Eastern & Oriental Restaurant (E & O)

What happens when the brainchild behind Loewy and Union team up with a renowned chef, such as Will Meyrick of Sarong and Mamamsan in Bali? Well, you end up with E and O, and this joint venture is by far one of the most audacious Asian Fusion (Thai and Vietnamese mainly) places in Jakarta.

Before you even think about dining this establishment, note down 3 things: Expect to be mesmerized by their original fusion dishes, Look forward to the great service, and finally Don’t even think about walking in without a reservation.

With those in mind, you can have two different experiences at E & O.

They stick to their very successful formula of casual ‘Loewy-esque’ brasserie bar with amazing and original cocktails such as the E & O Tom Yum On the Rocks, which is a cocktail bliss thanks to its mixture of lime leaves, lemongrass and coconut. The other experience is the opulent dining experience, where their concepts of dining is ‘to share’, thus we thank our lucky starts for the generous portions.

To compare, Loewy and Union always have had the ambience and cocktail factors that make people come back for more, but at E &O, thanks to Chef Meyrick, the dishes surpass and outshine the hip bar and amazing ambience. Definitely a foodies’ haven for sure.

For starters, check out their Pulled Pork Belly with fresh cilantro and vegetables with Lumpia Semarang Wrappers. The sight of the bamboo steam basket filled with Lumpia wrappers and small dishes of condiments and shredded pull pork is not only a feast for the eyes, but their plum sauce really binds the flavors together. This is simply fusion food at its best

Then you move on to one of your mains, the Massaman Curry, which in most places is served in Indian copper pots with diced beef. However, at E & O it is a bit unorthodox as you can expect a full lamb shank with pumpkin, potatoes and shallots. The hint of tamarind sweetness and cardamoms really does wonders to the consistency of the sauce. It was simply Just Awesome!

For a dish with similar proportions, we recommend the twice-cooked pork hock with hot and sour dressing. If you are used to eating the German cured and roasted pork knuckle then this should be a pleasant surprise as you can definitely smell and taste the Asian flavors and herbs in this pork hock.

For seafood lovers, we recommend that you look into the section that reads Coconut Husk Grill. Pick the salt-crusted Barramundi stuffed with lemon basil, pandan leaves and just enjoy the freshness of this dish. For those who can’t stand durian, this is a good dish to get acquainted to and for those durian lovers, just simply enjoy.

Definitely one of the top restaurants in Jakarta, by far!