Bengawan as the signature restaurant at Keraton at The Plaza are now having a special Mexican Lunch set menu which is only available for lunch on the weekdays. Located on the seventh floor with spectacular views of Jakarta and opposite to the hotel guest indoor pool, this restaurant offers not just a wide selection of food and cuisines, but also modern, cozy, sophisticated and romantic ambience with soothing water features and green plants next the window. I was invited to have a Mexican Lunch set menu which is made by Chef Lamberto Valdez Lara, the culinary director of Keraton at The Plaza last Thursday with other fellow food bloggers.
Starting March 20, 2014, Bengawan Restaurant presents the launch of Chef Lamberto’s Modern Mexican Kitchen. You can find lots of Mexican a la carte menu that is available daily from 12pm to 3pm for lunch and 6pm to 10.30pm for dinner. Besides that, a three course Lunch set menu is also available for IDR 150.000 nett per person. For a nice five-star dining experience, I can say this is really a good offer for lunch.
Passion Star – Drink of the Month
A very nice combination made of various fresh fruits such as starfruit, passion fruit, marquise, orange juice and mint leave. Perfect for summer days!
Red Dragon Probiotic Smoothies, IDR 65K
If you want something else with a mix of Yakult, this Red Dragon Probiotic Smoothie is also a good choice. It is mixed with Black Cherry, too. Refreshing!
Welcome Tortilla Chips
Who doesn’t like tortilla? This corn tortilla is given as a welcome snack from Bengawan during lunch for Mexican Lunch set menu on weekdays. It tastes light and crunchy, best eaten with 3 kinds of dipping sauce that looks like a Mexican flag; Red salsa, Sour cream and Green salsa.
From Express Mexican Lunch set menu, each of us can choose one menu from the starters, one menu from the main courses, and one menu of the desserts. So basically, drinks are not included in the set menu and you have to order it separately.
Sopa de Tortilla – starter
I chose Sopa de Tortilla as the starter. This Mexican soup has a nice depth of flavor, a little bit spicy, rich and tasty! It came with chicken strips, big slices of avocados, pasilla chili and topped with sour cream. Strips of crunchy fried tortillas are also added to the soup. Recommended!
Guacamole – starter
When it comes to Mexican food, I always try the Guacamole. Guacamole is a traditional Mexican dip sauce, which made by mashing reap avocados and additional seasonings. What makes me so in love with this Guacamole is because it tastes so fresh, slightly lumpy and I still can find some big chunks of avocado in it. Must try!
Avocado, Roasted Corn Salad – starter
If you want something light and healthy, fresh salad can be a good choice. This salad consists of big slices of avocados, roasted corn, cilantro pesto, butter lettuce, and vine ripe tomatoes.
Steak Grilled Quesadillas – main course
A simple grilled Quesadilla served with Mexican cheeses, roasted tomato, rajas, chipotle sauce, crema agria, and pico de gallo. The cheese is melted inside and best eaten with the sour cream dip sauce. Simply love it! Recommended!
Lamb Birria Tacos- main course
From the 4 selections of Tacos, I chose the Lamb Birria Tacos where they said it’s one of the favorite tacos. The leg of lamb is slowly braised for 12 hours and served on crispy corn tortillas, Mexican rice and refried pinto beans. It also comes with lime, green and red salsa. Unfortunately, this wasn’t my favorite, because the corn tortillas taste bitter in my mouth. I prefer the flour tortillas rather than this.
Hanger Steak Fajitas – main course
Fajita is a Mexican way to eat grilled meat that is usually served as a taco on a flour or corn tortilla. Bengawan has 3 options for fajitas to choose; there are Chicken, Hanger Steak and Portobello Mushroom. I’ve tried the Hanger Steak version and I like it so much! A set of grilled Black Pepper Beef served with bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, guacamole, Mexican rice and flour tortillas. The best way to eat this fajita is by putting everything together on the tortilla, wrap it and eat it without using a spoon. It tastes unique and tasty as there is a little bit spicy from the beef, sweet from the bell peppers, tomatoes and guacamole, and slightly salty from the Mexican rice. Recommended!
Cinnamon Sugar Churros – dessert
I love Churros and this is one of the best churros I’ve ever tasted. These Churros are so good, served with 3 kinds of dipping sauce; Cajeta (goats milk) caramel, White chocolate sauce, and Chunky mango compote. Among 3 of them, my favorite one is the Goat Milk Caramel dipping sauce. I loved the crunchiness of this churros. Delicious, warm and cinnamon sugary!
Choco-flan – dessert
This classic Mexican dessert looks tempting, but I find that the flan custard had a coarse texture, not so smooth and creamy. The taste is even too sweet for me.
Thank you so much Bengawan Restaurant and Keraton at the Plaza for the delicious Mexican Lunch. I like all of the Mexican food served last Thursday, especially the Hanger Steak Fajitas, and Steak Quesadillas for the main courses, Guacamole and Sopa de Tortilla for the appetizers and Cinnamon Sugar Churros for the dessert.