Food Journal : First Time Eating Za’atar Chicken With Butter Rice

Hey foodies! I am back again sharing my food blog. This time, I am taking you to explore the levant region. In the countries within the levant region, you can find spices called Za’atar. According to this food website, Za’atar refers to mix of spices and[ most commonly a za’atar blend will include dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, sumac, toasted sesame seeds and salt](https://www.manoosh.com.au/zaatar-a-history/). Today was my first time discovering this interesting dish. ![zaatarchicken.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/23wqrjiHkw2ATGsxbJZuN9jPRRrd8sgwpjakxNs3diZsWAdng3DZ18Fbdt6HxbntZ4yMs.jpg) I found this chicken dish on the Grab app, from a restaurant called Nox Coffee & Boutique. Though it is specialized as a coffee boutique, it sells various main courses such as Za’atar, bocadillo, arroz a la cuban. There are many interesting food names that I have yet to try and want to try. But, the first that captures my attention is Za’atar which in the description was said to be Lebanese chicken with rice butter. I wonder what it would taste like from the picture, it looks really good and really fancy. # Artistic Packaging ![zaatarchicken2.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/23vsNPdks8Rajfc7aEuNQybQ5TwnFiRN58L1TYKw2tYms7WgtPGueiNwaxmxmyPcFLjzj.jpg) As with many food deliveries, I lowered my expectations. Often, the food packaging is not suitable for the type of meal that is served. There is also a missing experience when it comes to the plating work. But, I can confidently say that Nox Coffee & Boutique has the most artistic food packaging than many restaurants in town. The packaging was nicely done and I wondered who is the artist behind this food packaging design. It’s like, I don’t want to throw the packaging away as it would be a waste. ![zaatarchicken1.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/23wgQChVKYizdU4Z13tLgSZa5UBzJyWL2y7x9sMjJWbUcNukaamdBsKNHutDEBR27d5EQ.jpg) Other than Za’atar, I also ordered croffle because I haven’t tried it and I was curious about it. For lunch, I have Za’atar chicken and also Crofflee. Though it was a strange combination, my palate wasn’t ruined at all. So now, let me tell you about Za’atar taste. ## Outstanding Food ![zaatarchicken3.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/23ywwhKambfgNJXfjTKfdpCJqovQKgYwfWPKzRfadk8PudvBz72WLFkKBw24CD2jRzViM.jpg) I have never tried Za’atar before. My initial thought was that it would be spicy and full of spices. But, after tasting the chicken, it was soft and it wasn’t spicy. I really like the taste of chicken and I can say, that’s gonna be my favorite for a while. The rice butter was well done, fluffy and was not excessively oil. The roasted beans were fun to eat, I never tried roasting long beans but after this, I’ll definitely do it more. I suppose, this coffee boutique really exceeded my expectations because I felt like I was dining in a restaurant despite being inside my room. Another thing is, I often find coffee shops to be lacking in the main course but it was not the case with this place. The food is outstanding. # Croffle(Croissant + Waffle) ![croffle.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/23vsWqQC4MmDwgjv6s7MhzeGKaqL9XXpMP46QR5ocUwwp4w43qjdPiyLM93mtHe2rKN3A.jpg) Croffle is currently a hype here. Many restaurants are selling croffle as side dishes or snacks. There are many flavors and toppings that you can choose. But this time, I was just trying the regular one, without toppings and flavor. That way, I won’t add extra calories on my croffle. The croffle from this place was good. It tasted like a buttery croissant with a strange mix of croissant and waffle shape. I can see why people are liking this but for me, it was okay. I still prefer regular croissants and regular waffles. #### Memorable Packaging Overall, this was an interesting food exploration. I can see myself trying out and cooking Za’atar in the future or even looking for other places just to compare and contrast the taste.The price range in this place is from 20.000 IDR to 100.000IDR. And for the Za’aatar I had to pay about 43.750 IDR or around 3.5$ and the croffle was around 0.88$ which is still cheaper than many places in the city. For some reason, eating in this city lately is getting more and more expensive yet the minimum wage is still considerably low. And what most interesting today is discovering the artistic food packaging. We need more places to make food packaging as interesting as this one I found.

Hope You Enjoyed This article!

||| |-|-| |![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/AKVWrFsNLVxtVBuUDaqLPQpvCxvkjNzGcS8JcDVoTsC3ks3LxJbwM8hdaDt9eSc.png)|Mac is a content creator that covers literature, books, technology, philosophy, nootropics, productivity, minimalist lifestyle, cybersecurity, and languages. Other than those, she is passionate about cooking and travel. In her free time, she enjoys learning various things. |

Topics