Last weekend, I was having a good time visiting a restaurant specialising in Chinese fusion cuisine and it’s named Hao Chi. It was recently opened, in December to be precised, replacing Sin Sin Restaurant in Pantai Indah Kapuk. So, what’s so special about this new Chinese restaurant? Don’t we have enough Chinese restaurants in Jakarta?
For as long as I can remember, Chinese cuisine has become a very vital part of my upbringing life. Raised in a Medanese Chinese family, we would have chinese dishes most of the time, even specifically on special occasions such as birthday or anniversary. In Medan, finding decent Chinese restaurants is piece of cake. But here in Jakarta, it’s another different story.
You will probably think I’m exaggerating the issue here, but not really, the Chinese restaurants here do quite badly for our tongue. Most of the dishes have been compromised by tons of influence, it becomes somehow unrecognised, at least for our family. For example, the famous Fu Yung Hai and Bistik have a couple of versions here in Jakarta.
But as we had moved here permanently, we tried to cope with what’s available here in Jakarta. We adjusted. But still, not every famous Chinese restaurant can actually satisfy our craving for decent Chinese food. We might be a bit picky, but for us, in a good way. We are always more into those traditional Chinese dishes with big flavours and stuff. In Hao Chi, I found something I deeply missed for quite some time already.
During my visit, I was accompanied by fellow foodies, the famous food & lifestyle blogger and writer of eatandtreats, Hans, and the famous blogger with its thehungrydoctor, Verdi. But well, not at the same time, but respectively. Long story short, it is always a true fun and joyful lunch and dinner if they are around.
In this occasion, Hao Chi would like to introduce some of the menus to food enthusiasts in Jakarta. The location of this place is fairly strategic, a well-developed (almost tiring I would say) area for its culinary joints. But the irony is that this area is not really well-known for the Chinese cuisine. So, I do personally think that Hao Chi is currently swimming against the tide.
The facade of the restaurant is quite casual with an impression of modern minimalist concept. The inside remains purely chinese-styled with big round tables and is mostly dominated by golden walls. But we were given information that they’re going to go through some interior changes to match their concept. Yay for that.
Food-wise, I got to try several menus and let me tell you first (can’t help it) that most of the menus were real good! ;P
# 3 Panggangan Kombinasi (IDR 375 k)
First menu! A true shining gem with all three goodnesses in one plate. As the name suggests, this majestic dish will come with three combinations of fine roasts, from pork belly, duck to charsiew! Then, there will be two condiments to accompany those three. One sweet sauce with dark colour and one marinated ground red chili.
From those three, my most favourite goes to the roasted pork belly. Pork belly rarely fails, and this one is no exception. The outer layer with crispy texture was delicious, with the goodness juicy fat seamlessly conjoint the tender meat. With a light dip in the sweet sauce, it tasted heavenly.
The second favourite goes to the roasted duck. The skin was light and crunchy, and the duck meat was gorgeously tender. Little part of the duck was having typical dull texture, but even so, I couldn’t stop having it all in my mouth.
Though last, these Charsiew slices still worked well in my mouth. The typical charsiew sauce was deeply infused with the meat and resulted in a fragrant taste.
# Paikut Goreng Asam Manis (S: IDR 70 k/ M: IDR 90 k)
I have to mention to you first that all the pictures shown are menus in small size (except for 3 Panggangan Kombinasi). This specific menu is fried pork ribs with sweet and sour sauce. As simple as it looks, the pork ribs were real divine with succulent and well-seasoned meat. The sweet and sauce was just perfect, without being overwhelming. Words are not enough to describe this divine dish, so you just have to go and try it yourself!
# Ayam Goreng Ala Thai (S: IDR 56 k/M: IDR 85 k)
ANOTHER TO-DIE-FOR MENU! This fried chicken fillet with thai sauce and freshness was a real champion. If I had to, just if, pick 1 specific menu out of all, I would really pick this one. I know the dish looks very simple, but the simplicity and humility of this dish did a wonderful job covering up all the big bold flavour. The most notable part of the dish was the thai sauce with sweet and spicy tone. But not only that, the extra sliced raw mango made all the extra uplifting impression. The freshness and the boldness were too good! In love with this!
# Ikan Goreng Saus Tausi (Market Price)
I actually do not like live fish that much, mostly due to funny reason, it has sharp bones (and I was too lazy to put my concentration and effort in not getting picked/stabbed in the mouth). But when it comes to fillet fish, I love it! When this big Goramy (ikan gurame) was presented on the table, I was skeptic, or well, let’s say plain lazy to enjoy it. But always, curiosity struck and I tried it anyway. The fried goramy was apparently pretty good. The fish meat was fresh and soft, with less sharp bones. The tausi sauced was pretty good too, but somehow a bit too light for my Medanese tongue. Nonetheless, I truly enjoyed it. Did I mention that the goramy was humongous?
# Udang Rujak Vietnam (S: IDR 70 k/M: IDR 90 k)
For those who enjoy prawns, this is for you. Since my name has a link to this species, somehow I was born being not too fond of prawns. Well, maybe it’s the emotional link, or me being dramatic, but I rarely eat prawns. Did you know that I am actually allergic too to most seafood? But, no, it’s not an instant or severe allergic. It’s just that if I consumed too much seafood (not instantly, but in time/continuously), I would have rash and some bad reaction on my skin, which will last quite a few months. So, keeping that in mind, not much can be told about this dish. I did try and though I would have traded this prawn to another chicken, I loved the Vietnamese sauce which was actually a bit similar to thai sauce. The main different is the garnish or toppings, which involves onions and scallions in Vietnamese style, and mango in Thai style. Oh, the prawns were super fresh too, with thick juicy meat!
# Kodok Goreng Saos Mentega (S: IDR 75 k/M: IDR 95 k)
Usually, when it comes to butter sauce (saos mentega), most dishes will be covered in lots of the sauce. But in Hao Chi, it is presented in a dryer version. This is in order to maintain its crispy texture. The result, was pretty okay. But, I still like the traditional version with more sauce.
# Mapo Tahu (S: IDR 60 k/M: IDR 80 k)
The traditional tofu dish is up. It was delicious with gorgeous flavour. What I loved most is actually the silky smooth tofu, which apparently, is specifically homemade by Hao Chi’s team, themselves. Hat off!
With all the menu I tried, the verdict comes… Well, I don’t think the thrilling dum di dam counting down is necessary, as I’m obviously in love with the food in Hao Chi! 6 out of 7 dishes made me drool even for now, and I 3 out of 7 made me crazy in love. So, what’s to wait? Go to Hao Chi and taste the sexy cuisine yourself! Hao Chi is truly hau chek!
Fun fact: “hao chi” in Chinese means delicious! 😀
HAO CHI RESTAURANT| JAKARTA
Ruko Cordoba, Block A No. 8-10, Bukit Golf Mediterania
Jalan Marina Indah Raya, Pantai Indah Kapuk, North Jakarta
Phone: +6221-56985899
Instagram: @haochirestaurant