Surasang Korean Grill House PIK • 수라상

If you’re looking for a Korean BBQ restaurant that serves excellent premium meat in PIK area, you might want to try the newly-opened Surasang Korean Grill House (수라상). Brought by the same group behind Sushi Maru and Aneka Fish that are well-known for their excellent food, Surasang just opened its door to the public early this week, establishing themselves as one of the (if not the only one as of now) premium Korean BBQ restaurant in PIK area.

I had the chance to try their menu last week prior to their grand opening during Rinku’s 7th Anniversary dinner that was hosted at Surasang and I’m telling your right now, their food was absolutely oh so amazing.

Banchan

The dinner started off with these nine homemade banchans that were made in-house. They all tasted great and my personal favorites were their fresh and fermented kimchi. They really nailed the kimchi flavors.

Beef Uni Yukhoe (125k) | 10/10

For appetizer, got to try their Beef Uni Yukhoe that’s served on top of a piece of bite-size bread. Everything in this dish works really well together. The uni was savory and buttery. The raw beef was fresh and tender. The bread has the right texture (not too crunchy but no too soft either) that created a nice contrast with the uni and the beef. Ate everything in one big bite and it was heavenly. The seasoning was on point. Bold flavors that certainly reminded me of Korean food’s deep rich signature flavors really came through on this dish.

Japchae (120k) | 7/10

The japchae was alright for me. It’s well seasoned, the portion was generous, but the texture of noodles was a little too soft for my preference.

Seafood Sundubu Jjigae (125k) | 9/10

Their seafood sundubu jjigae is one of the best one I’ve had in Jakarta. The broth has that really rich and bold seafood flavor, the spiciness was still bearable for me who doesn’t really eat spicy food, and plenty of silky soft tofu and seafood in the bowl. Really enjoyed this dish.

Meat Cuts

“Surasang Korean Grill House proudly serves the best of the best. From Australian grain-fed beef to certified rare Japanese Kobe beef, our team personally hand-picked the beef that are pinnacle in the industry. We combined the traditional korean barbecue and modern steakhouse to deliver you a refined korean grill house.” —Surasang

(Far Left) 60 Days Dry Aged Rib Eye/Porterhouse, (Middle Top in the Bowl) Diamond Cut Galbi, (Middle Bottom) Wagyu Chateaubriand, (Bottom Right) Olive Wagyu.

All the meat that I tried from the tasting menu was excellent. Fresh, high-quality, well-seasoned meat was grilled to perfection on the table one cut after the other before the server cut them into smaller pieces in front of us. Although everything tasted excellent, I do have some favorites from the bunch.

60 Days Dry Aged Rib Eye/Porterhouse 400gr (1,500K) | 9/10

Their Dry Aged Rib Eye is my second most favorite meat cut. Tender meat, perfectly cooked and it tasted great without any additional dipping sauce.

Wagyu Chateaubriand (1,300k) | 9/10

Japanese Olive Wagyu 250gr (2,500K) | 10/10

My most favorite meat cut of the night. The Japanese Olive Wagyu was the BOMB. The marbling on the meat was excellent, super tender and juicy and it literally melted in my mouth. It was so, so good. Would definitely recommend this to anybody.

Wet Aged Diamond Cut Galbi 250gr (385K) | 9/10

The galbi was also great. Tender meat and I really like the seasoning on it. I could really taste the sweet and savory flavors combined with the smokiness from the grill.

Sweet Marinated Pork Shoulder 250gr (155K) | 8/10

Makgeolli Honeycomb (100k) | 9/10

Makgeolli, Honeycombs, Lime Juice.

The honey cut down the alcohol taste from the makgeolli, giving it an overall sweetness to the drink which still works well with the makgeolli. It kind of felt like a dessert drink but I quite enjoyed it.

With only a few good Korean BBQ restaurants around PIK area, I think Surasang could easily occupies the first spot of premium Korean BBQ restaurant in that area right now (with most other premium Korean BBQ restaurants probably located in Senopati/SCB area). Would definitely recommend this place if you’re looking for a more premium meat cuts for your Korean BBQ cravings.

