Planta Kitchen by Peresthu — Restaurant in Jakarta

If you have frequented the diners helmed by the illustrious chef Andrea Peresthu, then you’d probably know that the list of cuisines under Javanegra Gourmet Atelier read like a storytelling of the chef’s culinary expedition around Europe and his love for home-cooked Palembangnese and Manadonese cuisine. In Planta, patrons get the best of both worlds: the quintessential Mediterranean fares and selections of Indonesian speciality dishes that exhibit chef Andrea’s native pride.

This tropical concept is encapsulated at Planta’s home in Sudirman, where the warm lighting and dominating wooden fixtures are evocative of their sibling, Daun Muda. The affable setting—lifted by indoor plants pervading the premise—even befits a casual session over good food rather than a quick lunch spot for the white collars before hustle hours resume.

The delish offerings come aplenty from the two cuisines at Planta. From the Mediterranean, start light with the house’s favourite appetiser: Aguacate Y Tomate, a party of vegetables, avocado and grilled cherry tomatoes on top of toasted baguettes. Their Mediterranean paellas, such as the Paella del Mar, remain a must-have among the regulars; served on a large pan, the course boasts a mesh of Valenciana yellow rice and seafood like shrimp, calamari and clams.

For the Indonesian mains, revel on the establishment’s take on “Tropical Nusantara” servings, namely their Cingur Cabe Hijau that is a sautéed wagyu soaked in green chilli and leunca, or Duck DigDug (whose name can be a conversation-starter), a slow-cooked Peking duck simmered in their homestyle soja blend for twelve hours straight and served with a combo of lawar (Balinese vegetable dish) and sambal.

Once done with your round of meals, wash it down with their selections of beverages that range from caffeine to cocktails and wine. Recommended by the bartenders are their Planta Smooth Colada mocktail; a non-alcoholic version of the colada, or The Lunox Gear (a mix of whiskey, amaretto, hazelnut syrup and umami tea). Certainly, nothing beats a bona fide dining of two cuisines to round off one’s day on...

This restaurant is in the Astra building and it is quite fancy restaurant. With a minimalist industrial interior, highlighting the bar decoration with bottles of wine. For the menu, there is a western and also an Indonesian food menu. They also have aged steaks menu which are quite expensive. I ordered creamy pasta with champignone and truffle sauce. The portion is normal. The taste is also quite good, the truffle oil is quite pronounced. But there is no animal protein in this food. My Husband ordered spaghetti bolognese. There is a slight smoky aroma in the sauce. I also tried the chicken fried rice. The portion is quite big and the taste is delicious. There is a scent of kecombrang in the fried rice. I also tried gambas al pil pil. The prawns are small, but cooked well. For bavareges I tasted standard ice lychee tea . But the lemon tea tends to be sour. Luckily, add extra sugar if it tastes very sour. I ordered hot chocolate too, but it's so sweet. Very very swet. The service is also standard, nothing too special. Maybe the service could be improved considering that there is also a...

The first time I went to Planta and ordered the 1.5kg steak florentine, it was excellent. Lean and without fat.

Tonite I went again and it was totally different! The waitress showed us the steak florentine, weighed it and we said ok. There was no fat that I could see. It was 1.5kg. However when the steak florentine was grilled and brought out, it suddenly had about 1-1.5cm of fat on it! It looked entirely different from what was brought out earlier. It was totally different from what I had nine days ago! Tonite was the fattest steak florentine I ever had, including those I has before in Rome and Florentine, Italy. Needless to say, it was a huge disappointment!

Look carefully at the steak in the aging refrigerator, when it is being weighed and the final product. Highly recommended to take a photo when they weigh it in...