Just last week, I ventured to Puri area and actually made a great discovery about a Bistro that specialises in Indo-Dutch cuisine. Turned out that this bistro, named De Mingle Bistro is not a newbie in the culinary scene. De Mingle opened its door around 5 years ago and it have kept on growing ever since.
Dutch influence is in our blood. Like it or not, a lot of infamous Indonesian cuisine came from the Dutch itself. This particular influence has made our culture rich. It made us a better society, with unexpected outcome. Somehow, with the crazy growth of restaurants/cafes, Jakarta seemed to forget its root.
De Mingle, against all odds, stands tall and seemingly remains true to its style. It serves unpretentious cuisine with homey vibe and the taste of the food will remind you of how good a homemade Indonesian cuisine can be.
Since my visit was just last week, the Christmas vibe was thick. The Christmas decor was enough to make me sing “Have a holly jolly Christmas” in style. Well, in style or not, it is arguable.
We tried several dishes there and all eventually led us to one conclusion. Indo-Dutch cuisine has still got IT! And in fact, it’s much superior than most other so-called modern cuisine.
Let’s check out what we had at De Mingle.
# Bitterballen (IDR 35 k)
Bitterballen is like the most recognised food from Dutch. It’s deep-fried ball filled with vegetable ragout & cheese.
# Oxtail Soup (IDR 89 k)
De Mingle’s Oxtail Soup is one of the signature dishes. It’s using fresh selected beef oxtail and cooked in sesame garlic and is served with carrots potato soup and melinjo crackers. The result was really good. It tasted thick, boldly fragrant, and the oxtail meaty part was so juicy.
# Ayam Goreng Sambal Ijo (IDR 160 k)
Crispy fried chicken with sambal ijo! Just seeing those mashed green chili had made me drool! Once I took a bite, I simply fell for it. The appeal actually came from the tender chicken and the spicy green chili. The best part was that the green chili was so generous, and it appeared to be not as hot as it looked and for some who can’t eat spicy food might still be able to enjoy this!
# Ayam Bakar Rojak (IDR 160 k)
Signature grilled chicken in chillies sauce. Pick your own devil and have your desired hotness. It’s either Original, Sexy Hot or Damn Hot. We had Damn Hot hotness and gosh, it burnt like a champ!! The raja sauce was really festive, with a combination of sweet, spicy and savoury dancing through tastebuds. For those who can’t stand a good heat, you can pick their Original sauce which is still as festive, but with much less heat. This is super recommended!
# Lapjes Van Moeke (IDR 150 k)
The name is complicated but it’s actually a pan fried Juicy Sirloin with leek and shallot sautee string bean and crisps cherry tomato. Well, for some people who fancy the typical western steak, this might cover it.
# Poffertjes (IDR 40 k)
A traditional Dutch fluffy and spongy batter treat served with vanilla ice cream. This is definitely one of the better poffertjess in Jakarta. It has that spongy texture with good butter flavour.
Well, De Mingle Bistro is truly a good find. And I think it’s pretty underrated because most people haven’t known it yet. Most youngsters are looking for fun gimmicky cafes and restaurants and they tend to forget the true essence of finding a good place to eat. Good restaurant doesn’t mean cute display or good ambiance only. The most important part is the taste and De Mingle hits it spot on!
Try it soon? Check their instagram too @demingle for more mouth-watering Indo-Dutch cuisine
DE MINGLE BISTRO | JAKARTA
Jl. Raya Pejuangan Kav.12A Unit C
Graha Handaya, RT.1/RW.7, Kb. Jeruk
Central Jakarta, DKI Jakarta, Indonesia