INSIGHTS DININg
Capital Treats
Many travelers treat Jakarta simply as a stopover spot
on the way to Bali’s island paradise. But this metropolitan
capital to Indonesia certainly deserves more than a day or
two, only if to try out all the delightful eats that has added
glam, glitz and style to the Big Durian. Sampled here are
some of the capital’s best gourmet
offerings, from interational to local
delights alike!
The Apartment
The Apartment lives up to its name
in spectacular fashion, with the
restaurant’s interior a recreation of
a real apartment complex. Diners
can choose to be seated in the
kitchen, living room, bedroom or
even the bathroom! The decor
plays right into the delightful food
served by Chef Andry Winata, who
specialies in modern European
cuisine with Italian influence.
PEPeNERO
This well known restaurant has
a branch in Jakarta and Bali. It’s
wholesome, authentic, homemade
pasta is filled with creamy goodness
that is a must try. A homey and friendly
spot where good times and good
food reign, this simple Italian trattoria
restaurant is well known to lovers of
Italian food city-wide. The two story
little resto is a great place for business
lunches, brunches as well as a comfy
hangout for group dinners.
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Social House
This laid-back lounge style cafe cum
restaurant cum bar is proving hugely
popular, the latest addition to a
long list of successes by the Ismaya
group, who also runs the ever popular
Blowfish, Dragonfly and Sushi Groove.
Social House, or SoHo, as they are
affectionaly called, boasts huge
windows and a panoramic view of the
iconic Hotel Indonesia Kempinski and
its surrounding.
Immigrant
The recently
opened new
wing at Plaza
Indonesia
plays host
to Immigrant as its crowning jewel.
Located on the sixth floor, this flashy
new restaurant cum lounge is set to
attract the city’s glam and glitzy crowd
for the foreseeable future. Not unlike
SoHo, The Immigrant features an open
air balcony offering diners a fantastic
view of the city skyline. The people
behind Immigrant is also responsible for
the celebrated Rustic restaurant, so you
can be sure the steak here is up to par.
Le Seminyak
Balinese food is much under-
represented here in the nation’s
capital, but Le Seminyak, an intimate
restaurant sited at Pacific Place’s fifth
floor, is a welcome addition to the
short list of Balinese restaurants in
town. The restaurant is a breath of
fresh air, with mellow earthy tones and
wooden decor completing the Balinese
experience. Unfortunately however,
the restaurant does not serve Bali’s
famed pork dishes, as they are a halal
restaurant.
Bibliotheque
Behind the pillars of Sampoerna
Strategic Square’s South Tower
Entrance stand Bibliotheque, arguably
the hippest restaurant-cum-bar in
Jakarta at the moment. In a city
constantly crying out for innovation,
Bibliotheque stands out with its low-
key and effortless concept, that of an
old-school library with books, wooden
panels and all that. The food is a
heavy dose of Middle Eastern cuisin
with a bit of Western.
TeSaTe’s delicious local servings
Cinnamon
After a two-year layoff for renovation,
the Mandarin Oriental Jakarta is now
open for business, with Cinnamon
at the hotel’s ground floor, an all day
dining and buffet restaurant. The
restaurant features all kinds of Asian
food, as well as a selection of familiar
international dishes. A relic from the
Mandarin Hotel of old however, is
the cake shop, which has now been
revived as Cinnamon’s dessert counter.
TeSaTe
Located in the newly expanded Plaza
Senayan, TeSate is a classy modern
restaurant where you can try out local
favorites transformed into gourmet
offering. Try out the humble satay, nasi
goreng (fried rice) and the ever popular
sop buntut (oxtail soup), reintrepreted
and redesigned for your enjoyment.
a tale of four cities
Dapur Babah
For excellent
Indonesian food
with Javanese
and Peranakan
Chinese influences, head to Dapur
Babah at Jl Veteran 1, near Merdeka
Square. This restaurant reeks of
colonial charms, filled with various
objects and items that looked like they
belonged in a museum instead of a
restaurant (they probably are). Dapur
Babah is more than a restaurant, but
a living museum that would transport
you to the Batavia of old. The cuisine
on offer is similarly nostalgic, some of
the best rendition of traditional local
delights you’ll ever taste in town.
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