Basque Spanish Restaurant and Tapas Bar (Jakarta)
By
Tibs
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Basque is one of the most happening new restaurants/bars to open so far this year in Jakarta. It is a Spanish restaurant / Tapas bar with a great design, good food and a trendy feel. Currently, I see that more and more expats are hanging out there instead of Loewy. It is a good pick-up place for girls also. The location on the 8th floor of Noble House offers a nice view on the surrounding buildings of Mega Kuningan. The food is not so expensive, you can get a decent meal for less than Rp200,000. It is open every day for lunch and dinner. After 11pm, they generally turn up the volume and it turns into a bar. The music is a mix of popular songs from the past 20 years. Basque Bar de Tapas - Spanish Restaurant 8th Floor, Noble House Building, Mega Kuningan, South Jakarta 12950 Phone number: +62 (0) 21 2978 3111-12 Website: http://basquejkt.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BasqueJakarta Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/basquejkt/
Plan B is among the best Spanish restaurants in Jakarta . One of the reasons for that is the involvement of the 2 Spanish owners, in the kitchen and in the restaurant. They give a homey feeling to their place by welcoming guests and making sure everything is fine with their dining experience. The staff is also fast and friendly. I tried small dishes and appetizers only, which are not representative of their cuisine. I should still make a new visit to sample more items on the menu. What I had was quite simple and small but good (Greek Salad at 34,000rp++ and Salmon Carpaccio at 45,000rp++). It is not fine dining, rather home-style cooking at a reasonable price.
In just a few years, the number of Mexican/Spanish/Latin restaurants in Jakarta has exploded. 5 years ago, to my knowledge there was only Amigos, and now I counted over 10 of them. I know it doesn't really make sense to mix Mexican and Spanish food into one single review as they are not related at all but I think they are part of a similar trend. Jakartans are craving for convivial ways to eat: Restaurants that are modern without being uptight and where the food can be shared with friends. Latin countries also have a positive image in the mind of many. Tell them Spain, and they think Party, Sexy, Friendly or Fun (and probably Soccer). Most of those new Spanish/Mexican restaurants are located in the expatriate areas of Jakarta: Kemang, Cipete, Sudirman/Thamrin. Only Caliente (Mexican) has a branch in Pantai Indah Kapuk and Tapas Movida has one in Cilandak (CITOS). I ranked the restaurants according to several criteria: Food, authenticity, value for money, atmosphere, co