It was almost 2 pm on a hot Sunday afternoon. There were women starving in the car. Luckily, they found a small restaurant in West Jakarta area. A lot of cars were parked in front of the restaurant and almost all tables were full with customers... Yeah.. let's give it a try!
I ordered the Special Lomie Bagan. Wondering what's so special about this special Lomie?
*digging... digging.. digging... *
Eh... only 2 small size cubes of meat in my bowl, that's all?
Hmmmm..... so how did it taste?
Well, the lomie tasted just salty and a bit fishy, nothing special at all...
Well, the lomie tasted just salty and a bit fishy, nothing special at all...
I couldn't take it anymore... Left about the 3/4 of the remain lomie in the bowl...
My mom tried the recommended Nasi Campur (this is not the way of common Nasi Campur - mixed rice, being served). I guess this nasi campur is a fusion style of white rice and topping of scrambled egg, choy sum, red chili cooked with sweet soysauce and corn starch.
Absolutely, it looks good but guess what?
The rice was so hard and dry, tasted like rice crust adhering to rice pot. As for the topping, too much MSG.
"Auntie, how's your Sapo Lomie?"
*slurping.. slurping...*
Hmmm... I guess my mom's friend was the only one who enjoyed her food with the raw egg in the pot.
Note:
Lomie is also known as Loh Mee or Loo Mien which is a Chinese cuisine. It contains of thick egg noodles in brown broth thickened with corn starch and beaten eggs, cooked with Chinese cabbage and meat slices.
Disclaimer:
The review and opinion expressed here are purely according to my personal tastebuds. There's a possibility that the taste might change to the food later on, that can affect to the review and opinion here.
Note:
Lomie is also known as Loh Mee or Loo Mien which is a Chinese cuisine. It contains of thick egg noodles in brown broth thickened with corn starch and beaten eggs, cooked with Chinese cabbage and meat slices.
Disclaimer:
The review and opinion expressed here are purely according to my personal tastebuds. There's a possibility that the taste might change to the food later on, that can affect to the review and opinion here.
aiyoyooo...Indo dont do good chinese mee? wait till u get here! we will spoil u rotten! ;p
ReplyDeleteTNG: Hahaha... can't wait for the day to come! Well, actually, a lot of delicious chinese noodles here but I guess, this restaurant wasn't serving the good one :)
ReplyDeleteyou should add some black vinegar in the lor mee for extra flavor!
ReplyDeleteyeah foodbin was right black vinegar
ReplyDeleteextra kick there......
but here loh mee is in dark sauce why thereis white sauce?
I love trying new restaurants but sometimes it can be disappointing. Like you I assume when we see cars out front that it will be good. In fact we often don't go to a restaurant that looks like it doesn't have any customers.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy your restaurant outings and always look forward to them.
Sam
So sorry it wasntas enjoyable as you had hoped. At least one of you enjoyed:).. Photos are still undeniably gorgeous!
ReplyDeletefoodbin: Oh.. I didn't know that should add black vinegar. Next time, when I eat lomie again, I'll try it, thanks for the suggestion :)
ReplyDeletepisang goreng: I'm aware that lomie in Malaysia has darker sauce than the ones here in Indonesia. Ours are mostly brown :)
MCK: Yeah, you are right, Sam. There's also a possibility that actually the food from the restaurant is good but because of too much customers and orders, so quality become bad at that time.
Aw, I'm sorry your lunch was disappointing!
ReplyDeletedonna-ffw: Hehehe... yeah, good for my auntie :) Thanks for the compliment, Donna!
ReplyDeletemica: It's OK, next will not go there again ;)
ReplyDeleteWrong choice but at least an adventure filed away.
ReplyDeleteworldwindows: Yup, you are right :)
ReplyDeleteGood or bad, I'm always fascinated by the food you describe on your "voyages of discovery." Sorry this one was so unpleasant.
ReplyDeletemary: Thank you, Mary. That's really kind of you. It's a big encouragement for me to share my "voyages of discovery" of food in here :)
ReplyDeleteHi Selba! Isn't it disappointing when this happens?
