Days ago, when I went to the south area, I made time to visit an Indonesian cuisine specialist with a fine dining concept. The name is Tempayan Dining & Lounge. I never exactly knew this restaurant before, and I just happened to stumble into it on a website which offers vouchers with cheaper price. Then since it seemed like a restaurant I rarely visited, I was interested and decided to purchase the vouchers. So, I was there then.

The location of the restaurant is not hard to find. But honestly, the facade did not seem promising to me. The place looked a bit tired. Well, the inside was pretty okay, with big space and minimalist antique ornaments. I did not find it impressive, but it’s just unique. It turned out the ground floor (1st Floor) is dedicated for the Sindoro Bakery.

We headed upstair to the second floor where Tempayan is on. My impression of the interior was okay. To elaborate further, I actually found the place genuinely unique, with old artsy decorations, ornaments, and they used a lot of wood element here. However, the arrangements were not exactly neat and some corners seemed somehow ’empty’. The lighting of the room was also a bit dark and too yellowish. I couldn’t really feel the fine dining concept, except for the fancy chandeliers and wine glasses on the table.

On the third floor itself is the lounge, where alcohol is served and people can enjoy drinks and maybe have a meet-up with some friends. The concept is younger, but the overuse of the bricks doesn’t make the room nice-looking. But that’s just my opinion.

The outdoor is prettier though. It has more light coming in and honestly, light is what Tempayan actually needs.

Back from the brief tour, we picked a table and started to order. Let’s check it out.

# Local Teh Tubruk (IDR 25 k)

When I asked the waiter about a recommendation, he recommended me to have this Teh Tubruk. Since I had too much coffee before coming here, I needed a lighter option for a change. So, I agreed with his recommendation. The presentation was pretty good. The Teh Tubruk was served in a pot, with a small cup and a jar of rock sugar. The tea was good, very fragrant and comforting. The bitter-end was good and with a bit of rock sugar added,  the tea was great.

# Es Cincau Selasih (IDR 24 k)

A glass of this was really good for a hot day. In a wide rounded glass, there were grass jelly cubes, basil seeds and small colourful bubbles. It was definitely a refreshment. One little problem was the sweetness, which was a tad too much.

# Tahu Pong Sindoro (IDR 25 k)

This dish is supposedly a plate of fried beancurd or Indonesian tofu with special dark sauce. I am a fan of Tahu Pong, that’s why I ordered this. However, the Tahu Pong here wasn’t as good as expected. The fried beancurd was fine, but the signature sauce was lack of significant flavour. It was bland, almost unidentified with no clear saltiness or savouriness.

# Bakmi Goreng Jawa (IDR 52 k)

Presented with a dull appearance, I was clearly disappointed at first. It looked pathetic and just too simple, especially for a fine dining restaurant such as this. But, oh, I am not done yet. The taste was marvellous! Oh, the look was just like a decoy, and it just turned out that the noodle was delicious. The texture was right, not too soft and it was so fragrant with lovely chicken flavour as any Javanese Fried Noodle should be! I only wished the portion was bigger! 😀

# Nasi Bali (IDR 58 k)

I’m always a big groupie of Balinese cuisine, Nasi Bali most definitely included. So when I saw Nasi Bali in the list, I instantly ordered this. In case you’re wondering, Nasi Bali is a portion of steamed rice with mixed vegetables, spiced chicken chunks, balinese satay (better known as sate lilit) and raw balinese chili (sambal matah). The appearance was again, very very disappointing. Nowhere near pretty. But the taste was surprisingly good. Especially the satay, which was so good, so right with the spices. The sambal matah was lovely. It’s overall a recommended dish!

Well, our visit was pretty short though that day. We just had a quick lunch and didn’t manage to taste more of the others. I am still curious with some others such as Nasi Gudeg Komplit, Nasi Goreng Kulit Ayam, Sop Buntut and Bistik Jawa. Well, it will be for next visit!

When it comes to price, I think it’s a bit overpriced, especially with the small portion. They might also need to improve the presentation of the food, especially if Tempayan really wants to claim itself as a fine dining restaurant. To be fair, presentation plays a part in creating good impression, good image before our tongues judge it.

For an overall verdict, I think that Tempayan Dining & Lounge is just an okay. Taste-wise, I was quite impressed. But taste is not all sometimes. Recommended? Well, it depends.

TEMPAYAN DINING & LOUNGE | JAKARTA
Jalan Ampera Raya no. 120 AA
Phone: +6221-7820530
Opening Hours: 10.00 – 22.00 WIB