Dough Balls: These baked balls have a slightly crustier quality than your usual toasted bread. Because they’re so small, you just can’t stop grabbing the little munchies once you’re done with your last bite. Being the perfect finger food, this dish will be the new love for those who’s cloyed by the usual bread bowl. Pizza Marzano’s dough balls started out as a complimentary side dish when the restaurant was first established. Because they’re so popular (PizzaExpress, where Pizza Marzano was franchised from, even has a secret recipe for all their doughs), it’s now officially an antipasti on the menu – you’ve got to order it in order to taste it.

Penne Pollo Pesto: I love how there’s so much warmth and creaminess on this pasta bowl … at first. I savored my first bites – I could taste everything from mozzarella to grana padano. What I appreciate was the herby aromas basil provides in the pesto sauce. After a while though, as everything cooled off, my bitefuls became surprisingly bland. For a pesto dish I was expecting more olive oil and basil infusions as opposed to a ton of cheeses (though I love cheese) that didn’t really offset the staleness anyway. The acidity of red onions, coupled with fresh black pepper seasonings, was really helpful in bringing out the umami from chicken and mushrooms. 

Maccheroni al Forno alla Bolognese: Unlike my dining experience with the penne pollo pesto, I shy away from the first bite of this dish for its bolognese sauce (never really fond of it) and pungency from beef morsels, but grew devouring the second and third bites. Perhaps it’s the milkiness from the Bechamel sauce that brings tasty memories of lasagnas back to my gut. Speaking of dairy, I love how the blanche and beautiful layers of cheese on this dish worked to blend every flavor together into a harmonious piece – it’s tomato-sweet and chock-full of yeast, yet meaty and cheesy at the same time.

Cumi Telur Bakar (Grilled squid with egg): Every bite of this tanginess was delightful – it’s soft, tart, and chewy all at once. Take a chunk out of the pulpy squid and dip it into the bowl of kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce), and I’m sure the bite will tickle your appetite as it did to mine. Definitely one enticing starter for our night.

Kangkung Bunga Pepaya (Stir-fried water spinach mixed with papaya flower buds): I grew up eating plenty of vegetables, but kangkung, or water spinach, is one of my all-time favorites because it has crunchier stalks compared to most leafy greens out there. Kangkung is almost like the go-to vegetable choice in Southeast Asian cuisines. Traditionally prepared with just a simple stir-fry and some sambal, the crisp kangkung texture and the bitter, biting buds made a perfect match for this dish. Papaya flower buds are a popular finishing touch to a lot of Indonesian dishes, and for this one they’re an excellent complement to enrich the chewy kangkung stalks and add a dash of acridity to it. Don’t forget to include those sweet tomato slices to your biteful to make everything taste extra juicy.

Kuwe Rica (Grilled trevally jack with freshly ground red chillies and chopped onion): Pangkep 33 is truly a gem for those who really want to feel satiated. Frankly I was dumbfounded to see the size of these fish when they were served, as it’s rare to find helpings as big as these in other seafood restaurants. Not to mention the bulky, fleshy treasures I found once I dug my fork deep into those vibrant bed of chillis. Careful though – it’s hot. Nonetheless worth the cry for some scrumptious flare-up inside your belly.

Complimentary side dish: These salty crackers are great companions to our buttery main courses. Each of these three dipping condiments provides a unique taste of their own. On the far left is a classic Chinese sauce made with vinegared carrots, pickles, and onions. In the middle bowl seats a thick slew of sweet mango and chili flavors, which didn’t go well in my tongue with the saltiness from the crackers. My personal favorite is the leftmost bowl – a peppered spinach dip. It made the plain old saltcrackers a gusto-boosting fare as you soak up the briny blends of both flavors.

Chicken Tikka Makhanwala: Drench yourself in this warm, blood-red pool of exotic soup. Submerged in the viscosity, the North Indian delicacy flaunts juicy-tender bits of barbecued chicken. Enriched with tomatoes and cream and lavishly dressed in a variety of Oriental spices, the rich butter sauce flavors are certainly not for the faint of belly. Every spoonful of this dish stirs the most unmitigated emotions of my gut!

Lasooni Palak Paneer: What better way to enjoy spinach than to inject heaps of garlic to it? If it wasn’t for Popeye, anyone who fared on this bed of muddy greens can have the wits, gallant, and strength of the spinach-driven character – since most of the leafy green’s vitamins are fat-soluble and that the palak paneer is beefed with butterfats. This classic palate is the epitome of delicious bitterness, which sounds contradicting ’til you taste the lush for yourself.  Raw, biting, and touched with astringent dairy from the cottage cheese chunks tucked underneath, carnivores can find it difficult to say no to these greens.

