Paulaner Bräuhaus: Authentic German Taste

I have always been a fan of German cuisine, and also a loyal patron of Paulaner Bräuhaus since the first time they opened the branch in Jakarta. I remember throughout this year, whenever I came back to Jakarta and visited Grand Indonesia, I would ask myself whether this restaurant will really reopen or not (that time it was still under renovation, which seemed to be too long!). Until some weeks ago, I got an invitation in my email from the PR Executive of Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta, Ms. Nathalia Atmaja, to visit the newly reopened Paulaner. I was ecstatic because I hadn’t heard about that yet, and as I was in Jakarta that time, why not?

The new Paulaner Bräuhaus is still located in East Mall of Grand Indonesia shopping mall, but it’s now on the second floor. It was reopened on November 7th and clearly has been dearly missed by its fellow patrons. With the renovation that is happening in the East Mall right now, it can be a little tricky to get there, but basically we can take the escalator inside Gramedia once we are in the East Mall.

When I finally arrived, I was stunned by the changes. Remember when the Paulaner still looked like this? Now the entrance looks more convenient, spacious and of course, better. 

There are smoking and no smoking area, also two private dining rooms with capacity of 30 and 50 person respectively. The private rooms can be joined for bigger event, pretty neat, no? The restaurant itself is much more spacious compared to the old one, now features seating for up to 400 guests, with various types of tables and seatings that we can choose according to our likings.

We were accompanied by Ms. Nathalia and Mrs. Rebecca Leppard, the PR Director of Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta, and I am grateful that I can learn so much about Paulaner from them. We also got the opportunity to meet the brewmaster behind the awesomeness of Paulaner beer, Mr. Arie Susanto. Apparently, he studied Beer Engineering in Germany, and is the only Indonesian who study that subject and also the only one in the world who becomes professional brewmaster. 

The beer sampler is actually an excellent idea for guests to try Paulaner beers since they also have 6 new menu for mixed beer drinks. We started from the original beers; which are Hell (Lager) and Dunkel (Dark Beer). Both are unfiltered and have considerably low alcohol level, which is only around 5%. They are available in 3 sizes, 0.3, 0.5, and 1L glasses, costs about IDR 80K, 95K, and 190K respectively. Personally I like Lager more than Dark one because it tastes lighter, more crisp and refreshing. But these two are really recommended to try if you happen to visit Paulaner!

Aside from the infamous original beers, now we also can enjoy mixed beer drinks specially served in Paulaner. I don’t recall there was these menu before, so I was delighted to be able to taste some of them in the sampler size. Currently there are 6 types of them: 

1. Radler: made of Hell (Lager) and lemonade, this is my personal favorite, so sweet and tasty!
2. Mango
3. Strawberry Breeze
4. Black Bart: a twist of old time root beer-beer with a hint of cola and vanilla
5. Very Cherry
6. Lychee Zest

We only tried the Radler (and as I stated before it is undeniably my favorite Paulaner drink now), and the Lychee Zest. I must say I am amazed by the creativity and the unique tastes of these drinks, and ever since have been thinking about going back anytime soon, just for the drinks. The mixed beer drinks are also available in 3 sizes, 0.3, 0.5, and 1L glasses, with slightly higher prices from IDR 84K, 99K, and 198K respectively.

Mr. Arie, the brewmaster, explained that Paulaner beers are considered healthy as it can actually increase the level of HDL (or the “good” cholesterol), and have relatively low calories (about 40+ kcal/100 ml). We were also told that the Paulaner glasses are imported directly from Germany and kept in separated fridge to keep them cold so when the beers are served, they can be served chilled. Oh yes, beside the beers, they also serve cocktails, liqueurs and many other alcoholic drinks as well as non alcoholic ones.

Moving on to the food, we ordered some food that have been known as Paulaner’s trademarks, so let’s see what we tried that day!

 

Paulaner’s Crispy Pork Knuckle

Was a bit disappointing that day, the pork skin wasn’t too crispy, the pork meat was very hard, difficult to eat. Contrary to what I always had in the past, the pork knuckle was crispy outside and tender inside, melting right away in the mouth and the taste was perfect. I actually asked whether it comes with any gravy or anything that time, because it was so bland and tasteless.

But at least, the rest of the platter was excellent! Love the meatloaf the best among all, and the sausages also really fulfilled my expectations! German deli is definitely one of the best.

Char-grilled Pork Neck Steak – IDR 95.000++

Just have to include this photo of the pork neck steak XD

The portions of Paulaner dishes are quite big so if you come with large company, you can share some menus together; for example, the Paulaner Platter can be shared with 2-4 person, in my opinion. But if you are a big eater, you’ll walk out from the restaurant with big grin in your face, rest assured. We were already full that time, but there is always a room for dessert!

Emperors Pancake “Kaiserschmarr’n” Sharing Portion – IDR 100.000++

Heavenly delicious!

Currently, Paulaner is doing their (Re)opening Offers, which are valid until January 31st, 2014:

• Discount 25% all menu (food and beverages) every Monday
• Order a main course, you’ll get free soup/starter/dessert: every Tuesday-Friday (lunch)
• Buy a drink, second one is free, then the fourth, sixth and so on: every Tuesday-Thursday from 10pm onwards

And don’t forget that they also have new Bavarian clothing for the waiters/waitresses!