De Luca

Back to Italian :)


As I said in my Pesto post earlier, Italian restaurant is flourishing in Jakata. De Luca is one of the latest addition. Opened head to head to Monolog ( I think they belong to the same group) it's one of Jakarta's it place right now. Located in Plaza Senayan, De Luca is one of the alternative for a place to eat (fiuhhhh, finally... I kinda hate going to PS coz it's eateries are pricey yet not yummy)


The decor is simple, subtle light brown wooden chairs and tables with wooden panels along it's walls. Decorated with some metal-covered yellow light bulbs, De Luca is a warm, welcoming and cozy place to chat and hang out with friends and families. Some of the tables are located at the street side, giving a bistro like feeling. +1

The food:
1. Ice Peach Tea (Rp. 30.000)


I like the peach tea here for some reasons. Firstly, it's not too sweet. The glass is quite big and they put slices of peach in it. Love it :)

2. Sparkling Mango (Rp. 30.000)


Same like the peach tea, it's not overly sweet. A balanced drink to quench your thirst after shopping all day long, a mango garnish would be nice though. The two mini cherries at the bottom of the glass are a treat!!! :D

3. Bread Basket (Complimentary/Rp. 10.000)


It's a complimentary but we asked for more, they charged is for the additional basket. The bread... is yummy :) The basket consists of baguettes, focaccia and bread sticks. All of the breads are warm, I think they heated it before serving it to us. The baguettes have crunchy texture in the outside and fluffy in the inside. The focaccia is thick and heavy but exceptionally yummy, my fave! The bread sticks are different than Pepenero's heavy sticks. It's light, crunchy and hollow. Asmet really liked it.

4. Spaghetti with wood-smoked salmon, mushroom and spinach in cream sauce (Rp. 78.000)


YUMMY!!!! The pasta is cooked perfectly!!!!!! I loveeee the texture of the pasta. It's like undercooked pasta but it's cooked. You still need to chew it instead of just sliding it into ur stomach like some lame pasta from a fast food joint. The cream sauce tastes a bit like Pasta de Waraku's. It's thick and covered the pasta completely. You won't find any liquid in your plate. It's very creamy but not 'that' creamy u feel bloated afterwards. The combination of the 3 toppings (IMO those 3 are my fave toppings for creamy pasta) are just right. Not too much salmon, strands of spinach here and there plus those yummy mushrooms... Yum Yum Yum :) This dish go straight to my top ten pasta in Jakarta hehehe

5. Linguine with minced beef an asparagus in pesto genovese (Rp. 68.000)


Pesto genovese is one of my fave pasta style (the others are cream and aglio olio) but it's not a common dish. Many Italian resto didn't serve this kind of pasta. My favorite pesto is Pizza Marzano's but this is a tough competitor. Just like the spaghetti, the linguine is cooked to perfection. I'm a bit confused with the size of the linguine, it's too wide to be linguine. I had linguine a lot and usually it's a bit thinner but I still love it hehe. The linguine is covered in green oily sauce with lots of minced beef and small cuts of asparagus. I think they need to put more asparagus and less beef. The flavor of the beef is quite strong and it's like the beef and pesto are battling in my mouth. Strangely, their battle is my pleasure :p Yummy!!! The minced beef gives a slight creaminess which is a good balancing act for the heavy herb-infused pasta. The asparagus serves as tiny crunchy surprises in every bite. Another yummy pasta for the day!! *grin*

I love this place! The decor, the ambience and most of all the food. The service is a bit disappointing. The girl that waited on us had a very sour face and stood impatiently while I was reading the menu.

dr. B: Yang enak apa ya mbak?

girl: Wagyu nya pak, enak lho pak

dr. B: Ga pengen makan wagyu mbak, yg laen apa?

girl: (diem) (ngelipet tangan) (nyender ke meja) (berdiri dengan bertumpu ke meja) (goyang-goyang ga jelas kaya cacing kepanasan)

beberapa saat kemudian...

girl: coba wagyu nya aja pak

dr. B: (jutek mode on) uda dibilang saya ga mau wagyu!

I know they're having a wagyu promotion (for that price, it's not promo yaaaaaaa) but that doesn't give them permission to shove that wagyu up my face. Thank God the food was great, less than that, this entry would've been filled with foul words here and there. Additional info, the service tax is 10% :(

Narsis time

Rating: 7.8/10
Location: Plaza Senayan, P1

Central

This is old skool :) Uda lamaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa banget sejak trakir gw makan disini. Bukannya karena ga doyan tapi masalah lokasi nya aja sih.... Central sebener nya salah satu chinese food old skool yang kualitas makanannya di atas rata rata. Nah skrg si Central ini buka di Seasons City yang cukup deket dari ruma! Plus ada opening promo 20% pula, jadi mami napsu banget ngajak makan disini. Alhasil, a few days ago, gw mami en papi makan deh disini, si Yuu en Biebie lagi pergi ga tau kmana jadi cuma gw yang diajak :p



