Hola food enthusiasts! In this beautiful september, Bengawan Restaurant, Keraton at The Plaza presents a Tacos & Tequila pairing menu. It’s a special menu to mark the celebration of the Mexican Independence Day on 16th September and it’s likely to be an eye-opener too for you who have not experienced the taste of Mexican.

I myself, was not a big fan of Mexican cuisine, NOT because of the taste, but mainly because I never really knew about it. But then, a chance to have a dinner at Bengawan Restaurant just changed my mind.

Courtesy of Keraton at The Plaza

It was a regular Thursday evening when the dinner was held. This was the first time I stepped inside Keraton (let alone Bengawan), and I was truly amazed with the ‘mystical’ interior. The sophistication marries with the simplicity, and somehow it sparks an artistic character along the hall to the restaurant (which is on the 7th Floor). But anyway, I ain’t here to talk about decor and stuffs right? 😉

Bengawan is located on 7th Floor of Keraton, The Plaza. Stepping inside was like stepping in into a hidden hypnotising cave. It was a bit dark at first, but a little bit of walking will lead you to a great place ahead. The pathway after getting out of the elevator is a bit dark, but keep walking, and you will see what I mean.

Bengawan has a bar for patrons who enjoy alcohol-based beverages. The bar is on the left. And it’s where people get drinks (plus, where people socialising with other new people). The kitchen can be seen on the right, and throughout the spacious room, tables and seats are scattered every here and there in an organised manner.

There are several stations here. The open kitchen was kind of inviting, it made me want to just pick up some food on the spot. 😀 The tables’ arrangement were lovely and it seemed like a very romantic setting.

Since it’s the month of Tacos+Tequila, the ultra-premium world-class brand, Patrón was presented in the centre of the room. We could see the bottles of imported Tequila, Patrón were showcased beautifully with short glasses. If you are a Tequila lovers, then you shouldn’t miss Bengawan Restaurant, especially in September!

 

Oh, during the night, we got to have a taste of the Tequila. Well, since I am very weak when it comes to alcohol, I skipped the chance and had a Strawberry Margarita instead. It contained Tequila, but just a hint. Even so, my face were bright red right after having a sip. Lychee Margarita is available too anyway and sssst, I happened to eavesdrop from others, the Lychee Margarita was said to be much better than the Strawberry!

Anyway, I met a dear friend of mine too that evening. It’s been quite some time since the last time we met and out of nowhere, she popped out there. So good to see her! She was one of the people who supported my blogging activity from the start! 😀

Here’s my ‘regular’ drink for the evening. 😉

Tortilla Chips for a fresh start. I always have a tendency to munch, and apparently these chips were an addiction. It was semi-crispy, savoury-ish and just fun to dip in the different sauces, from the green tomatoes, red tomatoes to Guacamole. It just tasted fresh, crisp, and to put it simply, I just couldn’t have it enough. Enuff said.

The Guacamole below was superb, and the avocado was imported just to spoil my and your taste buds! It was buttery, very delicate and tasted super fresh. It served as the best complement for the Tortilla Chips, as well as the tacos! I found new respect in the family of avocado that night.

Let’s talk about tacos! The main highlight of the lovely evening was the tacos, undoubtedly. The tacos in Bengawan Restaurant was proudly presented. And the man behind the amazing tacos is Chef Lamberto Valdez Lara, The Plaza’s Director of Culinary. In collaboration with Patrón, Chef Lamberto had created an amazing line of tacos for us. We were presented 5 kinds of tacos with different main ingredient, starting from fish, beef, chicken, prawn to vegetables! And guess what, we just couldn’t stop enjoying every bit of the tacos.

No worry, you can savour these amazing tacos too this September! But first, maybe I can tell you a about them first. 🙂

# De Pescado Taco – Fish

Who loves fish? Fish is just lovely in many things. You can steam it, you can grill it, you can fry it, and you are welcome to eat it raw. But in Mexico, they put it in Taco! Chef Lamberto presented this one first for the evening. And it was mind-glowingly good. I seriously never thought that the snapper could be this good. The snapper was battered and fried, served with chipotle (smoke-dried jalapeño) mayo and green cabbage. The main show was the awesomeness of chipotle mayo and the crispy snapper with delicate inside. The overall tastes and textures mixed up in a really well manner, resulting in a highly memorable sensation. It served as a superb opener, really. Highly recommended.

 

# De Res Taco – Beef

This one is the Flour Tortilla with Carne Asada, chunks of marinated and grilled beef, and topped with guajillo salsa. The beef chunks were grilled perfectly, resulting in a very good, tender texture. The guajillo salsa was fresh, and suited my appetite perfectly.

