[CLOSED] Marco Padang Grill Lotte Shopping Avenue Ciputra World Jakarta

March 28th, 2014. Wow, it's been a long time ago hohoho. I wanna talk about Padang food. Who doesn't like to eat Nasi Padang??? For me, it's the most delicious food hahaha.. Last year after I went home from China, I craved for Nasi Padang. A week I could eat 3-4 times :D

Well, ok back to my review. I went to Marco Padang Grill for lunch. I have heard a lot about Marco Padang Grill. Their first outlet was in Setiabudi One, previously called Marco's Bofet. When I passed the place, I thought it was Italian restaurant. I was surprised when I found out that it was Padang restaurant. Bofet in Padang, means small store (kedai kecil) or some eatery. But now in Setiabudi One, it's called Marco Padang Grill: Bistro and Coffeehouse. Marco Padang Grill was named after Chef Marco Lim. He's the brain behind the authentic Padang food in Marco.

Located in Ciputra World 1, Lotte Shopping Avenue, Marco attracted quite attention for those who passed by level 3. The place was elegant but you won't feel intimidated there. It looked fascinating with wooden furnitures, and the ambiance was luxurios. But, it's Padang food. So whatever the place is like, don't forget to eat with your hand. Hahaha..

Kopi Susu Pane 33k

Hot Coffee (Double Shots of Bukittinggi Robusta) with Sweet Condensed Milk, served with Kripik Balado (Padangnese Spicy Chips).

It's very unique that you drank hot coffee with Kripik Balado. It's a mix between coffee and spicy. Not my kind of drinks. Hahaha..

Kopi Susu Es 30k

Iced Coffee (Double Shots of Bukittinggi Robusta) with Sweet Condensed Milk. 

The cute thing about this drinks is they served it in wine glass. Cute, right? For the taste, my friend said that the combination between the coffee and the milk was perfect.

Jus Pinang Muda 28k

Ice Betel Nut Juice with Condensed Milk.

Betel Nut Juice is a popular drink in the icy of Padang, made from betel nut and egg yolk. It is tasty and creamy and also widely known as a healthy drink to increase stamina and ease body sores.

It's my first time drink a betel nut juice. It's not like any other fruit. You will find a tangy taste, mix with a little bit milkish sour or slightly cheese. At the same time, you'll taste an over bitter sweet with a hint of chocolate and caramel, and a tinge of soil after rain. It is an exotic taste. Overall, it's refreshing :)

Nasi Sayo 21k

Steamed Rice Drenched with Special Curry Sauce, Sprinkled with Dried Beef in Grated Coconut, and Served with Vegetables, Green Chili and Red Chili Sambal (sauce).

Start your culinary journey at Marco with their signature rice dish. Made from high quality rice from Solok, this steamed rice dish is served with all the goodness from vegetables and special curry sauce. Dare to enjoy it in good old-fashioned way? Forget spoons and eat it using your hands instead. It is finger-licking delicious.

Sayo means Vegetables. So, it's simply a rice dish with vegetables. But do not underestimate the flavour. It's mouthwatering. I ate this Nasi Sayo with my hands. For me, that is the delicacy of eating Padang rice. Use your hands.

Gado-Gado Padang 45k

Padangnese Vegetable Salad with Boiled Potatoes, Fried Tofu, Noodles, Slices of White Cabbage, Green Curry Lettuce and Cucumber, Tossed in Peanut Sauce and Served with Emping (Melinjo Crackers) and Red Crackers.

Enjoy a traditional healthy meal with Marco's Padangnese Vegetable Salad. Made from Fresh vegetables and tasty peanut sauce to keep your going all day long.

This "gado-gado" was another vegetables dish from Marco. The peanut sauce wasn't as thick as the ordinary gado-gado, but quite tasty. The portion was huge enough to make your tummy full. They were very generous with the emping and red crackers, as you can see in my picture below. Errr.. still remember the taste.. make me drooling now while writing this. :D

Cumi Panggang Pacak 35k

Charcoal Grilled Squid with thick Padang Curry Sauce.