 

Surasang Korean Grill House PIK • 수라상

Address: Jl. Rukan Golf Island No.71-73, Jakarta 14460, Indonesia
Telephone: +62812 6000 3503
Hours: Weekdays 11:00 AM-09:00pm | Weekends 11:00 AM-10:00pm

Instagram: @surasang_id

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Butler's Steak PIK

Butler’s Steak is one of my favorite steak restaurant in BSD area where they opened their first location in 2021. Now, one and a half years later, they just opened their new second location at Damai Indah Golf PIK complex to the public today.

Stepping into the newly opened restaurant, the place felt familiar yet different. Carrying the same interior from their first location, the vibe is definitely reminiscent of my previous visits to the BSD location. But then the bigger space and the higher ceiling make the restaurant feel completely new and fresh. Large floor to ceiling windows at both sides of the restaurant also allow plenty of natural light to come into the nicely spaced out seatings in the dining area.

The menu offered at the PIK location is slightly different than their BSD location. On top of their regular menu items, they actually added a couple of new dishes to the PIK location menu that are only available at this location (at least for now).

Appetizer

(New Menu) Beef Bacon & Cheese Croquette | 7/10

Herbs Breaded Potato Puree with Beef Bacon and Melted Cheese, Tartar Sauce, Mini Salad.

Crispy breading, generous filling and well-seasoned. It tasted good, but I’m not a fan of cheese in general so this one was just okay for me.

SIDES

Butler’s Steak has pretty great sides. I’ve tried almost all of them (I think the only thing I haven’t tried is their garlic rice) and all of them was great. Worth to mention since I don’t have a picture of it here, is their creamy spinach. Their creamy spinach is excellent. Totally recommended.

French Fries | 8/10

Shoestring Potatoes with Shredded Cheese.

Sweet Corn Kernels | 9/10

Corn, Herb Crust and Grana Padano.

(New Menu) Triple Cheese Broccoli Mornay | 7.5/10

Broccoli, Red and White Cheddar, Grana Padano, Mornay Sauce and Bacon Bits.

Mains

For the steak, all of the meat was cooked well and very well seasoned. And my favorite sauce is still the symphony of mushroom.

(New Menu) Special Butcher’s Cut | 9/10

200 Grams of the Butcher’s Daily Selection of Special Cut.

Wagyu Butler’s Steak | 9/10

200 Grams Australian Wagyu MB 6-7 Butler’s Steak.

(New Menu) Grilled Osso Bucco “Tangkar” | 9/10

US Prime Beef Shank Osso Bucco, Tangkar Broth, White Rice, Sukun Chips, Cucumber Pickle.

I was pleasantly surprised on how good this dish is. The meat was tender, the Indonesian flavor really came through in the soup and the portion is really generous. Also, this was my first time trying the sukun chips that they served with the dish. The flavor and texture are quite interesting.

(New Menu) Wagyu Fajitas | 9/10

200 Grams Australian Wagyu Inside Skirt, Flour Tortilla, Grilled Corn Salsa, Mint Yoghurt, Guacamole.

The fajitas was also really good. The meat was cooked well and when I ate it with the whole toppings in one bite, the flavors exploded in my mouth. It was really juicy and flavorful. Really love the meat and vegetables flavor combination.

Lastly, got the complimentary made to order ice cream to end the meal. They have 3 different flavors that they rotate daily—chocolate, vanilla and strawberry—depending on whatever flavors they have available.

Overall, I had a really great meal and dining experience during my visit. The food was great and the service was good (some servers were clearly more experienced than others but no big mishaps happened during my visit). Will definitely come back to this place again (whether it’s this location or the BSD location).

 

Butler’s Steak PIK

Address: Damai Indah Golf PIK, Kapuk Jl. Marina Raya, Jakarta Utara 14470, Indonesia
Telephone: 021-5569-5706
Hours: Everyday 11.00 - 22.00

Instagram: @butlers.steak

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Matcha Bae

Matcha Bae is a small, modern, minimalist matcha cafe/bar in Kelapa Gading area with a matcha-centered drink and dessert menu. From Cold Whisk Matcha to Match Lattes as well as other unique combinations such as Matcha Rose and Matcha Biscoff, Matcha Bae prides themselves in using authentic, high-quality matcha that is imported from Japan.

