Arts Café by Raffles Jakarta

Two weekends ago, my friend invited me to dinner at Arts Café by Raffles Jakarta. I never been to this place before so it was fun to check the place out. From the unique décor of Indonesian traditional artworks juxtaposed in the modern space, to the sleek wavy wooden panels framing the dining area, the interior of this restaurant is definitely memorable.

As for the food, we tried their all you can eat buffet which offers different selections of Asian and Western dishes. The dishes of the regular buffet was okay. There are enough variations of the menu items and they are seasoned well. Although if you’re a fan of bolder flavors, you might find the dishes are seasoned more on the lighter side (at least imho), but they’ll make you full without making you feel like your stomach is going to burst (again, imho). The dessert selections are quite varied from cakes, pastries, to Indonesian traditional snacks and sweets and they’re pretty good.

The AYCE also includes the recent additions to the buffet package which are the live cooking stations and show kitchen with menu curated by executive sous-chef Lukman. The menu for these two sections are more unique compared to the regular buffet stations which I think is one of the reason to try this buffet. The menu is still Indonesian inspired but, dare I say, with a twist, drawing inspirations from other culture’s dishes as well.

My favorite dish from the menu was Tuna na niura which is tuna placed inside a crispy nori cylinder with andaliman peppers and calamansi. From the presentation itself, the dish already intrigued me. But what I didn’t expect was the burst of flavors that exploded in my mouth the moment I bit into it. The dish is in a perfect bite size and the taste of tuna combined with the freshness of calamansi and contrasted with the texture of the crispy nori was very well balanced. It was such a pleasant experience, I had to go back and order a second portion. Other runner-up menus that are pretty tasty include Nasi Bebek Ireng, Rendang Tortellini, Sei Sapi En Croute, and Rawon Bakso.

My friend, Winda, who’s a foodie made a reel about the place. Check her video down below:

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Grandma's Recipe • 할머니의 레시피

Grandma's Recipe (할머니의 레시피) is a Korean restaurant that aims to recreate the taste of a mother's cooking in a modern and comfortable cafe-like atmosphere space. According to the website, the home-style restaurant is run by a couple who after returning from their expatriate life, wanted to share the familiar and comfortable taste of their grandmother and mother’s cooking. The menu offered is generally comfort food that Korean people will associate with the meals that they have at home such as beef bone soup, ssambap, bulgogi, spicy pork and grilled fish. Grandma’s Recipe is also included in the 2018 Michelin Guide Seoul.

I visited this restaurant when I was exploring Seongsu (성수동) by myself. Seeing that there’s a waiting list form hanged at the entrance, I assumed that this place must usually be crowded during lunch or dinner time. Luckily, I got there after the lunch rush was over and got seated not long after I arrived. The restaurant feels like a combination of a house and a cafeteria for some reason. Most of the patrons there came with someone and I was the only one who was eating alone. It’s not really a problem, I think, since they have tables for two people available. On top of the regular menu that they have, they also serve daily specials depending on what day of the week it is. On the day that I visited, the daily special was the Spicy Pork Set Menu (제육볶 정식) which I ordered. It came with rice, soup, banchan and fried egg. The meal was good. It’s simple and well seasoned and definitely reminded me of a home-cooked meal.

Note: These pictures were taken before the pandemic.

Update:

In early 2020, Grandma’s Recipe has moved to a new location two blocks away from this location the restaurant was previously located. (See new address below)

 

Grandma's Recipe • 할머니의 레시피

Address: 서울 성동구 서울숲2길 44-12
Telephone: 02-467-5101
Hours: Wednesday - Monday 11:30 - 21:00 | Closed on Tuesdays

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1989 Bistro • 1989 비스트로

My sudden craving for steak was the reason why I had an impromptu dinner at 1989 Bistro (1989 비스트로) during one of my neighborhood explorations in Seoul. There were a couple of other restaurants in the area but its outdoor seating really what sold me. It was a summer evening after all and enjoying the breeze outside was more appealing than spending my time inside an air conditioned restaurant.

I seated myself on one of the outdoor seatings and the friendly staff took my order immediately after. I ordered their Korean Beef Sirloin Steak (한우 스테이크) which came out not too long after. The meat and the vegetables were perfectly cooked and well seasoned and it came with a side of fried rice, which I found interesting because before this, I don’t think I’ve ever had steak with fried rice (even if I have, I can’t remember the last time I had it). Dinner was quiet and delicious and I spent a bit of a time people watching afterwards before I head back home.

Note: These pictures were taken before the pandemic.

 

1989 Bistro • 1989 비스트로

Address: 서울 용산구 회나무로13가길 37 1층
Telephone: 0507-1416-0185
Hours: 12:00 - 21:00 Wednesday - Sunday

Instagram: @1989_bistro

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12 months • 열두달

Eating at 12 months (열두달) is like eating in a mini cafeteria. The hanok restaurant that’s located at Ikseon-dong (익선동) actually housed 6 different brands that have different menus that focus on different things ranging from meat, pasta, vegetables to drinks. It’s actually a great concept for a group of people who might have different cravings but still want to eat together because you can just select from the different concept menus that they have.

The interior of the place is also very homey. Maybe because the original structure of the hanok is kept so I felt like stepping into someone’s house. I also like how they have different sections of seatings, from the middle area that’s lit by the natural lighting from the glass ceiling above to the more private seatings that are divided by shelves and walls.

The first time I went to 12 months (열두달) was when it was just opened. There’s always a line in front of the place on the weekends so I decided to go during odd hours on a weekday to avoid the queue. Sure enough, the place was not too busy when I got there. There were still people eating, but at least I don’t have to wait in line. After looking through their menu, I ended up ordering ROOT’s creamy mushroom pasta and it was delicious. The portion was pretty big, the sauce was the right amount of creamy with earthy flavors and it was topped with generous serving of sliced mushrooms. I’ve been back a couple of times since then with my friends and they all seemed to like the food there. Unfortunately, I think the place just closed recently and has been replaced by another store because I can no longer find it on the map.

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Egg Dang • 에그당

I visited Egg Dang (에그당) when I was exploring Hapjeong (합정) area. When lunch time came around, I passed by this place and took a look at their menu board to find that they actually serve pasta here. So in I went and I found myself in a small restaurant with an open kitchen next to my left and small tables on my right. There were only three tables and bar seatings on the main area of the restaurant, but I later found out that they have more seats at the back.

I look over their menu and decided to order their signature dish, which is the Poached Egg Pasta (수란 파스타) which costs ₩14,900. It is essentially a spicy linguini pasta with Egg Dang’s special cream sauce topped with chives, garlic, red pepper powder, bits of bacon and poached egg. I was actually craving for a creamy pasta so this was perfect for me. The portion was generous, the pasta was well cooked, and it tasted good. The cream sauce wasn’t too overwhelming. Maybe the spiciness from the sauce cut the creaminess of the overall dish, at least that was my guess. And the egg was perfectly poached as the yellow yolk oozed to the pasta after I cut into it, which I appreciate. The bacon bits might be a little bit on the salty side for some people, but I like food on the saltier side so it wasn’t a problem for me.

Overall, I quite enjoy Egg Dang’s Poached Egg Pasta and I probably come back to this place again the next time I have a creamy pasta craving.

Egg Dang • 에그당

Address: 서울시 마포구 서교동 396-4
Telephone: 02-3144-3170
Hours: 11:30 - 21:30 | Closed on Mondays

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