Pyong Yang Restaurant

 

This rare gem is pretty interesting! I've heard about a North Korean Restaurant in Jakarta but didn't actually know exactly where it was. As a matter of fact, when I googled it up it's just a 5 minutes drive from Gandaria City Mall. Upon reaching the restaurant, you'll be greeted by pearl white skin beauties! I was actually fixated looking at the waitresses. They're all native North Koreans, well in fact in fact; the waitresses, along with the cooks, came down here all the way from Pyongyang around four years ago, around the time this restaurant was first opened. They had been students in a hospitality academy in their country, one of them told us.

I wouldn't praise too much about the decor, just pretty much standard but the ladies were an attraction! Beware of language barrier, makes it difficult to communicate or asking questions. The menu had pictures for every title thus making it easier for the local Indonesians to understand.

One of the biggest attractions of Pyong yang Restaurant is the fact that the servers are all stunning North Korean ladies in their traditional custom dress, Hanbok with impeccable service and extremely attentive towards the preparation and serving of the food. I must admit that those ladies are multi talented, wearing their traditional costumes and flocking around the place serving customers. Every Friday and on the weekends at 8 pm sharp there is also a group song performance by the North Korean ladies that makes Pyong Yang surely a astoundingly enjoyable dining experience. 

Menu : Pyongyang Cold Noodle 

Price : Rp 55,000 ++

Score : 5.5 / 10

>> This cold noodle is definitely different from the normal cold soba noodle you had in your favourite Japanese restaurant. Even though I didn't quite like this, my friend loves it! The texture, the flavor and even the viscosity is unique! A distinctive delicacy of the city of Pyongyang is naengmyon (cold buckwheat noodle). Here it was served in rich, icy broth with a smattering of julienned vegetables and boiled egg. It tasted a bit vinegary but the coldness was perfectly refreshing, with its noodles supplying a smooth sensation to the mouth. 

To be honest, I'm more of a ramen girl than a cold buckwheat noodle. It didn't settle too well with my taste buds but definitely do try this when you're here. It's one of the 'must try' dishes.

Menu : Meat Dumpling Soup

Price : Rp 68,000 ++

Score : 6.5 / 10

>> Dumplings! I loove dumplings! Well I had better ones than this but it's a 6.5 pointer from me. It's pretty good actually, the skin was quite thin, the fillings were full and the seasonings were balanced. 

The broth was good, i love the calm warm feeling that I tasted. It wasn't overpowered with spices or anything. Plain good brewed pork soup! Delicious and worth your try!

Menu : Roast Pork

Price : Rp 150,000 ++

Score : 7.5 / 10

>> Yummmmmm !! I likee this and thus you gotta love this too !! Sliced grilled pork with soy sauce poured on top. The meat had a good thickness, thus with the hot sauce, the meat didn't overcooked or get soggy. It maintained the texture and the flavour was definitely gooood.

I wasn't sure what kind of sauce they use, black sauce for sure is used and of course the traditional garlic, onions, pepper. But nothing similar with those dishes I tasted in South Korean restaurants in Indonesia. When you come here, you gotta have this!!

Pyong yang Restaurant

Jl. Gandaria 1 No 58, Kebayoran Baru Jakarta Selatan 

Phone : 021 - 72800889

Fook Yew

Fook Yew !! Yes I said it and I wanna repeat myself again 'Fook Yew!!'...sounds vulgar? Different spelling, same pronunciation but isn't that is one good attention grabbing marketing gimmick ?! Fook Yew is another restaurant created by the Ismaya Group people. Love the concept, it gave a very unique and a rather new type of fusion food. It's a cross between Shanghai and Java I suppose. Besides the very catchy name, I like the interior of the place; red represents the Prosperity color and the every other details that the place offer just builds on it. A solid concept from the menu, to the posters, napkins and even the modernized traditional song they play! Attention to detail is what I'm amazed.

Menu : Shanghai Pan Fried Bun (Chicken & Chili Crab)
Price : Rp 29,000 ++
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> The appearance was drooling for me and the texture of the skin covering the meat inside was thin and crispy at the bottom. Not too dry, not too doughy. Just the right thickness to bit and chew on. The portion of the filling was good too. Not to stingy and each was made in equal size. But the small issue was at the texture of the meat, too soft and thus giving a false feeling of 'uncooked'. But other than that, the seasonings and everything else was delicious!