I visited the store one month after its grand opening. Prior to this, Matcha Bae operated online and did only delivery. But now, with the newly opened cafe, people can go and visit their offline location to get their matcha fix. Although I’m not exactly a connoisseur of matcha, the drinks I had at Matcha Bae were really good. Their matcha drinks were really fragrant, strong in flavor and very smooth. From all of the drinks that I tried, my personal favorite was the Wakana Cold Whisk. For the dessert, their Matcha Injeolmi Cake was definitely one of the more unique matcha dessert I’ve had in Jakarta.

I also met the owner during my visit and talked to her for a bit. Apart from her love for Japanese matcha, the one big reason why she ended up opening Matcha Bae was because she was inspired by all the good matcha cafes she went to when she was traveling to Bangkok and she thought there weren’t (or aren’t) a lot of good matcha bars/cafes in Jakarta. So she learned the process of matcha making and opened Matcha Bae as a result. If you’re looking for a great, solid matcha bar in Jakarta area, definitely try this place out.

 

Matcha Bae

Address: Jl. Raya Hybrida Blok QJ9 No.37, West Kelapa Gading, 14240, Indonesia
Telephone: +62 856-9371-0126
Hours: Tuesday- Sunday 10am-7pm | Closed on Mondays

Instagram: @matchabae.id

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Jakarta Vlog 02 - Milk Tea & Dinner at The Chinese National

A couple of days after our previous hangout, I met up again with Winda for a dinner plan (I didn’t have to wake up super early this time around). We’re going to go to The Chinese National at Swissotel PIK for dinner but decided to leave earlier to beat the afternoon rush hour. We arrived two hours earlier than our reservation and ended up hanging out at PIK Avenue Mall to kill time. Winda had some work she has to do so we decided to go to Onezo to get some drinks so she could do just that.

Although the brand has been around for quite some time, this was actually my first time trying Onezo. I ordered their Four Season Roasted Milk Tea with normal sugar and normal ice (I usually do normal sugar with brands I never tried before just to see their sweetness standard of ‘normal’) and boy, it was really sweet. The milk tea itself wasn’t bad at all. It was fragrant and tasted good. It’s just the sweetness that was too much for me. Probably better off with a 70% or 50% sugar level for next time. I had to wait for the ice to melt for a bit so it wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet but afterwards, the milk tea ended up tasting pretty good.

After that, we headed over to The Chinese National for our dinner. We were the first ones there and we both took advantage of the empty restaurant to take some photos and videos of the place before sitting down for our dinner. Dinner was great. The food was excellent, great service, and very nice interior design (see more photos and read my full review about the place here or watch us eat and review the food on the vlog). The only thing that bothered me during our visit was the choice of music and how it was kind of too loud for me. But other than that, everything was great.

After dinner was over, we stopped by H&M because Winda wanted to do a little bit of shopping since they have a sale going on. She did end up finding something that she likes and made a purchase. And that concluded our outing for the day.

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The Chinese National

The Chinese National (TCN) is an elegant Cantonese restaurant located on the 7th floor of the Swissôtel Jakarta PIK Avenue. The menu of the restaurant focuses on highlighting the authentic taste of Cantonese cuisine, created by its executive chef from Malaysia, Kong Fook Sin. From Peking Duck ritual, hand-pulled lamians, freshly made dim sum to tea lounge turns bar by night, The Chinese National offers a wide range of dishes cooked with fresh, high-quality ingredients as well as a wide array of drink selections.

The restaurant also has one of the most impressive interior design in Jakarta. The Chinese National’s interior was commissioned to EDG, a Singapore-based design firm who designed the space around the concept of the ‘Four Great Inventions of Ancient China’, which are the compass, gunpowder, paper, and printing. Each of these inventions was then translated to four different conceptual spaces around the spacious restaurant, creating a unique dining experience for visiting patrons.

Iron Needle

Iron Needle is an interpretation of a dumpling and noodle shop that’s inspired by the iconic stacked apartments in Hong Kong and traditional Chinese tea houses.

Letterpress

Letterpress is a tea lounge by day that transforms into a bar by night which has its own hidden entrance for patrons who wish to visit the bar without walking through the restaurant.

