Are you New Yorkers enough…?
Under the commitment to bring New York a little closer to Indonesia, The Halal Bro’s is introducing the New Yorkers’ famous food, and yes, we’re talking about Gyro Rice.
I know you must have plenty of questions about this brand but well, let me just clarify first that The Halal Bro’s is not from related to the famous brand from New York and it is not a franchise as well. The Halal Bro’s, according to the owner, is a new local brand that they developed. Obviously, The Halal Bro’s is inspired by The Halal Guys but the different is that they have made some changes to adjust this specific dish to the preference of local tastebuds.
Located at Southbox in Prapanca, The Halal Bro’s presents its halal rice bowls in a stylish manner. It’s their first branch here and they actually opened it to public on September 12th, 2015. It is easily spotted as the container is in bright signature yellow colour.
The open-air sitting area.
Southbox itself is a stylish, colorful, laid-back outdoor space, and most visitors seem to love the casual and relaxing vibe. During my visit, people just casually sat down, chatted and enjoyed some of the food available here. There were quite a few unique tenants here. But this time, we’re just going to talk about The Halal Bro’s.
The system of the ordering is self-service. You order, pay, and wait at the pick up station.
The Over Rice dish is available in three options, the Chicken Over Rice, Lamb Over Rice, or both Chicken and Lamb Over Rice.
Wondering what it is? It’s a bowl of savoury and fragrant spiced basmati rice and topped with lettuce, pita bread, sauces, and either lamb or chicken. If you find yourself having a hard time to choose either of them, why don’t you have both like I had mine? The basmati rice is said to be specially imported and it contains less starch and low in calories.
# Chicken and Lamb Over Rice (IDR 55k)
The lamb and chicken were both quite good. But if I had to choose, I would choose lamb. The lamb was notably good, tender, and there’s no that typical stinky lamb smell too. It just went really well with the rice and sauce.
There are four kinds of sauces for serving. The signature and mandatory ones are white sauce and red sauce. Those two types are the ones responsible for dancing flavours to go with the chicken and lamb. It added savouriness and spiciness to the whole dish. Mix it up all, and there you go.
To add more flavour, you can add barbecue sauce.
And to add more hotness, there is flaming sauce, the fiery hot sauce that made me said “whoaa” and then drank some (okay, a lot of) water.
Aside from the main dish, we had also tried its dessert.
Though simple, we really liked it. With a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it’s definitely a good savior in a hot day. In Jakarta, there are more hot days than we bargained for, right?
The tomato juice I bought from other tenant. Quite refreshing!
I think The Halal Bro’s is doing something uniquely different here. Indonesian tends to enjoy food both as a need, then a few years ago, it became a lifestyle. The Halal Bro’s provides both. People can come to this place and order some over rice or side dishes, chat while enjoying the food. People can also have a grab and go lunch or dinner if they don’t want to stay in Southbox. So, I think The Halal Bro’s will earn a place on its own in time.
As an added information, they’re planning to expand three branches next year. Fun!
So, curious about the taste of this Lamb/Chicken over rice? Head to Southbox and just find this yellow container, bruh!
THE HALAL BRO’S | JAKARTA
SOUTHBOX Jl. Prapanca Raya no.18, Kebayoran Baru
Jakarta Selatan 12160
Email: thehalalbrosid@gmail.com
Instagram: @halalbros.id
Operational Hours:
Tuesday – Friday: 12.00 – 22.00 WIB
Friday – Sunday: 12.00 – 01.00 WIB