Decor nya standar chinese resto, meja bulet dengan ornamen chinese disana sini. Tempat nya kaga gede2 banget tp rapih, bersih en dinginnnn. Service nya cukup ok, ramah en niat bener ngelayanin nya. Oh ya, ice tea nya refill *yayyyyy*

The food:
1. Tom Yam Goong (Rp. 20.000/pax)


Agak aneh sih kok chinese resto ada tom yam goong... But anyway as long as its good, who cares? Mami sih yang ngidam, tiba2 pengen mesen ini, gw cuma nyicip doank. Tom yam goong nya surprisingly yummy. Asem asem pedes mantep gitu deh. Ada udang 2 biji yang ukuran nya lumayan gede en kata si mami enak. It's a bargain then :)

2. Cakar Ayam Tim Tausi (Rp. 11.000)


Isenk pengen nyoba dimsum nya jadi mesen kaki ayam. Hmm... It's good but not great. I prefer my kaki ayam a bit tender. Yang ini cukup empuk tapi kurang empuk menurut gw. Rasa nya kurang gurih, trus kurang lada. Don't get me wrong, this is a nice dish but it can do better.

3. Kuo Tie (Rp. 13.000)


Another dimsum. Me no likey! Daging nya gendut2 en padet..... Trus kurang rasa gitu, not good not goof.

4. Tahu Nenek Moyang (Rp. 40.000)


Yummy.... Sejenis sapo tahu tapi tahu nya bukan pake tahu jepang kemudian di atas nya tahu ada selapis rumput laut gitu. Dimasak dengan saos tiram style dish, pake brokoli and macem macem jamur. Love it :) Simple and comforting dish

5. Udang Goreng Gandum (Rp. 65.000)


YUMMY!! Udang yang cukup gede, digoreng kering tanpa tepung dengan kulitnya. Kemudian byk gandum (havermut) yang rasa nya gurih dan sedikit manis, ditaburi pula kemanggi goreng kering. Nice one Central :)

6. Babi Hong (Rp. 60.000)


Hmm ini agak confusing nih... Rasa yummy tekstur minus. Untuk rasa nya babi hong versi Central di atas rata, bahkan menurut gw lumayan enak. Sayang nya daging nya kering dan keras. Gw tau sih ini karena daging babi nya itu dipilih yang lemak nya dikit. Jadi tu babi hong daging banget (yang lebih sehat pastinya) tapi plis deh... Babi hong tanpa lemak ya kaya sayur tanpa garam. Harusnya tekstur nya babi hong yang lembut itu jadi dry banget...

I think this is one good chinese food alternative for people living around Jelambar, Angke and Pluit Area. Ga usa kena macet kaya mau ke restoran Angke atau bayar mahal stega mampus di Maystar, still u got quality chinese food to dine with your beloved family :)

Rating: 7/10
Location: Seasons City, The Glow Tower

Kuppa

Uda lama banget gw pengen nyobain Thai resto yang namanya Kuppa ini. Kayanya ampir tiap kali gw ngelawatin Kuppa, gw penasaran gitu makanannya enak ga ya... Secara di PI cuma ada2 Thai resto dan gw selalu makan di King of Thai, jadi nya ampe sekarang blom perna nyoba. Nahhhh kmrn ini gara2 si Asmet ribut mau ke atm ngecek gaji, ngelewatin lah si Kuppa ini. Tiba2 ada tulisan disc 50% pake Mandiri, langsung napsu deh gw hahaha :p


Dari luar seh tampilan nya lumayan keren ya. Dark interior yang bikin ni resto posh banget gitu dahhhh. Gw bingung pas masuk, kok dari luar keren tp begitu di dalem memble gini. Menurut gw berantakan, decor nya ga jelas tema nya apa en keliatan worn out gitu. Not good


The food:
1. Tom Yum Goong (Rp. 68.500)


First impression, SAYUR ASEM!!! Sumpa ni rasa nya 90% sayur asem... Sejak kapan yang namanya Tom Yam Goong tuh rasa nya manis en banyak cabe mengambang di kuah nya, persis sayur asem. Udang nya medium size yang agak overcook 2 biji dengan jamur yang cukup banyak. Agak kecewa sih gw, kurang pedes en kurang seger layak nya Tom Yam Goong biasa nya.

2. Crispy Gurame Sweet and Sour Sauce (Rp. 62.500)


Begitu dateng gw uda ilfil berat, kok letoy gini nih si crispy nya. Kalo emank ga mampu bikin gurame goreng kering yang dagingnya bisa ngaceng gitu ya at least diakalin napa... Potong2 aja daging nya kecil kecil, kan keliatan nya lebi appetizing. Ini ga jelas banget, kaya ngasi ikan goreng stega mateng gitu. Dari soal rasa juga minus. Ga asem, ga pedes, ga seger jadi cuma manis doank. Trus di saos nya banyak bener bawang putih, aneh aja gitu saos nya bertaburan bawang putih cincang...