ReplyDeletexox
maryann: Yup, the expectation is too high also, I guess :)
ReplyDeleteDon't you hate it when you go to a restaurant and not enjoy the food! Disappointment in the food makes dining less enjoyable I think. At least you know not to go there again!
ReplyDeleteIntriguing that loh mee looks so light in color. Our Loh Mee here is dark with half hard boiled egg and some crispy fish and ngoh hiang and vinegar goes nicely with it.
ReplyDeleteOh no! It's not often we find a negative review on your blog. But not every restaurant can please every patron all the time, and as you say, we all have different taste buds.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't it stink when you are looking forward to a great meal and it turns out to be not so great!
ReplyDeleteI hope your next meal is a better one!
Happy day to you!
ahh sorry that it wasn't very delicious! you'd think that with all of the customers sitting there, that it'd be excellent!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that your meal was not all that great. Ok, for at least you and your mom.
ReplyDeletehmm, poor quality of the food marred the experience eh?
ReplyDeleteLomie=Loh Mee. haha ... good translation.
sometimes trying new restaurant is risky ya...i've got it many times...
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading about your restaurants reviews. Keep them coming even if it's not always perfect to your palate :)
ReplyDeleteMTC: Yes, you are right. Definitely, not coming back at that restaurant again :)
ReplyDeletejencooks: Wow… ngoh hiang in lomie? Here, we usually eat ngoh hiang as a main dish. Suddenly, you make me craving of ngoh hiang :)
livie: I just couldn’t believe when I only found 2 size cubes of meat in that big bowl, hehehe…
the ungourmet: Absolutely! Especially on starving stomach! Hehehe… Happy day to you too :)
ReplyDeletepearl: Hehehe.. yup, wrong judgement! :)
Marybeth: Yeah, too bad, but then the restaurant is still crowded until today :)
j2kfm: Hahaha… I guess so! The Indonesian spelling is a bit different than the Malaysian one ;)
ReplyDeletesimplegirl: Hehehe.. yeah lor, that’s so true :)
helene: Thank you, Helene! I will try my best to share my restaurants review :)
It is funny. How can the biz be so good that the food is on the opposite site? Guess they must have a very good feng shui (auspicious location). Hehehe!
ReplyDeleteFFT: Hahaha... you are probably right, sometimes believe it or not, feng shui has a great effect on a business.
ReplyDeleteI remember having experiences like yours when there are many customers, but yet the food tastes mediocre. It certainly makes one feel very disappointed!
ReplyDeleteI like the polaroid like borders this time for your photos :). Very nice.
ETE: Ah... mediocre sometimes is still acceptable but if it's just salty and fishy, that's supposedly unacceptable, ya? hehehe... Thanks for the compliment! :)
ReplyDeleteAiyo, you and your mom ordered the wrong dish.
ReplyDeletelittle inbox: ya lor.. should order the same menu like the auntie, hehehe...
ReplyDeleteNice :)
ReplyDeletelaveena: Well, it might look nice but looks can deceive, ya? ;)
ReplyDeleteOoh, I love them polaroids of the dishes with the prices! Genius! :)
ReplyDeleteSeems like the addition of raw egg makes the food better! ;P
ReplyDeleteMaybe you will have better luck next time. Sorry it was a bad experience.
ReplyDeleteOh, no! Sorry those dishes weren't so great :(
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry you didn't care for the Ta Thao Restaurant. The pictures are good. At least you have ne restaurant you can cross off your list.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you had a mediocre and slightly disappointing meal. I hate when that happens! But, oh well, gotta keep trying, right ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry that this restaurant wasn't as good as it could have been. Oh well, now you know :) Sorry that I've been an absent commenter; I just finished up my law school exams and am finally getting around to my google reader.
ReplyDeleteaw, too bad you didn't like it that much...but it looks quite good leh! I like the soup with the raw egg.
ReplyDeleteOMG, I miss nasi campur. Too bad that this version disappointed you!
