Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar, Plaza Senayan, Jakarta

It’s now the second day of 2015, and I am taking the chance to write about one of my favorite American casual restaurants that has just opened in Jakarta last week!! WOOHOO!! *drumroll*

Applebee’s finally opens in Jakarta, on the prestigious 5th floor of Plaza Senayan by the end of December 2014 and I got the opportunity to try some of their signature menu.

The place is very spacious with total area of 600 sqm and seating capacity of approximately 250 person. Just like typical American dining, it is dominated with warm colors like red, green, yellow, and brown. A clever set of colors that bring a person’s appetite up to dig in more food!

Some areas inside are decorated with thicker sense of Indonesian style, such as this wall poster with the word “Jaya Raya” on it, showing the magnificent view of Jakarta during the night.

As if it wasn’t random enough, I spotted the country’s national emblem, Garuda Pancasila on a side of the wall. Interesting!

Applebee’s menu varies from beef, chicken, and seafood; with prices ranging from IDR 19,000 to 279,000 for the food & beverages. Considering that they offer the exact same menu with the original Applebee’s, the prices are considerably very reasonable, not mentioning that the portions are relatively big.

The first thing that came up to my mind when I heard the word “Applebee’s” is their Signature Mud Slide, which is blended Kahlua, vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup and whipped cream. I remember when I was in the US, Applebee’s is our favorite spot to hang out during nighttime and this Mud Slide was always in our order list in each visit.

After all those years, finally I could have another sip of the infamous Mud Slide, but sadly to say, I was hardly impressed. T__T The Mud Slide was bland and nothing like what I remembered about it. Tasted just like a bad iced coffee with super light taste, it had a very faint hint of Kahlua taste, but that’s all.

Apple Bay Breeze is another cocktail that I tried this time, which is a mix of apple liqueur, pineapple and cranberry juice. The appearance of the drink is definitely something that all the family members can love right away, especially the sword-alike stick on top of the cherry!

Taste-wise, it’s dominated with pineapple taste, and after sometime, I could just barely notice the hint of apple. However, I found it a bit bland and weak, while I prefer my tropical fruits cocktail to be bolder and kicking!

A visit to Applebee’s is incomplete without trying their signature Appetizer Sampler (IDR 189,000) which is totally recommended if you wanna have a bite of their delicious appetizers! Consisting of Mozzarella Sticks, Cheese Quesadilla Grande (with bacon) and their popular Boneless Wings, plus a bowl of the super delicious Spinach & Artichoke Dip; it’s simply irresistible!

Personally, I love everything on the plate, especially the so-called Boneless Wings (that look more like meatballs rather than wings, IMHO), and the mozzarella sticks tasted much better than the ones I find anywhere else. The star of the plate would be the Spinach & Artichoke Dip, everyone on the table agreed that it was the best of everything we had that day!

And FYI, the platter comes with a separated basket of corn chips, a total treat!

Next, we have this Fiesta Lime Chicken (IDR 119,000), a Southwest-inspired grilled chicken, done fiesta-style with a zesty lime sauce. Topped with Jack-cheddar and Mexi-ranch, then served with crisp tortilla strips, seasoned rice and fresh pico de gallo.

Frankly speaking, this is my favorite of the day after the Appetizer Sampler, because although it looks just like typical chicken and rice dish, I was quite impressed by the chicken. It is thick, solid and grilled, yet still maintain its softness and juice inside. The fact that it is tasty enough to be eaten without any additional sauce, I really appreciated that.

The seasoned rice and pico de gallo also worked so well together in adding more twists to the whole plate. I love the hint of sourness and fragrance that come from mix of lime and pico de gallo.

Korean Short Ribs (IDR 169,000) is our next dish. A Korean-style short ribs grilled to order with white rice, sauteed spinach, tomatoes and mushrooms. Served with homemade soya with chilies.

First of all, the short ribs are big, and there are 2 of them on the plate. The white rice is probably not enough for us Indonesians (LOL) to go with ribs this big, but keeping that aside, it’s uniquely topped with chopped almonds! The short ribs are quite nice, lots of meat and very tender, however, they are definitely way too salty. The so-called homemade soya and chilies is actually a salty and sour sauce, that tasted okay but putting the ribs in it making everything even more salty and not enjoyable anymore.

For the burger, we had Cowboy Burger (IDR 139,000), which is a toasted bun with Honey BBQ sauce, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles, then topped with crispy onion strings, melted white cheddar cheese and smoked beef bacon.

Again, the portion is huge and definitely good for sharing. I  must say that the patty looks thick and juicy, and eventually I confirmed that the texture is indeed very nice, but taste-wise, it is a bit bland, like if there is no marination at all. From the color, it’s visible that the patty doesn’t get much sauce love, as it looks a bit pale and unattractive for a patty. Thanks to the tasty bacon, the whole burger is somehow quite enjoyable.

I also got to try the Cheeseburger Flatbread (IDR 109,000), which is topped with seasoned juicy ground beef, American cheese, sauteed onions, beef bacon bits and parmesan cheese.

From the looks of it, I was actually quite scared of the glistening oil (or melted butter) spread around the flatbread. I tried a square piece but found it hard to finish it. The flatbread is crispy and nice, but the oily topping really turned me off. The ground beef had a familiar smell like it had been in freezer for quite sometime.

For the dessert, I tried the signature Triple Chocolate Meltdown (IDR 69,000), a moist chocolate cake topped with dark and white chocolate, then served with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge.

Although the cake had nice chocolate meltdown, the texture was a bit rough and dry. Not my favorite.

The Chocolate Chip Cookie Bite (IDR 29,000) is a nice finish to end the meal. The cookie is not as chewy as what I wanted but at least it wasn’t the type of crispy cookie! Served with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, OREO crumbs and whipped cream, it is just everyone’s favorite for sure.

Overall, I am really happy that Applebee’s has finally opened in Jakarta. Despite of negative points that I wrote above, I still haven’t lost hope. Yes, I personally think that what I had this time is somehow different from what I used to experience in Applebee’s outlets in the US (had been in some outlets so yeah, I do compare), but this first visit doesn’t mean that it would be my last one.

For the service, it’s totally breaking my heart to say that the service was bad during my visit. FYI, it was Grand Opening invitation so I wouldn’t even dare to imagine how it is during the normal days. However, I wish that they would become better from time to time.