Ilustrasi  

Jl. Ir. H. Djuanda III no. 31-J
Pecenongan
Jakarta Barat
Tel. 380 8262, 380 8263
 
A squat air-conditioned two-story building on the sleepy side of Pecenongan is home to delightfully plump steamed prawns and the city’s best squid in butter gravy (cumi goreng mentega) loaded with sweet soy sauce. Crabs are rendered more conventionally than Pecenongan’s street versions: go for simple seasoning duos such as salt and pepper or salt and chillies. And even if garlic prawns are your thing, you’ll best steer clear from this incarnation — after all these years, it’s still like having prawns with your garlic.

The silken egg tofu in oyster sauce is thoroughly wonderful, though: it comes with soft sheets of lettuce with no garlic in sight — just delicious, clear-tasting combination of soy and oyster sauce. The roasts are not bad either, especially the duck in lemon sauce and the oven-baked salted chicken (ayam open garem; “open” here meaning oven in a typical Indonesian take). For all the brightness and purity of its sauces, you almost invariably feel the MSG after-effects, so consider yourself warned.

Loyalists love this place for its old-fashioned booths, austere in shades of mustard and walnut against faded green upholstery, and the slightly formal but competent service.

Price range: Around Rp 300,000 for 2
Operating hours: 11:30 – 14:00 (lunch);
18:00 – 00:00 (dinner)
Dress code: casual
Atmosphere: simple, clean, efficient
Alcohol: N/A
All major credit cards accepted
Reviewed: August 2007