Handi Biryani: We picked fish as our masala, which now I learn is a poor choice for any biryani dishes. It must have tasted juicier and more fragrant with chicken, or mutton. Essentially, we lost the centerpiece that binds the vibrant scents of this dish into whole. Fish consistency leans toward tender-flimsy instead of the tender-flabby we want to be absorbed with rich aromas of cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. So the thin layers of fish fibers did not carry the balms of basmati into digestion, but left the fragrance feel scattered instead. Otherwise, this scent-laden selection is your best bet to nourish all senses of the soul. Pour over your spoonfuls with the tikka makhanwala sauce or the palak paneer sauce for some serious flavor enhancements.

Lounge area features a DJ nook and a long cocktail bar

Sophistication captured in various forms for the eyes to gaze upon

Rustic interiors embody a homey yet romantic Parisian night

Ratatouille: It’s a humbly toothsome side-dish everyone loves, and Ratatouille’s version exceeded my expectations – mainly because there’s cheese involved. Beautiful presentation, excellent execution. Prepared with ingredients true to the French tradition, the eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, and tomatoes are cut into lean, rounded slices – smeared with mozzarella cheese, baked until pulpy and tender, and finally sprinkled with fresh parsley and basil. Oozing with tomato juices and sweet, sweet mozzarella, every biteful was simply a delight that it can only be described as a palatable pleasure. I recommend having your main courses as a second serving, so you can take your time savoring the ratatouille without the other dishes getting cold.

Bar Grille: (I’m just copying and pasting as described on the menu) Roasted sea bass fillet with champagne white butter, chives, and tomato concasse served with potato gratin. See that bar-shaped bulk tucked beneath the fillet? That’s one tasty bar of potato gratin. It’s hearty-buttery, seasoned with minimal salt. As Indonesians highly favor heavy umami and briny flavors, the subtleness of this dish will be something new to the local tongue. I love that it’s lacy, though. Just-cooked vegetables are soft and simply delish when doused with the surrounding vinaigrette drizzle. Overall, this dish is peppered with just enough condiments and garnished with the savor of light, foreign essence. I wished the texture of the sea bass is more delicate.

Confit de Canard: What else to order other than another French classic? Duck is coarse, hard, and meaty good. Lean cuts of it taste delicious, especially when eaten with the aromatic, freshly-roasted baby potatoes. But with more bites of it, the duck meat gets drier and saltier. Perhaps too much salt was used when curing the duck. I’d like to have more of the duck fat preserved when braising the meat, just to add a richer flavor to the finishing dish.

Creme Brûlée et Macarons: There’s a smorgasbord of dessert selections listed on Ratatouille’s menu. Unfortunately only a few are available during my visit, and the creme brûlée is one of the few. I love that the vanilla custard is extremely luscious. But other than that, I honestly don’t enjoy this dessert.  Too much caramel was used to my liking (and I don’t like caramel) – even the raisins are sugared. Though normally served at room temperature, Ratatouille’s creme brûlée is slightly cooler and frankly quite stale. Personally I prefer the chocolate macaron to the vanilla. The slight bitterness leaves a better aftertaste than a sugar stench. Greasing the macarons over the sour-sweet strawberry sauce helps to subdue the saccharine taste in the mouth.

Homemade squid ink tagliolini pasta in salmon cream sauce: Frankly, this dish is my least favorite of all five. Salmon cream sauce is too mild and squid ink pasta is bland. Smearing black truffle oil didn’t help to add flavor either. I wish the salmon was cooked with more seasonings to spice up the whole dish.

Homemade potato gnocchi with tomato sauce, parmesan cheese, and basil-infused olive oil: The moment this was served, my first thought was, what an appealing presentation - it’s like a bed of greens but of a different kind. Drowned into the Pesto-inspired bouquet (basil, cheese, and olive oil), the fragrant gnocchi is really sensitizing. Shrimps added variety to the aroma and texture to the thick and chewy gnocchi. The light veil of tomato sauce brings together sweet shrimps and starchy gnocchi into a coherent piece. I love all these subtleties that makes this dish simply enticing – Clearly it was prepared with great attention to detail.

Spinach-stuffed ravioli with parmesan cheese: Anything with cheese is usually a treat for me, but I’d say the ravioli is a so-so. Since it’s been raining a lot lately and the winds outside are harsh, devour the dish before it cools down. Take comfort in the warmth in your belly.

Homemade spinach pasta with a mix of mushrooms in cream sauce and parmesan cheese: A light, luscious delish that I didn’t see coming. I like that the overall taste is uniform – one ingredient complements the other. You can actually taste the authenticity of the spinach fettucini. It’s much softer and finer compared to the ones that are store-bought. Herby mushroom medley makes a great companion with this delicate pasta – the fragrance creates a foliage feel to the aftertaste. Coat it all with the well-rendered cream sauce and light smears of black truffle oil, and you get to taste the smell of fresh spring.

Pumpkin-stuffed ravioli with Gorgonzola cream sauce: This one is a big fat treat for your appetite. You’ve got to cut the massive ravioli piece at least into half just to get a single bite. So go ahead – indulge in the dough and you’ll taste the fluffiest pumpkin filling. Slather your ravioli half with the thick, warm, mushy cream sauce. Take a bite of it and melt into the moment. Lose yourself slowly with every munch.