CHRISTMAS DINNER JAKARTA 2016

Oh my God I feel like a champ because literally a zillion ton of you couldn't stop Snapchatting me and DM-ing me on Instagram asking basically the same thing:

"Where the fuck is the Christmas Dinner 2016 list?"

I am very glad if this is anticipated and hopefully it can be the guide you look up to. 2016 has been a terrific year for F&B business and there are more new places opening more than last year, but truth be told, only 5% of the new ones that are qualified enough to pass my standard.

I always start the post with basically the same long-ass boring opening and how about let's just cut it short and enjoy the list, here are my top recommendations on where to go to have the most wonderful Christmas dinner with your family, lovers, affairs, couple, gay-couple, and ended the night with a very good love-making.

List sorted on alphabetical order, and because restaurants are mainly packed and potentially "full house" on D-day, so I highly suggest reservations being made.

Akira Back

MD Place Building/Penthouse, Level 12

Jl. Setiabudi Selatan No. 7 (near to Four Seasons Jakarta)

Setiabudi, South Jakarta

021 - 2904 0777 / 0857 7778 8777

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

Pricing: $$$$ - IDR 2 mil for two

Dresscode: smart attire

How can you not put Akira Back on the list because it IS probably the best restaurant in Jakarta at the moment by all means. Food? Undoubtedly terrific! Interior? Posh, modern and homey in the same time with VIP rooms, group seating and even a private for two. I don't care if you have the dinner set or what but make sure that you don't skip on their Crispy Tuna Pizza because it's their signature dish and one that you cannot miss... EVER! What else to order? I have always loved their meat dishes, particularly their Short Ribs

Attarine

Jalan Gunawarman No. 11

Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan 12110

021 - 2277 1256

INSTAGRAM

Opening hours:

Sunday - Wednesday: 11 AM-4 PM, 6 PM-11 PM

Thursday - Saturday: 11 AM-4 PM, 6 PM-1 AM

Average spending for two: IDR 400k

Dresscode: smart casual

Attarine is homey with versatile ambiance, humble yet fancy but one thing for sure: absolutely delicious. I fell in love with the home and kitchen vibe of the restaurant that if you ask me for the "place" alone, Attarine will surely be on the topper part my list. Attarine celebrates the joy of home cooking dominated with mainly Mediterranean style and avid seafood fan should joy their existence as they offer you guys some of the freshest and tastiest seafood dishes. I was obsessed with their grilled fish and it has this perfect size for sharing!

Avec Moi

Teluk Betung No. 44

Kebon Melati, Menteng

Central Jakarta

Ph. 0857 1888 5096

FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM

Pricing: $$$ - IDR 400k for two

Dresscode: Smart casual

Avec Moi just relocate itself to this more spacious area at Teluk Betung Menteng in hoping to answer the requests from their fans for a bigger space and larger dining capacity. Avec Moi is the place to go to have great and affordable French cuisine, and some of their "iconic" menus include their �Salade Avec Moi� with their signature Sesame dressing that might not be the most pleasing to the eye but sure does to the palate! They�re also quite popular for their pastas, and their steaks, I've tried like 60% of the menus here and none is disappointing! Avec Moi might not be the biggest on the social media, but the word of mouth of this French bistro spreads like food plague, fully booked tables during weekends are something they�re used to, hence if you wanna dine here, I suggest fast & early bookings! Meaning "with me" in English, damn right you gotta dine with them.

Bistecca

18 Parc Place Tower C - GF

Jalan Jendral Sudirman Kav. 52-53

SCBD - Kebayoran Baru

Jakarta Selatan 12190

021 - 515 1660 (reservation is highly recommended)

INSTAGRAM

Opening hours: 11 AM-1 AM

Average spending for two: IDR 1 mil

Dresscode: smart casual

Bistecca is a relatively new steakhouse launched by the fabulous UNION group and it has gained quite a fanbase. The UNION group establishments have always been either good or very good and their consistency and persistence are probably the main reasons why I am such a fan. The romantic vibe shines at night and the fancy American club lounge interior of theirs just made the setting the perfect fit for Christmas dinner just like the movies, either for two or large group of friends and family. Dining in Bistecca is not cheap, but they do have good steaks to cater your palate, and do make reservations, their waiting list is a bit crazy at times.

