Many of us were cooped up at home for two years, unaware that Jakarta’s culinary scene continued to move forward and left us behind. In my quest to reacquaint my taste buds with the best the capital city has to offer, I am going all out to review some of the most hyped new players in the scene for my regular column, ICYMI (In Case You Missed It). Bon appetit!
There are a variety of Italian restaurants in Jakarta with different price points, but only a few can truly stand out. Pasta, Bitte!, a relatively new and small Italian restaurant in Kemang, impressed me so much that I would like to take this opportunity to say danke to the establishment.
The restaurant has been on my radar for a few months. It is nestled in a corner in front of Hero Kemang supermarket, having opened about a year ago. The restaurant’s name, which means “pasta, please!” in German, owes to the fact that the founders are a German-Indonesian husband and wife.
The promise of homemade, fresh pasta was enough to tickle my fancy, especially because I’ve been on a personal quest to find the tastiest authentic Italian food in Jakarta.
Prior to my visit to Pasta, Bitte! for lunch today, I had prepared what I was going to order based on reviews and the restaurant’s Instagram page. The menu was pretty much unnecessary, as I immediately ordered the Beef Ravioli with the signature Pasta, Bitte! Sauce (IDR97,000 with an additional IDR29,000 for the pasta), Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage (IDR115,000 with an additional IDR32,000 for the gluten-free gnocchi), and Gluten-free Carrot Cake with Dark Chocolate (IDR28,000) for dessert, as well as a bottled lychee tea (IDR18,000). All prices are before 10 percent tax.
The restaurant only had seating for 11 people, so you might need to plan your visit strategically during lull periods. I personally felt like I was visiting a friend who invited me over to taste their homemade pasta using their own secret recipe.
It didn’t take long for my order to arrive, save for the carrot cake to be served after the meal, of course. I immediately dug into the gnocchi, which I had been craving for a long time, and boy, was I pleased. Coming in as quite large dumplings, the gnocchi were chewy but with a crispy outer layer — and when you have gnocchi this tasty, you don’t need complicated sauces. This totally cured my longing for brown butter and sage gnocchi, and now I know where to look for them whenever the craving hits.
Moving on to the beef ravioli in the signature Pasta, Bitte! sauce, which is an orange-colored cream tomato sauce with hints of herbs — not unlike the vodka sauce — and topped with grated Grana Padano cheese. All I could think about on my first bite was: where have you been all my life? It provides such a strong foundation for any kind of pasta complement, and I know you can’t go wrong with any pairing. The beef ravioli was just — to borrow my friend’s catchphrase — chef’s kiss. It was such a hearty meal, and I was glad to start off my week with it.
Lastly, the carrot cake with dark chocolate was described by Pasta, Bitte! to be made with cassava flour, which is a main ingredient for gluten-free food, especially baked goods. It was served warm, though the cake was too crumbly for my liking even if I loved the salty chocolate topping, which had a bit of a salty kick in it.
In general, the price is rather steep for a small restaurant. Mind you, though, everything is house-made from scratch — not only that, the portions are pretty generous, too. I’m looking forward to being back to Pasta, Bitte! to try the other sauces and pasta. The creamy lasagna with the signature sauce and the Pesto Genovese with rigatoni in particular sound tempting to me.
FIND IT
Pasta, Bitte!
Jl. Kemang Selatan I No. 22F, Kemang, South Jakarta (in front of Hero Kemang)
Operating hours: 11am-9pm, daily
Phone: +62 812 1955 3727
US$1=IDR14,323
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