UNTITLED

Disclaimer: I'm not doing this for the sake of claiming the "killer food critic" title. Really, if you hate me after reading this, you should read this one before making your judgement. Thanks.

The location of Costare at Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK) is not exactly on the main, busier stretch of "ruko" or shophouses - Rukan Cordoba PIK. But this place could accommodate plenty of customers, because it was built vertically up to 5th floor (a rooftop for smoking area). When we came in, there were hardly any customers (it was a weekday and it was past 9 PM). So we could choose the sit on the 1st floor, near the drinks counter. I saw the red velvet cake on its page earlier during the day when I was searching for some info on the web, but to my disappointment, they've run out of it by that hour.

As I browsed through the menu, it featured mostly standard international and Indonesian items, somehow, nothing compelled me enough to try the main dishes. The drinks saw some pretty standard twists like mocktails, flavoured iced teas & flavoured beers. I ordered the flavoured beer, but it came tasting like over-diluted beer with some syrup in it.  Even though it's called flavoured beer, I couldn't identify the malt-ish characteristics that beers should have. As for the iced teas, they were somehow very thin, diluted perhaps. A home-made Dilmah's flavoured tea would taste better than this.

My friends ordered Fish & Chips, Crispy Maryland Chicken, Fettuccini Carbonara, Chicken Cordon Bleu & Burger Steak. I opted for only an appetizer item: the Mushroom Cream Soup. Thank God, my soup was quite decent! So I could finish it off easily. Along the way, I tasted a little bit of my friends' food, and I was very much relieved not to have ordered any of those they were having. The fish fillet of the Fish & Chips was ordinary, all of the chicken was simply fried chicken fillet.  I couldn't taste any passion in the food at all. Don't get me wrong, the food was perfectly edible, but when one pays such prices, it is quite understood if one expects a different standard of taste. You'll almost pity yourself if you have to pay such prices.

Then we had Banana Flakes for dessert. Simply banana fritters dipped in oats and it was to be eaten with the palm sugar. The dessert salvaged the whole meal, I actually quite liked it, and found the crispy fried coconut strips made rather interesting snack..

Aside from the ages of waiting, the crews were less than helpful. My Mushroom Cream Soup, which was supposedly an appetizer, came LAST. If I had ordered a main course, I'd probably had finished it before the soup finally came. Even my friends already had their meals served before mine finally appeared! The crews didn't look like they're used to being ordered or called upon by the customers, judging by their reluctance whenever we called them to seek their  assistance. they looked more like...school kids who are on their summer holidays, working part time here. Well, if they really are, I can't really blame them for their lack of enthusiasm in doing this job...

Alright, enough bile I spit in this post. Please note that I do not wish any harm to this place in any way. But it really needs to brush up on the service and menu if it wishes to thrive in this steeply competitive industry.

Popping Ice Lychee Tea IDR 24,900

Berry Patch IDR 29,900

Burger Steak IDR 49,900

Crispy Maryland Chicken IDR 54,900

Cream Mushroom Soup IDR 19,900

Chicken Cordon Bleu IDR 54,900

Fettuccini Carbonara IDR 39,900

Costare Café & Resto

Rukan Gold Coast blok A no.3 (same side as Market City)

Pantai Indah Kapuk, North Jakarta

Ph: (021) 29032744