Whoa, this is good. Why? Because this squid was easy to chew.  Squid was my least favourite because I never found an easy-to-chew squid, until now. The Padang curry sauce was very rich. I had to control myself, not to finish them all by myself. Hihihih..

Bebe' Lado Ijo 35k

Quarter of Duckling (Young Duck) Poached in Coconut Water, Stir-Fried with Finely Ground Curly Green Chili, Coconut Milk, and Mixed with Herbs and Spices from Bukittinggi, West Sumatra.

Green Chili Duck is one of the most sought-after dishes originated from Bukittinggi. Marco's Green Chili Duck is made from the finest ingredients: Young Duck, cooked to perfect tender with a mix of Herbs and Spices. It takes a special skill to cook duck perfectly, and we take this matter seriously for your eating pleasure.

Spicy!!! Huft. I never like spicy food. But I love duck. What should I do? Okay, I need to prepare my tongue for this dish. I had to try this. It's a must for me. And, I wasn't sorry at all. This duck was cooked perfectly. The meat was tender and juicy. It tasted very well-seasoned. Fascinating!

Soto Padang 39k

Broth Based Soup Padang Style with Herbs, Spices, Dry-Fried Sliced Beef, Rice Noodles, Perkedel (Potato Cakes), Fried Onions and Chopped Celery and Served with Red Rice Crackers and Ground Curly Red Chili on the Side.

Clear broth based soup with Herbs, Spices, Dry-Fried Sliced Beef, Rice Noodles, and Perkedel (Potato Cakes). A delectable bowl to warm up your day.

Actually, this was the first time I tried Soto Padang. Yeah, laugh at me, but that's the truth. Ok, I looked at this Soto Padang from Marco, and I could hear my mind telling me, "Wow, what a humble dish with generous sliced beef." Yup, it looked so humble, but with a very large amount of sliced beef. My opinion for this dish, best served hot. So, eat while still hot. Or do not hesitate to ask them to reheat after some time.

Pete Kacamata 25k

Crispy Deep Fried Indonesian Bitter Beans (Pete), Tossed in Finely Ground Curly Red Chili Pesto.

This traditional recipe is hard to find in today's Padang restaurants. Here at Marco, they serve it as good as the locals used to make it in the old days. Thinly sliced and deep-fried, their bitter beans dish is a must-try for its unique eye glass shape and crispy texture. More importantly, without the strong undesirable smell. It's tasty and guilt-free.

This was a unique dish. Quite adorable, to see the eye glass shape from the bitter beans. At first I thought it's bitter beans with fried onions. Hahaha.. After I realized that it was bitter beans which sliced and deep-fried, I thought I will still find the strong smell from the dish. But, apparently not. It tasted nice and crunchy.

Barramundi Panggang Pacak 60k

Grilled Barramundi Fish Marinated in Coconut Milk with Finely Ground Curly Red Chili, Slices of Turmeric Leaf, Lemongrass, Tamarind, Lime Leaf and Lime Juice.

Pacak is a cooking technique that involves cooking meat with its own juices or a sauce or marinade, prominently used in grilling or roasting. Originally, pacak also means "tapping gently." The locals use lemongrass sticks dipped in marinade to rub the Barramundi and let it grilled. This fragrant and smoky dish is best served with hot steamed rice.

What's the most favourite dish here? This one!! The most recommended one. Barramundi have a mild texture. The best thing about this dish was the taste. It was a combination between a mild texture and a smoky flavour. The sauce was a little bit spicy, but the sensuous delight covered it. Trust me!

Randang Itam 35k

Beef Shank Stewed in Coconut Milk and Cirik Minyak (Condensed Burnt Coconut Oil), Mixed with Herbs and Ground Curly Red Chili.

Once named as the best dish in the world, Randang is undoubtedly an all-time favorite in Padang cuisine repertoire. At Marco, their famous Randang Itam is made of high quality ingredients, based on traditional recipe. With both skill and patience, our Chef cooks the meat meticulously for more that nine hours to make it tender, succulent and rich in flavours. That's what we called a labor of love.

