Spanky's Ribs and Martinis (American Restaurant in Kemang)

I went to Spanky's Ribs & Martinis in the Kemang area. This is a pretty recent Restaurant, opened in early 2013, proposing Western food (mostly American) and elaborated cocktails.

This American Restaurant is located on Jalan Kemang Raya, in the busy Kemang area, and offers a wide variety of Meat ( pork and beef, BBQ style), sandwiches and healthy dishes. I tried the specials of the house "the baby back pork ribs" which was very tender and cooked on a grill, which is great for BBQ ribs. The salad on the side was too light for a 185 000 Rp dish though. Globally, high quality ingredients are used in the kitchen, as for the Chocolate Truffle Cake, a real delight !

The food Menu is quite elaborated, for Jakarta's standards and food can be delivered to your home through the website Foodpanda.

I loved the decoration, full of American black and white pictures and wooden objects. The bar is also impressive along with the cocktail menu.

Opening hours:
Everyday from 11:30 AM to 01:00 AM

Spanky's Jakarta
Telephone: (021) 7182876
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SpankysRibs

Altitude (Gaia, Salt Grill, Enmaru) @ The Plaza

Altitude is a group of 3 restaurants located on the 46th floor of the Plaza tower, one of the most expensive office buildings in Jakarta (also home the the Keraton hotel). 46th floor, yes: Great view of course, but make sure to book in advance and ask for a table near the window (if possible in the angle of the building).

Luckily for my wallet, I only tried one of the three restaurants, Gaia, the Italian. The food was good, but not spectacular for the price: 550k for one appetizer and one main course. The quality of the service and the attention that we got, not only from the waiters but also from the managers, including 3 foreigners, may have been what we are really paying in the restaurant.

One thing felt very wrong: The music was clubbing style and they only had one CD. So we had Gangnam Style and Party Rock Anthem twice each in one evening. That's twice too much.

In Altitude, there is also an Australian Steak House (Salt Grill) and a Japanese (Enmaru) that I haven't tried but visited. Salt Grill Jakarta is actually owned, or partially owned, or managed by Luke Mangan. If you don't know who he is, then you are just like me. Wikipedia will tell you that he is a celebrity chef from Australia, and probably a great business man too.

By visiting Altitude, I could not help but think about how the level (and the prices) of the restaurants have improved in Jakarta. We still don't have a Michelin-starred restaurant, but we are going there in a couple years I'm sure.

Altitude is trying to do that, with imported management, imported food & wine, and imported concepts. Altitude is saying: Jakarta can be just like Singapore or Hong Kong. I like down-to-earth restaurants so for sure Altitude restaurants are not what I prefer, but if what you are looking after is more sophisticated dining venues, then you will be happy in either Gaia, Salt Grill or En Maru.

Overall: Recommended if you have the money and/or if you need to impress a date. You can also try the bar area, (officially Cloud Lounge & Living Room) which was rather crowded during my visit (on a Saturday night), and it had a DJ.

Tips: Dress up and book in advance.

Altitude: Gaia (Italian Restaurant), Salt Grill (Australian Grill Restaurant), En Maru (Japanese Restaurant)

The Plaza, 46th floor
Plaza Indonesia
Jl. M.H. Thamrin
Kav. 28 - 30, Jakarta 10350, Indonesia

Phone number: +62-21 2992 2448

Facebook: The Altitude @ The Plaza

Twitter: Altitude

Website: Altitude Jakarta

Opening Hours:
Sunday to Thursday from 11am to 11pm
Friday from 11am to 12pm
Saturday from 11am to 2am

 

Potato Head Garage (SCBD)

Potato Head Garage is the new branch of Potato Head, opened where the huge one-stop entertainment complex called Bengkel used to stand (Bengkel means Garage by the way). This area has now some of the most popular bars and nightclubs in Jakarta, including Lucy In The Sky and Fable. Probably the hippest location for nightlife in Jakarta as of today (June 2013).

For this reason, the area has become very crowded at night on Fridays and Saturdays, and it should be a stop for anyone who wants to mingle with the upper Jakartan class. For now there aren't too many foreigners as the availability of easy girls is limited... 

