Hello Restaurant Lovers!

Welcome to Jakarta Restaurant Reviews!  To find the restaurant of your choice, just click on the Restaurant Search drop-down menu on the right. Restaurant reviews are also stored in chronological order in the archive.

Contributions in English or Bahasa Indonesia are welcome.

As this site has no corporate links, please feel free to be as subjective as you like in your comments/reviews, but please do not use rude or harsh language.  Your comments will be moderated before being published.

Enjoy your noshing, Jakarta!

Marmz

marmaladereviews@gmail.com

Casa Restaurant Review, Jl. Kemang Raya No. 8b (above Aksara book shop), Kemang, Jakarta

“love of wood is what all mankind has in common” according to Hans J. Wegner and it is with this philosophy that Casa has been decorated.  Sixties and seventies sofas abound and the place appears to have been decorated with the kind of handicrafts that people threw away in the late 80’s deeming them tacky.  Twenty years on, it is these lived in and used objects have been revived and who knew that for all our imaginings of a shiny, sleek chromatic future, we would of course take comfort from our selectively remembered past?  It is ironic too that restaurants have come full circle and are trying to recreate a home-from-home atmosphere, and actively encoraging lounging instead of positioning themselves as an elitist, dress-up affair.  Casa specialises in leaving you alone.  That is not to say the service is slack, but rather that they don’t get up in your face asking if you would like another this or that seconds after you have just finished.  In the words of  Facebook: Marmz likes this.

I ordered the Steak on Garlic Baguette and Corn Mayonnaise.  Mz had the Dory in Rica-Rica Sauce.

The Steak on Garlic Baguette with Corn Mayonnaise (with unexpected ratatouille)

Dory Rica-Rica

The steak was good, but could have been a little more plentiful.  The corn mayonnaise was a little odd, being, well corn and mayonnaise.  This might be self-evident but I expected the corn to be mixed in more to marry the flavours.  I guess that is what your teeth are for!  The bonus on the plate was a delicious ratatouille, which wasn’t even mentioned on the menu.  This would be a much better selling point than the corn mayo.  It was so fresh and flavoursome and the soft meld of flavours was a fantastic accompaniment to the crunchiness of the baguette.  Mz initial reaction to the Dory was one of disappointment, as it was small, and took her all of about two minutes to vacuum up.  The flesh of the fish was tender but still had a a bit of bite to it, but the rica-rica was a little salty for her tastes.  She then ordered the Nasi Campur Bali, which was a true smorgasbord of bits and bobs.  It included pepes tuna, fried egg, ayam suir, tempe, krupuk udang, teri kacang and of course rice.  That defeated her, but only after she had put up a brave fight.  Nom nom noms were forthcoming and she went quiet for five blissful minutes.  This is one of the great things about restaurant reviewing.  I either get the entertainment value of Mz having a grump on and going apoplectic or I get beautiful, sweet happy silence if the food is good.  And if somewhere is really chilled, she will take out her book and read quietly.

Thank you Casa for helping my poor ears out.

Bebek Bengil Restaurant Review, The Ubud Building, Jl. H. Agus Salim, Menteng, Jakarta

Most people, when they think of ducks, think of yellow fluffy creatures that go quack, or Donald Duck who for reasons unclear wears a navy uniform.  For me, they are a terrifying nightmare.  I had the misfortune of sharing a car with a four-year-old (the drivers daughter) on my way back from teaching at TNI (the Indonesian military) and true to form, the military expected me to be there early and work my ass off.  So upon leaving, I was pretty knackered.  I was in the habit of having a kip in the car, as traffic jams are even less attractive after a hard day’s work.  Having nicely slumbered off, I would be in the middle of some screwed up dream about my students staging a future coup (I know, ridiculous, isn’t it) when the four year old would shout ‘BEBEK’ at the top of her little lungs, having seen a billboard with a 20-foot high duck.  In my brain I would instantly translate this as ‘duck’, and instinctively lower my head as if the little girl were giving me life-saving instructions.  And then, when my adrenaline was diminishing, I would realise, for the fourth day running that it was just a cute little girl being cute.  Thus I have developed something of a disdain for the word ‘duck’.

