KAUM Jakarta, Menteng

Kaum Jakarta is located in Menteng neighborhood of Central Jakarta which is known as residential area for Dutch and high officials in the past. The location can’t be more perfect since the buildings in this area are still left as the way it was before, and with strong colonial atmosphere, it (ironically) somehow feels very Indonesian. With characteristics like wide courtyards, wide terraces, tall windows and doors with cross ventilations, Kaum Jakarta managed to capture our hearts at the first sight!

Wide courtyards and wide terraces welcoming guests to the main dining area.

Outdoor Seating Area, only available on dinner time.

Bar & Smoking area.

There are also private rooms available, which interiors and decorations I truly adore!

KAUM Jakarta offers variety of Indonesian cuisine, not from all regions but you can find even not so familiar ones in the menu. The prices are not cheap but let’s not judge anything first before we try the food. Actually, we were very thrilled to meet the Executive Chef Antoine Audran, and suddenly our expectation is quite high to this restaurant because we found out that although he is a foreigner, he has been living in Indonesia for 20+ years and is very interested learning about Indonesian cuisine. Are you intrigued to know what he has in store for us?

Tropical Smoothie IDR 55,000

Banana, mango, passion fruit, strawberry, citrus, and coconut nectar.

Hijau IDR 70,000

Slow-pressed juice concoctions made from green apple, cucumber, starfruit, green pepper, kale, lime, pineapple and ginger.

Pedas Margarita IDR 140,000

El Jimador Reposado Tequila, toasted pineapple, lime juice, chili sugar syrup, and spray of smoke mint.

Gohu Ikan Tuna IDR 78,000

Gohu Ikan Tuna is a traditional favorite from Maluku, basically raw diced tuna drenched in lemon cui juice, served with cut coconut oil, walnut (kacang kenari), and ginseng leaves. The dish is beautifully presented with all the colors, the portion is small but it comes in large flavors on the table. Mr. K is extremely addicted to this as it’s the first menu he remembers from KAUM Jakarta, and he found it super unique and tasty. For you who like something exotic and memorable, don’t miss ordering this for sure!

Sate Sapi Maranggi IDR 140,000

Don’t roll your eyes just yet when you read the price on the menu as KAUM Jakarta takes this humble dish from Purwakarta, Jawa Barat to another level by using Wagyu beef for the meat. The satays are plump and solid, so fragrant I couldn’t turn away! However, as much as we love the beautifully-melted-in-mouth beef, I would say paying this price for 5 skewers is definitely not worth it.

Tumis Keciwis Tauco Pekalongan IDR 55,000

We tried this stir-fry Keciwis with garlic and tauco (fermented black soybeans) which is actually one of signature food from Pekalongan, Jawa Barat. The keciwis has this crunchy texture with a hint of bitterness, but I found it very likeable. I think it’s a good way to enjoy variety of Indonesian food when there are vegetables involved, raw or cooked.

Ikan Bakar Sambal Dabu-Dabu IDR 160,000

The infamous dish from North Sulawesi easily captured our hearts, thanks to the well-seasoned grilled 300 gr barramundi fillet and the super fresh sambal dabu-dabu! They also provide salt so you can sprinkle it over the fish just in case you need more saltiness. In our case, on every visits (yep, we have come back few times here) everytime we ordered this menu, we are always happy with the fish just the way it is. Tried adding salt and it became bad, unnecessarily salty and ruined the fragrant turmeric paste and tamarind water that dominated the flavor of the fish. Our suggestion is to try first before adding anything just not to ruin everything.

Bebek Goreng Sambal Mangga Muda IDR 180,000

And finally, this is our ultimate favorite menu in KAUM Jakarta and I bet it will be yours, too! Crispy duck served with urap and mango sambal, irresistibly delicious! This takes quite long to make, and usually it’s served the last but believe me, it’s worth the wait. The crispy duck is very meaty, best eaten fresh while it’s warm/hot because that way you can enjoy extremely soft and tender duck meat, easily taken off the bones. The sambal is so good and it brings another texture and tastier flavor into the duck, although the duck is already seasoned and so good eaten alone.

I must emphasize that you should always eat this right away because sadly, the duck meat goes hard and tough to chew when it’s cold. We knew because we had a take away or delivery before and 4 hours after order time, we couldn’t eat it anymore because it was too hard. Nonetheless, this is STILL our favorite menu in KAUM Jakarta and now we are craving for this again! XD

Ayam Kampung Sambal Kemangi Lalapan IDR 80,000

Beside all the sharing plates menu above, KAUM Jakarta also has their lunch menu with individual portion and more affordable price. This fried braised free-range chicken served with green chili and lemon basil relish, steamed rice and vegetables can be a decent option for a satisfying lunch for sure. Personally, I can never resist a plate of traditionally-seasoned fried chicken, especially when it’s served with steamed rice, a bunch of local vegetables and sambal. The chicken is quite meaty for free-range chicken (usually they are small) and so well marinated. The basil leaves made the plate even more inviting.

Klappertaart IDR 65,000

For the dessert, we started with Klappertaart, a Dutch-influenced cake originally comes from Manado, North Sulawesi. Rumor has it that the Klappertaart in KAUM Jakarta is a MUST ORDER item. We are so glad we did listen! Although we were not fans of klappertaart to begin with, we fell in love to this since the first bite. There was a feeling of nostalgia, the smell, the texture, the taste (BTW there is a hint of sourness that went so well with the sweet sauce!), we were blown away.

*) Just checked their menu on the website, seems like Klappertaart has been taken out from the dessert menu. Too bad as it’s very good and we wish more people can enjoy such a fine delicacy in KAUM! ;(

Kue Kojo Kukus Saus Kopi IDR 48,000

First time trying this cake and we loved it! Kue Kojo is originated from Palembang, South Sumatera, and has this lovely texture similar to Kue Apem, only this one is more solid and dense. We were quite surprised because the cake came in quite large size, which is perfect for 2 person I think. The cake is not too sweet and we should eat it with the shredded coconut and coffee sauce provided. The result? Annoyingly YUMMY! Why is it annoying? Because I felt like I had missed so many years not knowing this delicious cake, and also because I couldn’t stop eating this!

Seriously, Kue Kojo and sprinkled coconut and coffee sauce are the best combination EVER! Genius.

Dining at KAUM Jakarta is definitely amusing. It’s not merely about dining, but KAUM offers a much greater experience in enjoying those well-thought dishes with attentive services in such a nostalgic surrounding. Although some might think they are overpriced, the restaurant has never been quiet and empty, to the contrary, it is always alive and well, fulfilled with regular patrons or the curious ones. For us, KAUM Jakarta is a gift, a place to remember and where we can proudly show about Indonesian dishes. Now we don’t need to worry anymore where to bring our foreign friends to dine when they come to Jakarta. Thank you for opening here in Jakarta!