Pandan Bistro — Restaurant in Jakarta

By looking at the interior, it was a residence.

I have been to the city of Padang and found their locality tasting unique. Pandan Bistro looks like a fusion of Padangnese and Javanese, as the taste is dominantly sweet and rich in flavor.

Scoring time:

Gulai Kepala Ikan (White snapper head in Curry), 10/10. Size of the head is big, but if you order only this menu, it would only fit a max of 2 people. The curry is extra creamy;

Tahu Kipas (filled in tofu) 10/10. Crunchy and tasty when it's mixed with sour chili sauce;

Taoco Kerang Kepa Putih (white clam with fermented soya bean), 8/10. The clam is a bit small. Taste is good;

Udang Sambel Pete (Chili shrimp with stinky bean), 8/10. I was expecting the taste would be similar to Padang version. It is not, as the shrimp is bigger and fresh, and the chili mix has other ingredient. It is still considered good;

Bunga Pepaya (Papaya flower stir fry), which is bitter and again different than common cook, 8/10.

Gulai Daun Singkong (Casava leaf in Curry), 6/10. Below standard with too strong spice mix;

Rendang (caramelized beef curry) is 7/10... too ordinary;

Bakwan Jagung, 6/10. Taste and size worth 3k IDR instead of 12k IDR;

Telur Balado (steamed egg fried with chili) 7/10. Ordinary.

Sambal terasi, you have to pay for it.

Note: phone signal is very low to none. They have a hotspot, but super slow to no connection.

Parking is too few compared to the...

Food in general is good, especially the vegetable. The Daun Singkong in santan is good. Bunga Pepaya is awesome. The eggplant is meh. Genjer is great. Tahu isi is excellent. Cumi goreng is good. Gule kepala ikan is good but the meat is kinda lacking flavor, but easily fixed by dipping it in the gule broth. The Gurame Goreng looks pretty, the taste is very decent but nothing extraordinary about it, although they fry it right so we can eat the crispy fins.

One caution: one of the mbaks who tends the ready-made food is evil! She'd ignore you by pretending being busy with something else and you'll have to wait for her colleague to serve you. When you complain to her, she will quickly snap back at you. Mrs. Evil is the reason why no 5 stars.

Expensive? Not cheap but not expensive either. Will I come back? No if Mrs. Evil still there. I don't trust someone with her temperament being...

From the outside, the restaurant does not actually look presentable. When I was there, the signboard over the front door was actually missing. But then, who would actually bother of what the restaurant looks like when the food they serve is fantastically delicious?

They have pre-cooked dishes typical of the famous Nasi Padang that you would find in Jakarta. I was however made to understand that their dishes are typical of those found in Madano, Northern Sulawesi.

I tucked into only their pre-cooked dishes and found that they were all tasty and delicious. Nothing to be disappointed with their dishes. Would definitely be back for more.

Overall, the restaurant is clean and the staff...