Rama Shinta Garden Resto — Restaurant in Kalasan

This place is not welcoming for solo traveller. After waiting for one and half hours, they told me all tables are reserved (some tables have the reserved sign but most don’t). However, when I first arrived, I was told by staff to go to the dinning area and wait for the dinner which should start 5:30. However, dinner was late for an hour. I was recommended by the tour guide and everybody to eat here as here have the amazing view of Prambanan palace.

After actively discussing and arguing, they first decided to put me on a tiny table that I probably have to squad to eat. As a person, I think this whole experience and solution is extremely humiliating. I have to argue for the same treatment as other guests in order to sit in a full table after waiting for an hour and half, which should not be the case for tourism business.

I don’t have any other options as I have a show to catch. More importantly, I want to share my experience as a customer.

The restaurant should improve staff coordination not telling the customer at the last minute “I’m sorry the tables are all full” The staff member need to improve their problem solving skills as described in the Common ASEAN Tourism Curriculum (CATC). If your skills are not matching the industry needs, I’m sorry even if you are monopolizing the business. I don’t think people will come.

Above is my experience and humble suggestion. After fiercely discussion with manager, I was able to sit on the full table enjoy my meal. At the same time, there are 10 empty tables around me but I was put in a corner with one chair....

We were contemplating whether or not to go for the ballet as we were had just arrived in Jogja. Upon seeing that it was a Saturday and probably the last day they would have the ballet outdoors with the Prambanan temples as the backdrop, we decided to go. They usually have the full ballet on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

We booked the seats through our hotel. We got one tier below the VIP - the first class seating. These tickets are behind the VIP but are facing center. They cost 1750000 rupiah. Comes with a free drink. These seats had cushions... if you are in second class, you can choose to rent a cushion. There were mosquitos so wear repellent and maybe bring a fan as it got quite hot. We took pictures with Rama, Sita and Hanuman before the show at the front of the theatre.

The performance was very entertaining. The performers were amazing and the costumes exquisite. Accompanied by the soothing sounds of the gamelan and the magnificent backdrop of the temples and we were afforded a magical rendition of the Ramayana. They provided synopsis of each scene of the play so we always knew what was going on. The play started at 7 with a short 10 minute interval in between and ended a little before 9 pm.

Definitely watch the full ballet in the outdoors if possible - only available in the dry season from...

Reviews available in ENGLISH, GERMAN & INDONESIAN . .

ENGLISH The taste of the food is quite standard, nothing special. The prices are quite expensive, likely due to the added value of the Prambanan temple view, which makes the prices slightly higher.

The service is very disappointing. We had made a reservation a week in advance, including providing information about the menu we would order, and had even paid a deposit. However, when we arrived at the restaurant, we were asked to reconfirm our order, which I found very strange. Worse, the food was only cooked after the reconfirmation! So, what’s the point of making a reservation if the process is still the same as ordering on the spot? We even had to wait about an hour until all the dishes were ready. If you plan to visit here, it’s better not to make a reservation because the result will be the same—long waiting times!

The restaurant's ambiance is fairly ordinary. If not for the Prambanan temple view, I doubt this place would attract many visitors. The only standout feature here is the view of the temple.

*) The photo I attached shows the view from the restaurant towards Prambanan temple. . .

GERMAN Der Geschmack des Essens ist recht durchschnittlich, nichts Besonderes. Die Preise sind ziemlich hoch, wahrscheinlich wegen des zusätzlichen Wertes durch den Blick auf den Prambanan-Tempel, was die Preise etwas anhebt.

Der Service ist sehr enttäuschend. Wir hatten eine Reservierung eine Woche im Voraus gemacht, einschließlich der Angabe der Speisen, die wir bestellen wollten, und hatten sogar eine Anzahlung geleistet. Als wir jedoch im Restaurant ankamen, wurden wir gebeten, unsere Bestellung erneut zu bestätigen, was ich sehr seltsam fand. Schlimmer noch, das Essen wurde erst nach der erneuten Bestätigung zubereitet! Welchen Sinn hat es, eine Reservierung vorzunehmen, wenn der Prozess genauso ist wie bei einer Bestellung vor Ort? Wir mussten sogar etwa eine Stunde warten, bis alle Gerichte fertig waren. Wenn Sie hierher kommen möchten, machen Sie besser keine Reservierung, da das Ergebnis dasselbe ist—lange Wartezeiten!

Das Ambiente des Restaurants ist ziemlich gewöhnlich. Wenn es nicht den Blick auf den Prambanan-Tempel gäbe, würde dieser Ort meiner Meinung nach nicht viele Besucher anziehen. Das einzig Besondere hier ist der Blick auf den Tempel.

*) Das beigefügte Foto zeigt den Blick vom Restaurant auf den Prambanan-Tempel. . .

INDONESIAN Rasa makanan cukup standar, tidak ada yang istimewa. Harganya lumayan mahal, mungkin karena ada nilai tambah berupa pemandangan candi sehingga harganya sedikit lebih tinggi.

Pelayanannya sangat mengecewakan. Kami sudah melakukan reservasi seminggu sebelumnya, termasuk memberikan informasi mengenai menu yang akan dipesan, dan bahkan sudah membayar DP. Namun, saat tiba di restoran, kami diminta untuk mengonfirmasi ulang pesanan, yang menurut saya sangat aneh. Lebih buruk lagi, makanan baru dimasak setelah konfirmasi ulang dilakukan! Jadi, apa gunanya reservasi kalau prosesnya tetap sama seperti pesan langsung di tempat? Bahkan, kami harus menunggu sekitar 1 jam hingga semua masakan matang. Jika datang ke sini, lebih baik tidak usah reservasi karena hasilnya sama saja—lama!

Suasana restoran terbilang biasa saja. Jika bukan karena view candi prambanan, saya rasa tempat ini tidak akan menarik banyak pengunjung. Satu-satunya daya tarik yang menonjol di sini hanyalah pemandangan candinya.

*) Foto yang saya lampirkan merupakan view dari resto ke arah...