Born and raised in Indonesia, I LOVE Indonesian food. There are so many varieties*, techniques and ingredients used that make Indonesian cuisine very interesting and (ahem) even some of them are often categorized into the guilty. pleasure. food list. YUM.
*we have so many islands and regions, each of which has their own cuisine more often than not
Atmosphere
Okay, before the #foodporn starts, let me take you for a walk through this beautiful place. ?
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| The humble setting (which I think) was inspired by Jakarta colonial architecture |
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| The spacious 1st floor that can contain up to 250 people |
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| The 2nd floor can contain up to 120 people. It boasts outdoor setting and a private room (there was an arisan in it when I was there ^^) Perfect weather with charming set? Would be a sin not to take an outfit shot!  |
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| Aesthetic use of Indonesian traditional decoration |
I like the use of natural elements (open air water fountain, trees, plants, wood furnitures, woven blinds, etc.) combined with (Dutch-Chinese infused) Indonesian heritage collection. It gives the warm, old school Indonesian-togetherness atmosphere while the use of light colors and clean-cut furnitures keep it clean and fresh. Perfect place to gather with your family and friends. :D
Food and Beverages
Here comes the drool... |
| ? Menu andalan Ikan Bakar Cianjur (IBC's main menu) ? |
First and foremost, let's start with their famous Nasi Liwet!
Sold 300 pots each day, this fragrant rice is a must have with your meal. It complements all the dishes very nicely and I think I can eat it alone because it's already very tasty on its own! The owner said that this Nasi Liwet was cooked by soaking the rice for 1-2 hours in special broth, then slowly cooked with low heat in the stove before being served with IBC's Medanese sauteed anchovies on top of it when it's done. ?
Moving on to DELICIOUS main dishes~~~! +( ??? )+
Ayam Goreng VS Ayam Bakar (Fried VS Sweet Grilled Chicken). To me, Grilled Chicken won!!
Gurame Goreng VS Gurame Bakar (Deep Fried VS Grilled Carp / Gourami Fish). Although the Gurame Goreng was also very soft and perfectly fried (not greasy and light in texture), but being not such a big fan of fried anything (healthier choice ftw), I still preferred the Gurame Bakar! It is more fragrant, not too heavily burnt and I like the faint taste of sweet sauce seeping in the fish meat. Turns out the Gurame Bakar was gently deep fried until half done before it was grilled with IBC special sauce. Both fish were also very fresh. The tricky part of having gourami dishes is they sometimes bear unpleasant soil smell (or bau tanah, as the locals would say) but the ones served here were so fresh they did not have such problem. ^^v
Nila Pesmol how-to: Deep fry Tilapia Fish until half done, dip it into IBC Pesmol Sauce, boil it for 1 minute, then serve with sliced tomatoes, cabe rawit (green cayenne chilies) and bawang goreng (fried onions).
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| Now this is none other than MY FAVORITE MENU and one of the most popular choices in Ikan Bakar Cianjur: Nila Pesmol!! It was so delicious I was thinking to bring home the leftover sauce *cries*. My late grandfather (who was a proud epicurean) loved it too, he went there the next week after hearing me going there just to savor this dish. XD He even mentioned this as one of his all-time favorite Indonesian food in his journal (which Elle and I secretly read *sorry, akong!*). ^^;; |
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| It is without question that Tumis Kangkung (stir fried water spinach) is one of the most popular vegetable dishes in Indonesian restaurants. Now the one offered in Ikan Bakar Cianjur is slightly different than other restaurants' because they only use water spinach that is produced in Lombok (a beautiful island located next to Bali) which has superior quality (its stem is bigger and the texture is a lot crispier) to other water spinach available in town. It is then stir fried with terasi (shrimp paste), garlic and shallots to produce this aromatic, juicy Tumis Kangkung. |
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| Another must try Indonesian dish that is often considered as a snack or appetizer is this one: Tahu Goreng Sambal Kecap a.k.a. fried tofu with sweet soy sauce mixed with shallots and chopped chilies. I can eat 10s of this and still crave for more. ...Okay this one is kinda tearing up my not-a-fan-of-fried-food integrity, but what can I do?? I love Sambal Kecap!! XD Speaking of Sambal, let's not forget these important lil fellas: |
