Stepping into Bengawan, visitors are greeted by an immaculately designed space. The restaurant’s interior features elegant shades of cream, vibrant teal and sea foam green. Occupying the seventh floor of Keraton at The Plaza, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Jakarta, Bengawan features an expanse of floor-to-ceiling windows, which run along the entire length of the restaurant. Equipped with adjustable vertical blinds to shade guests from the sun at the noon zenith, visitors can also enjoy breathtaking blood red sunsets over the city’s scenic skyline through the tempered glass windows with a spot of freshly brewed coffee.
Named after the Javanese word for river, Bengawan features lush indoor greenery and gorgeous water features. A variety of quirky dining chairs sidle up to contemporary wood and glass dining tables in the main dining area. For diners keen on a spot of fresh air, Bengawan offers a separate outdoor dining area. Overlooking the residences’ outdoor pool and garden area, guests can admire the lush foliage while enjoying a scrumptious meal.
Available every Sunday from 12PM to 3PM, Bengawan’s Sunday Brunch showcases an expansive banquet of local and international delights that will satisfy the pickiest of eaters. Guests can also enjoy free-flow of non-alcoholic beverages as part of the package. The restaurant’s brunch line-up features a made-to-order Caesar salad station, fresh seafood bar, okonomiyaki and tempura station, live-grill station, foie gras station, a variety of pasta dishes, a caviar station, a bakmie cart, a selection of Southeast Asian dishes, as well as an impressive selection of sweet delights at the dessert station.
An attempt at sampling each and every culinary gem on display is ambitious at best, save for visitors with a prodigious appetite. To fully enjoy Bengawan’s Sunday Brunch experience, guests are advised to pick and choose their favourites, with the eventual aim of savouring all the menu items in a few Sunday Brunch sessions.
That being said, picking out the highlights from the Sunday Brunch menu is a challenging exercise with the amount of dazzling menu items available. One of the most popular menu items is the ultra-premium Kobe beef. Available at the live-grill station, visitors can grill their steak to order and specify the steak’s level of doneness. Seafood lovers swear by the seafood bar, which features fresh lobsters, exquisite French de Claire oysters and Alaskan king crab. Guests keen on caviar can check out the caviar station and pile their plates with decadent French Sturia classic caviar and salmon roe accompanied with mini blinis. Visitors looking for made-to-order items will be spoiled for choice between crisp okonomiyaki pizzas, tantalising French galettes, unctuous plump escargots and fluffy buttery pancakes amongst many others delicious à la carte treats.
“My recommendation would be the live grill station, you can’t go wrong with the gorgeous lobster thermidor and Kobe beef perfectly tender. You should definitely try the Alaskan king crab and French oysters from our fresh seafood bar. Of course, you need to try the Sturia caviar and foie gras.”
-Executive Chef Syaiful Bahri
