Abuba steak smokes out local competition
Liya Chaika, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Many restaurants work hard to lure more foodies to their joints. Comfy atmosphere, aggressive promotions, best services ... you name it.
The first impression I have on Abuba Steak is, it's just like many other restaurants all across Jakarta. It is a simple, local- style restaurant situated on the verandah of an unpretentious house with an open kitchen on its side serving local-style steak.
Despite its simplicity, not to mention smoke billowing all the way from its kitchen, all of the steak house seats, around 20 of them, are always occupied.
One Saturday, my friends and I decided to pay this steak house a visit for lunch. But we had to call it off. First, we found the place already crowded with waiting diners and second, we could not find a place to park our car.
Well, we blamed ourselves for not getting a place. We underestimated the popularity of this steak house. A friend had earlier advised us never to come during weekends or holidays.
So with renewed spirit, we carefully planned our second visit, this time on Monday. True to my friend's advice, the three of us finally landed on our not so soft seats.
Location: The steak house is located on a busy street Jl. Cipete Raya No. 6, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta (tel: 021- 7512337). It opens daily from 11 a.m. to 12 midnight. It's about five to 10 minutes drive from an intersection in front of D'Best shopping mall in Fatmawati area, South Jakarta. Thanks to the smoke coming out of its open kitchen, you will hardly miss it.
Looks: It's simple, almost warung style with wooden table and plastic seats. Air conditioned dining rooms or no smoking ones are out of question. And there's no fancy artworks adorning its walls since you all will be entertained by meat-themed posters.
What's it got: After looking through a simple, one-page menu, I realized that like many other Indonesian eateries, the menu goes straight to the main course. No appetizers in sight.
The selection is simple, with a selection of T-bone, tenderloin, sirloin with a choice of US, NZ or local beef. But you can also go for Abuba's style satay, fried beef steak, lamb chops, grilled carps, chicken steak, grilled sausage or grilled burger.
As for dessert, well, forget about mouthwatering cheesecake, banana split or tiramisu as they are not on the list. In fact, there are no desserts on the menu.
For beverages, the list is very modest, there's even no juices if you want to go for a natural flavor to melt out the fat. What they have are typical lemon ice, soft drinks, hot and cold tea and coffee.
Taste factor: I finally plumped for a U.S. tenderloin steak (Rp 65,000) while my two friends preferred local ones, tenderloin steak (Rp 30,000) and T-bone steak (Rp 28,000).
Our food came in quite generous portions, a welcome considering it's for lunch (and with promise to cut down dinner portion ...). Our steaks were served with home-style gravy, sweet and peppered, along with local fries, sweet corn, carrots and peas. There were no complaints about the meats, which were delicious and tender. As expected, a selection of hot sauces are also available.
Price points: Considering the delicious food and generous portions, we agree the steaks are comfortably priced and the prices don't go over Rp 70,000. Prices of beverages don't go beyond Rp 5,000 each. The prices are excluding 10 percent tax.
Service: Very polite and it takes 10-15 minutes before the waitress (in their neat black-and-white uniforms plus small chef- styled hats) serves your food.
Minus points: The smoke, and as the place is always crowded, it's hard to get the best seats possible (meaning: maybe it's time for Abuba to consider opening a new outlet).
Verdict: If you are looking for local taste steaks, and served in generous portions, maybe it's time to go to Abuba.