El Asador South American Restaurant — Restaurant in Jakarta

I got raw steak (no, not rare, but raw and cold) when ordered medium. Asked the waitress if what I ordered was all you can eat, was told yes and ended up being charged for 4 plates. The owner didn't help matters any and was quite rude. The one time I got decent steak (I was hungry too) it was just okay, definitely not worth the price. Not bad food if they can fix the service and learn to cook meat properly.

UPDATE: Went there again to try... The sharing platter is clearly still listed under the all you can eat page. I was ready this time and asked if the sharing platter was AYCE. I asked why it was on the page for all you can eat ... Anyway.

This time I got the sharing plate for 1 for 395k. It had picanha (rump with far cap), asado (rib eye), chicken, flank, and chorizo. The seasoning was a little uneven as some pieces had none, and some were a little salty. But overall it was a pleasant experience. Mostly tender meat except for the eye meat of the rib eye. Oh and I ordered medium rare.

After I finished the initial plate, I requested for additional picanha and asado. The picanha was great as before. Nice and juicy and tender. The asado was also just as before. Tough eye on the rib eye. Also, the ribeye was underdone even for medium rare. I didn't complain as I know what country I'm in and what good complaining would do. And I'm not squeamish about eating rare steak.

Over all it was a better experience. Was it worth 395k? Yeah for how much I ate, it was. But for the taste and flavor, you could have better for 395k but of course you'll only get a piece of steak rather than a platter. I upgraded from 2...

Every time we visit El Asador, a South American-style restaurant in Kemang, my husband never fails to order their signature meat platter for us to share and this visit was no exception.

This time, he went with the ½ kg meat platter, which included a selection of: one sirloin steak, one blade cut steak, one sausage (halved), two grilled chicken thighs, a corn cob (also halved), and a side of sautéed carrots and long beans. All the meats were pre-grilled by the chef and served on a tabletop food warmer (best to order Medium Rare as they will continue to cook slowly). For the sauce, we opted for their signature Chimichurri El Asador, a zesty mix of parsley, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. We will try other sauces too next time. To end the meal, we ordered Mabel’s Waffle for dessert that was topped with peaches, almonds, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

A quick note about logistics: the restaurant is located in Kemang Point building, which unfortunately has a very limited parking area. We had to pay Rp10,000 to a street attendant (likely an unofficial fee), which we hope the building management will soon address by providing a proper parking system. Also, given how popular El Asador can get, it’s best to make a reservation via WhatsApp or phone call ahead...

Went there on a Saturday night. Service was good throughout our time there, attentive and quick. We ordered mixed starters to share and different main dishes. The starters came before the main dish, that was as already a plus, and everything we ordered actually came. The starters were from decent to good, a bit tasteless but overall ok. Main dish we ordered different cuts of meat. The picanha was pretty much terrible, as chewy as it gets, burnt, no flavor, and as far from medium as it can be. I was seriously questioning if it was even picanha at all. The sausages were also quite boring, little flavor and just barely cooked, a little black on the outside. The only piece that was ok was the tenderloin. Juicy, flavorful and cooked to the individual liking. The side dishes were good. They have a good selection of beers, and also a nice variety of wines.

Overall a mixed bag, some yay some nay. Still, probably won’t go back since the main reason to go to an Argentine place is the meat, which was way subpar.

Edit: I just read the other reviews and I am seriously baffled. Maybe we just had back luck. But the one reason not to go back would...