Spy Club Restaurant, Kemanggisan, Palmerah, Jakarta

Spy Club Restaurant is a new restaurant in Kemanggisan, Palmerah area, West Jakarta, which has just had its grand opening on June 9th, 2015. I am not familiar with the area but this is one of the areas that I normally avoid because it’s popularly known as the location of Binus University. Nothing bad about the university but I think that area around campuses usually have bad traffic so as much as I can, I will try avoiding those locations.

Then, why did I go there? Actually Spy Club Restaurant has a very unique and interesting concept as it brings up the theme of spy club and security technology that (I think) is the first time I find here in Jakarta. The word “SPY” here is an acronym of Security Professional Youth, because the place is actually a brainchild of the owner, Dr. Ir. Sanny Suharli, who is one of the earliest pioneers in electronic security industry with more than 30 years of experience.

It was not difficult to find the place and I was surprised to see a house-like building with spacious parking lot and gate where Spy Club Restaurant is located. No greeter was seen anywhere so we tried to find our way through the door on the left. Interestingly, the door has a security lock installed and following the guidance from the speaker, we managed to get inside, YAY!

Getting inside didn’t mean that I directly got into the dining area or something like that. There are many entries from there and after losing our way *ahem*, the right door opened and we finally got into the main dining area, which is called The Club. I am not gonna put the photos of the right way so you guys can keep the thrill!

Basically, Spy Club Restaurant has 4 areas: The Club (main dining area), Dangerous Garden (semi outdoor area) like you’ll see below, The Bond Room (private room), and The Porch (just near the parking lot).

The dynamite lamp is simply cool! I really love the decorations of Dangerous Garden because it’s so colorful and interesting. There is also a stage with musical instruments for upcoming live music performances. During daytime, this area can be a little hot but I am sure it will look so cool during afternoon and evening.

Prices for Food & Beverages range from only IDR 4,500 to 32,000 only, but there is a special menu called The Chicken Ultimatum, which is priced at IDR 95,000. This is like a mandatory menu if you’re a big eater, because you can choose up to 4 pcs of the signature chickens (The Chicken Identity or The Chicken Supremacy) plus free refill of rice.

So, let’s start with the F&B, shall we?

The Nutty Agent IDR 17,000

Although the beverage option is not too many, but this is a must-try item, a signature drink which is a blend of nuts and mint. Very refreshing and I love how they make it with perfect sweetness.

The Flava: Mango IDR 17,000

For tea lovers, I would recommend The Flava, which comes in 3 flavors: Mango, Strawberry, and Lychee. Although this was a fruit tea, the tea flavor and fragrance were still very prominent. I found it very pleasant and refreshing.

The Flava: Strawberry IDR 17,000

Oh wait! Did I mention that the staffs wear SWAT vests over their uniforms? Of course those are not real, but who cares, right? At least it enhances the feeling of the concept! XD

Agent P IDR 20,000

Inspired by Disney’s Agent Perry the Platypus who loves potato chips, this is a healthier version which is smooth potato puree with vegetables.

The presentation is beautiful with all the colors combination, and it looks so healthy. XD The potato was really made into puree, smoother and softer than mashed potato but had a grainy texture when eaten. I actually enjoyed this “salad” but I think it would be much better if it was served with some kind of dressing sauce because the taste was too bland.

Secrettt IDR 18,000

Tahu Telur with spicy fragrant peanut sauce is a great thing for starter, don’t you think? Again, I was quite impressed by the presentation because I didn’t expect anything like this when the word “tahu telur” comes up in my mind.

The tahu telur was a successful blend of tofu and egg, with distinctive taste of egg and additional fresh vegetables on top. I love the peanut sauce, it wasn’t spicy at all for me, but the peanut was so aromatic and tasty.

The Ketoprak IDR 18,000

Ketoprak is my favorite Betawi/Jakarta dish (I prefer it thousand times more than Gado-Gado), and this didn’t fail me either. Interesting point is that the rice noodle or bihun was deep-fried instead of boiled, giving a different touch to the typical ketoprak. Served with a perfect sunny side up and crackers, it was a real deal!

The Bond’s Spyghetti IDR 31,000

Classic Spaghetti Bolognese with chopped garlic is the recommended item from Spy Club Restaurant. The spaghetti was cooked al dente, nicely moist and topped with generous Bolognese sauce. Although Bolognese sauce is not really my cup of tea, I really love, love, love this. The combination of sweetness and sourness really made my tongue dancing happily.

Spyghetti Carbonara IDR 29,000

This white sauce spaghetti was cooked with creamy chicken and mushroom. By this time, I was totally sold and I know I have to come back to this place.

Sunrice Chicken IDR 25,000

Rice, chicken and mushroom served with half-done egg yolk, which is also another signature dish. This tasted just like Nasi Cap Cay (Rice with Stir-fried Vegetables) but the egg gave a nice touch to the whole dish. The flavor was okay but we found it a bit under-seasoned and perhaps would have been better if more soy sauce was added.

The Chicken Supremacy IDR 28,000

Signature herb chicken, fried with green chili, served with rice, fried tofu and tempeh.

This is supposed to be spicy, and we can adjust the level of spiciness according to our liking (from level 1 to 5), I don’t remember which level mine was, but it was moderate. The chicken was fully covered by beautiful green chili and it made me drool just by looking at it. It was a simple dish (chicken and rice basically) but the taste was overwhelming. Love the fragrant and addicting green chili and scrumptious chicken!

Satay Conspiracy IDR 20,000

Banana and honey with lemongrass skewers, I didn’t even know it was supposed to be a sweet dessert until I had a bite. The banana was sweet and soft, the crisp outside was perfect.

The Italian Plot IDR 19,000

Affogato where the coffee switches place with vanilla. YUM! The coffee ice cream was very aromatic and delicious. Great dessert to end the delicious meals we just had.

Our first visit to Spy Club Restaurant was quite memorable because of the food, atmosphere, and also the service. I really like how homey the place is, despite being decorated with security-related stuffs that scream “dangerous” (come on, life of a spy always connects with danger everywhere, everytime), but we see coolness and interesting points in those things. Overall, we had great time enjoying our meals there and can’t wait to go back. Best wishes for Spy Club Restaurant and see you again soon!

*The Food Escape team are not paid whatsoever for writing this post.

** This review is written based on our visit on 23 June 2015.

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SPY CLUB RESTAURANT
Jl. Kemanggisan Utama No. 5
Palmerah – Kemanggisan
West Jakarta 11480
Ph. +62 21 5485 660, 9590 1614

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sun 11AM – 10PM