Expatriate
Boulevard Raya QF 3 no 11 RT.11/RW.12
Kelapa Gading Barat, Kelapa Gading
Jakarta Utara 14240
INSTAGRAM

If you happen to live in Kelapa Gading and decided to be a semi couch-potato and chose to stay around the neighborhood, then Expatriate is the place that you should consider going to at least have a private dinner here. Don't expect the setting to be THAT glamorous or anything fancy (and you don't need to really dress up here), but let me tell you proudly that the food here is something that you  just seen or cheapen with left-eye. The owner of the restaurant is this (as this post written) 15 year old  guy who understands food in a way that's pretty surprising to me, of course not that I underestimate them but I rarely found personalities like this (besides Revo and my brother of course) which are mindblowing in a way. The steaks has got to be the highlight, I mean would you mind peek the photo below and how it is perfectly cooked? :)

Hurricane's Grill

Jalan Gunawarman No. 20 (across H Gourmet and Vibes)

Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan 12110

021 - 5694 6188 / 5596 5947

Operating Hours: 11 AM - 11 PM

INSTAGRAM

Pricing: $$$ - IDR 1 mil for two

Dresscode: sporty casual

When I create this list, Hurricane�s Grill came in my mind like a flash of light as I often imagine my own dream Christmas dinner to be big, family-style like and all about putting all the food on the big table and share, and when I think of big I think of those chunky Hurricane�s Grill ribs! Statistically speaking, Hurricane is one of the most successful restaurants in Jakarta (believe me I know) at the moment, and I can't believe that they have been opening for more than a year, it feels just like yesterday when I came to the grand opening, and now they have another outlet at Noble House Mega Kuningan, slightly more humble than the Gunawarman outlet, but food wise as great.

Le Quartier

Jl. Gunawarman No. 34
Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta
021 - 7278 8001
WEBSITE

Pricing: $$$ - IDR 500k for two

Dresscode: sporty casual

When someone asks me about the best "fine dining" restaurant in Jakarta, my mind often instantly directed to this particular restaurant. Le Quartier is the classic type of how a beautiful fine-dining restaurant should look like! It looks like one, food tastes like one, top notch service and for me, the price tag was still relateable. The interior had this beautiful Victorian look with romantic ambiance, and even more at night. What to order? Of course their steaks, pan fried barramundi or if you fancy chicken, Butterfly Roasted Chicken. Been here three times and purple heart, everything that I've had here was superb.

Namaaz Dining
Jl. Gunawarman No. 42
Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta
DKI Jakarta 12110, Indonesia
Namaaz is prolly the most unique dining experience you can experience in Jakarta as they're highly famous for their touch of "molecular gastronomy" on their Omakase food service and Namaaz is still the number one restaurant in Jakarta by TripAdvisor (and I can't complain). Besides actually tasting pretty good, it's the experience that really tops it all, picture this: edible paper, edible wooden pencil, edible ash, edible stone, edible soap and foam, edible candle and a lot more. Bookings are highly suggested as it's sometimes pretty hard to get the tickets to the hottest dining seat in town. I heard the price per pax (for 14-17 courses) is now around IDR 1,4 mil.

Olivier

Grand Indonesia West Mall GF (beside Mad For Garlic)
Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 1
Jakarta Pusat 10310
Opening Hours: 10 AM - 10 PM

INSTAGRAM 
Pricing: $$ - IDR 500k for two
Dresscode: sporty casual

Olivier is SO IN when it comes to the prettiest restaurants in Jakarta! It�s just so beautifully designed, almost garden-like and this combination of several scenes in one single restaurant. My favorite seating must be the semi al-fresco area with more greens yet urban feel to it. Food here is great, Olivier is another venture from the group which manages some of the well rated restaurants in Jakarta such as Rustique, Garcon and Immigrant, but Olivier won me over for the good combination of awesome food, good ambiance and how Olivier matches the theme.

Orient 8 at Hotel Mulia Jakarta

Hotel Mulia Senayan Jakarta
Jalan Asia Afrika Senayan
Jakarta Selatan 10270
021 - 574 7777
email: info@hotelmulia.com
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

Pricing: $$$ - IDR 1 mil for two
Dresscode: Sporty Casual

If you�re looking for something grand, in terms of venue, food and ambiance with very classy and expensive feeling to it, I suggest look no further to either Orient 8. Orient 8 is made for the eye, your palate and your stomach. The food in Orient 8 is nothing to worry about: extensive French cuisine that's available in pretty good range and supported with top notch service and beautiful music surrounding the area, because when you know that a brand as magestic as Mulia is backing you up, you can rule the world. Won�t say much.