Randang is my hubby's favorite dish in Padang restaurant. Everytime we went to Padang restaurant, he always ordered randang. Not me! I love tunjang, not randang. Then, one time, my sister bought me randang itam (I had no idea where she bought it) and she forced me to try it. ROAAAAR!! I didn't share with my hubby. I said to him, "Sorry, no more for you. I finished it myself." So, when I found out that Marco served randang itam, it was like "OMG! OMG! OMG!" And, after I tried their randang itam, I shouted out loud, literally, "OMG! OMG! OMG!" It was sweet and savoury and little bit spicy. I love the combination. It was tender and easy to chew. One word: Blast!!

Dendeng Batokok 51k

Charcoal-Grilled Beef Tenderloin Marinated in Coconut Water with Shallots, Garlic, and Coconut Oil. Served with Lado Pop (a mixture of coconut cream and finely ground curly red chili) and Lado Kecap (a mixture of sweet soya sauce with slice of chili padi, curly red chili, shallot, and lime juice).

In Minang language, Batokok means "pounded on or flattened out." To prepare "Dendeng Batokok," the locals used to pound the meat with a pestle until it is tender then marinate and let it grilled to perfection. Enjoy this heritage recipe from Kerinci Region with a plate of hot steamed rice.

I just knew that batokok means pounded on. I thought it was something else hihihi. Well, this beef tenderloin was really tender. It's not like any other dendeng, it was marinated perfectly. The Lado Pop and Lado Kecap gave it more flavour. Don't forget to eat this with hot steamed rice. Kaboom!!

Gule Tunjang 36k

Tunjang is my favorite. Yup yup yup. I know. Some people said, "Don't eat too much tunjang. Cholesterol!!!" Aaaah, I don't care. They didn't create medicine for nothing, aight? Hahaha.. And, tell you the truth, this tunjang from Marco is hard to resist. It was juicy and easy to chew. Perfect tunjang for me. Eat this with nasi sayo and you don't need any other things.

Ayam Pop 22.5k

Padangnese Signature Fried Stewed Chicken Dish, Served with Special Tomato-Chili Sauce.

Juicy and moist. Those were the taste that any ayam pop should have. Some restaurants make their ayam pop dry and plain. But Marco really did their homework. Their ayam pop was juicy and moist and tender and succulent and so on and so on.

Telok Barendo 20k

Deep Fried Flat Omelet with Slices of Turmeric Leaf and Lime Leaf.

Yup, it was like martabak telor but not too thick. But, you know, what could go wrong with any dish made from egg? Nothing. So, it's one of their must-try dish. They said, some customers came only to eat this dish. And it's not a surprise for me. The aroma and the flavour were incredibly luscious. Recommended!

Martabak Kelapa 20k

Crispy Pancake Sprinkled with Grated Coconuts and Granulated Sugar.

Enjoy a mouthful of pleasure with this traditional Crispy Pancake Sprinkled with Grated Coconuts and Granulated Sugar.

They said that this is a childhood's snacks at Padang. It was a thin crispy pancake. It's very unusual because they filled it with grated coconuts and granulated sugar. The texture was crispy and it tasted sweet. It's very inviting for you to grab another one and another one and another one, until it's gone.

Es Durian 38k

Durian Puree Served with Shaved Ice, Assorted Indonesian Jellies (Cendol, Agar-Agar, Kolang Kaling, Cingcau Hitam) and Drizzled with White and Chocolate Condensed Milk and Simple Syrup on Top.

Durian or widely known as the king of fruits is very popular in the Sumatera region. Try Marco's famous dessert featured the rich and silky flesh of durians. We believe, nothing can go wrong with good quality durians served with assorted traditional jellies to freshen you up. Whether you have a sweet tooth or not, this refreshing dessert is irresistible!

For those who like durian, raise your hand!! Never forget to order this dessert while you eat here. The Durian Puree was imported from Padang. It's a real durian fruit. You must know the famous es durian in some place. This totally beats it!!

With tagline: old padang recipe, Marco successfully introduced us the authentic food from Padang. Try this one, and you decide!

Marco Padang Grill
Lotte Shopping Avenue (Ciputra World) 3rd floor
Jl. Prof. Dr. Satrio Kav. 3-5
Kuningan, Jakarta
Phone: 021-29887793
FB Fan Page: Marco Padang Grill
twitter: @marco_padang