IG: biteorbye (Nisa & Nadya)

Biteorbye? Bite.

Why you will love it ❤
1. That peanut sauce is yummmm. Just the perfect balance between tangy, sweet and savoury. The sauce is generous so all the vegetables and krupuk can bathe in the beautifulness that is the sauce.
2. Vegetables are fresh and super generous in portion.
3. That peanut sauce and krupuk is honestly a match made in heaven. Like Shawn and Camila, Ron and Hermione, Ted and Robin. Just meant to be.
4. Strategically located, just an MRT ride away.

What could be improved 🙏
More branches please. We need more of this beautiful asinan in a lot of places 😉.

Place: Asinan Kang Asep, ITC Fatmawati
Menu: Asinan (20K) 9.1/10

PS: the foto here only uses ½ of the krupuk

Biteorbye? Bite.

Why you will love it ❤
1. Taraso, how do I even start? Taraso is the home of two of my favourite dishes. Dendeng basah and Ayam Kecap. Combine the two, that must be how the food in Hogwarts taste like. Magic.
2. Dendeng basah is tender in texture. You get plenty of red chilli which has a very slight tanginess, but mostly sweet. No it is not too spicy. Eat this with generous ayam kecap sauce drizzled on top. The dendeng basah is sort of like your favourite person. You know when every thing in the world goes wrong, the dendeng basah never disappoints.
3. Ayam Kecap is a specialty of Taraso. That large green chilli and the tenderness of the Ayam Kecap must be how the food from the heavens taste like.
4. Please do kindly order the sayur sawi. I mean the singkong is nice, but everywhere else it tastes the same. But that vegetable... Combined with dendeng and ayam. You get an awesome combo that only Taraso is able to perfect.

What could be improved 🙏
Rice when I visited could do a bit more cooking. Albeit still enjoyable, if the rice was a perfect texture the meal would have been out of the world.

Place: Taraso, ITC Fatmawati
Menu:
Dendeng Basah 9.6/10
Ayam Kecap 8.8/10

Biteorbye? Bite.

Why you will love it ❤
1. Flavourful nasi kapau! You will be spoiled with choices here. These are our recommendations:
-Ayam Rendang! We are a strong believer that a Nasi Kapau place is judged by how good the rendang is. Nasi Kapau Sodagar delivered. With just a hint of sweetness, savoury and a bit of spiciness this was one of our favourite dishes.
-Gulai Cumi is generous in filling. We appreciate that the texture is just right. A lot of gulai cumi has a tendency to be chewy, not this one though. The filling is also generous with egg and tofu. Size of the cumi is quite big for sharing, but make sure you order another protein if you want to share this cumi.
-Dendeng Batoko is one of their specialties and favourites here. For the dendeng, Nasi Kapau Sodagar uses green chilli and the texture is somewhere in between soft and crispy rendang. While we do like it and understand why it can be a favourite for some, we thought other dishes were stronger.
-Telur Barendo is a must-try here. You can eat it as it is, with rice or dip it in your favourite gulai. It is a mixture between chicken and duck egg, and you can understand why it is the recommended dish as you try it in your first bite. Crispy yet there is also a part of the egg that has a soft texture. Freshly cooked. You have to request for this, as it is not displayed. Flavourful. You. Must. Get. This. Definitely will order this when we come back.
-Ubi Rendang, yes another reason we will come back. This is complimentary when you order the Nasi Kapau. At a glance, you will judge and see hmmm not sure why this dish is a favourite. Once you taste it though, all your doubts will fade. It's a perfect combo between sweet, spicy and savoury served with Ubi that is perfectly cooked. Eat it with your favourite protein/vegetables and you get an interesting flavour profile. Instantly highlights anything you eat. It's like a sidekick you did not expect to shine, and then suddenly at the end of the story that sidekick suddenly turns to a hero. Like Neville Longbottom! A scene-stealer.
2. They are serious about maintaining their authenticity. Some seasoning are brought directly from Sumatera and even the krupuk kulit! So the texture of krupuk kulit is not the same as your typical krupuk kulit in other Padang/Nasi Kapau places. You can tell they try to keep it as authentic as possible in terms of taste.
3. Great ambience - very laidback, chill and modern. Awesome place to go with family or friends.
4. Friendly and attentive service.
5. Parking space is convenient.
6. We appreciate that Nasi Kapau Sodagar has quite a spacious mushalla in the restaurant.
7. Smoking area is available, separate and airconned, so it's convenient for all.

