PULAU DUA Resto, Senayan, Jakarta

For younger generations, Pulau Dua would seem like an unfamiliar name but actually this restaurant has been around since 1991. As maintaining a restaurant is not at all an easy task in the highly-competitive F&B business in Jakarta, we must say we are impressed. Despite the location of the strategic area of Gatot Subroto street and direct access from Senayan, the restaurant remains a hidden gem, because of its secluded entrance. Once you enter the restaurant complex, you’ll feel like you are transferred to another place, in a good way.

I remember when I was younger, I visited Pulau Dua once. But I totally forgot how it looked like and I was expecting something different this time. Stepping in, I was mesmerized by the atmosphere of the place, the nature, the river, the lush greenery surrounding the entire complex…, it was just, breath-taking. We took a lot of pictures during our visit and choosing less than 50 photos for this blog post was difficult! No more talk, enjoy the photos!

Bridge with river view that connects the entrance to reception/dining area.

Wait until you walk further inside and see the restaurant area. Almost everything is semi outdoor here, with only hanging fans to beat the heat. There are many dining areas in many roofed buildings named in Indonesian islands like Nias, Enggano, Belitung, and many more. I guess since Pulau Dua is quite famous for group guests, it’s easier to book one area for design like this.

Basically in the whole complex, there are many buildings and the place is very spacious just like one big garden. What we like about all the nature, though, is that they all look so well-maintained and even when we sit under a big tree, we were not afraid of insect attack or something. Beside the buildings for dining areas, there are also many facilities that guests can enjoy here, for example Live Music stage, Kids Zone, Mushola, and many more.

Live Music Stage for performances every Fri-Sat on 7-10PM

Kids Zone

If you are wondering whether they have an indoor dining area, yes, they do. For us who are planning to bring parents or kids, sometimes dining outdoor doesn’t really work. I was happy to say that I can confidently ask our parents to enjoy the scenery but still remain safe dining indoor. This building also has air conditioners installed.

Onto the food, Pulau Dua Resto specializes in seafood dishes, but apparently they have wide selection of Indonesian and Asian Fusion (mainly Chinese) with SUPER AFFORDABLE prices. Of course, few seafood menu prices depend on market price, but overall, the prices are good and the serving portions can be adjusted as well to suit your needs.

Asinan Dermaga IDR 36,000 (S)

Assorted vegetables, potatoes, eggs in exotic peanut sauce, a humble dish that reminds me of home.

Tahu Bom IDR 35,000

Deep-fried tofu with shrimp and chili inside. Best way to eat it: just bite and feel the surprise!

Ayam Goreng Daun Pandan IDR 12,000/pc

Was expecting something like the famous Thai Pandan Chicken, but these are actually better! Love the succulent chicken with super tasty kick, a bit too oily for me, but I love how the smell of Pandan covering the chicken until inside.

Sate Sapi Pedas IDR 75,000

These beef satay couldn’t look more appetizing and we were so eager to try them. When we did, we looked at each other and we just knew that our opinion was kinda similar. Despite the seductive looks, the satay failed to impress; it’s dry, hard, and tasteless. We could only hope for few drops of sweet soy sauce! XD

Nasi Goreng Nanas IDR 35,000

Another Thai-inspired menu, the Pineapple Rice is pretty and we love the rice grains, but frankly speaking, the taste is just okay.

Ayam 1000 Rasa IDR 58,000

Now we are talking! So if you follow our Instagram, you might have seen our recent post about this particular menu. It’s honestly my personal favorite during our visit to Pulau Dua Resto this time. The deep-fried battered chicken is cooked with soy sauce and curry leaves resulting in a very, very fine flavor and fragrance. The dish is served inside Chinese hotpot dish and the moment the staff brought it to your table and opened the lid, I was done, LOL! Oh yes, despite being cooked and (looking) simmered with sauce, the chicken remains crunchy and it’s just perfect!

Cumi Goreng Ala Pulau Dua IDR 54,000 (S)

This makes a great snack especially because it’s quite crispy and tasty. The sauce is some kind of caramelized sweet and sour, in Indonesian-style. Imagine that it will be even better enjoyed with alcoholic beverages.

Udang Sereal IDR 68,000 (S)

After contemplating much on what to order for our prawns, we decided to try their Oatmeal Prawns. Well, if you see so many tempting selections on the menu like Chili & Salt Prawn, Black Pepper Prawn, Prawn with Special Butter Sauce, etc.; you’ll have hard time picking a choice, too. This turns to be a right decision, the oatmeal had the right crisp and successfully adding the fun texture. The prawns were fresh but the shells weren’t peeled off. Assuming that they were deep-fried, we thought it will be fine to just eat with the shells but well, the shells were harder than we thought. Frankly speaking, this actually decreased the enjoyment of eating these prawns.

Kepiting Lada Hitam (market price)

Adding another item to my favorite list: the Black Pepper sauce! The crab was fresh but just okay in term of meat quantity. The black pepper sauce though, is just fingerlicking delicious. Rather than sauce, I think it’s better called “paste” since it’s so thick and strong in flavor! We are planning to order anything seafood cooked with this sauce in our next visit, LOL.

Gurame Saos Mangga IDR 95,000 (S)

Fish didn’t have the typical gurame smell and it was so meaty we couldn’t finish it. The mango sauce was just okay, we were expecting slightly riper mango with light yellow color that we think is perfect for this dish. Instead, they used mango with greenish white color, yes it adds the texture to the dish but fails to add the flavor as the mango is usually sour, and in our case, it was tasteless.

Lalapan Sambal IDR 19,000

A delightful platter of fresh raw Indonesian-style vegetables which comes with sambal terasi. Must order item to complete the experience, enough said.

For the drinks, we recommend Teh Poci (IDR 22,000) and also Pulau Dua Fruit Punch (IDR 24,000), a great thirst-quencher perfect for beating the heat. The beverages selection is quite a lot, so there will always be something for everyone.

Overall, we really enjoyed our visit to Pulau Dua Resto this time. This is the restaurant of dream, a good place with nice atmosphere and complimented with good food and friendly service. If we knew earlier that this kind of palace exists in Jakarta and located so nearby, we would have visited it more often since long time ago. If you read this post and wonder if elderly and people with disability can visit too, the answer is yes. From the parking lot, you can enjoy facilities like wheelchairs and the guests can go around the complex without worrying to do any walk since the area is big.

Anyway, we really recommend this place for you to just chill, relax, and have a short getaway from the busy Jakarta life. Even once in a while, it helps keeping our sanity and rejuvenating ourselves in a much better way. Many areas are very photogenic as well, and you can always count on the nature to make your shots look great! Thanks for reading and see you in Pulau Dua Resto!