WARUNG MJS - SETIABUDI

If you are familiar with the restaurant Mbah Jingkrak and have never heard of the following, then you're on a right entry and time at the moment as I'm about to introduce you one of my favorite Indonesian restaurants in Jakarta, and I have a lot of reasons behind my love.

Warung MJS or MJ Setiabudi is the rebranding of the famous Mbah Jingkrak and now a stand alone restaurant, meaning not under the same management as Mbah Jingkrak, and now an individual brand. Warung MJS is located at the packed Setiabudi neighborhood, relatively close to Setiabudi One. I came during lunch time when the restaurant's very packed (mostly office workers and Gojek), if you fancy a quieter ambiance, go around 4-5 PM just before dinner time as the crowd's not that crazy. They don't have a specific closing hour, normally they closes at 11 PM, but certain days they could open until very late (up to 1 AM) depending on the crowd, I suggest giving them a call to make sure closing hour and last order hour on particular days.

Appreciate the small yet meaningful gesture, upon entrance customers are more than welcome to enjoy special welcome drink of jamu (Indonesian herbal drink) and I bet the first thing you'll see is this display of tempting Indonesian feast that's mostly spicy and rich in seasoning, that you can choose based on what you feel like having that time, and that's the main order method of the restaurant (aka Prasmanan style), customers get to pick what they want, then have them delivered to the table. I felt like having everything as everything looks so spicy and delicious.

They focus in serving Indonesian cuisine with the emphasize on Javanese cuisine.

Ayam Bakar (grilled chicken)

Cumi (squid)

Sate Telur Puyuh. WOW!

The concept/decoration of Warung MJS is definitely quirky and one of a kind it's almost a statement, just don't be fooled by their facade!! The whole restaurant's pretty spacious and each spot has different decoration concept and vibe, I fancy the outdoor area with the pool and bridge the most, but the way to get to the outdoor area is almost like a journey with the owner, there's a particular area where it's filled with the owner's 'footprints' at the countries he's been, another area is filled with soysauce collection from all over Indonesia. Overall the deco is rich in culture, over the top but with a twist of personal.

Eyegasmic interior, very Instagenic I must say.

Another freebies for guests near the bridge, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!!!

Everything I had for lunch in one frame! Beast much. You know, typing this post is hard as I am really craving for the meals! PS as you're waiting for your food to be delivered to your table, you can munch on the free crackers (kerupuk). Okay let's dive in to the food review!

First things first, they offer selection of Nasi Putih (white rice), Nasi Merah (red rice) and Nasi Uduk (fragrant coconut rice)

Sambal Demit - IDR 12k
Their Sambal Demit is A MUST! 

Bebek Kobong Kuning - IDR 31.2k

One thing that they're so well at doing is masking the smell of the duck with the rich and fragrant ingredients that complements this kind of protein very well, another one that's worth trying if you fancy meaty and tender grilled duck (which by the way what 'kobong' means) with bold seasoning.

Ayam Setan - IDR 25.6k
Another personal favorite of mine, the uber tasty Ayam Setan! Chicken cooked in chili, seasoning, herbs and basil, beware as this is pretty spicy but seriously addicting, the kind of food that I just can't enjoy without rice!

Ayam Cemani - IDR 22,5k

Ayam Kunci Special - IDR 23,8k, Sapi Gendeng - IDR 33,6k, Oseng Kecipir - IDR 18,2k

Oseng Sayur Krecek - IDR 19k
Side dish to accompany the rice: as an avid fan of krecek (and for having good palate towards it), this was not disappointing: savory, spicy with the nice airy consistency. Love.

Balado Rempong - IDR 22,4k
Fried tofu, soya bean cake and anchovy together cooked in homemade chili seasoning.

Sapi Gendeng - IDR 33,6k
Beef stew cooked in fragrant and beautifully seasoned turmeric coconut milk curry, beef stew was so tender!

Asem-Asem Daging - IDR 33k
Have told you guys a thousand times how I always need soup to accompany my meals, not sure why but it's almost mandatory, especially for this occasion where most of the food that I had here was spicy! This was pretty refreshing after all the spicy goodness and neutralizes my palate back.

Es Kopi Susu Bu Lurah (dine-in) - IDR 19k
Es Kopi Susu Bu Lurah (greng, stronger coffee) - IDR 22k
Susu Coklat Bu Lurah - IDR 29k
Have been hearing buzz about their kopi susu so I guess while I was there in Warung MJS I should have this to give my opinion about it, and I wasn't disappointed at all! Infact I kinda like them! It's clearly not one of those overly strong burnt tubruk coffee with milk, they're more to the mild creamy side with proper amount of coffee and milk which make them balance, a simple decent thirst quencher for the hot day that moment, as for the ice chocolate, also not bad, rich chocolate, creamier (and milkier) in texture compared to the ice coffee, but since I am more a coffee person, if you want me to choose then I root for the ice coffee.

Es Kopi Susu Bu Lurah (greng, stronger coffee) - IDR 22k, Susu Coklat Bu Lurah - IDR 29k

Not a dull lunch for sure, and surrounded by the quirky (yet still homey) ambiance which I found personally making the experience felt greater. Zero complaint towards the food, even blowing praises for the kind service, if you happen to be craving for delicious Indonesian-Javanese cuisine and planning to treat your palate with festive feast, visit (or revisit) Warung MJS! One of my favorites in town at the moment.

Warung MJS

Jalan Setiabudi Tengah No. 11

Setiabudi, Jakarta Selatan

021 - 5252 605

Opening hours:

Mon-Fri: 10 AM-11 PM (or more)

Sat-Sun: 9 AM-11 PM

Average spending for two: IDR 250k

Dresscode: none

INSTAGRAM

FIND ME HERE

FACEBOOK || TWITTER || INSTAGRAM || GOOGLE+

email: eatandtreatsindo@gmail.com

SNAPCHAT: STANISLAUSHANS

Map for Warung MJS