Where to eat in Jakarta this weekend: Sept. 20-21

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Looking for a new place to try in Jakarta? There’s a “gourmet fast food joint” in Kebayoran Baru that serves a Steroid Burger, or if you’re around the Pantai Indah Kapuk area in North Jakarta, check out the recently opened branch of the famous Singaporean restaurant Song Fa Bak Kut Teh. If you’re into quirky hole-in-the-walls, That Hangover Horse near Sarinah in Menteng might interest you. 

1. Umabo

If you haven’t heard yet of Umabo, which describes itself as “Jakarta’s first gourmet fast food joint with an Asian flair”, it might be worth checking out this weekend. The small and relatively simply designed restaurant (for Jakarta standards) in South Jakarta has been getting quite a few good reviews. It claims it makes “everything from scratch”, that it does not use MSG, that its beef are 100% vegetarian-fed, and that they serve homemade all-milk buns for their burgers.  

So what do people say? Jeny from Jenz Corner says they had to wait a bit for their food because the place was busy, but it “was truly worth it”. 

The Eat and Treats blog said the Steroid Burger (IDR65k) was one of the best ever, but while blogger Ivy loved that the beef patty was juicy and the bun was very soft, she said the taste was not that superb. 

Overall, the Fat Corner says it’s a restaurant that is not for the calorie conscious, but recommended for those who want to indulge.

Address: Jl. Wijaya 1 No. 22, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta

Website: www.umabojkt.com

2. Song Fa Bak Kut Teh

If you’re a fan of the Singaporean-style Bak Kut Teh – or Chinese pork ribs soup to the uninitiated – then you would probably be happy to know that the famous Song Fa Bak Kut Teh from the neighboring city-state opened shop in North Jakarta 3 months ago. Bloggers note the menu in its first Jakarta branch is similar to the one in Singapore, which means aside from the signature pork ribs, they also serve pork intestines, chicken feet, and cakwe or dough fritters.   

Both Daisy Caroline from The Food Escape and Eddy Suryadi of www.eshtravaganza.com raved about how tender the ribs were, how the meat was almost falling off the bones. Plus, they both noted you can get unlimited refills of the addictive garlicky clear soup.

 

Eddy advises that ladies get the regular portion with 2 pieces of ribs, while men might prefer try the large portion (IDR88k) with 3 pieces of ribs. 

Daisy also noted that though the place was packed when she visited, the staff was friendly, fast and attentive. 

Address: Ozone Building, Pantai Indah Kapuk, North Jakarta

Phone: +62 21 29673670

3. That Hangover Horse

A hole-in-the-wall joint in the basement of an office building in Jakarta’s central business district (near Sarinah), That Hangover Horse is an interesting little restaurant with peculiar decor and quirkily named dishes.

Reviews of the food indicate it’s a hit and miss. Cindy from Lulabyspoon wrote her favorite pasta was the Hangover Aglio Olio with German Sausage (IDR35k) and that the Hangover Sand-Beef-B*tch (IDR42k) was “so good that you’d want to scream its name after the first bite”. But she disappointed that the sirloin steak was overcooked. 

Daisy Caroline said her ultimate favorite was the Hangover Mac Horse with Smoked Beef (IDR37k), but found the Garlic Butter Rice with Tomato Horse Balls (IDR37k) too oily and bland. Still, she says she liked the ambiance and uniqueness of the place, including “the creepy horse head mascot that somehow make things attractive”. 

Address: Wisma Geha Lt. B Jalan Timor no. 25, Central Jakarta
Twitter: @thatHANGOVERs