A new year brings a bright modern restaurant to experience in Jakarta! So, let’s welcome Animale Restaurant located on the 11th floor of MD Place (Kuningan, Jakarta Selatan), a brand new lifestyle full-service restaurant that offers progressive American cuisines with flavors from the Mediterranean. When we step into the restaurant, we can feel a different energy from their decoration, which combines three elements, from the ocean, land, and mountains. Interesting! 
My favorite area is the main dining room, where guests can enjoy the warm light from the window, and the intimate nuance of the “land” themed area, which is adorned with beautiful wooden bar accents on the ceiling. They also have an al fresco “mountain” themed area in warmer weather as a smoking seating area with a magnificent view of Jakarta. And for those who need additional seclusion and private gathering away from public eyes, Animale Restaurant also offers 3 VIP rooms that can be booked to accommodate such requests.
Chef Andri Dionysius, a talented chef behind Akira Back Jakarta & AB Steak Jakarta, uses his bar as a stage to showcase freshly made pasta and to showcase the wood-burning oven, which allows guests to hover in and join the action. Since most people may not be aware of all the variations of pasta, they can get the idea by seeing it displayed on the kitchen table from familiar spaghetti shapes to unusual pasta, such as caserecce, pappardelle, etc. The good thing is, all of their pasta is also made in house, so you can see the process when you’re here. Nice!
What’s on the menu?
When I see the list, I can say they have all kinds of dishes for everyone! Everything from #ditchhyourboxedpasta homemade pasta to the Share The Love section (a variety of meat dishes suitable for sharing) is a recommended choice! While cold dried fish is a smart order when you come to Animale Restaurant because it’s quite rare to see a restaurant in Jakarta would do dry-aging fish like this. It’s pretty common in Japan; most restaurants served dry-aging fish as sashimi. But here, in Jakarta? So, when you look carefully, you’ll see there is some glass-door refrigerator where they hang the fishes and some meat that has been aging for specific days and weeks. With high techniques and different food concepts, the prices at Animale Restaurant are still reasonable for this lifestyle segment. For example, entrees remain under IDR 100K, with many choices for pasta around IDR 125K-225K, flatbread style pizzas from IDR 95K, and more.
For the drinks, you need something ice-cold and fresh to boost your mood! I tried three mocktails as they recommended; Pome Mojito (IDR 55K), Gala Kefir (IDR 55K) (my favorite- served with goat milk, yogurt, mango puree, lychee and peach fruit), and Paliolitho (IDR 55K) with the freshness of Orange Sunkist and Lemon Juice. All of them can keep you chill and fresh, try it! I love the middle east flavor that came from the Tiger Prawns 10-15 (IDR 185K). The saltiness and spicy kick brought by harissa sauce to the prawns, perfectly balanced! While thinly sliced of adorned curdo fish – Kingfish (IDR 195K), which is seven days dry-aged served with a drizzle of basil vinaigrette, tasted fattier, yet light and delicate, making it a great way to start a meal! 
Chef Andri has a way of taking seemingly simple seafood dishes such as tiger prawns, Hokkaido scallops, or Crudo fish, and make them a sophisticated yet creative bite worthy! This includes the vegetables and mains, too, like the Tomato Salad (IDR 140K) that comes with burrata cheese and crispy quinoa. If you want something unique, try 50:50 Pate (IDR 165K), which has a smooth texture, served with crispy bread, and best enjoyed with a light red or white wine. But this pinkish-brown in color Pate wasn’t my favorite because the chicken liver smell was a little too intense for my taste buds. Pssst, don’t be surprised when you see the menu, because they even have pig spare parts on the menu, for example, Pig Ear Fries (IDR 95K). Ha-ha…
Need more appetizer? Get Angus Meatballs (IDR 120K)! They use dry-aged Angus meat, filled with smoked mozzarella, and served with parmesan crust, marinara, and pistachio pesto! It’s so yummy! But, most importantly, you have to try their Wagyu and Foie Gras (IDR 175K) because it’s unbelievably delicious! You can scoop these thinly slice wagyu roll, which already filled with foie gras with the super crispy parmesan lavash, served with pine nuts, truffle sauce, saba, and arugula. A must try!
If you want pasta, I highly recommend their Mallerodus (IDR 175K). Although the combination of sage butter sauce and truffle burro fuso is too heavy for me, these small bites of pasta served with delicious Parmesan Crust Bone Sumrow was quite enjoyable. Most of the food that we’ve tried was unique and memorable; you should come together with your colleagues and family so you can order and try as much as you want. And do not miss Truffle Truffle dessert (IDR 75K), a creative sweet treat that looks 99% like the real black truffle. But it’s made from Valrhona caramelize ganache, filled with sea salt caramel, comes with the scent of truffle, one of the most creative desserts today!
Animale Restaurant
11thh Floor, MD Place Building, Jl. Setiabudi Selatan No. 7, Kuningan, Jakarta Selatan
Opening Hour: 17:30 – 22:30 (last order 22:00)
Phone: +62 8777 ANIMALE / +62 87772646253
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