Omah Sendok

Hi Eaters.

Indonesian cuisines are well-known for its use of many herbs and spices which are incorporated inside the dish. Making the dish not only delicious but also rich and vibrant in colors and textures.
Even though I live in Indonesia, sometimes it's pretty hard to find a restaurant which is able to deliver a good and tasty Indonesian dish. Well, now there's a restaurant that could be put in my list when it comes about tasty Indonesian cuisines.
Let me tell you about my food journey at Omah Sendok.

Located in a housing complex at Jalan Taman Empu Sendok, it's a bit difficult to find this restaurant. The good thing is you can always use Google Maps on your gadget to get directions to this restaurant.
But, it's also nice that this restaurant is located inside a housing complex. Why? Because it's far from traffic, making it so quiet and cozy. A perfect place to release your tension. The ambience is so homey and comfortable. The interior got me amazed that day. Here I give you some snapshots to amaze you too.

There are two dining areas with both having stunning interior concepts. It's no wonder since one of the owner is an architect. The indoor dining area was spacious with a lot of antiques displayed as decorations to complete its vintagely interior concept. The overall feeling for the indoor dining area was comfortable and cozy. But wait until you see the outdoor dining area.

The outdoor dining area was so beautiful. It has a pool that generates the sound of gurgling water. Smooth music is played on the background. And you really have to see it at night. It's so romantic with lanterns and candles lit along the pathway. A mind blowing interior concept. Kudos to the architect.
Well, as always, a great ambience has to be backed up with great food also. So how are the foods here? Let's see what I tried that day.

Tahu Cocol - IDR 14K.

 Tahu Cocol

Square-sized tofu fried and served with Omah's soy sauce. The texture is nice, crisp on the outside and moist on the inside. The flavor was quite good too. I think they put a bit of salt so the tofu wouldn't just be bland when you eat it without the soy sauce. Overall a nice dish for an appetizer.

Gado-gado - IDR 21K.

 Gado-gado

Served with an unique kind of plating. First sight they looked like sushis right? But actually they're vegetables commonly used for gado-gado, wrapped and rolled in cabbage. Underneath that roll, there's that delicious peanut sauce. Yes, the sauce was fantastic. The taste was good. And for this menu came also with emping (melinjo crackers), fried onions and extra peanut sauce.

Karedok - IDR 18K.

 Karedok

Actually I'm not a big fan of this dish. Whenever I have to choose to eat any Indonesian-style vegetable salad then my choice would be gado-gado or pecel. But the Karedok here at Omah Sendok has altered my perception. It's so delicious. I love the mild and not so overpowering heat and also the good level of acidity in this dish. The peanut sauce once again is just tasty. It's the elevating factor of the dish. Excellent.

Soup Gurame - IDR 35K.

 Soup Gurame

This dish had a little bit of heat coming from the ginger used also to cook this dish. But the overall taste was delicious. The fish was cooked beautifully. The meat was nice and tender. The soup was tasty also. But the portion, for my consideration, was a little too small.

Soup Palumara - IDR 37K.

 Soup Palumara

This one also tasted refreshing. The soup, I mean. This dish uses milkfish (or bandeng, in Indonesia) as its main protein. Again I find the fish to be cooked beautifully. And as you might know, milkfish has got quite many small tiny bones inside its meat. Surprisingly I didn't find or taste any bones in the fish. Well done. This is a good dish and also quite tasty. The turmeric gave it a nice savory taste. Wonderful.

Soto Tangkar - IDR 51K.

 Soto Tangkar

This dish is the restaurant's best seller. And after I tasted it, I know why. It's super delicious!
The coconut milk gave a savory boost to the soup. The ribs were super tender and they tasted heavenly. A dish to be loved and absolutely memorable. I super recommend this dish. You must order it when you come here!

Tahu Telor - IDR 33K.

 Tahu Telor

When it was served I was pretty shock because it was just huge. Absolutely big portion. The egg was dry fried and had a nice savory taste incorporated in it. The tofu was nice and tender, and also had a delicious taste. For my palate, this is a stunning dish also.

Gurame Bakar - IDR 59K.

 Gurame Bakar

This dish was super yummy. The carp fish felt like it was marinated before it was grilled because the meat was tasty and not just bland. The soy sauce used to glaze the fish also tasted good. You know how certain grilled fish like this could ended up being too sweet but this one at Omah Sendok didn't have that overpowering sweetness coming out from the soy sauce. A balanced flavor and I truly love this dish.

Sate Ponorogo - IDR 23K.

