The Real Taste of Indonesian Cuisine at Betawi
Ever since I visited Bali last September, I have been absolutely smitten with Indonesian cuisine. So obviously, I couldn’t contain the joy and happiness to find myself an invitation to visit Betawi, one of the few restaurants that serves authentic Indonesian food.
Named after Jakarta’s old name, Batavia, this restaurant takes authentic to a whole new level. From food prepared by local Indonesian chefs, using ingredients imported from Inndonesian to being served by native Indonesian staff – all of who go out of their way to make your dining experience a very memorable one through their homely interiors and friendly hospitality.
Soto Betawi
You might confuse this for a Thai broth, thanks to its coconut base, but the Indonesia Soto Betawi has its own unique personality. Served in a large bowl, this specialty soup is just what I needed to keep the winter breeze at bay. Flavored with an array of ingredients including cabbage, steamed rice and diced tender beef, it is served alongside the famous spicy sambal.
An interesting thing about their sambal is that it is homemade by their Indonesian chef, and trust me, the spiciness will leave you feeling renewed.
The soup is a little coco-nutty with a hint of savory, and just perfectly warm and comforting. This is my new favorite soup.
If you don’t eat beef, you can ask them to replace the meat with chicken. Or maybe go meatless if you’re vegetarian. Either way, this one’s not to be missed.
Gado Gado Salad
Another Indonesian specialty at Betawi, the Gado Gado Salad comes with a mix of steamed vegetables and tofu in a peanut based sauce. The peanut is so prominent, you can feel the crunchy creamy texture take over every bite.
It is served along with classic Indonesian crackers and a boiled egg. I spiced the egg with sambal sauce and wow, it tasted so good. Sambal just makes everything better.
If you fall in love with these Indonesian ingredients, which you will, Betawi has a selection of Indonesian noodles, sauces, teas and more on sale at their outlet so you can relish the Indo flavors for longer.
When it’s time to indulge in Indonesian cuisine, Betawi is undoubtedly one of the top restaurants to visit. If you haven’t tried out this place yet, you should now. And if you haven’t tried out Indonesian food at all, then definitely start with Betawi.
Pictured here are our two main courses which are also very popular Indo dishes and highly recommended.
Nasi Padang
Nasi Padang, Betawi’s bestseller comes with a mound of steamed white rice in the center and lots of delicious accompaniments around. This one comes with beef rendang curry, green sambal ijo, egg balado, fried soya beans, vegetables and crackers.
Pecel Ayam Special
Another Indonesian favorite, Pecel Ayam Special features yet another mound of steamed rice, and comes with a piece of fried chicken, fresh vegetables, fried tofu, crackers, sayur asam (tamarind soup) and shrimp flavored sambal terasi.
Another very well known Indonesian specialty is Nasi Goreng – Indonesian styled fried rice topped with egg. We were too stuffed to order that on this visit, but trust me it’s a must have, and I’m already making plans to order that as soon as I can go there again!
Es – Drinks
We savored these mains with the two extremely satisfying and refreshing coconut based drinks at Betawi. You know I love coconut. I’m probably the biggest fan of coconut out there. So much so, that I go to a restaurant sometimes only because they have a coconut based dish on their menu. But knowing that Indonesian food has so much influence of coconut in it, I was all smiles.
The Es Campur on the left featured jelly cubes and sweet grenadine syrup in a milk base. This is originally served with normal milk which I requested them to swap for coconut milk. The Es Teler on the right was an abundance of coconut. So so creamy, it came with strings of jack fruit and coconut meat in a coconut milk base.
My favorite of the two was Es Teler and trust me, if you’re a coconut fan, you have to have that! I’m probably just going to drop by their Karama branch this week and down one of these. All by myself. While I’m expressing my love for coconut, don’t miss the lovely jars these drinks are served in. And they’re served with a spoon so you can enjoy eating the jelly and fruits while sipping on the creaminess.
Tea Time
We ended with a soothing cup of hot tea, because that’s just what we needed at the end of this satisfying meal. Plus, it was really really cold outside!
Betawi
Location: Lake level, Lake Terrace Tower, Cluster D, Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT), Dubai
Contact: 04 4376063
