A Tavola Kemang : Italian? Definitely (Maybe).

I've heard of praises prior to coming here, but it all tears down the soonest I enter the place on Sunday afternoon and find no patrons there. There were only one waitress to do all the job, including printing bills from behind the till. (Hey that rhymes!)

Few scenarios run in my head. I pulled out my occasional not-so-sure-about-your-place-but-I-wanna-see-what-you-have trick.

"May I have a look at your menu first?" 

A quick glance, still with doubts, but I say to myself : no harm in trying. My usual drill in an Italian restaurant is to order the two dish that represent the country the most: Pizza and Pasta. Lucky my friends are all with me and everyone picked a different menu.

Here's what was on our table:

Pizza Con Pepperoni (60k)
Shameful. Not only that the bread was hard to chew, when we let it air for 10-15 minutes it slowly deteriorates into something close to biscuit. Let's not go to the meat and cheese shall we? They are equally uninteresting as the bread.

Chicken Cordon Blu (Pardon me, forgot the price)
This saved my friends' belly from more pizza torture. A decent roll of meat, served warm, enough creamy sauce. Not something worth of honorary mention though. By the way, I'd appreciate if you could tone down the grated cheese. As you'll notice along the way, they are a little too serious in showing of their cheese to the point of almost ruining the taste. Because everything taste similar now.

Spaghetti Al Pesto (28k)
I personally would recommend this. Cooked al dente with the complementing basil & pine sauce, I needed nothing more to satisfy my tastebuds. Simplicity at its best.

Beef Lasagna (55k)
Another promising menu saved by the beef. But distracted by the cheese (again).

Fettuccine Con Prosciutto (40k)
Well cooked pasta. Cream based sauce was fascinating as well. I have no complains but the unnecessary reappearance of the grated cheese (again for the third time!).

Torta Di Cioccolato (30k)
Thank God they didn't pour cheese on this one. Probably the best thing that happened that afternoon. Not the best warm chocolate cake in town though. What makes it inferior to the one at Spageddies is probably the choice of chocolate. I just like their richness better.

At the end of the day, I probably should have listened to this review instead, or pay more attention to my gut feeling. I have no disappointment though. The meal was a lot more enjoyable with good friends around, they made it worth the while.

This is also a lesson to you Biters. If you have been coming to this site, lets not forget the written review while mesmerized by the photos. Read it paragraph by paragraph. Not everything that looks good is delectable. Same with food, same with women.

Cheers,

Fellexandro Ruby
Food & Travel Photographer / Storyteller


---
A Tavola
Jl. Kemang Selatan Raya No. 125
Jakarta.
Ph: 021-71793580

Un Pranzo Piacevole In Pesto Autentico

 One enjoyable lunch at Pesto Autentico.

Indeed it was. Upon entering the venue, I was greeted directly by the manager in charge and led to my reserved table next to the window (perfect lighting for a quickie photoshoot). Was so excited to finally try this place. I've been in love with their design, interior and their simple catchy name for quite a while.

And so with the menu in my hand I ordered me-self a bunchful of Italian delicacies.

I started off with Classico Pane Italiano to kickstart my empty belly, a little virgin olive to oil my digestion system and a sip of Pesto Signature Tea to get it ready for some muscular heavy food munching activity. These bread are of course compliment of the house. And so just as with any compliment, I don't want to spoil myself with it. Took a tiny bite and that's it. Too much of a compliment is not good for anybody.

A couple second after, I get a message from my belly informing that he is ready for the big party. Just in time! The Fettucinne alla Pescatora came few minutes afterward. You've got to look at the generous amount of shrimp and squid, not too mention the portion big enough to satisfy two belly. I also love the creamy sauce. It came with a perfect combination of salt and sweet for my liking. The only setback is that I couldn't taste the white wine that they said was part of the bechamel sauce. It feels almost like being lied to. Or maybe I'm just too sensitive. Nevermind.

 

Coming up second on the main course list was the Rustica Pizza (tomato sauce, mozzarella, cooked ham, and mushrooms).

While the picture might get you stunned and drooling, the taste is somewhat far from what their beauty projected. On my defense, it was too Italian (so much for an italian-sounding name Rubs). On their defense, my tongue is too Indonesian. Both are correct, and thankfully there's a win-win solution ... Heinz Tomato Sauce! Yes! That bottle of tomato literally saved my appetite. So Pesto, there's a hint for you. There might be a reason behind if you keep finding yourself running out of tomato sauce.

Bread, bread, and some more bread. I just had enough of it halfway through my lunch, hence I asked my Panacotta to be served. This time I have to thank their lack of rum because its just what I wanted. My tongue simply refuses rum mixed in any kind of food. But this one, is just right, maybe not on the extraordinary end, but a sweet closure to my lunch, oh yes!

Overall, I had a satisfying first encounter with Pesto. As I mentioned earlier their warm and inviting interior is always a plus for me.

Will I come back? Hmm. I definitely will IF and ONLY IF Disdus offer another promo voucher. =p Don't you agree Biters?

Looking forward to hear your Italiano feedback.

Adios Biters,


Fellexandro Ruby
Food Conversationalist, Photographer, and I swear that Italian sounding name is just my parents creativity.

Munch on my tweets @Wanderbites
Or catch my Instagrams @Captainruby

---

Pesto Autentico
Thamrin Nine, UG Floor
Ph: 29937230
E: ciao@pesto.co.id
T: @PESTOautentico