91ST STREET - MENTENG

As a part of the foodie community at Zomato Indonesia, I got the privilege to attend the third #ZomatoIDFoodieMeetup of the year and it was held at 91st Street Restaurant. 91st Street is an Italian restaurant and it was established earlier on January 18 this year (so it is considered as a new establishment).

Nestled at the lobby of Akmani Hotel (yet this restaurant is an independent establishment/not affiliated with the hotel), this restaurant offers a lively ambiance; having industrial design with elegant touches: rattan chairs, white marble tables, wooden flooring, copper pipes lamp installation on the ceiling and some simple yet fine decorative touches all around the space. The restaurant is divided into two spaces. Facing from the entrance, the left wing is the area where their guests come to sit down for some drinks (the bar is located here - spanning from edge to edge). While the right wing is the dining area, also the place where they prepare their pizza live from scratch by their gigantic pizza oven. The restaurant accommodates more than 100 seats and it is definitely one to consider for groups: whether you are having business lunches or meetings / gatherings / parties / events.

The best thing that this restaurant offers in my opinion is the flexibility in adjusting their services to meet your needs. Not only serving ala-carte menu, they can also serve buffet by your request (adjusting to your party size and preferences). You can simply contact them and they will give their best assistance and let things be customized to match your requests. They have served quite a number of groups and parties so far: people from the embassy, companies and even an upcoming wedding.

Before talking about their food, here are some snapshots that I took on their decorative elements. There were these dried elements placed on the tables and it looked pretty to not take picture of! Feel free to save the photos and use them as your wallpaper!

One of the highlights from this restaurant is their pizza. As I previously mentioned that they prepare their pizzas freshly from scratch and the preparation is visible through their open kitchen, along with their gigantic pizza oven. Before tasting their ala-carte dishes, I got to see the live preparation of their pizza. Starting from the dough, base, toppings and the whole process.

Their pizzas are served in two sizes: Original (30cm) and Picola (20cm). The thing that I liked about their pizza was the crust: thin with nice firmness and texture. Here are some that I tried with the other foodies a while ago:

Salami

Nope, those are not pepperoni! They use salami (those that you can usually find on the cold cuts section of buffet spreads) and I actually liked it since the slices were thinner and salami itself has a lighter flavor yet still savory. For the base, they just used simple tomato sauce with mozzarella. A classic one.

Bismark

I actually expected this to be more flavorful, however the flavor was not really bold. Yet the idea of mixing the egg with the pizza was quite nice. This one was similar to the Salami, just replacing salami with chicken and egg.

Norvegese

Honestly, from the presentation, I was not really expecting this to turn out as the best among their pizza selections. Well, this dish was a reminder to not judge a book by its cover. Mozzarella base was quite generous (do not expect it to be the heavy and lengthy melted one) - yet it was in the proper amount for this pan. The idea of using smoked salmon for the topping was wonderful! The flavor of the salmon was not overshadowed by the cheese and this was a nicely-executed fusion dish!

Boscaiola

This was also nice! Scoring a spot just below Norvegese: a simple combination that goes well with thin crusts. I am someone who likes mushrooms on pizza - so if you also do, then this one is a good choice.

Not only pizza, I also got to taste some from their Pasta selections:

King Prawn

I am someone who really like my pasta with seafood and a decent seasoning. This one was quite a good one: the prawn was nice and the bisque sauce was also a good match (it would be better if the flavor was bolder in my opinion). The texture of the spaghetti was almost al-dente; just slightly too firm.

Pesto

This one was not executed really well: it was slightly under-cooked and the flavor was overall quite bland. However, the pasta texture was not really bad, yet I think it was under-seasoned for a pesto. This dish was served with beans on top.

Not only those two, I also got to try their Carbonara. My bad, I forgot to take a picture of it, yet it was the best among the pasta selections in my opinion! Flavor was at the right state: simple and humble dish with fine flavor and thin-sliced salami on top!

Time to cleanse the palates after having some pizza and pasta: Desserts!

Crème Brûlée

Panna Cotta

(Raspberry)

(Vanilla)

Their desserts was overall simple and not bad. Their Panna Cotta was nice and I prefer the vanilla one better, yet if you like fresh and tangy twist, then go with the raspberry one. We also had their Calzone Nutella Banana, however it was overly sweet to my liking - yet the texture and chocolate filling was good.

Beverages

They do serve various selections of beverages: both alcohol and non-alcohol. We got to try their signature cocktail and mocktail and they were quite refreshing for the afternoon. They also serve selections of wine in the house or you can also bring your own bottle for larger party sizes (corkage fee can be adjusted). Not into those kinds of beverages? You can simply sit down and have a cup of coffee or tea - guests usually sit at their outdoor area while enjoying a simple cup and relaxing.

Overall, I think this restaurant is a perfect one for groups and large party sizes. I think it would be better if the restaurant can enhance the flavor of their dishes and make it bolder in order to give more emphasis towards the dishes themselves. They use great ingredients and their head chef is actually Italian! However, the execution overall was not really maximum. I believe they can improve on their dishes over time. Yet I really like how they provide amazing service with flexibility that adjusts their services to customers' requests and needs! I think their service is their winning factor, also their lively and amicable ambiance.

Wishing all the very best for 91st Street Restaurant!

91st Street

The Akmani Hotel, Jl. KH. Wahid Hasyim No.91

RT.1/RW.4, Gondangdia, Menteng, Kota Jakarta Pusat, 

Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 13050

Opening Hours: 10 AM - 11 PM

Instagram: @91st.street

I N S T A G R A M

@richienakata

Z O M A T O

@richienakata