Saine Daise
Jalan Mandara Permai VII Blok 6 KA (beside Legend of Noodle)
Pantai Indah Kapuk, Penjaringan
Jakarta Utara 14470
021 - 3005 1662
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM
Opening hours:
Sun-Thu: 11 AM-11 PM
Fri-Sat: 11 AM-2 AM
Average spending for two: IDR 300k
Dresscode: casual

If you're looking for a place to have awesome Christmas dinner without the need to spend too much, then Saine Daise is the perfect place to consider and comes with such great quality as well. The food here has this very little (or almost none) chance to disappoint your palate as I personally know the owners and how they always try to maintain the upmost quality of the ingredient before actually serving the food to the tables. Another thing that I like about Saine Daise is the fact that it's not too spacious, but it's so pretty and simply designed (almost a Modern-Victorian touch) making you feel comfortable dining here while still managed to have a spare for intimacy and privacy with your partners.

Six Ounces
Blok NB 2 No. Kelapa Gading
Jl. Raya Gading Indah
Jakarta Utara 14240, Indonesia
Opening hours: 8 AM-9 PM
INSTAGRAM

Never did I expect to have one of THE BEST steaks in town in...a coffee shop, but yes you're reading this right, besides from the sticking "coffee shop" label that's been surrounding them, The Green Door Kitchen which supports the food here in Six Ounces is highly famous for the ultimate quality meat and the chef, Juan Antono is pure genius. I think you guys know (especially if you're following me on my social media channels) that I am a huge fan of Six Ounces and The Green Door Kitchen, and it's quite often that in different occasions, when I'm in the midst of working something in front of my laptop, out of nowhere the staff there served me different food "dari pak Juan", and they were always PERFECT that I wondered why the hell didn't they serve this on the menu, and did you guys know that guests would spend so much on the food here that the requests are very high and you have to book a few days in advance to have what probably will be the best steaks you've had in your life, yet? It's THAT good and my words can't do the justice.

UNION

Plaza Senayan Ground Fl. (Inside SOGO), Courtyard (from outside entrance)
Jl. Asia Afrika No. 8
South Jakarta
021 - 579 05861

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM

Pricing: $$ - IDR 500k for two

Dresscode: smart casual!

Union has to be in this list simply because it is Union. It's the pioneer of all these fancy cafes packing the scene but without the "fine dining" subtext, that is probably why they are highly famous and packed with customers even after years (not to mention it�s also one of the most beautiful restaurants in Jakarta with their classic urban sophisticated interior). Even though I go to UNION mostly for their cakes, as it�s still personally my most favorite boulangerie, brasserie and patisserie in town, or whatever you want to call it, the food in UNION is nowhere near disappointing. As insane as their �Bakmie Ayam Foie Gras� sounds, it�s actually pretty nice, tho a lil� extreme. Their red velvet cake is to die for and came in big size so you could share it with your beloved one on the dinner, only I won't share.

Honorable mentions for Vue 46 and Chateau Blanc who decided to step ahead of us. This year I haven't visited Emilie, Amuz and Lyon but those three are also very recommended.

Thank you for reading and hope you're having a merry jolly Christmas dinner!

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ATTARINE JAKARTA

I just came back from the media & bloggers exclusive menu preview by Attarine Jakarta and here I am writing the report for you (damn I sound like a damn reporter). You might knew about Attarine from my new cafes October post so here's the exclusive preview for my readers! Special thanks to Sari for having me here.

Attarine is located at what used to be Torino restaurant in Gunawarman Senopati and located not too far from Sofia Gunawarman, it's scheduled to open for public this SATURDAY, 15 OCTOBER 2016  and I am going to talk about the food that I had on the gathering including some of the specials that you must try. As for the space, it's not overly spacious but I love how it's designed, it had this homey vibe that I love, almost like an Italian typical home with huge open kitchen (with wood fire oven), industrial touch on the ceiling, dim lighting and almost quirky with the oldschool car placed in the center. They also have a bar at the side of the restaurant where they create their signature mocktails, cocktails and serve you liquors.

Swallow slippers shaping the cactus tree

Vintage car with mini palm plant put inside also where they keep the printed menus LOL

 Wood fire oven for the win! Where they baked their breads and grill their food

For the food here, they focus on serving Modern Western cuisine, but majority of the food that I had was a mixture of Mediterranean with a hint of French and Tapas style food. At the moment, the range of the food starts from Starters and Small Bites, Vegetables & Grains, Mains with price ranges from IDR 45k-175k, the beverage selections are also quite various ranging from mocktails, cocktails, beer, ciders, water, soda, tea and coffee. 115 Coffee - which by the way is the sister venture - will be in charge of serving the coffee for you), and there is even a mini coffee bar by the window (around the bar area) if you're only feeling coffee.

