IDN: Kwali Solo

Fried chicken worth trying!

Internet connection seems pretty reliable today, and so I'll write a quick review of a restaurant in Jakarta which offers authentic Indonesian, in particular, Javanese cuisine. However, to be honest, I'm not really a big fan of Indonesian food.

Nasi Langgi Telur Rp 18,500 (~S$2.60)

Taste: 6.5/10

Nasi Langgi is truly a cuisine of Central Java (in fact, Solo is one of the famous cities in Central Java). The nasi putih (plain rice) came with keripik kentang (fried potato chips), daging masak santan (beef cooked in coconut milk), sambal goreng ati ampela (liver and gizzard cooked in chili), telur pindang kecap (egg cooked in sweet soy sauce) which isn't easy to be seen from the picture (behind the rice) and kerupuk udang (lit. shrimp crackers). Mom was the one who ordered this dish, but I did try most of the stuff, except for sambel goreng ati ampela because I dislike internal organs as I said in my 2nd post in this blog. Sweetness dominated this dish. I found that the beef was quite tender, but the fried potato chips weren't crispy enough. The shrimp crackers were good.

Nasi Bakmoy Rp 19,500 (~S$2.75)

Taste: 5/10

The dish looked simple, and yes, it tasted simple - too simple that everything tasted almost bland. The rice was drenched in soup which had egg, beancurd and minced chicken inside.

Paket A Rp 17,000 (~S$2.40)

Taste: 8/10

The Paket A that I ordered was definitely the highlight of the day: ayam goreng kuning (lit. yellow fried chicken - the word 'yellow' refers to turmeric among other spices used), tahu goreng (lit. fried beancurd), tempe goreng (lit. fried fermented soya bean cake) - my favourite, raw vegetables and chili. The chicken was well-marinated, and it went really well with the chili which was delectable, although it wasn't too spicy. It was fried to the point that the skin was crispy, but the meat was still moist. The tahu and tempe were fried to perfection too.

Soto Solo (Small) Rp 9,000 (~S$1.30)

Taste: 6.5/10

Inside the bowl, you could find thin slices of beef and rice vermicelli, topped with celery and fried shallots. Kwali Solo's version of the soup dish was so-so. Some people would add sweet soy sauce to enjoy this dish.

Melon's Rating

Taste: 6.5/10

Ambience: 6/10

Service: 7/10

Overall: 6.5/10

I won't mind coming back for the fried chicken. Pika's advice: Avoid sitting in the dim areas if you don't want to get attacked by mosquitoes!

Kwali Solo

Green Ville Blok BL No. 2

Duri Kepa - Kebon Jeruk

Jakarta

Indonesia

(Daily: 10.00am - 10.00pm)

*Prices quoted are subject to 10% VAT.

Have a nice meal,

Cliff(y)