Bruschetta Italian Restaurant, Hotel Borobudur, Jakarta

Imagine yourself dining inside a Mediterranean-style Italian restaurant inside a five-star hotel situated in the very heart of Jakarta. I happened to experience that myself and I am so impressed by the beauty and elegance of the restaurant.

Bruschetta is probably not as popular as its sisters and brothers in Hotel Borobudur Jakarta (i.e. Teratai, Bogor Cafe, Miyama) but this elegant restaurant offering authentic Italian cuisine certainly needs more spotlight. Located on the third floor, it’s just side by side with Miyama, but often overshadowed by the crowds of the function rooms around it, especially during weekends.

The spacious, warm atmosphere welcomed me as I walked in, mesmerized by the brown and red colors combination that made the place looks homey and less intimidating.

Since it was only few days before Christmas when I visited, there is Christmas tree decoration near the main lounge area.

My favorite seating area is the one near the windows, which directly facing the beautiful garden. Hotel Borobudur has been there for a long time, and by looking at the garden, it brings me some kind of nostalgic feeling (especially about my late father) that makes me feel sad yet peaceful at the same time.

There is also a private room available with seating capacity of 8 guests, but judging from the number of chairs it had when we took the picture, sometimes they can allow more guests on the table.

We started off with the complimentary bread basket on the table, continued with bruschetta and pumpkin soup individually. They make bruschetta daily and serve them with different soup everyday. It is very refreshing because the tomatoes and herbs are very fresh, but I especially love the pumpkin soup: fragrant and tasty.

For the appetizer, we tried Caprese salad which uses tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil, then topped with olive oil and lime dressing. The best thing is that the ingredients are clearly very fresh, but the major turn down is that the taste is very light. I prefer something with bolder and more kicking taste to wake my appetite up, so this is definitely not my favorite.

Next to come is the fish dish, because from my experience, I really like cooked fish in Italian restaurants, thanks to all the herbs and spices used commonly to cook them. The Involtino di Filetto di Barramundi su Melanzane Arrosta, Patate Allo Saferano, Salsa Al Pepperone Rosso is actually a baked roll barramundi fillet, served with roasted eggplant, potato saffron and red bell pepper sauce.

Very pretty in presentation, with a satisfying portion of barramundi itself, but is lacking of flavor.

Glad that the Ravioli di Spinaci came to rescue. Bruschetta makes all the pasta themselves, and the ravioli is not an exception. This dish is stuffed ravioli pasta with ricotta cheese and spinach in butter sauce and tomato fondue.

It doesn’t only look beautiful, but the ravioli also tastes good. First, the consistency is nice: medium hardness and chewy enough to enjoy. The stuffings are tasty and savory enough, complimented with fragrant butter sauce and fresh tomato fondue.

Next, we had Red Wine Braised Venison Stew, which is one of the many venison menu available just recently in Bruschetta. This venison stew is topped with sauteed mushrooms, croutons, bresaola, red cabbage and poached fruits. For the carb, we can choose between pasta or troffe.

Although I enjoyed the venison itself, which I think resembling beef and lamb meat, I didn’t quite fancy the sides, especially the scary-looking wet, oily croutons. The troffe is also nice and actually helps neutralizing the greasiness of the dish.

Heard that the pizzas in Bruschetta are grilled using wood-fired pizza oven, but we didn’t try the original pizza this time. Were introduced to the Pizza Roll instead, and out of 3 options, I decided to try the one with shrimps, avocado, spicy sauce, baby spinach, mozzarella, and tomato.

Rather than pizza roll, I think it’s more like pizza wrap or something. The appearance is just like a tortilla wrap, only a bit thicker. The fillings are okay but the wrap skin is such a pain to eat. Reminder to self: stick to normal pizza next time.

Another extravagant new menu that we tried this time is the Linguine Al Astice con Pomodoro Fresci, Aglio e Pepperoncino, which is a lobster linguine with fresh tomato, garlic and chopped Italian parsley.

Undoubtedly, this is a kind of dish that will make you go WOW when it’s served on the table. As the name suggests, the linguine is served nicely in shape of lobster body, while the head and tail are real lobster. This was good, in sense of tomato-based pasta, but nothing is really special about it.

For the dessert, we tried the new one: Carpaccio di Ananas con Sorbeto e Amaretti (pineapple carpaccio with sorbet and amaretti) which is quite light and refreshing after all the buttery, creamy, cheesy, heavy meals we had just then.

There is also Bruschetta Quartet, a four-in-one dessert platter consists of strawberry macaron with lime sorbet, praline panna cotta, amaretto cheesecake, and red fruit compote. Each of these desserts is unique and strong in taste, but my favorite would be the cheesecake. The macaron is totally disappointing somehow because from the texture it’s more appropriate to be addressed as a cookie, in my opinion.

Personally, I really enjoyed my stay in such a beautiful surrounding, with attentive staffs and classy service like I experienced in Bruschetta. I think it could be a great venue for family dinner, romantic dates, even formal business meetings.

And since it’s just a day after Christmas, let me greet you all: