Yo' Panino

So here is a story ... a big pig and a somewhat smaller pig was caught in a dilemma. Two of them had lunch around 2 hours ago and it's still 3 hours to dinner time. Both trying to loose weight, both even skip on dessert after lunch meal, they also managed to not have rice during lunch! But as mentioned, they're pigs! So both of those pigs did what they do best, snack up and eat. Well, that smaller pig is me :p hahaha. We're waiting for dinner time in Plaza Indonesia and after much contemplation, we gave up to ourselves and surrender to Yo' Panino! I must be honest, it was one of the most satisfying sandwich ever !! Felt guilty but who cares ... diet starts tomorrow... or never ... hahahaha ! 

 

So the concept here pretty much simple. You choose on the filling and then craft your own sandwich. There is 21 types to choose from and divided into 4 pricing. Rp 35.000, Rp 43.000, Rp 53.000, Rp 63.000 ++. After deciding your kind of sandwich, you choose your type of bread. A selection of 4 ; Multigrain, Turkish Pide, Brioche, Framhouse White. Next station would be on the extra fillings (extra cost), you can have more chicken, or beef, additional bacon bits or egg and cheese. Then, you may go crazy on the unlimited veggies and toppings. The selection of veggies and toppings is massive and thus be smart when constructing your masterpiece. Don't try to have everything, too much may turn out to be a disaster. And to finish off, choose your sauces! Upon that, go take a sit while they stuff everything in and toast your sandwich to perfection. In around 10 minutes, they'll be serving it to you.

Note : They have vegetarian selection.

BBQ Chicken Club : Rp 53.000 ++ (Score : 8.5 / 10)

 >> As mentioned above, I wasn't experiencing great hunger and thus I was in my choosy and picky mode on food. Anyways, I had the BBQ Chicken Club, which originally consist of hickory smoked chicken, turkey bacon, Monterrey cheese and their very own Yo' Barbie-O sauce (which I'm sure is BBQ sauce).  I opt for the Turkish Pide, had no extra fillings. Then I choose paprika, lettuce, cucumber and onions for the veggies. I had extra spicy sauce slabbed in between too. Nothing too hot about the sauce, everything just seemed right.

It was DELICIOUS !! I didn't expect it to be good at all and honestly this is what people mean by 'do not judge a book by it's cover'. The place has simple decor, the seating area wasn't great either, in fact they're situated below escalator (superstitious Chinese people thinks it's bad luck, because people are trampling over you). But hey, the taste buds never lie. I will definitely be a regular. The pricing was reasonable, the service was pleasant, the ingredients were fresh and the end product was certainly yummy !!

Yo' Panino

Plaza Indonesia Extension, 4th Floor (Replacing Dante Coffee)

Phone : +62 21 2992 4019

Spanky's Ribs

A friend recommended this 'Ribs' restaurant, saying it's better than all those Outback, Planet Hollywood, Hard Rock Cafe and even Tony Roma's ribs !! And of course being a food enthusiast myself, I wanted to taste it for myself. Spanky's Ribs is situated in the Kemang area, Jakarta Selatan. Not too difficult to locate, it's around 200 meters after Mc'Donald. Hence, just keep on staring onto your right after you drove past Mc'Donald. It's in fact the new tenant of 'Nu China' if you're familiar with the area. Nevertheless, the restaurant was rather quite, only a few tables were occupied (bearing in mind it was 8pm on a Saturday night), but then again, it was raining so I guess couldn't judge too much from the crowd. Ambiance was alright, it was decent although it gave a feeling of a 'diner' instead of a steak or ribs' house. I'm not going to judge too much on the decor but instead 'yap' away on the food ......

Menu : Pile 'O' Onion Rings
Price : Rp 49,000 ++
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> What can ever go wrong with fried onion rings? Almost nothing right. But to make it spectacularly good...hmmm that's another story. The one served here was alright, a 6.5 over 10 from me. The onions were crispy all good and the additional home made 'sambal mayonnaise' was a great combination. The way it was served was similar to the one in Tony Roma's too. Piled on top another with all the wonderful bits of burnt parts distributed over. Well, a good starter but didn't blew me away.

Menu : Baby Back Pork Ribs
Price : Rp 315,000 ++ (Full Slab)
Score : 8.5 / 10

>> I sort of get it why my friend highly recommended this place. The pork ribs itself was a perfection! Very very succulent, the meat just slides off the bone. It didn't need too much effort in biting off the meat from the rib bone. On top of that, they managed to keep all the juices intact inside the baby back ribs. 

Whether it is better than Tony Romas? Hmm..I would say on the same caliber! But what was special about it was more on the sauces. We're given 2 choices of sauces that is served aside; Tangy Mango Chili, Spicy Alabama & Indonesian BBQ. The best one was the Tangy Mango Chili and that simple sauce might help hit the home run for this menu!

Menu : Chicken Wings
Price : Rp 45,000 ++
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> For this menu, there is a choice of 'spicy buffalo' or 'honey bbq' and served with blue cheese on the side. We opted for the 'spicy buffalo' and another tasty dish. A 6.5 over 10 for me is like saying 'Well done, but a lot of other people can do just as good. Room of improvement!' hahahaha. The chicken wings were cooked well, crispy and moist on the inside. The spicy sauce were glazed evenly and the blue cheese were a good combination. Who thought of blue cheese with fried chicken right !!?? But again as I said, needed that extra kick somewhere.

