Nutmeg. Cuisine and Bar.

One of my most memorable dining experiences comes from a humble place called Nutmeg, a venue of comfort, which is located in Kemang. I honestly didn’t know this place before, and just happened to stumble upon a promotion on a website. A diner called Nutmeg, surely sounded intriguing. Therefore, I just decided to take a visit with the promotion voucher in my hand.

After making a reservation a day before, I went there with my significant other on a mildly sunny Sunday morning. We came for lunch, but somehow, it’s a bit too quite a lunch time. Good though, I always love a quite place to dine in for lunch. Easily, we picked a table at the corner for ourselves once the waiter kindly permitted us to choose. Non-smoking and smoking area are separated, so it’s just convenient.

The interior of this place is very comforting, somehow creating a calm and homey ambiance. The furnitures and decorations are pretty simple, mostly made from wood, but perfectly blended with the soft colours of the interior and the natural lighting from outside. Natural sunshine can simply go through the glass windows, thus the rooms are well lit, in an effortless manner for the afternoon. I can almost picture myself having a cozy home like this. But almost is never enough. =)

I figured it out that instead of describing each and every corner of the place by words ineffectively, a bunch of pictures will speak for themselves. Below are what I captured from my “eyes” at that moment.

Do you love the place? I do! <3

 Talking about service, we were only served by one waiter at a time the entire lunch. Once they served the food and stuff, they will usually be out of sight. If it were a crowded restaurant, I guess it would seem really rude. But since it’s a very peaceful restaurant, we just loved our loneliness here. Everything was so peaceful, nearly as if we really owned the place for the lazy afternoon. Despite the rare appearance, the waiters were very kind, polite and helpful.

Why did I mention how helpful they were? During the visit, I have told you that we were redeeming a voucher which had a rule of limitating our choices for our lunch. The choices, however, were so attractive we couldn’t make up our mind. I, for once, came for a special menu, Spice Crispy Duck Breast (it’s listed on the list of menu we could choose), which in my mind, I honestly thought it was a Balinese Crispy Duck. Thus, I was dying to have a taste of it. After I tried to order it, the waiter heavy-heartedly said that that certain menu was sold out. I was disappointed, and I told him that I actually purchased the voucher for this specific menu, without expecting anything. The waiter just suddenly thought of something, and told me to wait for a while, as he went to the kitchen to confirm the availability of the duck. For a minute or so, he came back and told me that they could manage to serve me the dish. Horay! I almost jumped to the top of the ceiling (not literally). 😉 See how helpful he was!

Then my significant other decided to have a dish of Red Snapper with Potato Parmigiana. For the starter, we picked Fish and Chips. We did order a glass of iced latte.

So, here they are, as what my eyes could see, and what my tongue could taste, at that moment.

Assorted Bread (Free)

As an “ice breaker” and free!, the assorted bread and butter were perfect. =D

 My beverage to clench my thirst. What a lovely latte.

 Fish and Chips (55k)

All time classic is a safe bet. We did pick this because we were craving for fried crispy fish for the start of our lazy lunch. The plating was nice and simple. They really knew how to present food and play with colours, as the fresh orange and green colour coming from the carrots and green peas really made a good impact for the whole dish.

Predictably, this dish was a good choice. The tartare sauce, the fried battered fish fillet and the potato wedges were destined to be with each other. Though it’s not remarkably outstanding, it certainly tasted good. The crispy outer layers were fried to perfect golden brown, and there was almost no hint of oil left on it. Oily food is bad for us, and we hate it.

Spice Crispy Duck Breast (150k)

Like I said before, I initially thought it was going to be similar with the Balinese Crispy Duck. I was so wrong. It was so different. When it was presented for us, we were kind of disappointed with the dish. It looked, um.. ugly. The duck breast was dark brown and in a bad shape. I guess, no one will find the appearance lovely.  Or maybe it’s just their kind of art. Who knows. =D

Though my expectation fell short, we tried it anyway. And well, the tiny crispy duck was superb! Despite it’s ugly appearance, it was so rich of taste, with dominant sweet and fragrant accent. I was pretty sure that there was Balsamic Glaze all over the duck. Somehow, the balsamic glaze made the duck go to another level, not to mention the crispy-ish texture. With the fragrant turmeric rice (which mixed with raisins) and the few slices of fresh tropical fruits, it created a unique and daringly playful delicacy.

Red Snapper with Potato Parmigiana (90k)

Without any expectation, the dish we chose was served on our table with what I could say as one of the best looking presentation we ever saw. This time, the plating was not simple at all. It was complex, kind of messy in a perfect way. The red and green pepper really played an important part in captivating our eyes. The green curry sauce looked amazingly delicious all over the red snapper and the plate. Somehow, it looked like a Christmas edition Red Snapper. =D

Taste wise, with hope held high, the red snapper undoubtedly exceeded our expectation. The snapper was perfectly pan fried, with juicy texture and mildly savoury seasoning. The green curry sauce was perfectly seasoned, thus it did not overwhelm the others at all as what the usual curry does. Underneath the glorious pan fried red snapper, there were layers of thinly sliced potato parmesan. The potato parmesan almost had the texture of crisps but moist.

How should I describe the overall taste? Savoury, sweet-ish, complex, fragrant, fresh, and unique.

And the verdict is.. as if it is not obvious, I should just directly declare that all the food was real good! They looked beautiful (the exception applies for the duck!), tasted delicious, and actually offered me a different and exotic dining experience than my common ones. The main courses were somehow incomparable, as they really boosted our appetite, as if we would just love to have some more and more. It’s unpredictable in taste, and kind of sophisticated in a really good way. It must be the great combination of spices because as we know it, a well-applicated spices in food, combined with great techniques could really create rare delectable goodness!

Talking about the price, it might honestly be quite expensive. Without any promotion, you might have to spend approximately Rp 200 k (for two people).

Please note that I am not exaggerating my visit (I might be, without me knowing =P), since we were really satisfied with the whole experience. The way I used the words might be strange to some people, but bear with me, it’s really what I thought in mind. You might really want to have a visit here, and I suggest you go there for a good lunch. For this visit, I would gladly give a rating of 10 out of 10. No disappointment at all. Just satisfaction. =)

For dinner, I have to admit that I have no idea at all, as dinner and lunch can be really different considering the changes of atmosphere, lighting, and situation.

I’m signing out then. Be foodventurous people!

Nutmeg Cuisine & Bar
Oktroi Plaza
Jl. Kemang Utara Raya No. 1
Jakarta Selatan 12730
Phone: (021)-7195020
Facebook: Nutmeg Cuisine & Bar