Abuba steak smokes out local competition

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.