E&O Jakarta (Restaurant, Bar)

E&O (Eastern and Oriental) is a trendy, upmarket restaurant, bar and lounge located in Mega Kuningan, not far from its main competitor in the area, Loewy (which has the same owner actually, also behind Union).

The kitchen is headed by Chef Will Meyrick, behind the famous restaurants Mamasan and Sarong in Bali. The cuisine in E&O is actually similar with that of Mamasan: Western dishes with a twist of Asia (or the contrary).

The menu is long and full and discoveries. We had lunch or dinner there quite a few times and the food can be hit-and-miss as some of the food combinations can be audacious.

Overall: If you want to discover original unique cuisine in a refined restaurant, with an upmarket crowd and atmosphere, E&O is your place.

Opening hours:
Everyday from 11am to 2am.

E&O Jakarta

Menara Rajawali, Ground Floor, Jalan Anak Agung Gede Agung

Mega Kuningan, South Jakarta
Phone number: +62-21 576 1645

Email: reservations@eandojakarta.com or info@eandojakarta.com

Website: EO Jakarta
Twitter: https://twitter.com/eandojakarta
Facebook: E&O Mega Kuningan
Instagram: E&O Will Meyrick

MAD Jakarta (Modern Asian Diner)

  

I visited MAD Jakarta (Modern Asian Diner) in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday. It was not very crowded, as one could expect at this time of the day.

MAD is currently buzzing among Jakartans, mainly thanks to the good Public Relation and Marketing team behind it. As the owner comes from Singapore (where the first MAD was opened), there is always a feeling among Indonesians that it will be modern and innovative.

My first impression was good: MAD is big, probably able to accommodate over 150 people. They have a long open kitchen, a bar area and a good view over the Jakarta skyline.

The menu is attractive as well. It combines various types of Asian and Western cuisine. After a second look though, I noticed that the wording of the menu was more creative than the dishes in itself.

I went for an expensive dish, thinking it would be a great culinary journey: The Pan Seared Sea Bream & Mushroom Barley Risotto (148,000rp++). In non marketing words, it is a Risotto with Mushroom Sauce and Fish. Not that incredible actually and not that creative.

Pan-Seared Sea Bream & Mushroom Barley Risotto

The dish arrived in a medium-sized portion. Nothing too special in the presentation. The taste was rather bland. No flavors were standing out. I have eaten dozens of better risottos in my life and I don't really undertand how this dish represents Modern Asian Cuisine.

There was nothing wrong with the food from MAD, but for the price, I know I can enjoy much superior dishes in some of Jakarta's best restaurants (La Luce, Amuz, Garçon, etc...). The whole marketing of MAD about their food seemed to me a bit empty after trying it.

Overall: My main complaint is that the price I paid do not match the quality of the food I ate. I am sure that some dishes on the menu taste better and I would like to give MAD a second chance in the future. It is still a step up compared to many competitors and the atmosphere of the place alone is worth having a look.

MAD restaurant Jakarta
Lotte Shopping Avenue 4th floor

Ciputra World 1 Jalan Prof Satrio

Jakarta, Indonesia 12940

Phone number: +62-21 2988 9499

Email Corporate Group: mad@tunglok.com
Email: info@modernasiandiner.co.id

Twitter: MAD Jakarta
Facebook: MAD Singapore

Facebook: MAD Jakarta
Website: http://www.modernasiandiner.com/

Website for the corporate group: http://www.tunglok.com

Opening Hours:
From Monday to Thursday from 11am to 10.30pm
From Friday to Sunday from 10.30am to 11pm

Safehouse Bar and Restaurant Jakarta (Bellagio)

In just about a few weeks, I received 3 emails from readers recommending me to try Safehouse in Bellagio Mansion in Mega Kuningan.

As I am a docile blogger, I went there last Friday with a friend. It is located where Piccolo used to be, and it is a mixed concept: Restaurant, Bar, Club, Store.

It was opened by the designer and make of the sneaker brand "SomeAreThieves" (which is why the place is called Safehouse). The idea behind the restaurant was to promote the brand by attracting the trendy crowd of Jakarta.

They hired Tomasso Gonfiantini, the Chef who opened the first Trattoria in Jakarta (before it changed its name to Pepenero). He actually came to see us, which was nice, and recommended us one of his sandwiches, which according to him are the Signature food of Jailhouse.

My sandwich was the "Gourmand" (95,000rp++) and it had Brie and Pesto inside a crispy, fresh baguette from Paul Patisserie. It was up to par for Jakarta, but nothing too special if we compare with baguette sandwiches available in France (sorry for being snob, but it is true). The fact that the baguette was from Paul helped the sandwich a lot.
The burger "Handcut Angus" (80,000rp++) was also good, as one could expect for the price.

We had a few cocktails which were rather expensive for Jakarta (135,000rp ++ for a Caipirinha). BUT the barman had a very heavy hand and he even added more cachaça when I asked him to. So, in the end, it was good value for money as only a couple of them made us cheerful...

The DJ started to play around 11pm and it was up-to-date electronic music, the kind you rarely hear in Jakarta. The bar was crowded at that time, especially with what seemed to be a gay crowd (maybe 30%). The rest was made of young expatriates and hip looking Indonesians. I felt that many people knew each other already.

Overall, a nice addition to Jakarta nightlife, which will probably get more and more busy with time.

Safehouse Bar, Restaurant and Store
Lobby Level, Bellagio Mansion
Jalan Lingkar Mega Kuningan, Jakarta
Phone : +62-21 3005 0510

Facebook : the SAFEHOUSE
Twitter: Safe House Jakarta
SomeAreThieves: www.somearethieves.com

Pictures were taken from the Safe House facebook as I didn't have my camera with me that day.