Pasta, bitte! Jakarta (COMO Park) — Restaurant in Jakarta

We came to this place for my wife's bday dinner last night, based on a positive review made by a comedian friend. After dinner, I told him that I just had dinner there. When he asked "Was it good?" I immediately replied "NEIN".

Arriving at 7:30pm, there was one big table in the middle with no food on their table yet, and 3 other couples in different tables. And for some reason there was not much kitchening happening in the open kitchen. So that got me worried. But there was not other "proper" restaurant in Como Park that was open, so we decided to just go for it. Although I was getting suspicious. We were seated indoor, but the AC was too cold for us, especially because we had baby with us then we moved to outdoor seating in the Como corridor.

We asked for the Gamberi All'aglio prawn appetizer, but the waiter said they were sold out. And added (proudly) that all appetizers are sold out. Well, good for you!

So we ordered the Creamy Salmon & Lemon pasta, which was served in quite a long time... It came in a very generous portion with lots of cheese on it. Lots of it. The taste, however, was not special. Not sure what the original recipe or the vision of the taste is supposed to be, but the dish that I had could have just been a cheese pasta with chunks of salmon with dashes of lemon to make it less "machtig" as the Dutch would say. Couldnt enjoy this dish, but it made me full very very quickly.

We also ordered the Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia which is supposed to be "Sicilian black pasta with squid". I have had many squid-ink pasta dishes in the past, and Pasta Bitte's version is truly special... as it tastes like sadness. The dish had small cuts of what's supposed to be squid, but was cut in such small rectangular pieces that I couldnt tell whether that was formerly a sea creature, or whether it was originally a piece of vegetables or fruits. They were just mystery chunks that was somewhat entangled in the black pasta. The sauce was also unrecognizable. Not savory or seafood-y, not tomatoey. Not sure what that taste was.

Since it was my wife's bday, I didnt wanna make a big fuss and question the employees there about how sub-par I think the dishes were.

The waitstaff were also very unattentive, as it was very hard to get their attention as we sat in the outdoor seating.

Note: I usually eat Italian at ROMA in Sequis Tower / Pondok Indah Mall III and also the neighborhood favorite Mike Pizza. Perhaps the owner should take the staff on a "field trip" to those establishments for benchmarking.

But then again, perhaps "German Italian" food is supposed to be bland and sad. Should consider incorporating kebab flavors into the pasta then, just like how kebab is considered local...

"Pasta, bitte!" is a small pasta restaurant, situated in Kemang Barat, near an elementary school.

At first, I am quite confused about the name, since Pasta is an Italian food, but "bitte!" is German for "please!". So, I guess it means "Pasta, please!", with a bit of inconsistency in the language used... But I guess it's for the uniqueness in the brand name. I'll allow it 😄 Or is it because the restaurant is owned by a German? Well, who knows? 🤭

There is no parking spot in sight. You might want to park on the side of the street if you bring your motorbike, or drive a bit more until you find a slightly wider street to park your car on. But still, on the side of the street.

I ordered a "Fettuccini Arrabbiata with King Prawn topping" for the food, and a bottled Green Tea for the drink.

The food is waaayyy too expensive for an Indonesian local like me, but I assume it is affordable for expats that have quite a lot of money or other currencies since their money is worth so much more than Rupiah.

The pasta itself is a bit chewy on the bite and is very fulling. Made me feel stuffed even I haven't went half through yet eating it.

The tomato sauce is okay. Reminds me of the classic "Bolognese Sauce", but without the beef. It is tasty at first, but over time, I am quite tired of eating it. Maybe I'm bored with the taste. Sorry.

And the one that disappoints me for quite a bit is... The prawn topping. I only get ONE shrimp. One. For 35k IDR. Way TOO expensive. At least for me. But it might be crazy cheap for expats or those who have quite a sum of cash. But I still consider it as NOT worth the money.

The drink is alright. It's a factory standard. No comment about it.

Verdict word, even if I enjoyed the food at first, which I HAVE TO, since I have to make the food worth the price I paid for it... I mean, the food is good! But it's too expensive. And I might not be visiting any more, even if I am truly curious of the other dishes this place offers....

Went here on Saturday at noon with a couple of friends. It was kind of a late lunch session so it was not too packed since most of the seated customers were already finished as we arrived. The place was petite as they only have less than 20 seats for dining in with the kitchen placed inside a small squared room. Oh, you can peek at the room to see how your pasta is freshly made from scratch. We parked in Hero within a walking distance of Pasta, bitte!’s kiosk.

The menu is varied with plenty of choices of pasta, sauce, add-ons (protein and such), and dessert, but the limited menu for the drinks as they serve bottled tea that we ordered.

I got the Pasta, bitte!’s signature sauce pasta with mixed ravioli of beef and cheese which I would say was the most preferred menu of my first visit – not because I ordered it tho lol. The taste was unique and its texture was creamy but I believe the cream could be thicker to get a better experience with it. The mushrooms were big chunks, the ravioli was perfectly cooked (the cheese ones melted in my mouth), and it was just almost right. One friend got the Salmon and lemon pasta which I think was ok but a bit sour because of the lemon zests. Also, one other friend ordered the pesto one – the sour notes were weirdly perceived, the taste was too nutty for me, and I expected it would be more garlicky instead.

Price-wise: could be more affordable compared to the portion.

Service-wise: the staffs were very helpful to explain the menu one by one.

Vibe-wise: great experience as I felt like we were eating pasta somewhere in Italy (no? Hahahaha). And there is this little flower shop across it but I didn’t get the chance to look around.

Overall, a fun experience, and willing to revisit to try their...