3. Chicken Pandan (Rp. 45.500)


Finally something good. Walopun begitu, chicken pandan nya juga kurang enak. Pertama, dia pake daging dada untuk semua chicken pandan nya. Tau donk karakteristik dada ayam yang kalo dimasak lama jadi batu itu? Kering en bikin nyangkut di gigi... Untungnya rasa nya cukup enak dan saus nya enak! I dipped that chicken a lot during the whole time I dined, simply because it's the only flavorful dish that night.

Servis nya jelek banget, agak kesel gw cuma karena laper ya sudah lah. Pertama muka nya jutek semua. Dari manager sampe waiter, semua nya jutek! Mau pake alesan puasa ato cape ato rame ato apa lah, pantang yang nama nya kerja di restoran pasang muka jutek! Bikin napsu makan ilang aja. Uda gitu, ordernya ketuker sama meja sebelah, grrrrr. Yang tamba parah, selama terjadi chaos akibat ketuker nya tu makanan, mereka tereak2an di tengah2 kita makan, nyebelin kan. Gw ga peduli deh salah siapa but bring me my food ASAP!!!!!!!!!

Rating: 5/10
Location: Plaza Indonesia F3

Hakata Ikkousha

Hakata Ikkousha adalah sebuah resto ramen di Muara Karang yang dengan terang-terangan mengklaim kalau mereka menjual ramen autentik Jepang. Ga tau kebetulan ato engga tapi kayanya daera Muara Karang-Pluit lagi kena ramen invasion. Setelah Marutama dan Sanpachi buka, skrg giliran Ikkousha.


3 minggu yang lalu, gw, Asmet en Salim nyobain tempat ini. Kita dateng jem 11 pagi ennnn tempat nya uda ampir penuh. Pas uda jem 12, orang uda waiting list di depan. Dahsyat benerrrr!!! Emank sih, kayanya ni tempat lagi hits banget, secara rame abis dan ngantri mulu. Dan antrian nya bukan marketing strategy tapi emank karena kapasitas tempat nya cuma segitu (yang di dalem uda cukup sempit dimasukin kursi en meja) sementara peminatnya bejibun.

Dari luar seh sebenernya menurut gw kurang menarik, kaya resto biasa aja deh. Dalam bayangan gw, mungkin kaya begitu ya restoran biasa di Jepang (not the upscale one maksudnya). Dengan memajang kompor di depan, ada panci gede gede diatasnya, kita bisa ngeliat langsung kalo they do cook the broth, not using some magical instant soup. Interior dalem biasa banget deh, nothing fancy. Cuma meja en kursi kayu dengan exhaust di atas nya buat nyedot asep. Dalem nya ada open kitchen plus waiter yang jumlah nya puluhan. Banyak benerrr. Oya, ada chef en manager nya orang Jepang pula, so it is authentic :) servicenya top notch! Fast, efficient, good knowledge of menu and attentive. Kapan ya resto indo bisa kaya gitu... Buktinya cuma gara2 si Jepang ngasi instruksi bisa kok bagus kerjanya, brati no excuse buat resto laen yang jelek servicenya :)

The food:
1. Pork Ramen (Rp. 38.000)


YUMMYLICIOUS!!! IMHO, the best ramen in Jakarta. Gila mantep banget tu kuah nya... Kalo ga salah denger, broth nya itu dibuat dari ikan dan ayam kemudian dimasak 72 jam (lupa lupa inget gw) Kuah nya agak sedikit kental, sangat sangat meaty rasanya dan super gurih. Karena broth nya intense banget jadi agak berminyak.. Tapi karena bahan dasar nya ayam i think it's relatively less dangerous daripada pork atau beef based soup. Mie nya sendiri sih menurut gw biasa saja, nice consistency and cooked perfectly. Gw benci banget makan ramen yang mie nya lembek gitu tapi disini mie nya masi ngelawan dikit pas digigit. Untuk topping nya dikasi sliced pork yang empuk dan gurih, taburan daun bawang, wijen dannnn telur!!! Telur nya itu lho astaga.. Masaknya pas bangetttt!!! Just the way I like it :) Ga tau sih istilah nya apa tp gw ngomong nya 3/4 matang. Masi ada elemen kuning telur yang kental cair tapi sekilas uda agak keras gitu, enak banget. Laluuuu untuk menyempurnakan nya, mereka menyediakan fresh garlic dan garlic press nya. Setelah dikasi garlic, it's YUMMYFUCKINGLICIOUS!!! Ada a hint of garlic that gives extra kick and a nice aftertaste to the ramen :D

2. Pork Gyoza (Around 20k)


Now the gyoza... Yummy :) Gyoza nya sendiri berisi minced pork yang tidak terlalu padat sehingga pas digigit ga daging banget. Yang gw kurang suka adalah gyoza nya nempel semua... Untung aja pas dipisahin, kulitnya ga robek (sign of good quality gyoza) Rasanya balanced dan pas banget buat jadi appetizer.

