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

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