Radja Ketjil

Rambling around Pondok Indah Mall, we were looking something new for us for the dinner, and we stumbled upon this Radja Ketjil, they serve Peranakan cuisine/Nyonya cuisine..

The restaurant was packed when we arrived, the place was pretty small..


There are something antique items found to be used as decoration..


Started from appertizer, we ordered Lumpia Tauke (29.5K), it's a deep fried chicken and shrimp spring roll.. Try this, one bite and you wanna have more of it.. Another kicking factor is its sauce, with a hint of spiciness and sweetness, it added the extra taste..


Next, we had Tahu Hujin Tje Lie Rina (33.5K), a deep fried spinach tofu poured with minced chicken gravy .. The tofu was very good, it had a golden exterior both crisp and delicate with silky smooth centre..


And Chicken Ifumie (22K), a deep fried crispy noodle poured with mixed chicken and veggies gravy..


The crispy noodle was well-accompanied by the tasty chicken gravy and it really made you want to keep digging for more

Not only the unique restaurant name, the food name here is also quite quirky.. And for the taste, I must say the food here is nice and it's quite value for money.. Good to try..


Radja Ketjil
Pondok Indah Mall 2, 3rd floor Restaurant Row
Jl. Metro Pondok Indah
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 75920468

Le Seminyak

Back to local now.. Do you miss a Balinese foods? You no need to travel around Bali to satisfy your cravings, some Balinese restaurant already opened their branch in Jakarta one of them is Le Seminyak..


This restaurant is situated in Pacific Place, the restaurant located in the corner and tastefully decorated with simple and elegant Balinese theme..


The place looks so shady with some artificial trees inside of it.. Feels a homeliness and coziness ambiance..


Decorated with a Modern Balinese interior design..


They put a touch of Bali through elements such as woods, drapes, and art works on wall..


This Satay/Skewers Sampler (39.8K) was really nice as a starter.. Consist of 6 skewers, a combination of minced seafood skewers, minced chicken skewers, and tempeh (soybean cake) skewers served with shallots chili sauce.. The satay was so flavourful & burst with smoky taste..


Tahu Telur - Bean Curd Omelette (32.8K), fried tofu on omelette egg drenched in sweet soy sauce..I'm not sure does this dish actually originated from Java or Bali, but I don't care coz this is my fave.. The deep-fried egg crust was crispy, the egg fluffs were quite delightfully delicious, the tofu was well accompanied by the sweet soy sauce as well.. And not leaving out the beansprout and nuts were added to create an extra crunch to each mouthful..


Nasi Bali Kuning - Balinese Yellow Rice (44.8K), it's like a Balinese mixed rice but served with fragrant yellow rice (rice is cooked with coconut milk and turmeric) and other condiments like; stir fry long bean, sauteed shredded chicken, minced seafood skewer, prawn fritters, chili egg, and crackers.. Nice and a complete meal to satisfy your Balinese food craving.. This is become E's fave dish among the Balinese delicacies..

We enjoyed this Balinese meal and also the ambiance here, definitely will drop by again sometime.. If you want to bring back your memory about Bali delicacies, you definitely won't miss it..



Le Seminyak
Pacific Place 5th Floor Unit 38
SCBD, Jl Jend. Sudirman Kav. 52-53
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 51400610

Penang Place

I passed by this restaurant several times in Plaza Indonesia, and never had a chance to try it yet.. One nite, we decided to pay this restaurant a visit.. Surely like its name, Penang Place they're introducing a Penang Nyonya style cuisine..


The place is nicely decorated with somewhat modern and simplistic furniture..


The interior of the place exudes a soothing, classy, and modern ambiance, complete with dim lighting..


The menu is quite extensive with an excellent selections of Penang/Malaysia dishes.. They also try to expand their menu to some Indonesian foods..

First up was Tempe & Teri Orek (8.8K), a stir-fried tempe and anchovies with sambal belacan/spicy prawn paste and peanuts.. This is one of their Indonesian dishes, the sambal wasn't to spicy but it went well with the crunchy anchovies..


Next came the Fried Fish Lemon Sauce (29.8K), a deep fried fish fillet sauteed with lemon sauce.. It's nice, the fish was fresh and not fishy..


I was craved for something gravy, so I ordered a Kway Teow in Fish Gravy - Kway Teow Siram Ikan (20.8K), a stir-fried rice noodle topped with mixed fish and veggies gravy.. The gravy was yummy, generous with ingredients, and very flavourful..


Last but not least, E ordered Indian-style Fried Noodle (26.8K), haha looks nice yaa with fried wonton crackers on it.. It's a fried yellow egg noodle with beansprouts, tofu, potato, tomato, egg, and seafood. And the best part was their slightly pungent sambal/chili makes great condiment to the already tasty ensemble.. It's sour, spicy, sweet, and tangy come through in this dish.. The meal was satisfactory

The food was pretty good here, and the serves are decent for the price.. Nice to try tho..


Penang Place
Plaza Indonesia 3rd Fl. F-12
Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 3107620/651

Cork&Screw

Looking for a place where you can enjoy the view of the heart of Jakarta city? Cork&Screw will be a great choice, situated in the Plaza Indonesia facing the Bundaran HI.. Actually we've been to this place several times, but I haven't posted it on my blog yet..


The view that you can enjoy it..


The place is not really spacious, they had the elongated dining room.. It is always crowd especially in the weekend, so I suggest you to make a reservation first..


It's a simple and minimalist decor with some wine racks as a partition..


Their refreshing Lychee Ice Tea (30K), tasted just right not too sweet tho..

The food here is quite various, they had International and Asian selections..


E opted the Asian selection, Special Fried Rice (45K), a seafood fried rice laced with vegetables and topped with shrimp cracker.. Simple but it delicious with its moist, flavorful,well seasoned, and good sized portion..