ReplyDeleteLFB: Hey.. you are back! Thanks for the compliment :)
ReplyDeletebangsar-babe: Hehehe…. I guess so. Well, the auntie enjoyed it.
netts nook: Yes, hopefully better luck next time :)
5 star foodie: I’ll make sure not to come back to this restaurant :)
ReplyDeleteKatherine aucoin: Hehehe, you are right, it a nay to this restaurant.
marta: Yes, definitely will keep trying other restaurants :)
elyse: It’s ok, Elyse :) Yay, so he law school exams has finished? Time for party, ya? Hehehe…
ReplyDeleteburpandslurp: Hehehe… yup, the food actually looks good but too bad, not the taste.
elra: Come.. come… come visit me in Jakarta and I’ll bring you to eat the nice nasi campur in town ;)
everytime u publish something i get excited - realise there are so many dishes i have yet to try! Special Lomie Bagan for example.. i must try this one day!
ReplyDeleteSorry you didn't love it. You always find the most interesting places to eat at!
ReplyDeletehere in malaysia/singapore, we have loh mie with black, chinese vinegar for the taste. chopped garlic is also used, at times. it makes the dish more appetising. i'm salivating thinking about it..haha!
ReplyDeletecumi & ciki: Ah.. if you try the special Lomie Bagan, must make sure to find the good restaurant ;)
ReplyDeletesara: Hopefully, next time, a better review of restaurant :)
nic: It's lunch time! Can find lomie around your area? ;)
You have a lovely blog. Especially nice for me because I know so little about Indonesian food. The only time I was there was for a vacation in Bali. Hope I will be back and also visit some other cities the next time.
ReplyDeleteshantanugosh: Thank you for your kind compliment :) Hopefully you can visit Indonesia again, there are a lot of interesting places and also not forgetting food to try ;)
ReplyDeleteHi Selby, we regret to learn your first experience in our restaurant was not a pleasant one. We thank you for your review and gladly take that with open mind.
ReplyDeleteIt is never our intention to defend our restaurant by writing this comment. It is rather to give you insight of what might be the culprit of your negative experience you came across last time.
First, Lomie (especially this Lomie Bagan) is not for everyone taste bud. Take me for example, eventhough I am the owner of this Lomie restaurant, I never like to eat Lomie. Eversince I was little, everytime my dad cook this style of lomie(recipee is from my dad family heritage), I never touched it, it is too fishy to my liking. So here we go, not everyone will like to eat this style of lomie. But for people who like seafood, they will tell different stories.
Second, the 2 small size cubes of meat you were mentioned, we will have to object. The popularity of our restaurant, at least in our area, is not without reasons. Other than good cooking style, we are quiet famous because of the generous size of our meals. In the Lomie Bagan style itself, the recipe calls for the use of pork, fish, prawns, pork internal organ , cabbage, and topped with egg . We are puzzled to learn you only find 2 cubes of meat in the lomie.
Third, we agree with you. No one wants to eat salty food. We apologise for that matter. It is very common in the busy situation, when the cooks and staffs are overwhelmed by incoming food orders. Hence, it will sometime deteriorate our food quality, in your case it is too salty. Still, it is not an excuse. We are trying hard to keep improving our quality of food in any situation, busy or not.
We would like to personally invite you to our restaurant to indulge in other style of food that we are great at. If you don’t like this Lomie Bagan style, you maybe can try different version of Lomie, for example: stir fry Lomie (Lomie goreng), Sapo Lomie. Or you can try our Chinese food , such as Stir Fry Eel with Fu Mak (Lindung cah Fumak), Chicken/Beef steak in brown gravy (Bistik ayam/Sapi), Nanking Chicken (ayam nanking), Black pepper beef, Prawn/Crab Omelette with sweet sour sauce (Fu Yong Hai), Gurame Fish with sweet sour sauce (Gurame asam manis), Sapo Tofu (Sapo Tahu), and many more.
Customer satisfaction is our top priority. It is a shame to learn there are customers who really dislike our food. Although we understand, it is impossible to please everyone; at least this is something we can do to make it up to you.
I ll write a separate email to give you my contact details so that you can contact me when you have decided to come to our restaurant again.
Again, we value your comments in this blog. Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Ta Thao Restaurant.