Back to Potato Head Garage: It is not my style but at least it is different from any other venues in the city. It is a huge warehouse-style room, with a 20 meter ceiling, many sofas on the side and a massive bar in the middle. The theme is a bit eccentric, with a sort of chapel next to the bar, a huge classical piano, and dozens of chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Should be visited once.

I noticed the crowd is mostly groups of friends, Indonesians and Indo-Chinese, sitting together and hanging out very casually... The atmosphere reminds me of SHY Rooftop in Kemang... It doesn't get too wild, a bit like a warm-up venue. The most interesting area is the main bar, where you have people who came just alone or by two, and they seem more interested to interact with other people. The music is a bit loud also, not proper for talking when you are in a group. I imagine (I hope) it is different during day time.

I didn't eat in Potato Head Garage, only had a cocktail which costed around 10 USD. This is standard for venues like that in Jakarta.

Overall: Recommended for groups of friends. If you are alone or just with another friend, or on a date, I would avoid. Very trendy place today, but my prediction is that it will not last more than 2 years.

Also, the aircon is extremely cold. We were all freezing inside.

Potato Head Garage
SCBD Lot 14
Jl. Jend Sudirman Kav 52-53




Jakarta South

Telephone: +62-21 5797 3330
https://twitter.com/pttgarage
Facebook: Potato Head Garage (from where I took the pictures)

Opening hours:
From monday to sunday: 11 am - 2 am

Moe's Place Restaurant (Kemang)

Moe's Place is an American-style grill joint located in Kemang and opened on September 2011.

We went there on a saturday evening and found the place busy but not full. Clientele was mixed, partly expats and partly Indonesians, mostly families. There is a terrace outside to sit and dine which faces the parking lot and the street and there is also an upstairs room which we did not check-out. Downstairs inside offers enough room for approx. 40 diners.

The atmosphere was relaxed, a tad on the noisy side but still ok, and the staff was friendly and very attentive; there was also a manager of sorts around who kept an eye on everything.

The menu of Moe's place is fortunately quite small; a fact I came to appreciate in restaurants. They specialize in ribs, both pork and beef, hamburgers, steaks and pasta.
We ordered the following: one big garden salad (85.000), one full serving of baby-back-pork ribs (230.000) , one serving of beef ribs (180.000), both meat dishes  with coleslaw on the side. Drinkwise we had two Bintang (25.000 each), one Heineken (29.000) and a small bottle of water.
The good thing was definitely the pork ribs, which were nicely cooked and seasoned and the meat actually fell from the bone. The portion was – sizewise – generous, even for my carnivorous husband.

Unfortunately this is where the good things end: My beef ribs were almost ridiculous; sizewise as well as qualitywise. Those ribs were not what you usually get or would expect whe you order beef ribs. No rib bone with a chunk of soft meat around it (as in the pork ribs or even iga sapi), but slices cut transverse to the bone.  Those slices were very thin, certainly less than a centimeter and very dry and chewy and not even remotely  what I had expected (and what I have been served before numerous times in other places).  I’d say the fraction of this complete dish being actually meat was like 60-80 grams max!

The Marinade, by the way, was the exact same than the one they used for the pork. Big disappointment from Moe's Place!

The coleslaw was anything but tasty. What is supposed to be a very creamy yet crunchy, sweet and sour and slightly tangy affair  was in fact just a handfull of threads of dry raw shredded and absolutely bland cabbage with no carrots and no dressing whatsoever.  I love coleslaw, so this was: Big disappointment number 2!

The fries, which I had ordered as a side dish were ok but the portion was again very tiny (exactly 11 sticks!). So, two slices oft thin, dry and chewy meat, 11 sticks of fries and a spoonfull of raw cabbage set me back  IRD 180.000,- This is almost 15 Euros. Definitely not worth it.

The garden salad we shared as a starter was somehow ambitious (some croutons, some slices of cheese on top) but it also disappointed - apart from looking very tired - with blandness and a serious lack of taste and/or dressing (except for very few spots of something very sweet). So, definitely no salad people here. And sadly no one around to be asked how a coleslaw or a salad dressing is supposed to taste or to be prepared. Shame! Another downside was the fact that the place  (inside) was infested with mosquitoes and we were hardly able to eat undisturbed; other patrons even sported one of those battery-driven fly flaps in an effort to keep their kids mosquitoe-free.