Black Powder Red

Black Powder Red is a Sichuan restaurant inspired by the Art Deco, obvious by the use of aged materials, corrosive details, copper and metal around the space. Sichuan cuisines that use lots of chili and garlic which usually create an explosion in your mouth certainly is fitting for the gun powder concept they’re basing the space off of.

Paperduck

Paperduck is a sophisticated modern Peking duck restaurant inspired by the process of paper making. Elegant paper details, brass and marble materials were used in the design of the place, giving the space the most luxurious feel out of the four sections in the restaurant.

The Ambience

I had a chance to finally visit this place a couple of weeks ago. Prior to my visit, I’ve seen photos of the restaurant posted on social media quite a bit. But after my visit, as much as impressive the place looks on photos, being there in person was a different kind of experience. The restaurant is really well-designed with a solid concept, excellent use of space, and attention to detail. There are a couple of articles out there that talk about the concept, the thinking and design process that went into this project (you can read about them on these articles here, here, and here) and these are a very interesting read. I personally appreciate the space more after I read about the concept of the place. If you’re into interior design and architecture, I would definitely recommend you to check this place out.

The Food

Eating Chinese food has always reminds me of family meals that I had when I was a kid. My parents used to make family dinner mandatory when I was growing up. So everyday, we’d sat down together and went around the table and talked about our day while eating our dinner which usually mainly consists of Chinese cuisines. The food that I had at The Chinese National reminded me of those times. It tasted familiar and comforting yet better and elevated at the same time. There’s a certain level of finesse to the dishes that I tried that certainly made my dining experience a pleasant one.

Salted Egg Shrimp Vaname (138k) | 9/10

Let’s start with my favorite dish of the night, the salted egg shrimp vaname. The light batter coating the shrimp was crispy, giving a nice contrast to the softer texture of the shrimp. The shrimp was fresh and cooked to perfection, hitting that firm texture yet still soft and juicy. The amount of salted egg coating each piece of the shrimp was just the right amount, giving you a nice salted egg flavor while still letting the shrimp shines without being overpowered by the sauce. I ate it with hot steamy rice and they tasted so good.

Roasted Pork Belly (138k) | 8/10

The roasted pork belly came in perfect bite-size pieces. The meat is pretty lean, with layers of fat here and there. The pork skin is nice, thin and crispy. Overall, eating this felt like eating a cleaner (read: not too oily/greasy) version of roasted pork belly.

Deep Fried Chicken with Green Chili (138k) | 7.5/10

The chicken was cooked nicely with crispy skin. The highlight of this dish really is the green chili, which gave it more character to the overall dish. I don’t eat chili very much but I did try eating the chicken with and without the green chili. Eating it with the green chili definitely makes the dish taste more special. (If you just eat the fried chicken itself, it tastes good, but it’s just like any other good deep fried chicken that I’ve tasted before.)

Sautéed Mushroom Chinese Spinach (60k) | 9/10

Another dish that I thoroughly enjoyed was their sautéed mushroom Chinese spinach. The vegetables were cooked perfectly and seasoned well. The garlic gave a nice savory taste combined with the earthy tone from the mushroom. A simple dish, but the execution was really well-done.

Mango Pomelo Sago (58k) | 7/10

For dessert, I tried the Mango Pomelo Sago. The mango was sweet, balanced with the sour note from the strawberry. A nice, refreshing dessert to end you meal.

The Experience

Service was really good. The food came in a timely manner. The waiters were friendly and attentive. Health protocol was also strictly practiced with all the waiters wearing double masks at all times. I sat at the Paperduck area which was really nice and pleasant. (If I were to nitpick) The only thing that seemed to be out of place during my visit was the music that was playing when me and my friend were there. I don’t know if it was for our benefit that they played what seems to be a top 100 viral pop songs playlist (we were the only one there when we got there, so maybe they’re trying to cater to us with the music?), but I personally think that it’d be better if the music matches the ambience of the place. Other than that, I had a really great time during my visit and definitely recommend this place if you’re looking for a good Cantonese restaurant in North Jakarta area.

 

The Chinese National

Address: Pantai Indah Kapuk St, RT.6/RW.2, Kamal Muara, Penjaringan, Jakarta, 14460, Indonesia
Telephone: +62 21 22571188
Hours: Everyday 12.00-15.00 & 18.00-22.00
Menu

Instagram: @thechinesenational

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