Food Monster Escape: The Garden, Pantai Indah Kapuk
Hi, Dreamers! I'm so excited to share about this insta-worthy restaurant with delicious food called The Garden at Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK), Jakarta Utara. I can say that most of restaurants/ cafes around PIK have pretty exterior and interior designs, but not all of them offer nice food too. One of the reason I write this post is because The Garden is not only selling ambience, but also gives a high quality taste for us.
Live up to its name, The Garden offers garden-like interior, with lots of plants, flowers, even flamingos. It has great lighting for taking photos, especially when you come at noon. We were actually too late when we went there, it's already around 6 so the place was already full and we have to be on waiting list. It has different vibe at night, romantic I can say. When I entered, I was amazed by how serious they pull off this concept. It's all out-- not half hearted, lol.
So, here are some tips I can give after my visit:
★ Find your perfect timing. Visit at noon if you want to take a lot of nice photos. It has natural (and great) lighting, but still you won't feel hot because the air conditioner is really strong. I'm not saying this place is bad to visit at night tho, it's just the lighting is not the best for taking photos, especially when it's getting late, they turn off the lights for live show-- that's why I couldn't take photos at all even though every corners at this restaurant is instagrammable. I think visiting at noon also less crowded than the night. So, you can find your own timing to visit, both has its own charms. Oh, maybe you can get both experience by visiting it around 5 pm ;))
★ Wear the perfect outfit. Well, of course to take a nice photo, huh? lol. Not merely for that reason tho :)) It's pretty cold here, so if you're not really good with coldness, better bring an outerwear or wear warmer clothes.
I think you can't complain about the interior, but how about the food? I'm gonna give some review about the food we ate here. It's including meal, drinks, and dessert.
Bad'Ass Fried Rice (IDR 90k)
This Bad'Ass Fried Rice is listed as their favorite dish. I was kinda craving for fried rice hence I ordered this menu. It's spicy fried rice with grilled wagyu and onsen egg. The portion is not too big nor small, it's perfect for me actually. The fried rice was spicy and rich of flavors, I think the seasoning is just right. It goes perfectly with the soft, savory, and sweet grilled wagyu. The onsen egg was not onsen enough tho, just like regular egg.
Sunshine Caramelized Pork (IDR 100k)
Oh my, this is the winner! Sunshine Caramelized Pork is crispy pork topped with Thai salad and sweet sauce (not the literal caramel sauce). My friend was the one who ordered this and I tried one of the crispy pork and it tasted heavenly, lol. The crispiness and sweet flavor is just perfect T.T The salad itself makes this dish taste so fresh. I will just order this on my next visit!
Salted Choco Fondant (IDR 75k)
We are all always have extra space for dessert, right? Kinda confused what to order at first, but we finally decided to order Salted Choco Fondant, contains of dark melted valrhona, caramel miso, coconut crumble, kinako, black tuile with matcha ice cream. It's nice combination of sweet and salty flavor, neutralized by the matcha ice cream (imo). It's kinda pricey for dessert, but it's worth it after all.
Overall, it's a nice place to hang out with your friends, family, or even to have a date. It offers both great ambience and delicious food, so I think I will visit it again in the future. For price wise it's kinda expensive but I actually didn't really mind paid that price for what I got. Last but not least, the service was good too :)
