Sip Ha Thai BBQ & Bistro

Hi Eaters.

I would like to introduce you to Sip Hai Thai BBQ & Bistro, the newly open Thai restaurant in Kelapa Gading. Located near the Tiberias church, this two-storey restaurant added excitement since I am constantly seeking culinary experiences in this particular region of Jakarta. And Sip Ha for my consideration acts nicely as an alternative to the boredom I felt because of the overflowing Korean restaurants in town.

Sip Ha have just had its grand opening not so while ago, although the restaurant itself had been operating for 4 months. Claimed to serve authentic Thai cuisines, Sip Ha setting itself aside from those other BBQ and Suki restaurants that branded themselves to be Thai restaurants.

As I entered the restaurant, I couldn't help to see the simple interior applied here. There's nothing wrong with that. It just that, well... Thailand has a complexity in cultures and the interior didn't seem to reflect that. Though the place is comfortable but the only thing that showed something from Thailand (besides the food) were only picture frames depicting Thailand's beautiful view. Nevertheless I would understand that it is still a newly open restaurant and I really hope in the future it will be more Thai-ish decorated.

Now let's just move on the the food Sip Ha claimed to be authenticly Thai. Let's start with the appetizers.

Croquette Ala Thailand - IDR 21K

The first appetizer was this breadcrumbed fried food roll filled with mashed potato.

It just oozed with finesse. The outer breadcrumbed layer was nicely crunchy, and the inside mashed potato filling was very nice. It tasted great. Perfectly seasoned and the mashed potato's texture was so soft. Really loving this dish.

Po Pia Taud - IDR 21K

This Thai spring rolls also tasted good. The fillings were chopped Yams, a kind of vegetables that has similar looks like sweet potatoes. What I loved from the dish was the crispy spring roll skin. Dry-fried and it's not greasy. Absolutely loving the crispiness. This dish had also a small plate of sour and spicy chilli sauce served along that really boosted the flavors of the spring rolls as I dipped them into it.

Pandan Chicken - IDR 34K

Don't ever forget to order Pandan Chicken if you visit a Thai restaurant. This filleted-chicken dish is just one signature Thai appetizer no to be missed. The Pandan Chicken at Sip Ha could be counted the same. It's delicious. Really phenomenal. I am absolutely loving every bite of the chicken. The flavors were right, the seasoning was awesome. Recommended!

Tom Yam Goong - IDR 42K

Although Tom Yam is so identical with Thailand, but not many Thai restaurants did a perfect execution on the soup. This one however, tasted surprisingly good. The seasoning was just perfect. The aroma was very appetizing. The prawn and the squid for the soup fillings also tasted nice.

Tom Kha Gai - IDR 38K

Another splendid soup was presented. This time was the Tom Kha Gai which has a coconut milk-based soup. 

Loving the savory taste. It's absolutely delicious. The chicken fillings were generous too.

Crispy Fish With Green Mango Salad - IDR 85K

This dish uses gourami which is dry-fried and then soaked with Thai sweet sauce and topped with mango salad. The gourami itself was very tasty, savory, and flavorful. I loved how I still managed to find crispy parts of the fish which tasted so good. The mango salad was quite acidic. But combined with the gourami meat, it was very delicious.

Salted Egg Squid - IDR 69K

One of the best dishes I tried that day was this Salted Egg Squid. It's really delicious. It met my palate nicely. The salted egg sauce was very good. Savory but not too salty either, and in a perfect thickness. The squid was covered with savory batter, adding crispiness to the chewy squid texture. It's just wonderful to eat.

Phad Thai Noodles - IDR 32K

Signature noodle dish from Thailand. The taste itself, for my palate, was a little sour. So it felt like there is no need for the slice of lime given on the plate. The noodle beside of being sour, it was also quite savory. Do sprinkle the chopped ground nuts over the noodles to add texture and flavors.

Meat BBQ Set (Large) - IDR 270K

This Meat BBQ Set (Large) could fit for 4 persons. In this dish you will find the complete vegetables and meat that Sip Ha offers for the Thai BBQ and Suki dish. For the meat selections, there were chicken, beef, and pork which all has been seasoned and marinated. 
If you don't like certain components, you can still opt for the ala carte.

The gas skillet

The charcoal skillet

There are two options of skillets to use. One uses charcoal, and the other uses gas. I prefer the one that uses charcoal since it made the food more flavorful with a nice aroma.
The skillets are imported directly from Thailand. With this skillet you can have suki and also BBQ at the same time. The grill is at the center of the skillet, while surrounding it is where you can cook the vegetables or meat for the suki. And what makes it unique is that the juice from the meat that we grill will directly melt and mix with the suki soup, resulting in a more flavorful and tasty soup.
Hands down, this was the best Thai BBQ I've had so far. The taste was great. And indeed the meat juice from the BBQ really added flavor to the soup. The only downside was that Sip Ha currently only had chicken soup for the suki. Eager to find out what kind of soup is coming up next.

Getting full? Don't be. Wait til you see the desserts.

Mango Sticky Rice With Mango Ice Cream

The first dessert to came out was amazing. A signature Thai dessert. The sweetness was balanced, no components were overpowering the others. The mango was uberly sweet and the sticky rice (or Ketan, in Indonesia) didn't went with the same sugar level so it felt nice. The mango ice cream, unfortunately, had melted when it came to the table. But it tasted good though. Pardon me if I don't put any price tag for this dish, but I do recommend you to try it.

Sweet Thai Jewels - IDR 25K

Sweet cassava, sweet potato, and taro. Yet indeed it measured up its name. It's a fine dish, with good taste. The taro was quite hard to be splited with my spoon, but surprisingly it wasn't hard to chew. The cassava and sweet potato was nice and soft. A dish to be remembered.

Thai Iced Tea - IDR 14K

Labeled as the restaurant's recommended drink to order. The Thai Iced Tea was infused with coconut milk, giving it a bit of savory taste. It's really good and not too sugary.

Thai Green Tea With Milk - IDR 16K

Another pleasant drink. Out of the two drinks served that day, this one was my favourite. The bitterness from the green tea was quite strong, with the milk balancing it and giving it the perfect sweetness. I surely recommend this drink.

Overall conclusion, taking residence among the packed culinary area of Kelapa Gading, Sip Ha Thai BBQ & Bistro acts as an oase among those densely Korean and Japanese restaurants flooding the market. What makes it more exciting is that Sip Ha really applied the right flavors to almost all the cuisines I tried that day.
Finding a Thai restaurant in Kelapa Gading is not an easy task, but I am overjoy because now there is a place to go for a delicious Tom Yam.
Would be great if Sip Ha could deliver a complete Thailand culinary experience in terms of decorations. Good food and beautiful place are just like a combo that will ensure culinary lovers to make a comeback.
Despite all that, still the food is good and I would love to be back again someday for another delicious treats.

Keep on chewing!

Jazzy Dee

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Sip Ha Thai BBQ & Bistro

Jl. Boulevard Utara Blok PD 9 No. 1

Phone: (021) 45846893

Kelapa Gading, Jakarta Utara