Kembang Tandjoeng — Restaurant in Jakarta

Another Halal Indonesian restaurant review!

Invited to a birthday party here, one of not so many small family get together outside our homes during this pandemic era. Never noticed this restaurant despite its strategic location. The Batik Semar building is located on the busy Tomang boulevard, beautifully designed with colonial style architecture.

The ground floor is basically a batik clothing store (Batik Semar), didnt get a chance to check out the batik clothing but they seemed quite premium.

The Kembang Tandjoeng restaurant is located on the upper floor (1st Floor), the birthday party was at a private room that seats 10-12 pax. First impression, the A/C is badly in need for maintenance or even replacement since there is no cool air coming out of it, just regular air 😁 Next to us, through a glass window, we can see the other private room that has a view to the Tomang boulevard. Eventhough the colonial style interior was rather unique and photo-friendly (instagramable), you can tell that the place were not cleaned and maintained properly.

Since today is the eve of Hari Raya Lebaran, they were probably lack of staffs (both on the floor and the kitchen), however the wait staffs were friendly, quite attentive, and most importantly got all of our menu orders correctly.

I did ask about the grass jelly drink I ordered, whether it was a black or green type of grass jelly since there were no picture or description on the menu. The wait staff answered surely that it's the green grass jelly, it came out black. But again, no biggie. Green or Black, I don't mind at all 😉

The host ordered Tahu Berontak (translate to Rebellion Tofu) which is basically a Fried Tofu stuffed with stir fry veggies or well known as Tahu Isi. The texture were great, crunchy batter on the outside and another crunch of the stir fry veggies and you can tell the ingredients are all fresh and good quality. However, this dish is desperately in need of seasonings. And name on the menu "Tahu Berontak" does not live to its expectation since the stuffing were rather little in portion.

The other entree the host ordered is Plecing Kangkung, it was too ordinary that I couldn't be bothered to describe it.

Moving on to the main courses, I personally ordered Nasi Blambangan which is Nasi Gurih, Teri Kentang, Mie Goreng, Tumis Kangkung, Ayam Bakar, Kikil Mercon. Sounds yummy right? Even without photo, I couldn't wait for my dish. But honestly, what came out were rather disappointing.

The Nasi Gurih were just okay. I believe it is something like Nasi Liwet, no coconut milk, lemongrass and bay leaves infused fragrant rice. When it was served, the rice was not warm at all, which is really bad giving an impression that the rice has been exposed for quite some time.

The Teri Kentang were just kentang (potatoes) with no Teri (anchovies).

Mie Goreng is also disappointing, not warm, no toppings or spices. Seemed to me it was just noodle fried with sweet soy sauce.

Tumis Kangkung, I don't even want to talk about it. It was not tumis (stir-fry) at all, it seemed they took blanched kangkung for Plecing and plate it.

Ayam Bakar were just a few tiny slices of sweet soy sauce chicken, and this is suppose to be the main attraction.

The kikil mercon felt like it was krecek not kikil because it was just breaking apart and too soft for kikil. From what I know, kikil is chewy. This was not chewy at all! The mercon (sambal) were okay.

Overall, I wish I ordered something else or eat someplace else 😥

Everyone else on the table commented that their foods were rather bland, we assumed this is due to the fasting month (the chef couldnt taste his/her own cooking).

Based on my personal assumption that today is probably not their best day to perform, I gave it a 3-star rating. Otherwise, it is max a 2-star rating.

If you're coming for the ambience, on the bright side, the dishes served were all edible and clean.

No comment on the pricing, because whether it is cheap or expensive, taste and flavor is non debatable. It should be really good that you're coming...

A suitable place when you need a quiet place for a date or to talk bout things. There is outdoor seating for smokers and those who prefer natural air conditioning. Not much food selection but it is enough. Coconut rice is well prepared, not too oily or dry , spices are well used. The kind of menu they are serving can be easily found in many other indonesian cafe & resto. What makes them different (in my opinion) is that it is less oily (healthier), balanced taste (not too salty or sweet) and it is authentic. Some people might find the portion not generous enough. We have dinner late at almost 9 pm and we can see how the waiters are well trained, very attentive...

Nasi Ayam Ulam Bali Masakan khas Bali, ini cukup mengesankan, Karena ayam nya ini fillet, tanpa tulang dengan saus Asin dan gurih. Nah nasi nya itu yang gurih, jadi bukan nasi putih biasa, melainkan nasi Ulam. Sambal complement nya lengkap, jeruk nipis Dan acar.

Gurame Londo Unik Kan yah namanya, mirip bule gitu, but well actually ini sebenarnya ikan gurame asam manis yang di goreng crispy, dari penampilan mirip ikan goreng terbang yang biasa Ada di restaurant seafood, tapi ini disajikan dengan saus spesial asam manis beserta potongan Nanas yang segar. Menu ini cocok dimakan dengan nasi putih hangat, tekstur ikan nya lembut, fresh Dan tidak bau sama sekali.

Pisang Rai Dessert yang Satu ini lumayan enak, terbuat dari pisang Dan disiram dengan gula aren cair, Ada Campuran olahan singkong, cukup unik sih perpaduan nya. Light dessert after heavy meal, jadi gak terlalu berasa 'bega'.

Milo Lekker Minuman manis ini favorite semua customer, apalagi anak2, terbuat dari Milo yang dicampur dengan susu Dan unik nya Ada kue Lekker yang jadi pemanis. Rasa nya manis, dingin Dan lumayan buat kenyang juga.

Es Cendol Minuman yang biasa dijual as street food, tapi ini dikemas dengan cantik, kombinasi, nangka, Santan, Cendol Dan serutan es, rasa nya manis, gurih dan dingin.

Buat kamu yang kerja kantoran, Kan waktu lunch time lumayan mepet yah, jadi ga Bisa kelayapan ke resto, nih Ada yang spesial buat kamu, namanya 'nabung' alias nasi bungkus, range harganya mulai dari 38 ribu sampai 48 ribu, lauknya Ada telur ceplok bumbu kuning, kering kentang, bakwan goreng, sambal bawang Teri, kerupuk pelangi.

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