And I ordered Spaghetti Tuna (60K), spaghetti with tuna chunks cooked in aglio olio style and sprinkled with fresh parsley.. It's so yummy, it had a generous tuna chunks and the pasta was cooked in a perfect texture.. For those who like tuna, this is your definitely choice..


We also tried their Phad Thai (40K) from our previous visit.. It's a Thai style stir-fried rice noodle with seafood, but for the rice noodle seems like they used usual kway teow.. But the taste hit a perfect balance between sweet and sour, the shrimp were fresh and tasty..


And last but not least here is their signature dessert and we never miss it every time we visit, a 3 Flavor Chocolate Melted Cake (35K).. It's a three flavors (dark, milk, and white) warm melted cake.. It's warm with a molten custard lava melted in our mouths, hmm such a scrumptious dessert..

Great place, good food, and nice view.. So what else? Surely you need a wine to complete your lovely dinner.. And this is it guys, the place where you can enjoy all of it.. With a great spot, Cork&Screw is really a good place to escape from the busy traffic of life and enjoying a quite dinner with friends and loved one.. And for the price for me its worth it given the quality of food and the nice ambiance they offered.. We enjoyed the dinner and the view very well here..


Cork&Screw
Plaza Indonesia 1st Fl. Unit 127A-D
Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 31996659

Macau Chejian

Wandered around Grand Indonesia, this new restaurant Macau Chejian attracts us to try.. As the name goes, they are selling Macau's local cuisine..

Let's find out what they got..


They have an interesting menu, the pictures really make you drool..

The spacious place with modern design.. Cozy, comfortable, yet stylist..

Hot Lemon Tea (12K) and Ice Tea (10K)

E ordered Macau Baked Rice in Seasonal Sauce - Chicken (40K), a cooked rice stirred with chicken chunks, then baked in jacket of three kinds of sauce; macau, tomato, and cheese.. This is a typical Macau dish..

The rice was very nice, the macau sauce tasted a bit like curry mixed with the cheese and tomato but not too spicy.. A great dish with a wonderful combination..

And I had this "Macau-Style" Spicy HK Noodle (46K), Hongkong noodle topped with minced spicy chicken.. The noodle was a bit soggy for my liking.. The portion was moderate but accommodating..

Overall the dinner was alright, nothing over the top but not too disappointing..

Macau Chejian
Grand Indonesia - West Mall 3A Fl. Unit ED1-1
Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 1
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 23580844

Penang Bistro

When we headed to EX to watch a movie, we were stuck with a terrible traffic in Thamrin, yup its really unpleasant.. And we were hungry at that time, so when we near to Kebon Sirih area, I just remembered to this bistro..



Penang Bistro, it's not a new restaurant in J-town but still quite popular till now and they are under the same management with Seribu Rasa..


The place is really spacious.. The interior was designed in minimalist style..


A bistro with a welcoming ambiance, cozy, and lovely..


From its name, of course Penang Malaysian food is on the menu and some seafood selections..

Let's indulge in some of Penang Bistro's dishes..


Roti Canai Beef Curry (27K) to start.. Fluffy on the inside but crispy and flaky on the outside.. As I am not a huge fan of curry, but it was delicious.. It was very flavorsome without being overpowering, the canai really goes well with it..


Malay Mee Goreng - Malaysian-style fried noodle (38K), yellow egg noodle fried with seafood, tofu, eggs in spicy based sauce.. The dish was pretty good, it's not wet but not dry, it's just right and flavorsome..



Sapo Tofu (43K), stir-fried mixed vegetables with Japanese tofu and seafood in gravy sauce.. This just an average dish, but with its gravy sauce it was really palatable..

If you're craving for some Penang style nyonya food at affordable prices, this Penang Bistro is not to be missed!


Penang Bistro
Jl. Kebon Sirih No. 59
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 31906000

IndoChine

This time we went to FX and planned to have a dinner at IndoChine..


Siem Reap Cafe under IndoChine group serves a selection of Indochinese Cuisine..

Located in the entire 8th floor of FX Lifestyle Xnter, IndoChine really located in the heart of Jakarta.. They have indoor and semi outdoor area..


We were promptly seated in the semi outdoor area at this gorgeous spot, we can overlooking the panoramic view of the Jakarta city's skyline.. But their low sofa made us uneasy to eat..


First impression of the restaurant, it’s somewhat cozy yet stylish. With several stylish red chandeliers and a screen latched on top, patrons can already feel comfortable when hanging out here.


For the drink, E ordered IndoChine Iced Tea (25K), its a milk blend tea.. It's not a usual iced tea, but quite refreshing..


I ordered Banh Xeo (88K) means sizzling cake, it is a Vietnamese crepe-type pancake and a popular street snack in Vietnam, the right way to eat Banh Xeo is by wrapped it with a lettuce leaves and dipped into the sweet sour sauce..


Looks what is inside.. It is filled with a combination of diced chicken, shrimp, tofu, mushroom, carrot, scallions, and bean sprouts.. That was the first time I tried it and tasted nice for me.. Liked it..


Meanwhile, E ordered Bun Ga Xao (68K), Vietnamese vermicelli rice noodle topped with stir fried chicken, bean sprouts drenched with curry sauce..


Stirred it up.. Mmm Yummyy.. Its really a nice combination..

Well, overall I would say it was a nice place to visit and spend your good nite out with your frenz.. And when its come to the food, I think they serve pretty decent foods on the little pricey side.. But, still worth to try..

IndoChine Indonesia
fX Lifestyle X'enter 8th Floor
Jl. Jend. Sudirman
Pintu Satu Senayan
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 30030330
www.IndoChine-group.com