When the bill came there was one item on it which we did neither order nor eat. No big deal,  it was removed right away. Overall we paid slightly less than IDR 700.000 (almost 60 Euros) for one good and one bad meal, a very ordinary salad, three beers, and legions of mosquitoes. Given the qualitiy of the better part of the food we consider this heavily overpriced.

Overall:
Would we go back to Moe's Place? Dunno. If nearby, the husband might go back fort he pork-ribs only, which he liked, or try the hamburgers, which looked good from afar, but considering the overall experience (and my empty stomach even after dinner) it is not very likely.

Opening Hours:

From 11am to 11pm on weekdays

From 11am to midnight on weekends

Moe’s Place, Kemang
Jl. Benda Raya No. 1B Kemang  Selatan
Phone (0)21 7883339

Website: www.moes-ribs.com
Twitter: Moe's Place Kemang

Facebook: Moe's Place Jakarta

Note: This review is a guestpost by Doris. Picture taken on Moe's Place twitter account.

Otel Lobby (Kuningan)

I visited Otel Lobby just before Ramadhan, and was quite disappointed by the place. This lounge/restaurant was opened by a famous Indonesian socialite, Gaby Bakrie, the wife of one of the brothers of Aburizal Bakrie. As such, it is popular with Jakarta's richest.

We ordered 3 burgers (I wish we had tried more dishes but that's all that we wanted...) which were OK but the meat was rare, with blood dripping all over our hands when we were eating. My two carnivore friends had no problems with that, but I thought it was disgusting and could not finish.

The music was loud and terrible: Lady Gaga, Rihanna, David Guetta... The same you would get in X2 or Red Square, even though it was 7pm, in a restaurant supposed to be stylish.

The atmosphere of the place was dull, very un-happening. It was crowded, but the tables are so far from each other that it doesn't feel lively.

Overall: I will not return to Otel Lobby because even though it is expensive and pretentious, it fails to deliver on the basics. Just after our food was finished, we actually moved to nearby Bluegrass to have a drink.

 

Otel Lobby Jakarta

Bakrie Tower Annex Building
Jalan Epicentrum Tengah
South Gate Entrance
Kuningan, South Jakarta

Phone number: +6221-299-41324

Twitter: http://twitter.com/otellobby
Email: dissa@otellobby.com
Website: http://otellobby.com

Opening Hours
Everyday from 11am to 12pm (until 2am on weekends)

Bluegrass Grill & Bar

Bluegrass Bar & Grill is located next to Epicentrum Mall, off Rasuna Said street. A good place to meet other expats, it became popular quite rapidly after opening and it still is. The food is American: Steaks, ribs, burgers, wings, nachos, etc... Nothing very original and it is on the expensive side (similar with other venues like Union, Loewy, etc..). Surprisingly, I realized that there wasn't such a big offer in Jakarta for this type of food for those who expect a stylish design and decent quality. Along with the 24-meter bar, I think this is what explains part of the success of Bluegrass. 

On the minus side, the service could be greatly improved, and in particular the friendliness of staff.

Overall: I recommend a visit once in a while for a casual, after-work eat.

Bluegrass Bar & Grill
Kompleks Rasuna Epicentrum
Jalan HR Rasuna Said

Jl. Epicentrum Tengah
Kuningan, Jakarta Selatan
Phone number: +62-21 2994 1660

Opening Hours:
Everyday from 11am to 2am.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bluegrassjkt

Twitter: Blue Grass Jakarta

Ali Baba Steak & Iga Bakar

Self-proclaimed "the best value steak in Jakarta", Ali Baba is indeed a cheap, but clean restaurant. At the time of my visit, the prices were Rp38,000 for a New-Zealand tenderloin, and Rp75,000 for Australian tenderloin. It should be noted that the NZ steak tasted pretty much the same as a local one. If you want to eat something decent for western standards, you have to choose the Australian beef.

