Sea Grain Restaurant & Bar Double Tree by Hilton Jakarta Diponegoro

August 21st, 2016. I heard about Double Tree by Hilton Jakarta Diponegoro from a friend of mine. I happened to crazy about hotels. Yeah, me and hubby, we always love to stay at different hotels. So, when my friend asked me to come with him to try this restaurant at the hotel, I said YES immediately. Sea Grain Restaurant & Bar.

Offering superior dining, business and leisure facilities, the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Jakarta-Diponegoro is close to Jakarta’s CBD & Gvt buildings.

I was stunned by the hotel. The lobby is very comfortable. Very high ceiling with glass all over the place and a certain fragrance with soothing aroma. I was mesmerized also by their lagoon pool. Enchanting.

By the way, when you go out from the elevator to level 3, you will see boxes attached to the wall in front of you. Take the time to look into the small hole in the center of the box. You will find it very unique and extraordinary. Curious? *devilish smile* Come on. Just try it.

This modern casual restaurant offers exquisite a Mediterranean inspired menu with the option of indoor and outdoor eating and a casual before or after dinner drinks venue with beautiful views of the city skies. Located in the 3rd floor, Sea Grain is open for dinner and the menu offers a selection of signature dishes from the Mediterranean coast with a local twist. The beverage menu offers selection of beers and wide array of local and international wines and spirits. The bar features a selection of classic cocktails as well as Mediterranean inspired cocktails.

Sea Grain is divided into 2 parts. The bar and the restaurant. We headed to the bar first. It's very cozy with beautiful paintings on the wall by Ines Katamso. There's a funny moment about it. The PR told me about the famous Ines Katamso, and I said, "Oo ok, too bad, I didn't know her." Then my friend said, "Ooooh Ines Katamso." I was surprised as I never thought she knew about the famous painter. "Err, do you know her?" She said, "No. I just saw the name on the wall." LOL. We laughed so hard.

After taking photos at the bar, we were headed to the restaurant. They have private rooms too in the restaurant. It's so hot in the restaurant when we arrived. The sun was shining so hard outside. And we chose to eat in the private room.

SEA GRAIN SIGNATURE COCKTAILS

Sangria 150k by glass / 496k by Carafe

Red wine, Brandy, Orange, Lemon, Apple and Ginger Ale

Imagine. Hot day. Very hot day. There's nothing more refreshing than sipping a glass of sangria, chit-chatting with your bestfriends, and enjoying the view. Not too much alcohol, it was a really nice treat for us. Since we didn't really drink alcohol. Well, I used to, but not anymore. :) Sweet and sour taste with warming effect from ginger ale and the alcohol made it perfect for a hot day in a cold room. Recommended!

COMPLIMENTARY

Complimentary Bread

I was told that they change the bread every day. That day they served Jalapeño Cheese Beetroot bread. It's very special, of course. I guess no one had ever eat Jalapeño bread. :)

STARTER AND SALAD

Mezze Platter 88k

Hummus, baba ganoush, mutabal, tabbouleh, ezme, olive and feta cheese, pitta bread and lavash

As you know, Middle East cuisines were never my favourite. So, yeah, I waved in surrender. LOL. But my friends said it was good. Well, I believe them, of course. We had something in common. We appreciated food. Always.

Hummus is a Levantine and Egyptian food dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas or other beans, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic.

Baba ghanoush is a Levantine dish of cooked eggplant mixed with onions, tomatoes, olive oil and various seasonings. The Arabic term means "pampered papa" or "coy daddy", perhaps with reference to a member of a royal harem. 

Tabbouleh is an Arab Middle Eastern vegetarian dish traditionally made of tomatoes, finely chopped parsley, mint, bulgur and onion, and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.

Lavash, sometimes referred to as Armenian lavash, is a soft, thin unleavened flatbread made in a tandoor and eaten all over the Caucasus, Western Asia and the areas surrounding the Caspian Sea.