Menu : Ni Chang Sweet & Sour Crispy Chicken

Price : Rp 52,000 ++
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> The outer layer of crispy texture was perfection to me! Wasn't soggy nor too hard but the crunchiness was almost to good. But with that comes the issue of being the chicken meat was mallet too thinly. FW lovess this and has no issue with the thin chicken meat but I'd love it to be a little bit thicker. Thus instead of the crunchy fried outer layer, I can enjoy the plumpness of the chicken meat. But worth the order? I'd give a green light :)

Menu : Spicy Beef Fried Rice

Price : Rp 45,000 ++
Score : 8.0 / 10

>> Goodness!! I could feel the spiciness kicking dancing around my taste buds and love that sensation. I'm a big fan of chili and glad the chef was daring with the chili seeds! Hahaha...well I can't say too much with the portion, too little for my fat tummy and the fillings of the beef was almost invisible. But I would order this again I think. The seasoning of the dish was just right on my taste buds.

Menu : Deep Fried Beancurd with Uncle Zheng Sauce

Price : Rp 36,000 ++
Score : 8.5 / 10

>> My favourite dish of the day! The texture of the deep fried bean curd was just tooo yummy. It was crispy and still soft on the inside. I wonder what kind of flour they use to coat the bean curd skin. The sauce of the side was very complementing. It has a Vietnamese feel to it, very sweet and sour like. (Very sour actually). I recommend for you guys to dip the bean curd in the bowl of sauce instead of just pouring everything and mixing it together with the bean curd. First you loose the crispiness and then next it becomes too sour. Trust me! However bottom line, a must try menu !

Fook Yew

Gandaria City Mall Ground Floor

Capocaccia

Pacific Place is one mall that I seldom go, maybe once a month or at most twice. And maybe the Indonesian crowd are behaving largely like me (or the other way around) and thus explains the fact that this mall is not as busy as the others around that area. But noticing the amount of new eateries that are popping up there, I might visit there much more often. Just to name a few; Hard Rock Cafe, Potato Head, Goods Dept, upcoming Lafayette department store and of course 'Capocaccia' a new place that I had just went.

Capocaccia's menu features specialties from Italy, to be more specific; Milanese! Just a quick historical background: the first Capocaccia was opened in Monaco in 1995 followed in Florence (1996) and Geneva (2001). In 2008, the Florence chapter came to a close while a new Capocaccia restaurant was opened in Jakarta! Go figure why they chose Jakarta out of all countries, but hey, it's welcomed!

This place is suitable for any occasion, whether to dine out at the restaurant or stop by the bakery. You can treat yourself with home made pastries, have a relaxed business lunch or an informal meeting for coffee near the office.

Menu : Tomato Soup
Price : RP 35,000 ++
Score : 8.0 / 10

>> Whenever I gave a seven or above it's an obvious sign screaming 'Gooooddd Stufffff' and this surely deserve an eight! The consistency is perfect, not too viscous, not to watery. The seasoning hit a home run and pricing is definitely inexpensive for the taste! Garlic bread was well toasted and even though this standard bowl won't fill your tummy, you'll have a big grin across your face upon licking your empty bowl.

Menu : Onorina
Price : RP 75,000 ++
Score : 5.5 / 10

>> This is basically a simple sandwich stuffed with cold cut smoked salmon inside a lightly spread buttery baguette. I like smoke salmon and this sandwich is definitely has a generous fillings of it. But will I order it again? Maybe not. Don't get me wrong, it's tasty but I would prefer the Aglio Olio by a mile. And to think about it, this is suitable for those who wants a light snack as the portion is rather too small as a main course.

Menu : Aglio Olio
Price : Rp 85,000 ++
Score : 9.0 / 10

>> I thought I was in heaven for a two seconds when I had my first bite at this!!! Let's start the review! Portion is good, I was full when I had this, the amount is generous and this comes with a choice of beef, ham or chicken (included with price). Seasoning : picture perfect, the spicy of chili kicks your taste buds, amount of salt and the silkiness of the olive oil which covers the spaghetti swirling inside your mouth is heavenly good! Hear me people! Order this one and the tomato soup and you may ignore the rest of the menu. Do I sound hyperbolic? Try and let your tongue do the talking...