Ali Baba is all new, with some vintage decoration. It doesn't look high class, but it is far better than competitor Abuba Steak in terms of design. Regarding taste, if you choose the imported meat, I think it also tastes similar. But for those who know it, I would rate Suis Butcher in Bandung a bit higher.

Overall: Recommended for lunch or any informal meal, especially if you live/work near Sarinah Mall.

Opening Hours: Every day from 10am to midnight.

Contact details:

Ali Baba Steak & Iga Bakar (Kelapa Gading)

La Piazza, Blok B, Jl. Raya Boulevard Kelapa Gading, Jakarta
Phone number: +62-21 45864950

Ali Baba Steak & Iga Bakar (Menteng)
Jl. KH. Wahid Hasyim No. 112, Jakarta
Phone number: +62-21 3143501/3143469

Note: I tried the one in Menteng

Abuba Steak Restaurants

Abuba Steak sounded to me like Abuja Steak, the capital of Nigeria, so I had a strong feeling against this restaurant before visiting it... Fortunately, it was a great surprise and a place I recommend to everyone, excluding vegetarians.

The outside doesn't look so great and would need some painting. The inside is similar to that of a warung, basic but clean, with some posters of meat ads. You have about 30 tables, and 1/4th of them were taken when I visited. Many people seemed to complain on internet about the smoke of cigarettes, but in the Abuba I visited, in Wahid Hasyim, no smoke at all since there is a private/closed room for smoking. There is also a small musholla for praying in the back... My only concern was that the AC was not functioning very well, so it was a bit hot for eating.

Click on the picture to see the menu

The menu is quite simple: You have four types of meat, depending on the quality: Local, NZ beef, Australian Beef, Wagyu beef. Then you choose which piece of meat you want: Sirloin, Tenderloin, Rib Eye, Lamb Chop, T-Bone, and how you would like it cooked. About 10 minutes later, your meat is ready with some vegetables and french fries (the french fries were not very well cooked).


I tooked the Tenderloin NZ, for Rp 68,000. With the barbeque sauce, it tasted just perfect, and far better than the meat I had for the same prices in some of Jakarta's malls. Do not go for local meat, you will see that it is still far from tasting good. I cannot say Abuba is cheap though, since I paid in Bandung Rp 20,000 less for the same steak (in the Suis Butcher). I believe other places in Jakarta offer similar value for money, starting with nearby Ali Baba Steakhouse.

Practical Information:
Abuba Steak in Tebet
Jalan Tebet Barat No50
In font of Cheese Cake

Abuba Gajah Mada
Jalan Gajah Mada Ruko GM
No 149 a,b,d, right next to Paragon Hotel

Abuba Cipete
Jalan Cipete Raya no 14A
Phone: +62-21 751 2337
Fax: +62-21 769 2785

Abuba Pluit
Jalan Pluit Indah Raya No 168
Phone: +62-21 666 983 81
Fax: +62-21 662 7996

Abuba "Sabang"
Jalan Wahid Hasyim no 120
Phone: +62-21 3193 5655
Fax: +62-21 3192 7016

Abuba Gading Batavia
Jalan Gading Batavia LC 20-21
Phone: +62-21 4585 3412

Abuba Serpong-Tangerang
Jalan Boulevard Raya Ruko 5th Avenue
Phone +62-21 5421 2136
Fax: +62-21 5421 2137

Abuba Bandung
Jalan Pradu Dimuntur No 12
Phone +62-22 423 3290
Fax: +62-22 426 5056

Dallas Roadhouse Bar & Grill

Dallas Roadhouse is a mall-type restaurant serving grilled beef and other types of American food.. Good reputation but how hard is it to grill a steak?

Not really a bar also though it serves alcohol.. It is expensive, as any restaurants in Jakarta serving imported beef, but you have a 3-course dinner set for Rp. 140,000.

