One of the plans we made last time we were in Jakarta was to find a decent place to enjoy some shisha accompanied with good Middle Eastern cuisine. We planned to go to Narah Coffee Shop & Restaurant as I wanted to take Mr. K to try, but when we arrived there, the place is under renovation. It was raining hard and we were so hungry, so I made quick search and we decided to go to this restaurant in Kemang area.
So it was still raining very hard when we arrived, and after some phone calls we made to the restaurant asking for direction, we finally found it. They have good parking areas inside so we were relieved.
The restaurant is not too big, but there are outdoor and indoor seating area. We picked the outdoor area because we wanted to try the shisha, it is a nice looking area with prominent Middle Eastern atmosphere and decoration, completed with open kitchen area where we could see one of the staffs cooking/grilling the round bread. The indoor area is just beside the outdoor one, separated by see-through glass like aquarium.
Outdoor seating area

Behind the glass is the indoor seating area
Diritna offers Middle Eastern cuisine; Lebanese, Syrian and Jordanian food specifically. Personally, I am always excited to try these food because they never fail to amaze me with all the uniqueness and taste.
Sfeeha Bil Lahem – IDR 32.000+++
Baked bread with minced lamb meat, tomato, onion, garlic and special oriental spices
We were really curious about this as it looked so yummy in the menu, but when it came out, we were surprised of how small the size was. The bread was baked perfectly with some crunchy parts in the top, the meat and spices were combined nicely. But not worth the price if you ask me.
Mix Barbeque – IDR 135.000+++
Mix of Shugaf, Shesh Kebab, Shesh Tawook and Lamb Liver with garlic and Basil sauce
It was nice but we really thought that the meat used on the plate wasn’t too good because clearly the lamb has the “certain smell”. Indonesian usually call this kind of lamb meat “old lamb” because it’s a bit hard to chew and smelly. I also think that it was overcooked but nonetheless still enjoyable.
Beirouth Hummus – IDR 40.000+++
Original Hummus mixed with parsley leaves
I had always wanted to try hummus as I had seen a lot of them in recipe sites before. Hummus is a Middle Eastern and Arabic food dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic (Source: Wikipedia). It was not tasty as I expected, but I like it. I was thinking that the hummus would be somehow strong in flavors but it was not. 
Arabic Rice – IDR 42.000+++
Special spiced Middle Eastern rice with vermicelli

It didn’t look as good as picture in the menu, but the taste was nice. I love Briyani rice, afterall!

Pita Bread – IDR 5.000+++/piece
To my surprise, the bread is quite big. We ordered 4 pieces for 2 person as the waitress said that the size is not too big but in fact it is big. And we love it. The bread was nice, thick but chewy, very nice as snack by dipping it to the hummus like we did. We couldn’t help but to take away 2 pieces back home!
Pickles – IDR 15.000+++
Nice addition to help digesting the food after you complete the meal.

Iced Lemon Tea – IDR 25.000+++

Arabic Cardamon Tea – IDR 35.000+++
After we finished our meal, we continued with shisha session. Apparently, Diritna offers some fruity tobacco from Al-Sultan brand, Jordanian tobacco. We picked double apple as it is the safest taste if you have never tried anything from any brand.
Shisha Menu, ranging from IDR 55.000 –  80.000+++/session

Our Shisha (Double Apple) – IDR 75.000+++
The double apple shisha that we tried, I can’t say that I like it but I didn’t dislike it either. I’ve tried some double apple shisha before and this one was not too strong like Al Fakher one. But it was very generous of them to give three charcoals in one go.
Overall, I like the place and I would come back there for another visit. Oh yes, I have to state this though, the restaurant has no toilet inside, so it is quite inconvenient for the guests who need to use restrooms. 

*All prices are subject to 3% service charge and 10% government tax


Diritna Mediterranean Restaurant
Jl. Kemang Raya No. 16 C-D
Kemang – Jakarta Selatan
Ph. 021-7180854

Open Hours: 10.00 AM – 10.00 PM
Payment: Cash, Credit Card (VISA, MASTER)
Parking: Available