasting isn’t well executed did not exist in the drink which was a good sign. While the Mango + Orange Mixed Juice tasted fresh and Iced Lemon Tea tasted like the regular ol’ lemon tea. Overall, we like the atmosphere of Bureau which feels modern and comfortable. With a strategic location, it is no matter of time that people would notice this place soon. Next time we’re there, we’d like to taste the cakes selection on display and maybe had various coffee that they specialize in. Hopefully they could improve the service of the kitchen, while the front staffs were already friendly and nice.
_________________________________
Bureau (2nd Floor of RSCH Clothing Store)
Food Price Range : IDR 12K – 32K
Dessert Price Range : IDR 22K – 28K
Caffeine Based Drinks Price Range : IDR 12K – 27K
Non-Caffeine Based Drinks Price Range : IDR 10K – 25K
Service : WiFi – Praying Room – Smoking/Non-Smoking Spot – Indoor/Semi-Outdoor
_________________________________
Location : Jl. Soekarno Hatta Blok D no. 509
