Jayakarta - short review (Berkeley)
This place is indeed a gem especially for many Indonesians such as myself who long for good authentic food.
AYAM KALASAN: just as previous reviewer, the chicken is indeed moist, large pieces with the seasonings permeated throughout the flesh. On the sweetish side but nevertheless outstanding. This dish is probably a different version than normally served in Indo but I think it's still awesome. The chili sambal is also great with thick, sweetish. Very authentic but I detected maybe a strange flavor maybe from the preservatives. This place knows how to do chicken right
LEMPER: WOW ! Right consistency, not too soft and not too firm. Fragrant probably from the banana leaves wrapping that were grilled together with the lemper. Filling is unusual containing small chunks of moist flavorful chicken. This is as good as it gets. Again, slightly new version but outstanding nevertheless. I saw them on the counter. The lady also informed me that the maker is a professional in Indonesia that also made great risoles and other things.
NASI RAMES: combo plate with rice. Great chicken, decent rendang, oseng tempeh, achar kuning. Overall a nice dish.
NASI GORENG PETE KAMBING: plenty of pete and chunks of lamb that are of the right proportions. Overall quite good. But I saw NASI GORENG IKAN ASIN (salted fish) that looked even better.
BAKWAN MALANG: very authentic indeed. Chunks of flour cakes, beef balls, etc in a nice flavoured chicken soup. But for non-natives, probably a bit weird especially the rice cakes that were not very flavorful.
PEPES UDANG: is a bit of disappointment. Large shrimps in a red slightly spicy sauce with small chunks of tomatoes. The spices do not meld very well here.
The free chili sauce on the table was not very appealing. Probably from store bought mass produced.
This place has lots of potentials
-
I was with the group of six from several weeks ago and tried some of the same dishes. Will definitely try lemper when I go again this weekend, with yet another group! This is my take on the dishes we had:
Gado Gado - excellent rendition.
Acar Kunyit (Kuning?) - I knew this was a different from Malaysian acar but we got it anyway. Rather simple vinegary sauce but refreshing.
Ayam Kalasan - BBQ chicken marinated in gula melaka, etc. flavorful and tender
Beef Rendang - rich and tasty but a little salty for my taste
Mie Goreng - After tasting so many dishes, it was hard to tell if this was really good or just okay! Would have to order it again solo.
Terung Belado - Not as good as Belachan eggplant at Nyonya Bistro since it lacks the aromatic belachan flavor but still pretty good
Oseng Tempe - wasn't sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised.
Lontong Cap Goh Mei - This was a little different than expected. Sauce was way too rich and since it came at the end, was a little heavy. Expecting a very light curry broth as is typical in Singapore. Would be a good dish on its own - or they could just lighten the broth!
Shld ask them about the chap goh Mei part of it.. -
thanks han
i saw the place a month ago while walking to ryowa (which wasn't that great this time). it looked very promising, and i was hoping someone would post on it. now i'm hoping you'll try it again in a few months and tell us which is your favorite indonesian place. i'm guessing jayakarta will be a contender.