 Sate Ponorogo

Every dish that incorporated Omah's peanut sauce just had to be loved. Also this Sate Ponorogo dish. Certainly the Omah's peanut sauce has got me addicted to it. It's good. For the satay itself also tasted nice. The chicken had a savory and delicious taste. Although for my palate it was a little bit dry. I would love it more if it was still juicy and tender.

Nasi Ulam - IDR 25K.

 Nasi Ulam

It's not common for me to see nasi ulam without the sauted grated coconut being sprinkled on top of it. But even though it didn't go with the grated coconut but the actual rice had a nice flavory coconut incorporated in it. And it tasted good too. The side dishes that went along with the rice were omelette and fried soy beans. For my consideration this dish would be more great if there were some added proteins in it, maybe minced chicken or beef jerky.

Bestik Jawa - IDR 60K.

 Bestik Jawa

Love how this dish was cooked and presented. The spices used was excellent. It really boosted up the flavors. The beef was so yummy and also tender. The sauce was tasty. Overall it's an excellent dish.

Ayam Bakar - IDR 30K.

 Ayam Bakar

Actually I didn't have the chance to try this dish. As always, it got pretty hectic at foodtasting event, and a lot of food came out almost at the same time. So when I was taking photos of other dishes, this dish was already out. But my foodie friends told me the taste was good. Perhaps you can tell me how it taste if you should ever try it.

Well those are the entrees I tried. So now let's go to my favourite part, desserts. Yeaayy!!

Pisang Karamel - IDR 30K.

 Pisang Karamel

I tried 3 variants of this lovely dessert. Well, actually it's the same dish. The difference is only the ice cream topping used for each dessert. I tried vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream toppings. The ice cream were all good, with a decent level of sweetness. It's a good thing because the caramelized banana was quite sweet. The taste was awesome. The banana itself had a crunchy layer outside while inside it's so so juicy. Loving it. My sweet-tooth craving was really indulged by this dessert.

Kue Pancong - IDR 15K.

 Kue Pancong

An upgraded level of your standard Kue Pancong. It's heavenly delicious. The coconut flavor was strong and super super tasty. Combined so awesomely great with the strawberry sauce. I just couldn't get enough of this yummy dessert.

Bubur Sum-Sum - IDR 23K.

 Bubur Sum-Sum

A traditional Indonesian dessert yet again was surprisingly had a super tasty flavor. It's salty and sweet and delicious. I love the fluffy texture. And what so great about it, is that it didn't go mushy even after it was cold. Great dessert.

Wedang Ronde - IDR 17K.

 Wedang Ronde

This one was also heavenly (don't know why I keep saying that, but it's true!). The wedang had a strong ginger flavor yet not to much heat was inside. What I love was the mochi. Yumm...it's delicious, and it had a peanut filling.

Now let's go to the beverages. Let's see what I tried.

Bir Pletok - IDR 15K.

 Bir Pletok

Even though it's called Bir (beer) but need no worry since there is no alcohol inside this drink. This traditional Betawi drink is composed from ginger, pandan leaves, and lemon grass although the ginger was the most dominant taste coming out of this drink. This is a good drink to order if you should ever choose to take the outdoor dining area. It really helps your body to stay warm, and tasted sweet and nice too.

Kopi Tetes - IDR 20K.

 Kopi Tetes

For my palate, the coffee flavor was too mild. Yes, I'm a coffee addict and I really hoped this coffee would come a bit stronger. But the level of the sweetness was right and pretty decent though.

French Press Tea - IDR 17K.

 French Press Tea

I love how they use a French press to brew tea here at Omah Sendok. The tea was awesome, the scent was wonderful and the taste was much to be expected. You should try this.

Jus Alpukat - IDR 24K.

 Jus Alpukat

The sweetness was fine. And the juice itself wasn't grainy, which is good.

Jus Sirsak - IDR 20K.

 Jus Sirsak

The same fine level of sweetness like the avocado. It seems you won't have to worry about sugary drink here. And the texture was good and not grainy too.

Overall conclusion, I am totally in love with this restaurant. It's got everything to be called a perfect dining spot.
The food, the interior, the cozy and quiet ambience, the service, and even the price tags are just things that will make you say WOW!
I've never put any Indonesian restaurant on my top 10 favourite restaurant, but this time I will make an exception.
Will I come back? Hell yeah I will. There's just too much to love about Omah Sendok. And I bet you will feel the same once you try dining here. So what are you waiting for? Go and grab those delicious Indonesian delicacies at Omah Sendok immediately!

Keep on chewing!


Jazzy Dee

For more of my culinary journey, visit:http://designerdoyanmakan.blogspot.com
Twitter: @jzzydee
Instagram: @jzzydee
Questions: http://ask.fm/jzzydee


Omah Sendok
Jl. Taman Empu Sendok No. 45,
Phone: (021) 5214531 
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