 

When eating tacos, you should really use your hands. The messier, the better! 😉

# De Camaron Taco – Shrimp

Bursting with flavours, the Shrimp Taco was one of the bests! This taco is a battered shrimps with fresh tomato salsa known as fresh pico de gallo. The freshness of the shrimp was enhanced by the presence of tomato, making the whole taco was far from dull, and instead, with a hint of lime juice, the whole taco was a joy ride in the mouth.

# De Vegetales taco – Vegetable

For vegetarians, this is for you! No animals are harmed for this one, and yet, when I had a try on this, the taste was uniquely appealing. There was a certain character that made this taco alive, even though without any meat to be the main show. The using of black bean is just really smart, and the touch of sliced radish and feta cheese was awesomely done. Even though this was not the best for the evening, I’m sure it might still capture some patrons’ appetite.

Here is the sneak peak of the Chipotle, the smoke-dried Jalapeño. Hot? It depends actually. If you’re the type who loves burning hot food, you might think this is not THAT hot. Just slightly-above-the-average-hot. 😀

# De Pollo Taco – Chicken

Being the last, might not necessarily the least. The chicken taco came last, and with a surprise. It was grilled chicken breast, chipotle and a slice of avocado, then wrapped with corn tortilla. Corn tortilla is another alternative, if you would go for a rough raw-textured kind of tortilla. Compared to the flour tortilla, this is a bolder version. I personally prefer the soft-textured flour tortilla. You can choose your tortilla here anyway, so no worry! Anyway, aside from the different tortilla, the taco was okay. I found that the grilled chicken slices were a tad too dry and the avocado was alright. I really think that the grilled chicken can be better, and the avocado can easily be replaced with a superior version, guacamole. Even so, it still excelled if compared to any other tacos out there (the ones I have tasted).

 

Oh, here’s the Lychee Margarita. 😉

The evening was not over without a sweet closure. We were then presented with two wonderful sweet creations, and we couldn’t say no to desserts, so …

# Churros

No doubt this unique doughnut of the species is one of the most famous desserts these days. But hey, the churros here are far superior than most others we commonly meet nowadays. The churros were perfectly created with thicker volume and after a bite, I just fell in love with it! The crunchy dough and the sugar coating were so good together, they belong in sweet heaven! And not just that, they were served with three scrumptious sauces, starting from the Cajeta (Goat Milk) Caramel, White Chocolate and Chunky Mango Compote. Those three sauces were lovely and if you asked me which one was the best, I might have to tell you that each one of them belongs in their own league.  The truth is, if I can, I will have all the sauces with lots and lots of churros all day and night long with me on my bed, watching Grey’s Anatomy. But then again, I should watch out for my sugar level. 😉

# Mexican Chocolate Flan

Another contender for getting the best Dessert award of the Day is Chocolate Flan. Appearance-wise, it was very inviting, with soft-fluffy look and topped with almighty crown of caramel. Not to mention the strawberry ‘hair-do’ which just lift it up a level above others. But wait, taste-wise, I honestly think it was just average. Or perhaps, I was simply too full already after eating all the tacos and the churros. 🙂

 

Here is a snapshot of the humble Chef Lamberto. I could just really see the burning passion for crafting delectable food in his eyes. Thank you Chef, for letting us have the chance to try the exceptional tacos!

The dinner that night was a marvellous dinner. It didn’t just satisfy our appetite, it also made a good impact in my culinary journey. After the dinner, I knew more than I was before, especially about the Mexican taste, which was real good, apparently. Bengawan is really something, and I feel like I have to ask you, people, to come and have a taste yourselves. Especially considering September is really close to ending soon, you might not want to miss this chance to try their delicious tacos (do not forget the ultra-premium Patrón).

You can enjoy an exceptional Mexican dining experience with extensive range of gourmet Tacos and Tequila for only IDR 190.000 nett per person at Bengawan, Keraton at The Plaza. Note that individual taco is also available at IDR 30.000 nett per piece. What are you waiting for then?

For information and reservation, you may contact +6221-5030-2993 😉

Adios!

PS. Among other highlights, the view was an extra. But seriously, it was awesome.

BENGAWAN – KERATON at THE PLAZA | JAKARTA
7th Floor Keraton at The Plaza, Plaza Indonesia
Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav 15
Central Jakarta
Phone: +6221-5068-0000
Website: http://www.keratonattheplazajakarta.com