What could be improved 🙏
1. Hopefully the staff could give a better recommendation on what are the must-try dishes. While they could recommend if you ask, the staff that proactively recommends would be better (especially since there are so many awesome choices!).
2. The Nasi Kapau/Padang in Jakarta we are accustomed has a somewhat sweeter flavour profile. This place is more on the saltier/spicier side even though some dishes have an element of sweetness. If you are looking for a sweeter taste of Nasi Kapau, you would not be able to find it here. But if you are looking for an authentic experience, you will definitely find it here.
3. Would love to have the staff to offer drink recommendation available, since the restaurant also has a must-try drink: Teh Talua but we did not know until the end of the meal :’)

Place: Nasi Kapau Sodagar, Panglima Polim
Menu:
Ayam Rendang 9.0/10
Gulai Cumi 8.9/10
Dendeng Batoko 8.8/10
Telur Barendo 9.1/10
Ubi Rendang 9.4/10

Biteorbye? Bite.

Why you will love it ❤
1. Sticky Toffee Pudding in terms of presentation is beautiful. Like if it were a person, whenever he walks by, everyone cannot stop and stare. But in terms of taste… because they are superrrr generous with the caramel sauce it is too sweet. With that being said, the cake was divine, paired with the ice cream.
2. They have great espresso. Please give it a try if you do enjoy espresso!
3. Nice ambience.
4. Great service.

What could be improved 🙏
1. For the sticky toffee pudding, I think the caramel sauce would be better to be served separately, this is to prevent oversweetness especially those who enjoy their dessert but not too overwhelmingly sweet kind of dessert.
2. This place is on the pricier side, but in terms of taste, ambience and service you get what you pay for.

Place: Toby’s Estate, PIM 2
Menu:
Sticky Toffee Pudding 8.6/10
Espresso 8.2/10

Biteorbye? Bite.

Why you will love it ❤
1. We love the shrimp summer rolls! The rolls itself is already great and refreshing, but with that peanut sauce dipping. It’s the equivalent of having a crush on someone, and then finding out he/she likes the same books and bands as you do. MAGIC. They. Instantly. Become. 120%. More. Attractive.
2. Grilled Chicken Skewers Vermicelli was great. Perfect for sharing for two, because the portion is indeed generous. Get another main course or order an extra appetizer if you want to share this. We love the fried shrimp rolls. Super flavourful. However, the chicken skewers could do more seasoning. It is good, but has the potential to be great.
3. Friendly, attentive and fast service. The waitress seem to remember all of our orders despite actually writing it. Props to her!
4. Great ambiece to have a lovely brunch, lunch or dinner.

What could be improved 🙏
1. While the Shrimp Summer Rolls is already fantastic, we wish it was a tad bit more generous on the coriander. It never hurts to enhance the flavour with coriander.
2. Pomelo Salad with Seafood is not the best pomelo salad we have had so far. It lacks the tanginess from the pomelo and the flavour was more on the safe and subtle side. While you might enjoy it if you prefer a more subtle Pomelo Salad flavour, I prefer it a bit sweet with a punch of sourness and spiciness.

Place: Saigon Delight, PIM 3
Menu:
Shrimp Summer Rolls 9.0/10
Pomelo Salad with Seafood 7.2/10
Grilled Chicken Skewers Vermicelli 8.7/10

Biteorbye? Bite.

Why you will love it ❤
1. Various options for shabu-shabu, meat and drinks. You can just take it yourself, but for premium package the meat would be brought to your table.
2. Great that they have infused water here.
3. Lots of vegetable selections.
4. Friendly and attentive service. The waitress is able to explain well the menu which is always great especially for first-timers, like me. Also, would be better if you book your visit in advance.
5. Nice ambience. While you might be distracted with all the food and lots of people during peak hour, but you can actually see that the ambience is nice. It’s spacious and comfortable to be in.

What could be improved 🙏
Personally, I wish the sauce selection was better. I think what separates one AYCE and another besides the quality of the meat is the sauce itself. While the spicy sauce was enjoyable, I think the ginger (not sure if this is actually ginger?) was a tad too dominant for my liking. But you can cut the strong taste by adding a bit of chilli and customizing the sauce.

Place: Shabu Hachi, Gatot Subroto
Menu: Regular & BBQ, Original Konbu

Biteorbye? Bite.

Why you will love it ❤
1. The calamari is great here! Maybe it’s the calamari itself, maybe it’s the seasoning or the tartar sauce that is refreshing. Or all of them combined. Quite surprising because we did not the calamari to taste this good. Definitely ordering this again when we come back!
2. Nice ambience. The place is laid back, chill and cozy without having a pretentious vibe.
3. Fast, friendly and attentive service.
4. Plenty of parking space available.

What could be improved 🙏
Wish the nachos had guacamole and sourcream! Though we do understand that would increase the price. But nachos without guacamole and sourcream is like going to Bali but not chasing sunsets. Still a great experience, but you are missing a key element. With that being said, nachos was still good. Will be back because of the food and cozy ambience!

Place: Panhead, Radio Dalam
Menu:
Calamari 8.9/10
Nachos 7.8/10