But anyhoo, this is not the psychiatrist’s couch, so I will not burden you with my disorders of the mind, conditioned or otherwise.

The greatest thing about Bebek Bengil is that it has a peaceful air that you rarely find in the centre of Jakarta, as it is blocked off on all sides by tallish buildings, and you could fool yourself into thinking that you were in its Ubud namesake if you keep your eyes down.  The restaurant itself is divided into two floors and the upstairs floor has little balconies where 2-3 people can enjoy a romantic meal (if ménage à trois is your thing).  The outside area has large Balinese pendopo (covered elevated-floor huts) which would be great for family gatherings.

The Duck Breast in Red Wine Sauce was excellent and the vegetables, including sauteed grapes and lobak (like mild radish) were a welcome change from the same old token plate-fillers served elsewhere.   The breast was sliced into medallions which were cooked through beautifully.  Our meals were served with dabo-dabo as one of the optional extras and it blew my face off in a very pleasant way.

The service was discreet and very professional.  The toilets were clean and modern.  I am grumble-less.  Well done, Bebek Bengil!

Y&Y Restaurant Revisit Review, Grand Indonesia Shopping Town, Jl. Thamrin, Jakarta

Note to self.  Never ever visit Jakarta’s newest, most popular (with the suicidal and the sane) mall on a public holiday without expecting to experience elevated blood pressure as you try to negotiate the shuffling, BB-tapping zombies in their mindless thousands.

Y&Y, previously an oasis of mouth-watering loveliness seemed like the right place to go.  It wasn’t too busy, comparatively speaking, and we found ourselves a little booth with the most uncomfortable cushioning ever invented.  As I resigned myself to the fact that the seating wasn’t built for comfort, but for decoration, we set about ordering.  The waiter was over like a shot, giving me the standard menu and Mz the standard menu and a second Indonesian food menu.  What, I’m not allowed the Indonesian menu?  Too white?  A small consideration as the photos in the menu appear to be taken by someone who hates food, and lighting and his job.

I ordered the Beef Schashlick, which I remembered was good from previous visits.  Mz ordered Nasi Bakar Tongkol Asap with Pakis Sambal.  After about five minutes we found out the Nasi Bakar was sold out.  The waiter announced this as if he was proud of it.  As someone who was still going to get his order, I felt simultaneous relief and surprise that a waiter would be happy and proud to inconvenience his customer.  Weird.  Mz fumed and I must admit to being a little smug that my order was coming, and then wondered if mine was available because no-one wanted it, and hers was habis because it was so damn popular.  Anyhoo, it seemed Mz was to be today’s victim.

The waiter took her second order, Aneka Pepes, consisting of three separate pepes – tongkol, squid and tofu.  This came with a rather small portion of rice, which made me, as a rice non-afficianado, a bit sad for Mz.  That was all fine and well, but Mz wanted her Pakis Sambal, to start her meal (with half a mind on the politeness factor of eating together).  Not forthcoming.  As was my food.  Mz enquired rathered testily where the missing food was and the waiter cheerily informed us that the Pakis had been habis all along and he just, well, kinda, ehm, forgot to disemminate this information.

My Schashlick finally arrived and was sponsored by PT Garlic Indonesia.  The waiter’s boss asked us if the food was fine.  Mz let loose.  She wasn’t rude, but don’t annoy a hungry Indonesian.  The Land of a Thousand Smiles?  As long as there is nasi on the table.  He managed a meek sorry and buggered off to laugh about it with the offending waiter.

Garlic and bad feelings repeated during our cinema visit.  BTW, Sherlock Holmes is much better than I thought it would be.

Y oh Y did you  change, Y&Y?