Menu : Alfredo
Price : RP 85,000 ++
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> When you had the Aglio Olio, this definitely wasn't as good. But still good! The amount of portion, the seasoning, the generous fillings of choice beef, ham, chicken are all a thumbs up. But as a whole package, Aglio Olio triumph !! It's a matter of taste actually, to begin with, my favourite pasta is Aglio Olio and not tomato base nor cream base. Alfredo is an obvious tomato base and thus I could be biased. But it's still a seven pointer coming from a stingy marker :)

Menu : Desserts Selection
Top Left : Tiramisu  : Rp 69,000 ++  : Score 5.0 / 10
Top Right : Tartalino  : Rp 49,000 ++  : Score 6.0 / 10
Left : Panna Cotta  : RP 59,000 ++  : Score 8.0 / 10

>> Tiramisu : My least favourite and rather a disappointment. They used whipped cream instead of mascarpone cheese which might explain the consequences it had on my scoring. No rum nor coffee kick. Just plain and boring.

>> Tartalino : The chocolate ganache is alright, the short crust pastry was okay too. But it comes down to the ultimate question, will I order it again? Um...sadly no. For fifty thousand, I'd rather get a double scoop of haagen dasz ice cream.

>> Panna Cotta : This is definitely the best! The panna cotta jiggles to perfection. And the butterscotch sauce at the side oh lalaaaa !!! It makes me go gaga!! Simply goodness in a saucer! I'm not sure how much calories there is in such sauce but it made me forget about my waistline and just indulge. I will order this again for sure !!!!

Capocaccia
Pacific Place, Ground Floor #G - 51 B
Phone : 021 - 5793658

Angus House

Got beef? I had some last week and a real good plate of it! It was FW's 31st birthday and as a celebration, Angus House was opted. We had an early dinner at around 6pm and thus the crowd wasn't busy. Just a couple of tables occupied. Well, the interior of the restaurant wasn't fancy at all. It was rather too plain for a fine dining restaurant. The color scheme were mainly white and black with a rather cheesy pink table cloths spread all over. But hey!! The steak is one of the best I've eaten by far. Worth the every bit of the splurge ^_^

If I may comment about the service, it was clearly that the staffs were well trained. Ask them about the entire menu and they all had memorized it very well. Table manners were a specific thing that they all performed while serving, pouring and even while clearing our plates. Well, you're spending an easy Rp 500,000 a head, thus immaculate manners  make sense. Therefore, I wouldn't complain any bit about the waitress but this way, rather gave a 'cold' feeling towards the customers.

Menu : Entree - set menu
Price : RP 345,000 ++ Set Menu
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> A succulent piece of prawns with a grilled white fish at the bottom. Served with a sauteed water spinach at the side. How does it taste? Love the prawns and the fish !!! The veges, well not so much. It was a plain well sauteed veges. The sauce was complementing too! It has the tangy taste and a hint of sweet chilli with it.

Menu : Mushroom Soup - set menu
Price : RP 345,000 ++ Set Menu
Score : 8.0 / 10

>> Yummmmm, but sadly too small of a portion. I'd love a big bowl of it. This mushroom soup is very creamy and yet doesn't give you that 'sick' feeling that you get after a big bowl of creamy pasta. Maybe it's the small portion, maybe it's the type of cream they use, or maybe it's just me and my tongue. But regardless, a solid 8 pointer from me !

Menu : Salad - set menu
Price : RP 345,000 ++ Set Menu
Score : 6.0 / 10

>> This salad is no question fresh and crisp. But as for the dressing, rather too plain for me. It's not a cream nor a mayo base dressing. It was a vinegar base. FW lovesss balsamic and thus he'll probably gave an eight. But it all comes down to a matter of taste. It was an okay for me.

Menu : Tenderloin 200 gram - set menu
Price : RP 345,000 ++ (Set Menu)
Score : 9.5 / 10

>> I regret of not ordering the 300 grams. This is sooo good. Well, to begin with, my fav part of a cow's is the tenderloin. It has the right amount of fat for my taste and the way the chef cooked it was perfect! I asked for a medium and I got a medium. Do you know how many times other steak chef gets the temperature of a meat wrong??!!! You asked for a medium and a medium well comes out, or worst destroy the meat by cooking a well done! But hey! yummmness is all in this plate. Steak cooked to perfection and would ordered the 300 grams one next time. Worth your money !!

Just to mention a few of other dishes that was ordered ala - carte (not included in the set menu)

Top Left : Abalone & Sea Urchin Pasta
Price : RP 160,000 ++
Score : 8.0 / 10

Top Right : Scallop Salad
Price : RP 110,000 ++
Score : 7.5 / 10

Right : Espanole Soup
Price : RP 50,000 ++
Score : 7.0 / 10

Well, last but not least, happy birhday F !! You're getting bald :p

ANGUS HOUSE 
Senayan City 4th Floor No : 48
Phone : 021 - 7278 1588