STARTERS + SMALL BITES

(price ranging from IDR 35k-135k)

Wood Fired Flat Bread - IDR 75k
For IDR 75k, it might be a tad pricey, but this bread was something special. It had the right thickness as well as the right flakiness (semi-crispy coating) and moist layers. You can opt to have the breads with the green lentil puree or the roasted eggplant & fried garlic, I personally like the roasted eggplant better for that extra fragrant and tasty fried garlic, the green lentil puree was not bad actually with a hint of very mild spicy flavor.

If you order more than 12 mini bowls of their small bites, your order will be presented on this wood boat shaped compartment. In frame is some of the light bites that I had:

Soft Boiled Egg with Cumin Salt
Expected the center to be slightly runny, but the cumin salt seasoning was genius.

Selection of pickles - IDR 25k

 Imported olives, tried the black one and not a big fan of it, it was bitter.

Roseberry Fizz - IDR 50k
Raspberry, rose water, lemon juice, sugar syrup, fluffy egg white foam + soda
The raspberry flavor dominated the flavor in the freshest way and to me, it didn't appear artificial! The overall sweetness of this drink was nice with a hint of sour balancing everything. Love this one!

Grilled Lemonade - IDR 50k
Grilled lemon juice, palm sugar + soda
How unique can a grilled lemon juice be? It was pretty common actually, only they put soda in it so you got something sparkling and sweet in the same. I expected the lemon flavor to be stronger actually as I think the palm sugar and soda kinda washed it off.
Jamu Royal - IDR 50k
Turmeric, tamarind, honey, lemon juice, carrot + ginger beer

Wood-fired Broccoli - IDR 45k
This was one of the best menus that I had for lunch earlier. It's creamy without tasting heavy, absolutely tasty with this cheesy character that I experienced on each bite from the cashew butter. I say the freshness of the ingredient (re: broccoli) was the main factor why this dish was super delicious, it's delicately crunchy and wrapped in beautiful flavorful sauce. YUM!

Cast-Iron Skillet Shrimp - IDR 135k
The shrimps were fresh and chunky for sure, the seasoning was a bit complex yet playful with tamarind, chili, coriander and focaccia in it. Overall, I got this feeling that I was having delicious beef goulash soup, only with shrimps.

Stuffed Onion - IDR 115k

Now this is unique: thin layer of onion wrapping the rice and beef mix filling. The rice and beef mix contributed in giving the savory flavor to the dish while the onion had this natural sweetness to it, I like the idea how the leaf on the side had this salty flavor with a hint of spicy flavor, and it was just nice and slightly unexpected.

Slowcooked Lamb Shoulder Chops - IDR 400k

Another favorite menu of mine! Thank goodness the lamb was not smelly and all fresh! The meat was perfectly cooked with such tender consistency and semi-crunchy coating. The onion zucchini and pomegranate dressing just packed the lamb shoulders with more flavors (the usage of pomegranate was genius). Overall you got the play of texture from the tender meat to the crunchy pome, the beautiful combination of savory with a tiny bit of sour. MUST TRY!

Wood Fired whole White Snapper with Zucchini & Tomatoes - IDR 325k (seasonal)
This was MY FAVORITE menu served here! The fish was very soft & smooth, but it's the rich ingredient and seasoning that really captivated me: it's spicy, packed with interesting flavors, fragrant and I honestly couldn't see anything wrong about this dish, even to the fact that it's salty but I like it! If you like to keep things simple and plain unlike what you're seeing here, you can optionally just request to add only the salt to your grilled fish. Talk about the salt they're using, it was the Himalayan salt and served with lemon (for extra juice if you fancy), sauteed tomato and zucchini on the side (even the side dish was super nice).

Is Attarine worth trying? Yes! I was a bit shocked to know that the pricing on several menus which I thought would be crazy expensive was apparently quite affordable or cheaper that what I had in mind. Food was delicious, ingredients were fresh (the main key that I notice from them), and I really-really  hope they keep up the good work, not just because this is a private media preview, but hey they're under the PTT Family so I guess they know how to roll it baby!

UPDATE:
THEY WILL BE OPERATING FOR DINNER ONLY THIS SATURDAY (OCTOBER 15th), while lunch hour will start on October 22nd.

LIVE UPDATES ON SNAPCHAT: STANISLAUSHANS

Attarine

Jalan Gunawarman No. 11

Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan 12110

021 - 2277 1256

Opening hours:

Sunday - Wednesday: 11 AM-4 PM, 6 PM-11 PM

Thursday - Saturday: 11 AM-4 PM, 6 PM-1 AM

Average spending for two: IDR 400k

Dresscode: smart casual

INSTAGRAM

FIND ME HERE

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email: eatandtreatsindo@gmail.com

SNAPCHAT: STANISLAUSHANS

Map for Attarine