Turkuaz (Tukish Jakarta Restaurant)
By
Tibs
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To my knowledge, Turkuaz is only the second Turkish restaurant to open in Jakarta. Sesai Zorlu, its owner and chef, worked in the first one, Anatolia, for 10 years. From what I've heard, since he left, the quality of the food in the latter has been deteriorating and it is no longer the great restaurant it used to be. If anyone can confirm it would be appreciated... Turkuaz is quite small, with only about 30 seats available. There are plans to expand by the end of the year, with two private rooms and a lounge upstairs to smoke shisha. When we visited, on a Saturday night, it was full and we had to wait for 10 minutes to get a table.
Léon Restaurant and its speakeasy bar Goldstein are both located in the same building on Jalan Wijaya in South Jakarta (previously occupied by Nine Muses). As of 2017, they are among the trendiest nightlife venues in the capital, attracting the local elite, celebrities, models, etc. One advice if you go: Dress well and be prepared to be surrounded by hoards of beautiful people. One reason it is so popular is because this is where the Anies-Sandiaga team celebrated their victory over Ahok-Djarot in the 2017 Gubernatorial Election. They threw a free-flow alcohol party that was mocked on social media, considering Anies had won the race by playing the devout Muslim card.
I had been to Camden bar in Bandung , but never to their two branches in Jakarta. I corrected this mistake last weekend by visiting both Camden Gandaria and Camden Cikini in one evening. Both bars are very popular, almost any day of the week with a clientele of Indonesians in their early 20s. Cikini's crowd is more upper-class (including a few foreigners - backpackers and interns) while in Gandaria you have mostly young students. Typically, they will buy a beer tower (IDR250,000) and share it at a table with some snacks.
Le Quartier ("The Neighbourhood" in French, pronounced like the jewelry brand "Cartier") is a new French Restaurant, opened in 2013 in Kebayoran Baru, near Senopati. I liked the building facade of the Restaurant as well as the interior design. The decoration is well done and it really gives the feeling you are in a French bistro, with also a few modern touches. The overall impression is that it is an elegant and luxurious place, especially with their beautiful chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
Well, I was supposed to go to Taco Local on Jl Panglima Polim, but it was closed, under renovation. so I decided to go to the restaurant right in front "Holy Gyu". It is a Japanese Grill, but in a more casual way. The place is very small and looks more like a fast-food chain. I went there on a Saturday night and the place was almost full, mostly Indonesian crowd. I really liked the meat I had. Both the meat and the vegetables were tasty This place is for meat lovers, especially people who love Japanese-style meat, with Soy Sauce and vegetables on the side. Considering the high price of meat in Jakarta and in Indonesia in general, this place offers very affordable dishes. For 2 people we only paid 200 000 Rp. Usually, this can be the price of one dish in some Jakarta Restaurants. You also can have some Kobe Beef, which is known to be one of the most delicious beef in the world...
Holy Crab is one of the most happening new restaurants of 2014. It is exactly the kind of concept that works well with Jakartans as it combines food, fun and novelty. For once, it is not in a mall, and its owner, Albert Wijaya, has a background in the kitchen from Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in Los Angeles. He is also the Executive Chef of Holy Crab. As the name suggest, Holy Crab serves various kinds of imported crabs (from Alaska) with a Cajun spicy sauce. It could be a restaurant like much others, but a few things make it rather unique: - Clients are given a plastic apron/bib before eating. You can see everyone wearing it and it sets the atmosphere: Relaxed and fun. - There are no plates, you eat directly off the table (where a paper is set) with your finger - You can refill your soft drinks as much as you want - Limited menu: It is mostly crab with also shrimps, lobsters and clams. - The crabs are huge: We had only 2 legs of the King Crab and it was more th
Tokyo Skipjack is a Japanese-inspired steakhouse located in Kebayoran Baru. It has a fun marketing and it is rather good value for money. Tokyo Skipjack Jl. Bulungan No. 16 Blok M, Jakarta
Beautika is the most reputed Manadonese restaurant in Jakarta, and my second favourite after Ikan Tude . It actually started as a beauty salon (hence the name), which was also serving some specialties from Manado. With time, the food became the main source of revenue for the owner and he finally opened a proper restaurant in 2001. The food, as spicy as spicy can be, is mostly delicious and authentic. 2 problems: I imagine that the fish is frozen and I believe they do not serve pork. For these reasons, it won't save you a trip to Manado if you want to experience the original taste... At last, it is way too expensive. My total bill for two people was Rp350,000, and we only had about 5/6 dishes to share. Overall: I recommend Beautika for anyone who wants to try quality Indonesian food, regardless of the price, in a clean/hygienic setting. The atmosphere is rather functional: Tables and a TV, so I wouldn't advise it for a date or for important dinners.
If you are looking for the best value-for-money steaks in Jakarta (much better than Abuba ), your quest should end in Super Steak. I was introduced to this place by a friend who knew the owner, and I wasn't disappointed. It is friendly and laid-back, just like having a small BBQ in your backyard, and as promised, the steaks are top-quality.