Menu : Pulled Pork Quesadilla
Price : Rp 65,000 ++
Score : 7.5 / 10

>> Hmmm yumm! I love quesadilla and I mean who don't?? Warm, thin, crispy pita bread with pulled smoked pork in between. Have a good dollop of salsa and guacamole on top and pop it into your mouth. Hmmm...yumm!! The pita bread was well done and the guacamole was heavenly. It was obviously freshly made in the kitchen and couldn't stop asking for more. The salsa was alright, fresh but rather mediocre. And they could definitely improved more with the amount of fillings inside. The delicious taste of the guacamole overthrow the taste of the meat. But overall it is still a good dish for my taste.

Menu : Key Lime Pie
Price : Rp 42,000 ++
Score : 9.0 / 10

>> I was full as hell but was sooooo glad that I decided on the dessert. This is the best key lime pie I had ever taste in Indonesia. The sourness of the lime and the combination of the cream cheese with the perfect amount of sugar was heavenly! Well, I must say if you're not a fan of sour food then don't go for this one, have a chocolate cake instead but if you like it then, you'll love this! I finished every bit of the slice and licked my fork glistening clean. That was how good it was. Delish dessert !! Bravo !

Spanky's Ribs
Jl. Kemang Raya No 24 A, Jakarta Selatan 12730
Phone : 021 - 7182876

Hawaiian Bistro

A girl friend and her husband made so much noise saying that this restaurant called 'Hawaiian Bistro' situated along Ikkousha Ramen in Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK) was delicious and that I got to make time for it. To be honest, I noticed this place many times as I'm used to hanging out in PIK area, and will definitely notice any new eatery or restaurant there. I saw Hawaiian but wasn't attracted to come by and try their food. I must be honest that their decor was in line with the "Hawaii" theme but wasn't welcoming nor cozy at all. What about the food then? Is it as good? Did my friend's taste buds got screwed up or is the food really is good? Read this review and visit them yourself to get your own verdict.

I've never been to Hawaii, thus I'm not sure what restaurants in there look like. While here, the owners really made an effort and try to give an authentic feel. There are 2 sitting area, smoking and non - smoking. The non - smoking area has a dim dark feel, with big 'Aloha' murals on the wall. I personally prefer the smoking area (even though I'm not a smoker) due to several facts. It's a closed outdoor seating, meaning well air conditioned and thus solve the issue of being 'sticky'.

Menu : Bistro Bento
Price : Rp 72,000 ++
Score : 8.0 / 10

>> Well it's an eight which equates to yummy ! This is the menu to order for all first timer here in 'Hawaiian Bistro'. There's so much things in here that goes so well together; spam, special battered fried chicken, bbq beef, short ribs, battered fried fish with pineapple dressed salad on the side, served on top of white rice. It's a big portion and you don't have to worry of not being full. I love the beef ribs and the battered chicken. It's something in the sauce and the formulation of the batter. Bottomline, this is a go !

Menu : Spam Rice Sushi

Price : Rp 24,000 ++

Score : 7.0 / 10

>> A very very simple dish. Rice at the bottom, with a piece of long rectangular spam place on top. Smeared with a good brush of 'special bbq' home made sauce (which is the star of the dish) and then wrapped in a sheet of crispy seaweed. Healthy and a good snack before you hit the gym maybe? But being a glutton that I am, I had this after I ate my 'Bistro Bento' above. Hahahahaha, this was yummy. But I recommend you to eat this before any big meals because if it is after, your tummy might not have enough room and that could definitely affect your palate.

Menu : Ahi Poke

Price : Rp 32,000 ++
Score : 8.0 / 10

>> Likeeee this ! Bite size sashimi tuna marinated in their own special soy sauce. Definitely a neon green light for sushi lovers ! The tuna was at room temperature when it came to the table and I liked the portion for a Rp 32,000 per plate. Besides the pricing, I lovveee their sauce! They call it their 'special soy sauce' which includes a good kick of garlic, onions, chives, sesame, pine nuts, macadamia nuts, hint of lemon juice and of course soy sauce. I'm a big fan of garlic but if you're not then this might annoys you a bit.

I'd eat this anytime of the day and night, not only it's super low in carb and healthy, it's super yummy and rather cheap I supposed. This is a must order dish for all readers intending to come !

Menu : Low Carb

Price : Rp 70,000 ++

Score : 7.0 / 10

>> Well this is for those going on a Atkin's diet. This menu has low carb (just like the title of the dish) and high in protein. It includes BBQ beef, chicken, short ribs and 2 eggs any style. NO RICE for the health nut; a low carb diet ! You can find all the dish here in 'Bistro Bento' but you get more meat in this dish instead. But overall, would still recommend you to try the 'Bistro Bento' first, due to the variety of other component on the plate. Then maybe on the subsequent trips, you may opt for this instead. ** Bistro Bento is yummy but makes you gain weight too fast too easily hahahaha **

Overall, I'd like to come back and having dinner here again, the portion is good and the pricing are reasonable too! Not so much of a 'hang out' place but definitely a good casual weekday dining place to go to!

Hawaiian Bistro
Pantai Indah Kapuk Rukan Garden House A25
(A few ruko to the left of Ikkousha Ramen PIK)
Phone : 021 - 29033185