Opening Hours:
Weekdays = ( 11.30 - 24.00 )
Weekend = ( 11.30 - 01.00 )
All Day Long Happy Hour


Dallas Roadhouse Bar & Grill
Plaza Arcadia Senayan
Level 1 Unit no X-111& X-112, Jl New Delhi No 9.
Central Jakarta
Phone: +62-21 5790-1433
Fax: +62-21 5790-1441
Email: senayan@dallasroadhouse.com

Website: Grill Restaurant Jakarta (down at the time of writing)
More photos on facebook: American Food in Jakarta

Fatburger (fast food burger chain)

Fatburger is a chain of American fast food restaurants, originally from California, with branches in Plaza Senayan and Plaza Indonesia in Jakarta. I decided to try it because they have an ad saying it was voted "number one burger in L.A. and Las Vegas".

I bought a regular Fatburger with cheese, french fries and coke (Rp64,999), which is very expensive considering I was the simplest of their burgers, with one beef patty only (you can have up to four). Verdict? In my opinion: More tasty than McDonald's, not as good as Burger King.

Overall: Not bad but too pricey. If it is true people in LA and Las Vegas consider it their best burger, I feel sorry for them.

Opening hours:

Everyday, from 10am to 10pm

Locations of Fatburger in Jakarta

Plaza Indonesia 5th Fl.

Unit #E03,04,04A

Jakarta, Indonesia



Tel: +62-21-3107584


Plaza Senayan Food Court 

3th Fl #339 

Jl. 
Asia Afrika No. 8

Phone number: +62-21 5725277

Facebook: Fatburger Indonesia

Website: http://www.fatburger.com
Twitter: @fatburgerindo

JackRabbit Bar and Restaurant

Owned by Andrew Santoso and Dany Setiawan (behind Cork & Screw, Loewy and X2), JackRabbit is a bar and restaurant opened in December 2010 in the Cyber 2 Building. It is targeting rich Indonesians and expatriates with a different atmosphere for lunch and for dinner. During lunch, they serve some fast food dishes (or at least easy to prepare) in a bistro-type atmosphere. At night, JackRabbit is more like a lounge, with louder music and many customers coming only for cocktails. It reminds me of a few existing places in Jakarta, in particular Bibliotheque.

I have tried this place only for lunch and I was very disappointed. I was with three friends, so we had three dishes, and here are our griefs:

- The "steak-frites" (Rp265,000 with tax):
The french fries were not well-cooked and the beef not very tender.

- The Vietnamese-style sandwich (Rp90,000 with tax):
Not bad, but in Cali Deli you can have a similar sandwich for half the price. The potato chips served as an accompanying dish were not crispy.

- The Spaghtetti Arrabiatta (Rp90,000 with tax): Overall taste not great.

Conclusion: I recommend you to avoid Jackrabbit Jakarta for lunch. They serve mediocre food at outrageous prices and I hope they will change something about it soon. So far this restaurant feels like a tourist (or expat) trap.

Concerning the design, it is elegant, but surely not worth paying such a premium on food items.

For the evenings, I know they organize parties/DJ events but I still have to check it. It is probably worth the try and I'll update this review soon with more information. For the schedule, you may want to look at their twitter account: http://twitter.com/JackRabbitJKT or their facebook group or page.

Update July 2011: I went to Jackrabbit on a Wednesday night for a drink and it was much more nicer than during the day. Here is a picture of the bar:

Opening hours:

Sunday to Tuesday: 11am to 01am
Wednesday to Saturday: 11 am to 02am
Happy Hours: 4pm to 8pm

Jackrabbit Jakarta
Cyber 2 Tower
Jl HR Rasuna Said Blok X5 No 13
Telephone: +62-21 2902 1357

Fax: +62-21 2902 1612

Website: http://www.jackrabbitjakarta.com/

Mad Dogs Pub and Bistro (Jakarta Cilandak Commercial Estate)

Oh la la... Cilandak !! This is very far for us... but I’ve heard it’s a friendly place, with good, affordable food, pool table, beer garden and sports on TV. Very functional then, very not-french. A good place to meet expat since it is a very popular hangout place, especially for American, Australian and British older expats.

Check its website here for more details! And its facebook fanpage Mad Dog Jakarta!

Open from 8am to midnight everyday.

Mad Dogs bar and restaurant
Cilandak Commercial Estate. Bldg 305
Jl Raya Cilandak KKO
Jakarta, Indonesia

Phone: +62-21 7890071 or try +62-21 7890072