PUBLIK MARKETTE GRAND INDONESIA - JAKARTA

Slowly but sure, I feel like everyone - if not every foodies - is excited about new places and I am talking about the restaurants only, the art of new places opening or even the moment when you wait until it opens is always exciting (at least for me) and that's exactly how I deal with this one, another new comer, another Ismaya's creative venture, Publik Markette located inside the growing Central department store, Grand Indonesia just across NOMZ and near UNION DELI.

Just to let you know, I just had lunch here and here I am typing the blog post while I was waiting for my meeting, Initially wanted to work in Kempi Deli, but it's so sad knowing that Kempi Deli is now closing (I asked the security there), I don't know if it's temporary or permanent, but all the cakes and pastries purchase are now transferred to Sweet Boutique, Kempinski's recently launched signature bakery. BRING BACK MY GODDAMN KEMPI DELI! One of the coziest spot to work on my stuff, petite and comfy ah! *wipe tears*.

The soul of this restaurant reminded me of Kitchenette in a glance, not sure if it's because of the hanging cabinets or the color palette, but there's something Kitchenette about it, of course in a good way. I love the atmosphere of Kitchenette, I think Ismaya is the champ when it comes to the concept, even though sometimes the food turned out just OK. The ambiance of Publik Markette on the day was quite homey and comfortable with a little touch of industrial but looking nowhere near cheap. I love sitting on that little pot just near the window, aside from the photography reason, the sunlight kicked in beautifully and I found that "my own heartwarming reason". I also love how they managed to use a lot of greens inside giving the refreshing feeling to the ambiance.

It's not yet opened for public, I was one of their guest on the soft opening days. It will open for public this Thursday!

The concept of the order was as simple as the canteen method, you just need to take the number on your table (mine was #62 and photo below) and you made your way from the start point (left) to the end part where they displayed the juices (right), at the end, you only need to pay for the purchase and they will bring your order to your table so no need to wait!

The food was dominated with Western cuisine and they will be rolled daily to keep the guests entertained with the options, but everyday you're going to find proteins like chicken, beef, pork and fish. I had myself "Crispy Pork Belly" (IDR 155k) that came with roasted corns and green salads, "Baked Bolognaise Pipe Pasta" (IDR 55k) and for the drink, I ordered their "Tropical Sunrise" juice which is the mix of pineapple, cucumber, lemon, and honey.

Everything was displayed beautifully it's almost you want a piece of every freaking thing. They look so chunky and good damn it!

The Tropical Sunrise Juice (IDR 35k) was dominated with sour flavor with proper amount of sweetness and very refreshing. I like it better served with cubes!

TO REMEMBER: Publik Markette also offer another option for lunch and late lunch and it's the Ala Carte menus available everyday from 3-5 PM. They have two opening hours at the moment: the lunch time starts from 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM, then continued with the Ala Carte hours and finalized with the dinner from 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM. You better note this my friend.

The number that I talked about, you need to bring this when you're ordering the food.

Crispy Pork Belly
IDR 155k
Two big chunks of Pork Belly that came with two roasted corns, green salad and homemade sauce (guessing it was Wasabi and sorry if I am wrong but I kinda sensed something spicy and sour). I was quite stunned at how big the portion was because it looks more like a sharing portion! The pork belly was indeed crispy on the skin layer and the meat was very juicy and tender and it's marinated and seasoned beautifully, light without overlapping the meat's flavor. The roasted corns were beautiful as well, properly cooked and seasoned! Sort of proud of this dish! I was not disappointed at all and had no complaint for this, except the homemade sauce which I was not very fond about, I just didn't like the flavor.

Baked Bolognaise Pipe Pasta
IDR 55k
Flavor wise, this was beautiful! The pasta was cooked al-dente and you can clearly note that and the seasoning of the Bolognaise has got to be the bomb of this dish! It was that meaty-savory flavor, I normally don't like pasta with tomato sauce base because it could go sour, watery and just not how I like it, but it's thick and stick on the pasta. Love! For some reasons, I think it's quite expensive for IDR 55k considering this looks more like a side-dish presentation, if they can make it prettier looking then that IDR 55k would seem worth it.

Strawberry and Banana Cobbler
IDR 30k
I was quite fond of this dessert for a few reasons: the fact that it's not too sweet, the fact that they're generous in giving the fruit cuts and the fact that the texture of the "pie" was gooey, chewey and has this crusty biscuit like texture and fragrance. I think you should order this.

Pleasant time and good food were what I got for lunch, this actually changed my perception of Ismaya a little bit. Face it, Ismaya restaurant is never really bad, they always have the urge to grow and that's what I see from Skye (which btw the food turns good comparing to the first time I came) and this one! Keep up the good performance and good quality and soon you'll be getting loyal customers coming here ;).

BEST OF LUCK!

Publik Markette
Central Department Store East Mall - G Fl. (Across Nomz and below Social House)
Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 1
Jakarta Pusat 10310
Opening Hours:
Lunch Time: 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Ala Carte Hours: 3 PM - 5 PM
Dinner: 6 PM - 9:30 PM
Pricing: $$
Dresscode: sporty casual
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