Sarirasa

It’s maybe the breezy Mentone vibe, but entering Sarirasa feels like stepping off a busy Jakarta street into a warung tegal – those humble food stalls where Indonesian workers find refuge in affordable, comforting lunches. This is the first professional kitchen for its two chefs – raised in Jakarta and Medan, respectively – who translate their childhood kitchens into something quietly refined.

Order nasi campur, a mixed rice plate, for the full experience: sweet smashed beef pairs beautifully with sambal calamari and cassava leaves in coconut curry. Fried chicken arrives under crisp spiced crumbs called kremesan that provide perfect seasoning and textural intrigue.

Have it alongside beef lung balado, then mellow it down with young jackfruit curry. Not everything soars (the rendang, while well-made and faithfully Javanese in its sweetness, can be one-note), and popular dishes vanish early. But that’s the warung way.

Good to know: Sarirasa closes at 7.30pm: arrive early or risk the best dishes selling out.

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