Txoko Jakarta — Restaurant in Jakarta

Summary: Great hospitality (lots of complementary! Rather quick service too and the chef loves to ask around and see whether the guests enjoyed their time) mixed well with great food. I think you can skip the dessert and try on more on their appetizers and main course selections

Txoko is probably the best place for Spanish food in Jakarta. Breakdown of the review:

Service 5/5: Great service. It was always quick in all times I visited them (if it will take long time, they'll inform you in advance) the food always came out hot and as we requested and all the staffs are very warm too. We received plenty of extras, from as simple as bread & butter basket to mini chocolate box and even additional slices of the meals we ordered to ensure that each of us can try the food in full (ordered their stuffed green pepper, it usually came in two slices but they add one more as we were party of 3)

Food 4/5: Paella is a must-try and basically a litmus test everytime you tried out Spanish establishment. The paella here tasted only decent when it came out first, not better vs Nidc**lo's. It's fresh, portion is decent but others might find it underwhelming as it came in this huge pan but it's not loaded, and the topping is rather generous. But when you start mixing the creme fraiche (it was cream in texture but I forgot exactly what it was) and the lemon zest and the chili pepper, boom, it surpassed them and easily ranked #1 for paella in town. So the tip is to try to adjust it to your likings because they sort of provided you with neutral canvas. Their tapas and pintxos are a must try and do order what you will like. I personally enjoyed the stuffed green pepper and croquetas, the omelette is big but it's something you can sort of replicate if you've cooked in the kitchen for some times so you won't be too impressed by it to be honest. Beef Cachopo is probably the best buy, it's basically a beef katsu situation with fried eggs and fries and the portion is just huge, and it tasted decent too so I think this is a win on its own. I also have tried virtually almost all of their dessert, I think it's quite standard but the highlight is the honey ice cream that accompanied the cheesecake, the lava cake on its own (not a fan of their rosemary ice cream) and Apple Almond Tatin. The tatin is probably my favorite due to the spices being subtle yet really adding depth to it. Suggestion to try their whiskey-infused dessert if you can consume alcohol, heard it was really good

Price 3.5/5: Actually, rather pricey for the portion. If you are looking out for huge portion, be picky because some of their starters serving size is a tad too small, even for starters standard. Some others are a literal steal and a must order like Beef Cachopo because it's...

We tried the AYCE specials for 225k per person. The dinner starts from 6pm to 9pm. The price excluded drinks.

The food was simple, there are several ups and downs. For instance, most of the food served was cold, so definitely a turn down at the beginning. Later on, when there are more people and they bring the new paella, it's served hot which is nice. Paella itself was fragrant and the tomato sauce was nice.

From all the finger food options, I personally liked the croissant salmon and cheese. The croissant itself was super crispy, cheese complimented the fresh salmon perfectly.

Fried calamary was nice, but the buns were too thick. Tuna empanadas were fulfilling. Queso idiazabal was great to be mixed with other breads. Donosti was fresh and sour (from the olives). Chicken and zucchini wete a bit too dry. But the mushroom was juicy and nice. Green paprika had those spicy and sour kick, and the hamburger was neutral for me. The meat is thick, but not too mind-blowing or anything.

However, the highlight for me was the dessert. Their basque cheese cake was great! The batter was perfectly gooey in the middle, but quite solid on the outer part. Rice pudding was nice as well and they sprinkled cinnamon on top which made it more fragrant. Chocolate with pomegranate seed was fresh and the cocoa itself was great, but eating the seeds needs more effort. Creme caramel was too egg-y but the caramel sauce was nice.

Atmosphere wise, early that night was cozy and great. Lighting was good. But the air con temp was a bit too high, hence it's a bit hot. Later through the night, the music blasting was a bit too loud and the acoustic of the space was not good, hence we have to talk over the music. Also, they allowed customers to smoke inside which created an uncomfortable area for me since the smoke permeates everywhere.

The waiter and staff were great, quick on their feet, and helpful. However there was a staff member who was too casual, not rude, but borderline.

So it's a mixed feeling for me in the restaurant, for such a nice place and strategic location, I wish they could improve those small details to make the dining experience more...

Interested to dine in at Txoko because many recommend it. First thing, the ambience of the place is pleasant, we came during lunch, the place is not too big, but comfortable , sadly there was less privacy because each table is close from one another and during that time there was a group of businessman and they were noisy and loud. Service is definitely 5 star, the waitress are quick and informative, also friendly and helpful. For the dish, we receive two complimentary , the first is appetizer, small biscuit like texture with wasabi and seafood cream inside, interesting taste. We ordered seafood paella (main dish) and seaweed and squid ink croquet (appetizer). The croquet is nice, but Not all people could like this. Both croquet filled with different taste, the seaweed taste like a umami cream, while the squid ink more of seafood taste but not fishy which is good. Both serve above black rice something which add texture of crunch. The croquet dough has a hint of umami, but more like bland. I would have to say, this is not my liking, but kinda interesting. Seafood paella, i never had paella before, lot of ppl recommend txoko paella after reading the review, so I had high expectation. Portion are enough for two, generous with seafood squid prawn fish, and they are cook perfectly (for the seafood). I have to say, paella and risotto resembles a lot, and I don't really like risotto, which is sad. The texture is like risotto, and some of the rice had a hint of undercook (?) kinda still hard, but I guess that whats make paella had many textures? For someone like me that adores strong taste food, this is dish taste bland for me. Had a hint of savory, serve with sour creme and lemon helps adding more taste though. They give us complementary cookies set for dessert serve in a box, it is nice. Overall txoko is a pleasant restaurant, with a welcoming homey excellent service . But not all people could like the taste of the dish, it's all back...