As of this moment, I bet that many hipster foodies and coffee lovers of Jakarta would already have visited ST. ALi – Melbourne’s prominent third-wave coffee shop, at Setiabudi Building.
Which is why this time, I’d rather not talk about ST. ALi’s marvelous piccolo and its fantastic cold brew latte, or even about how these champion baristas like Matt Perger or Yosua Tanu served their finest for us. It was such a delightful experience for me personally and many would tell you the exact same thing about what happened to them being served personally by these idols.
That’s why, it’s all about between me and Chef Mark Richardson’s food here. However then again, it will be not at all about their the juicy burgers or anything meaty. This post will tell you about one thing and one thing only – ST. ALi Jakarta’s vegetarian offerings!
I figure, why not tell the readers a bit about my experience with vegan stuffs because the ones I had here were golden.
Okay, here are what I have tasted so far:
ANCIENT GRAIN SALAD
First of all, this is a beautiful vegan dish and even an omnivore like me wouldn’t want to miss it. Chef Mark smeared the Middle Eastern’s labneh or one would say, the Greek yogurt, on the plate fully until it fills every corners.
He then stylishly spread the crunchy pearl barley and quinoa. He also put seeds and nuts all over the place. Okay, that’s the crispy part. So how about the zing needed to make this all work?
Yes, the chef put some segments of orange and lemon dressing on top of the fresh herbs. Not forgetting also, the labneh itself already has the citrus-y feel as well.
Lastly, the smoky flavor came from the delicious torched cauliflower. BANG! It was a fulfilling healthy lunch for me.
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MY MEXICAN COUSIN
So, this one has an interesting twist. While the name refers to something, of course, Mexican – but apparently what it holds inside is a mash up of interesting stuffs from many cultures that Chef Mark cleverly conjured.
The corn fritters may came from Chef Mark’s discovery as a chef somewhere, but apparently it is very similar with Indonesia’s perkedel jagung but different only in terms of shape and the crispy skin.
The big treats from perkedel are soon matched by the glorious poached eggs, giving the lifeline of flavors for the whole dish.
As soon as you mix and match everything and the dish became deliciously messy, then came the perfectly matched corn & cucumber salsa with Indian kasundi.
I never thought that salsa can go well with this Indian-style relish. It gave a hint of herb-ish flavors and spiciness, which is a very good idea. A fine addition to the old salsa flavor that we all love so much.
However my favorite part came next – the sliced halloumi that gave a really good cheese-y flavor and certain sharpness, plus the fresh green salad on top of these beautiful creatures.
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So as a conclusion, I still cannot decide which one favors my palate most since I like them both. But do let me know which one do you actually choose at the end of the day, okay?
Other than these two, feel free to discover other vegetarian-based dishes which are also available here. Don’t forget to pair it with the coffee, of course!
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ST. ALi
Not halal-certified
Some menu are suitable for vegetarians
Address:
Setiabudi Two, GF
Jalan HR Rasuna Said, Jakarta – Indonesia
Opening hours:
Daily, 7am – 6pm
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RIAN FARISA 