I still remember produk apple puff yang sempat fenomenal dari sebuah produksi rumahan oleh keluarga Carrari sekitar 2-3 tahun lalu. Caresse Carrari, lulusan Le Cordon Bleu Sydney dan Cesar Ritz Colleges Switzerland ini berhasil meraih spotlight di beberapa bazaar kuliner di kota Medan.
The rumor of its opening is now clear, setelah sempat vakum beberapa saat, cafe yang menempati 2 ruko di jalan Palang Merah ini pun tampil berbeda dengan tema warna yang khas dari brand ini red, blue, and gold.
So why the name The Three Carrari you’d ask. Resto (or cafe if you’d prefer it) ini dikelola oleh Carrari family: May (Sang Bunda) with her children Raymond, Caresse, dan Richmond; Each with dedicated skills. If you notice, menu menu disini saat ini hanya terbagi dalam 4 kategori; pastry, traditional cake, main course, dan beverages.
Bu May sendiri sudah lama berkeinginan untuk membuka sebuah restoran. Belajar dari resep warisan keluarga, rata-rata kue tradisional khas Indonesia yang kamu makan disini adalah kreasinya. Bagian french pastry dihandle oleh Caresse, sedangkan si bungsu Richmond lebih banyak menghabiskan waktu di dapur.
Occupancy space disini boleh dibilang rather limited. Meskipun 2 ruko, hampir setengahnya sudah dijadikan bar dan display area, leaving you with couple tables dan communal table di bagian tengah ruangan. It’s just nice enough kalo kamu hanya ngemil2 kue dan snacks.
From The Kitchen
Coming from culinary background, Richmond yang lulusan Le Cordon Bleu Sydney dan Le Cordon Bleu Thailand ini mencoba menggabungkan kuliner khas Thai dan French di hidangannya. Yes you’ll still find Nasi goreng and mie goreng but I believe that’s just to please old taste bud. Let’s start with appetizer…
Ap-pear in the snow
This pear, butter-head lettuce, crispy lettuce, feta cheese and balsamic dressing is one bold statement from Richmond “I’m trying to bring something different here”.
I enjoyed it though (generous amount of rockets, it’s in the season they said.). Apart from strong rockets taste, it’s mix balance of sweety pear, a bit soury sauce and a little strong hint from feta. In the end, you only fall into this category: Hate or Love, and I’m into the later.
Why so Sous-Vide?
Dari menu Ap-pear in the snow, you can start to read the pattern. Why so sous-vide, with ‘sous-vide’ spelled as ‘sweet’—Why so sweet?
63*c sous vide duck egg yolk, almond, smoked beef ham, squid, butter head lettuce, butter, bread crumb, quinoa and asparagus. I must say, this is one hell of a bold experiment. I still enjoyed it but apparently my family members had to strongly disagree.
24 Carrot Magic in the Plate
Masih di kategori salad, this one is probably our table’s favorite. Crispy lettuce, sous-vide chicken breast, cherry tomato, seaweed, sesame seed and carrot vinaigrette. Tasted so refreshingly good. *And no, itu bukan salted egg ya say…
Marinara Pasta
I must say marinara pasta disini tried to be different and outstanding. Dari deskripsi di menu sih kinda won the pitch buat diorder: the tomato base is infused with seashells and 4 kinds of different herbs, slow-cooked at simmering temperature for 3-4 hours long.
And it definitely made not to please everyone. Buat kamu yang suka strong herb, this is for you.
French Fries
Creamy Mushroom Soup served with Drops of Truffle Oils
Sebenarnya sih, ada satu jenis soup yg pengen diorder because the price yakni Thai Green Curry served with rice, which is priced at amazingly 110K. But it’s seasonal, dan sayangnya sold out upon my visit.
So we had creamy mushroom soup instead. It was good! Very strong mushroom flavor, and with 2 puffy sticks! Puffy sticks couldn’t go wrong.
From the Display Case
Chicken Caesar Croger
Ginger Brulee
Ginger Brulee, first bite remind you of sipping Bandrek. Somehow a perfect combination of traditional Indonesian with french pastry.
Limelight Borobudur
Nutty Cake
Cheesecake Croissant
Out of three (Mango dan Morello Cherry), saya pilih Guava *coz I’m curious how it’s processed*. Menu yang satu ini berada di bagian dingin and using different dough than regular croissant. I heard you could ask for a little warm up to get extra crispness.
From the Bar
Apart from pretty art and cups, there’s nothing else to impress (Okay the coffee was good but that’s it). Except perhaps—Kosudi. No…not Kopi Susu Dingin. Their own version is called Kopi Sugar Daddy. Double Espresso, Milk, dan ehem…gula aren a.k.a Caramelized Natural Palm Sugar.
Instead of Whipping Cream, they have their own version and look liked beer foam, managed to steal instagram trend since their opening though.
One is never enough, more is always a must
That’s how a tagline goes in The Three Carrari. It really was a good start, beautiful interior, great pastry, unique main course offering, and beverages has certain standard too.
If there’s one thing to pick as a highlight, it’s something to do with puff. Anything with puff here is worth trying. I can easily vote their Apple Puff the best in town so far.
Caresse and Bu May’s passion bring new level of culinary in Medan. I’ve yet to see Richmond’s bold move to bring something different. It’s a battle between idealism and crowds’ demand. Pada akhirnya, waktu yang akan menjawab apakah daftar makanan yang terpampang di buku menu tetap mengedepankan nama-nama yang unik nan fancy, atau jatuh-jatuhnya ke nama lokal yang familiar.
Or even better yet, a fusion between French, Thai and Indo?
The Three Carrari (Instagram @thethreecarrari)
Jalan Palang Merah Ruko Royal Residence no 10&11
10:00-22:00 (Minggu-Kamis)
10:00-23:00 (Jumat & Sabtu)
Tel: 081-1632-1638