Prawn Mango Salad 95k

Pan-seared king prawn, mango, capsicum, balsamic reduction, sun-dried tomato and garlic crumble

Salad. Not my favourite. Hahaha. But, I ate the king prawn. Yeah, prawn is my favourite. But when I saw this salad, I love the presentation. It's very colourful and tempting. You know what? The sexy prawn is calling me to seduce it. OMG. What a huge effect. Hahaha..

MAINS

Steam Sea Bass 165k

Sea bass fish, olive oil, mashed cassava and lemon butter sauce

OMG the presentation was perfect. I didn't have the heart to eat it first hahaha.. The texture of the sea bass was tender and smooth. The cute thing, they use mashed cassava instead of mashed potato. Well, too bad, I prefer mashed potato. LOL. Yeah, I didn't really like cassava. But, it's delicious. It's just not my favourite. :)

PIZZA

Frito Octopus 125k

Octopus, herb basil, coriander leaf, mozzarella cheese, fruit salsa, topped with oncom "orak-arik"

To oncom lovers: you should try this one. It's a rectangle shape pizza with a special flavour. Well, it's collaboration between Italian food and Indonesian food. Hahaha. Pizza and Oncom. Well, oncom actually is a traditional staple food of Sundanese cuisine, Indonesia. It's really a bold action from the Sea Grain's Chef to combine pizza with oncom. Cool!! Well, the octopus and fruit salsa and the other ingredients were just a compliment. The star is the oncom. LOL.

RICE AND FRESH PASTA

Rendang Lasagna 130k

Beef rendang, layered lasagna skins, tomato sauce, Bechamel sauce, mini ball cassava with melted cheese

DA BOMB! This is my favourite dish! Lasagna is one of my favourite pasta. So when Sea Grain served this rendang lasagna, I was like, "Hmmm.. what a great combination. I should try this in a hurry." And, it's my first pastagasm! Hahaha. Too much, ya? Hyperbola? Hahaha. Nooooo. It's true! Well, it's really the best lasagna. I couldn't stop until it finished. The texture of the lasagna was perfetto. I love the taste of the beef rendang. So rich and sinful. They were all complimenting each other. The beef, the lasagna, the tomato sauce, the Bechamel sauce, and of course, the generous melted cheese. OMG! I'm drooling right now! Definitely will be back for this. Or.. can I order it via Go-Food? LOL! Truly the best rendang lasagna ever! The one and only!

DESSERT

Baklava 110k

Baked layered of filo pastry and chopped nuts served with vanilla ice cream

Well, I think Baklava is the only thing that I can eat from Middle Eastern cuisines. LOL. But Sea Grain's Baklava was not sweet enough for me. Maybe next time I should ask for more sugar hahaha. The filo pastry is excellent. Crunchy and chewy. Great choice for dessert.

Baklava is a rich, Turkish sweet pastry made of layers of filo filled with chopped nuts and sweetened and held together with syrup or honey.

Filo is a very thin unleavened dough used for making pastries such as baklava and börek in Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisines. Filo-based pastries are made by layering many sheets of filo brushed with olive oil; the pastry is then baked.

Luwak Crepes Tiramisu (contain alcohols) 185k

Tiramisu filled in crepes, luwak coffee flavour and vanilla ice cream

The crepes and tiramisu and coffee flavour and vanilla ice cream. Fascinating combination with a hint of alcohol. Soft texture from the crepes. Rich texture from the filling. Love it! Such a perfect ending.

Thank you so much Sea Grain and Double Tree by Hilton. Such a remarkable moment to taste those delicious food. Keep up the good work! Definitely one of the best moment in my culinary journey.

Sea Grain Restaurant & Bar
Double Tree by Hilton Jakarta
3rd Floor
Jl. Pegangsaan Timur No. 17
Cikini, Jakarta
Phone: 021-31904433
IG: @doubletreejkt