Abuba steak smokes out local competition<\/p>\n
Liya Chaika, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Many restaurants work hard to lure more foodies to their joints.
\nComfy atmosphere, aggressive promotions, best services ... you
\nname it.<\/p>\n
The first impression I have on Abuba Steak is, it's just like
\nmany other restaurants all across Jakarta. It is a simple, local-
\nstyle restaurant situated on the verandah of an unpretentious
\nhouse with an open kitchen on its side serving local-style steak.<\/p>\n
Despite its simplicity, not to mention smoke billowing all the
\nway from its kitchen, all of the steak house seats, around 20 of
\nthem, are always occupied.<\/p>\n
One Saturday, my friends and I decided to pay this steak house
\na visit for lunch. But we had to call it off. First, we found the
\nplace already crowded with waiting diners and second, we could
\nnot find a place to park our car.<\/p>\n
Well, we blamed ourselves for not getting a place. We
\nunderestimated the popularity of this steak house. A friend had
\nearlier advised us never to come during weekends or holidays.<\/p>\n
So with renewed spirit, we carefully planned our second visit,
\nthis time on Monday. True to my friend's advice, the three of us
\nfinally landed on our not so soft seats.<\/p>\n
Location: The steak house is located on a busy street Jl.
\nCipete Raya No. 6, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta (tel: 021-
\n7512337). It opens daily from 11 a.m. to 12 midnight. It's about
\nfive to 10 minutes drive from an intersection in front of D'Best
\nshopping mall in Fatmawati area, South Jakarta. Thanks to the
\nsmoke coming out of its open kitchen, you will hardly miss it.<\/p>\n
Looks: It's simple, almost warung style with wooden table and
\nplastic seats. Air conditioned dining rooms or no smoking ones
\nare out of question. And there's no fancy artworks adorning its
\nwalls since you all will be entertained by meat-themed posters.<\/p>\n
What's it got: After looking through a simple, one-page menu,
\nI realized that like many other Indonesian eateries, the menu
\ngoes straight to the main course. No appetizers in sight.<\/p>\n
The selection is simple, with a selection of T-bone,
\ntenderloin, sirloin with a choice of US, NZ or local beef. But
\nyou can also go for Abuba's style satay, fried beef steak, lamb
\nchops, grilled carps, chicken steak, grilled sausage or grilled
\nburger.<\/p>\n
As for dessert, well, forget about mouthwatering cheesecake,
\nbanana split or tiramisu as they are not on the list. In fact,
\nthere are no desserts on the menu.<\/p>\n
For beverages, the list is very modest, there's even no
\njuices if you want to go for a natural flavor to melt out the
\nfat. What they have are typical lemon ice, soft drinks, hot and
\ncold tea and coffee.<\/p>\n
Taste factor: I finally plumped for a U.S. tenderloin steak
\n(Rp 65,000) while my two friends preferred local ones, tenderloin
\nsteak (Rp 30,000) and T-bone steak (Rp 28,000).<\/p>\n
Our food came in quite generous portions, a welcome
\nconsidering it's for lunch (and with promise to cut down dinner
\nportion ...). Our steaks were served with home-style gravy, sweet
\nand peppered, along with local fries, sweet corn, carrots and
\npeas. There were no complaints about the meats, which were
\ndelicious and tender. As expected, a selection of hot sauces are
\nalso available.<\/p>\n
Price points: Considering the delicious food and generous
\nportions, we agree the steaks are comfortably priced and the
\nprices don't go over Rp 70,000. Prices of beverages don't go
\nbeyond Rp 5,000 each. The prices are excluding 10 percent tax.<\/p>\n
Service: Very polite and it takes 10-15 minutes before the
\nwaitress (in their neat black-and-white uniforms plus small chef-
\nstyled hats) serves your food.<\/p>\n
Minus points: The smoke, and as the place is always crowded,
\nit's hard to get the best seats possible (meaning: maybe it's
\ntime for Abuba to consider opening a new outlet).<\/p>\n
Verdict: If you are looking for local taste steaks, and served
\nin generous portions, maybe it's time to go to Abuba.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/abuba-steak-smokes-out-local-competition-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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