3. Tamago (Around 20k)


Another yummy dish!!!! Gw lupa sih namanya apa soalnya bon nya ilang tapi basically it's japanese omelette. Japanese style omelette kan biasanya itu telor goreng tipis dengan rasa cenderung manis yang diroll kemudian dipotong, disajikan pake japanese mayo and ketchup. Nah Ikkousha beda, dia ngasi abon ikan kaya yang biasa jadi topping okonomiyaki di dalem nya kemudian disajikan panas2. Damn... It's like a party in my mouth. Telur nya kan pasti agak creamy gitu sedangkan abonnya tuh asin asin gimanaaa gitu. Trus dicocol pake mayo yang sedikit asam, wah mantap!!!

We were really satisfied with the food here!!! Ini merupakan contoh nyata dimana makanan berkualitas tidak berati harus disajikan di restoran upscale yang mahal gila dengan dekorasi super keren. Restaurant sells food and Ikkousha is doing it marvelously.

Rating: 8.5/10
Location: Muara Karang Raya

Pesto

As a foodie, Italian food is one of my favorite. In my opinion, the yummyness of Italian food is unmatched by other western cuisine including french cuisine For me, French is too pretty and pretentious. For the last 2 years, Italian restaurant had been flourishing like mushrooms in the rainy season. We can find all sort of Italian food everywhere. Pesto is one of them. Located in the center of Jakarta, this place is swarmed by expatriates and people who works in Thamrin-Sudirman area.

I went there with Asmet a few months ago for lunch. The place is not that crowded but when we finished, it was full.I kinda like the place. It's simple with industrial touch here and there. It's kinda similar to Loewy actually. Service... Hmm... The guy waited us knows literally nothing about the menu. OMG! I asked bout the specialty and the answer is "ummm, ammmm" I ended of telling him to go and let me contemplate myself about what I'm gonna order.

The food:
1. Bread Basket (Complimentary)

One of the reason I like going to an authentic Italian restaurant is because the bread basket. I'm a huge fan of bread and usually those bread basket is a treat. Pesto's is quite disappointing. We got 3 kinds of bread. A soft roll, a sliced soft baguette and a cheese focaccia. The focaccia is yummy but the rest sucks. Is it that hard to serve freshly baked breadsticks?

2. Rustica (Rp. 59.000)

An Italian style pizza with tomato sauce, mozzarela, cooked ham and mushrooms. The pizza is very very runny. The topping fell of the pizza while I was trying to put it in my mouth, such a turn off. The taste is rather bland, the tomato sauce is a bit to sour for me, not enough mozzarella and the ham tastes like paper. The only good thing is they put quite a generous amount of mushrooms, otherwise that pizza is not worth paying for. The crust is not bad but I had better.

3. Saltimboca Alla Romana (Rp. 72.000)

According to the menu, it's escallops in parma ham, sage blackpepper sauce with spinach and potato gratin. Another disaster!! I don't understand this dish actually. The presentation is good but the sauce ruins everything. When I think of sage blackpepper sauce, I think of a juicy blackpepper sauce with a nice scent of sage. Instead, the pork and ham is drenched in some sort of reddish liquid resembling a thin tomato sauce with blackpepper on top. The spinach is just ok but the potato gratin is nice. A big plate of pork dish and the outstanding element is the potato gratin? *sigh*

4. Papardelle al Ragu (Rp. 69.000)

Finally!!!! There's something worth mentioning here. The papardelle has nice consistency. Blended very well with the tangy tomato sauce. The pork ribs are yummy!!! Tender and juicy, combined with the tomato sauce, it leaves a fresh yet carnivor-ish taste in my mouth. I dunno how to explain the sauce but it was very very yummy, love it.

One thing I hate in upscale places is the price of beverages. They don't sell local brand of mineral water here, instead they serve this Italian imported bottled water for Rp. 28.000. I don't mind paying high price for food but for 500 ml of water, Rp. 28.000 is outrageous. Serve a bottle of nestle for Rp. 10.000 has given your restaurant 600% profit, so why so greedy? The table next to us is an expatriate and he asked the waiter to serve Aqua and not this Lurisia brand. So it's not just me then :p

I don't think I'm coming back here anytime soon unless someone plans to treat me :D For the price they charge, there are lots of places in Jakarta that serves better Italian than that.

Rating: 5.5/10
Location: ANZ Square Building, Jakarta