The Garden - Jakarta [PIK & PIM]

The Indonesian version of The Grounds of Alexandria, Sydney - that’s what’s its popular for. The Garden is still considered to be a new restaurant (opened about a year ago) in the busy city of Jakarta. The Garden - it’s a strong word for beautiful and peaceful place. It is indeed a beautiful place but far from peaceful because of its crowd.

After it opens its door last year, it has become one of the must visit restaurants in Jakarta. Why? Well, this spot is wonderfully pretty - encouraging people to come in by just looking at their front door. Their first restaurant is located in PIK with its speakeasy bar on the basement. The Garden is a game changer - it offers various delish food and just the right closing with their amazing dessert choices. Most customers held their social gathering here - for not only they offer great food, each corner of their place is the ultimate photo spot. You know I’m not a bias person when it comes to reviewing food, one of the proofs that I got is how I visited this place 5x in 2 months is good enough, isn’t it? ;)

Food Rundown:

PIK

Bad’ass Fried Rice: My go-to order when I’m at The Garden. It’s indeed badass-ly spicy but the taste is just so perfect. If you like Nasi Goreng Gila , then this is the fancy version of it.

Salmon & Tuna Pizza: It’s similar to Akira Back but I still prefer Akira Back’s. I’m not saying it’s not good, it’s actually taste great too, but it’s just lack of truffle and size is actually smaller. Well, it’s affordable & this is actually the right size for it.

Wonton Bulgogi Taco: If you’re looking for something simple as a starter, you can consider this, it’s not my most fav dish to be honest but it’s pretty unique.

The Wonder Duck Crispy Kecombrang: Great fried duck just like Gioi’s. Calling out spicy lovers tho, look at those three different chili! Despite the price, duck is still good but I feel that Gioi’s is more tasty and crispy. However, give this a try if you haven’t been to Gioi cause it’s definitely worth it.

Pork Salad: I can’t really remember the exact name cause this was a year ago. But dang, the thai sauce & crispy pork is just da bomb. Crispy, flavorful & tasty - what else do you need?

Crispy Chicken Skin with Smoked Honey: I mean, this never goes wrong right? plus they use a extremely delish smoked honey sauce, imagine the goodness please.

So Amazingly, they actually open up their second outlet after almost a year! Where at? Pondok Indah Mall! The place itself is smaller than the original place in PIK. It’s actually pretty packed but still gives ‘garden-ish’ vibe especially looking at their magnificent entrance. There are a few different dishes in PIM, butI still prefer PIK’s location compared to this one cause it’s more spacious even though the line is worst..

Food Rundown:

PIM

Wagyu Sate Padang: Not a fan of Sate Padang but… I CAN’T RESIST THIS ONE. it’s chewy, it’s tender and it’s something you’re gonna be proud of eating.

Crab Curry: Can’t find their menu online yet and thanks to my short-term-memory-lost (hi Dori), this reminds me of Somboon Thailand. The curry sauce is making you glad you’ve ordered the right dish.

Squid Ink Rice: Ahh hello Kilo, similar to them but slightly different. I am a fan of their squid, seriously. It’s crispiness is really what dreams are made of. Can’t choose which one’s better cause can never go wrong with both - I’m talking about the one in Bali, not the Jakarta one (pls don’t go there).

Pork Belly Bao: Again, don’t ask me the detailed name for this dish, I just know the bun is too good to be true. Sharing? Nope, it’s all mine.

Ayam Geprek: They’ve changed the way they cook their chicken recently. This was the first time I tried it and it wasn’t the best. I tried it again about a week ago and it looks simply like KFC, which taste waaaay better than this one. Sadly, I finished it first before remembering I haven’t taken a single picture of the modified Ayam Geprek.

Honey Boba Toast: Sorry, this just didn’t work for me. The sauce it’s too sweet, the bread is just too thick - still prefer En Dining’s. Their boba is actually sweet enough to make it right, I know they’ve tried their best - but maybe it’s just not the best combination.

She’s a Slice of Heaven - Durian Sauce: If you’ve known me personally, you gotta know I’m not a fan of DURIAN. In fact, I am a durian hater. uh-huh, I am - sorry not sorry. Kinda challenged myself to try this out and dang, this is good than I expected it. It literally taken me by surprise. BEST DESSERT AT THE GARDEN. Enough said? Enough said.

Overall, I think you should try the Garden at least once - give it a try, really. Honestly, you don’t really know the experience you’re getting cause it’s literally complete in a package - the decor, the food & the price. I can tell you that people might get jealous just looking at your Instagram story ;)

8/10 indeed. Let me know what you think in my comments below!