Gondangdia Lama no.29B Cikini Jakarta Pusat
Tel: 021-31936295
Ok, ask your mom and dad about ‘Trio’, I bet they’d know. This restaurant has been hustling and bustling since 1957 and still running strong! And this eatery is one of my family’s favorite and holds lots of dear memories :)
Each of us has our own favorite here and believe it or not, the flavor of each food still remains the same, very consistent.
Tora’s staple is the fried frogs’ legs; he could empty one plate by himself (take notes that ‘he DOES NOT share fried frogs’ legs). Since I don’t eat frog I can’t speak much so I will quote what he says about this beloved menu of him “Once you take a bite of this darling leg you just can’t stop, it is so damn addictive. It is oily and crunchy on the surface but the meat is tender yet the taste is so simple with salty soy sauce and buttery-like oil with a hint of squeezed lime. This type of food shouldn’t be bothered with any other food, just eat this alone with rice. Period”
The fried pigeon is also one of the favorites. Always classic.
Aaahhh, this one is my favorite! ‘Bistik Sampi’ or we can call it ‘beef bistik’. Please don’t imagine ‘sweety-semur', believe me this thing is far from those Javanese taste buds. Unlike any other, the beef is crunchy and a bit crispy on the outside but with a very very smooth and tender meat, and the taste, ooh the taste! Buttery with a hint of ‘worcestershire’ sauce. Simple and perfect :)
Can a ‘phuyung hai’ be a star? Well I guess not. The taste is always the same with a ‘blah’ kind of tomato sauce.
But, can a ‘crab meat phuyung hai’ in trio be a star? Sure it can! This is, ladies and gents, my favorite phuyung hai.
When I first ate this, I didn’t expect anything at all, we just ordered any ‘phuyung hai’ out of casualties, but when the waitress asked ‘what kind of filling do you want? Chicken or crab’ I thought that these could be interesting. Well, sure it was. Damn, it is. First you’ll just love the texture of the omelet, it’s crispy and crunchy. And of course you’ll love the filling, generous share of crab meat, well who doesn’t love crab meat? (Those who’re allergic, duh!). But to my surprise, the sauce is also delicious (note that the sauce is more orange-ish rather than red-ish). It is unexpectedly tasty, unlike any other. Yeah, you can still taste a bit of tomato sauce, but only a hint, there’s also a nutty flavor that I can’t recall perfectly. All in all, what a winning combination!
What I love most about TRIO is that this place holds high its originality. It feels like we’re time travelling to those old days. With the same place, same layout, same walls, same menu (they still use words like ‘sampi’ and ‘ajam’), same song (we listen to rayuan pulau kelapa, widuri and those oldies rocks) and also the same cashier with the same thick glasses.
