Just about a few days ago, my boss was celebrating her birthday by bringing us to a dinner. Her birthday is actually 19th September, and we successfully surprised her with our little celebration, little cake and little gifts. All those little things apparently managed to touch her, and we sincerely hoped that she would be happy. After all, she has always been a great boss after all with all the care and support and love to us.

But let’s not all get personal on this blog. 😉 On this post, I would just like to share about the dinner (as a following up celebration) at one of the nicest restaurants in Jakarta, Dolce Moovina.

I’d actually been here before and that’s when the name was Le Jardin Moovina and back at that time, they served french cuisine. We had a marvellous time back then, but unfortunately I haven’t got the time to share that experience, and by now, they’ve changed name. That’s why for now, I wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to share my 2-cents about Dolce Moovina (all Italian food now) since I really think that they have wonderful delicacies to be enjoyed. But be warned, on this post, I will not go with details, and instead, I might let the photos do the talking, oh, not literally tho’. 😀

Oh, I didn’t manage to capture any pictures for the interior, but I promise you this, that the ambiance is somehow romantic, yet youthful and very modern. The involvement of green plants is brilliant as it really lifts up the sophisticated garden concept. It looks and feels very comfortable too when it comes to the sofa seats. Since there were about 10 of us, we were seated at the far corner of the room, where it has its own ‘cage like’ circling sofas and big round table. We were like going to have a majestic feast there (and which I think, we actually had!).

Our dinner came in 3 batches.

First batch is as below, involving starters and drinks to quench our thirst!

# Fries (IDR N/A)

# Fritto Misto Di Mare (IDR 85 k)

A handful of battered and fried seafood. I did not try this at all tho’, so I can’t really say anything.

# Various Drinks

Drinks came in fancy appearance. My friends loved the orange juice which was certainly a public fav. Me myself, ordered a mocktail called Sugarcane Mojito (the fourth picture below). Can you imagine the taste of this Sugarcane Mojito? It was fresh, sweet (not over at all), fragrant and the sparkling soda sensation just seemed to make every sign of thirst, gone with the wind!

Second batch came with something more fulfilling, or something more kick-ass. This batch was like an endless batch where food seemed to keep on coming to us.

# Pizza 4 Tempi (IDR 90 k)

This pizza has 4 different areas with different toppings. There is a quarter area with mushroom, a quarter with turkey bacon, a quarter with assorted seafood, and the another quarter with cheese (parmigiano and gorgonzola). Ordered in a thin-crust style, the pizza was not disappointing at all. I especially loved the cheese one which just bold showcased the melting savoury cheese.

# Salmone Alla Brace In Crosta D Sesamo (IDR 165 k)

This is a grilled salmon with sesame crust, served with rocket pesto and pine nuts. I happened to steal a bit of the salmon and I found the salmon’s texture was lovely.

# Spaghetti Aglio Olio with Prawns (IDR N/A)

This pasta was by request and if I am not mistaken, it was called Spaghetti Aglio Olio with Prawns (or perhaps some other complicated names in Italian). It is not in the menu, but we could always order this classic pasta. And guess what, the spaghetti was delicious. With very simple ingredients (aside from the prawns which I didn’t even touch), they managed to make this Aglio Olio so fragrant and so tasteful.

# Cannelloni Ai Funghi E Verdure (IDR 105 k)

This is what I ordered for my main, and it is a Cannelloni filled with mushroom slices, with Bechamel sauce and Parmigiano. This pasta is suitable for vegetarians as it does not contain any meat. The cheese was generous on this, and I loved how the combination of mushroom and butter+cheese flavours effortlessly blend together in my mouth.

# Tagliolini Neri Al Salmone (IDR 80 k) 

This dish is rather unique. It is black ink tagliolini with fresh coriander and salmon cream sauce. I tasted a bit of it and I think it was not that good. I have tasted a better black ink pasta and this certainly didn’t impress me much. My friend who ordered this in the first place, didn’t like it either.

# Lasagna Bolognese (IDR 90 k)

This dish is a must try when you visit this place. I know that you can find Lasagna almost in every restaurant, but the Lasagna here is certainly amongst the best! The layers of the lasagna were extremely soft and smooth, with melting texture and bold bolognese flavour. The beef and cheese tasted perfect together.

# Capellini Al’Aragosta (IDR N/A – Market Price)

I have no idea how much this cost, but it was served in a frying pan, and the frying pan was not small. I believe the portion is for sharing since it could literally feed 3-4 people. This huge dish is normally angel hair pasta with whole rock lobster in spicy tomato and basil sauce. That night, this dish was the weakest link. The angel hair was slightly over-cooked and there was floury taste. I was quite disappointed with this, since I expected this kind of high-priced dish to be extremely good.

# Agnello Marinato Alla Griglia (IDR 190 k)

Lamb rarely fails me! And so did the lamb here which was seriously good. The lamb rack was actually cooked in a very simple way, but it was superb, especially with the ah-mazingly tender lamb texture with some fatty part! Big love for this.

# Filleto Di Vitello Al Tartufo 180 gr (IDR 295 k)

I warn you! This is a must must must try! The dish contains Australian veal tenderloin with black truffle sauce. And I just have to say that this veal is one of the most amazing veal dishes that I have ever tasted. The veal was perfectly cooked  in a medium well doneness (the way I loved it), retaining a very tender texture. The sauce however, was the clear reason why this whole dish was superbly amazing. The black truffle sauce was just perfect in every way. It was somehow subtle, somehow fragrant, and it was exceptional when matched with the veal. Though price is indeed a bit steep, be sure to try this (if you do love truffle flavours!) on special occasions. 😉

Batch Three is about sweet sweet closure.

Though we were super full, desserts were still highly welcomed. Let’s see below.

# Moovina Platter

This came to us with a combination of several Dolce’s desserts. I didn’t touch any of this tho’. 🙂

# Moovina Tiramisu 

Claimed to be low fat with 40% less calorie, the tiramisu sounded promising. As it was served (beautifully), I quickly tasted it. It was not too sweet, which is a good thing when it comes to sugar level issue and it had good fluffy texture.

# Trio Di Cioccolato

Last but not least, the trio chocolate was there on our table. It was served on a plate with a cute flowery dark chocolate mousse, lava rock chocolate and chocolate gelato.  Everyone seemed full, but I can never say no to chocolate, so I picked my spoon up and scooped a bit of the dark chocolate mousse. Oh, just heaven!

Quick facts:
– It changed name from Le Jardin Moovina to Dolce Moovina
– Dolce Moovina is from the people behind Ocha and Bella
– They serve Italian cuisine

All I would like to sum up is that I had a great time there! The food was mostly superb and the ambiance just suited our mood well that night. I did think that it was just a perfect birthday dinner!

In addition, the service was impeccable as we found a certain waiter whose name is Didi, did an amazing job serving us through the night. We highly appreciate the great service.

For you, foodventurers, you might want to check the place out yourself! 🙂

DOLCE MOOVINA | JAKARTA
Plaza Indonesia 3rd Floor and 4th floor #06
Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav 28-30, Jakarta Pusat 10350
Phone: +62-21-2992 4567
Website: http://www.moovina.com