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| L-R: Sambal Kecap (sweet soy sauce mixed with shallots and chopped chilies) - Sambal Tomat (ground chilies with tomatoes) - Cabe Potong Jeruk Nipis (chopped fresh chili peppers with lime wedge). *drools* |
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| Before moving on to the beverages, let's pretend we could smell this Sop Iga (Beef Rib Soup) right now *pitiful sniff* T_T. I'm glad we ordered this instead of my usual choice of Indonesian soup Sayur Asem, because it was SO GOOD and rich in taste. The ribs meat was so tender and juicy and turns out, it was slow-cooked with natural spices for 2-3 freaking hours!! It was then served with fried onions spread all over the soup. The soup itself was very savory and delicious. I loved sipping it in between my meal. :9 |
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| My beverage of choice: Fresh Imported Carrot Juice. Loved it, ordered two of it (yes, I drink a lot). ^^ |
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| L-R clockwise: Es Campur Tempo Doeloe, Es Cianjur, Es Shanghai These are some of the most famous Indonesian refreshing iced drinks. Locals often view them as dessert. They are basically grated / shaved ice dressed in various toppings and drenched in syrups or santan (coconut milk) or susu kental manis (sweetened condensed milk) or some of them. ^^ The toppings could be fruits (coconuts, avocados, raisins, longans, pineapples, lychees, cherries, etc), jellies, chocolate sticks, ketan hitam (black glutinous rice), tape (fermented cassava), etc. My favorite would be the one with Tape / Kismis / Avocado in it. So, Es Campur Tempo Doeloe it is! ;D |
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| Es Kelapa Muda (Young Coconut Iced Drink) served in super cute coconut mug! :3 ? |
And... Last but not least, there was this Indonesian traditional hot drink that goes by the name Bandrek. It was made of ginger, milk, and served with young coconut cuts. I knowww it tastes best at chilly or rainy days, but I couldn't resist to try it there and then. Lucky me, it was as good. ;D
Overall
I had a very pleasant lunch at Ikan Bakar Cianjur. There are plenty of options in the menu, whether you eat in group or alone, you'd find something suitable for your palate. Price is between IDR 10,000 - 20,000 for side dish, IDR 45,000 - 70,000 for main course and IDR 5,000 - 20,000 for drink. Do note that you get Free Sambal and Free mineral water for every meal. They accept credit and debit cards aside from cash. The spacious place is children-friendly so it is more likely a family restaurant, especially on weekends. But office workers, couples, old and young communities are also daily part of the crowd. Parking lot is huge and can contain up to 40 cars. The restaurant is located on a main street and is already on foursquare, so it is easy to find using apps like Waze or Google Maps.
To sum up, here's my personal rating of this restaurant:
Food � 8.8 /10 (quality, taste, variety)
Service � 8.5 /10 (product knowledge, speed, etiquette)
Place � 8 /10 (hygiene, location, atmosphere)
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Now, now. The fun is not over yet.
So you, my dear readers (yes, you! ^^), are about to get...
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FREE IBC Member Card*!!!
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Ikan Bakar Cianjur Member Card Benefits:
1. Enjoy 15% Discount on all food & beverage
2. Member Card can be used at all IBC outlets
3. Member Card fee is IDR 100,000 but there's an exception for ellejess.com loyal readers:
All you need to do is to come by Ikan Bakar Cianjur restaurant (you can pick any of these 20 outlets all over Indonesia), dine in for IDR 50,000 (USD 4) only and show this post (http://bit.ly/ibcreview) to the crew to get a Free IBC Member Card that can be used on the very same day.
That's it?? YES. Crazy eazy, right?????
Just order something worth IDR 50,000, show this post and GET FREE MEMBER CARD!! (???)????
Very good deal only at ellejess.com LOLOL
*Hurry up cuz this promotion is valid until 31 August 2014 only, while stocks last! ;D
Ah, almost forgot to mention. I came here on a Sunday afternoon and the place was all packed like this:
So if you're planning to come here on busy hours, you might wanna make a reservation first. :D Ikan Bakar Cianjur has a total of 20 outlets in Indonesia, and the one I'm reviewing here is the Alam Sutera branch:
Ikan Bakar Cianjur - Alam Sutera
Jl Alam Sutera Utama Kav.20, Alam Sutera, Serpong, Tangerang
T. +6221 2921 1600 | Opening hours: 10.00 - 22.00
Website: www.ibcgroup.co.id
Okay then, hope you guys enjoy the post and take advantage of the FREE IBC Member Card privilege when you get to try this awesome restaurant! Don't forget to leave some comments and see you guys on my next post~ (�?�)??
XOXO