Even until now, I still can't fathom why so many netizens flock to The Goods Diner. Is it the location? The food? The ambiance? Or is it a status symbol, where people are considered hip to associate themselves to anything related to a successful indie and edgy establishment like The Goods Dept, a lifestyle department concept that has now called Pacific Place, an upscale shopping mall in Jakarta, home.
A recent visit to Andy Warhol's exhibition in Singapore's Artscience Museum at Marina Bay Sands shed light on the concept of popular culture. Inside, I read a quote by the eccentric late brainiac which said " It ain't pop culture if it can't be enjoyed by the masses". So the question is, has The Goods become a brand? A symbol of popular culture? A sign of one's status in the society, one that defies the masses and define themselves as the army of hip and fashionable rebels? Probably.
In case you have not noticed, actually I had never written about repeated visit to restaurants, but this time I'll make an exception for The Goods Diner. This post is my congratulatory tribute for its remarkable achievement for being the number 1 most clicked and most searched post on Culinary Bonanza (and probably anywhere else).
At my last visit a few weeks ago, The Goods Diner had noticeably improved its service and menu range since my last visit when it had just recently opened. Now, they even have special Weekend Brunch and Kids Menu to appeal to the families. Refer to the past post here for comparison.
The time of our visit was around lunch and the place was nearly packed, but service was overall prompt and the staff were helpful & attentive. At the end of our meal, one of them even requested for our business card for a chance to win either free lunch or free something, I forgot =( Too bad neither me or brother brought our name cards, hence we missed the chance. But never mind, I could see myself visiting The Goods Diner again in the future, I'm keen to have a look at this place on weekend night. I bet it'll be super crowded!
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| Rainbow Cake IDR 60,000 |
This cake has become more expensive since the one I had at The Goods Cafe. Taste wise, it was pretty ordinary, the cream cheese was on the sweeter side. I would like it better if the cream was made cheesier and savoury to balance out the sweetness from the sponge cake.
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| Pomegranate Ginger Juice Blend IDR 30,000 |
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| Deviled Egg IDR 25,000 |
I certainly like its Deviled Egg. Such a modest and healthy appetizer, but they "get" it. The well-done egg yolk is whisked with sriracha sauce, bacon bits and dill leaves. The overall look is garnished with dill leaves.
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| Shrimp Scampi Angel Hair IDR 75,000 |
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| Mini Nutella Cupcake IDR 20,000 |
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| Cross-section look of the cupcake |
I have nothing to complain about the Nutella and chocolate cupcake (who could complain about Nutella? Haha) I only complain about the steep price for the mini piece of treat haha. But for a sweet-tooth like me, it's worth the quality.
NB: Prices are subject to 7.7% Service Charge and 10% PB1
The Goods Diner
The Fairgrounds, SCBD Lot 14
Ph: +6221 5152969
To pre-order whole Rainbow Cake
Ph: +62 81316488899
BB PIN: 221E3378
i have never and not planning on visiting this place. the place is veryy generic. pricey and focus more on being hip than being delicious
ReplyDeleteWhen you have not and/or plan not to visit the Goods diner ever, I don't think your opinion about this place can be proportional nor do any justice to them. How can you be sure that they are pricey & focuses more on being hip than being delicious? Looking at the prices of crappy junk food you get from those fast food franchise restaurants I am glad that there are more places (or diners, to be specific) such as the Goods that opens in Jakarta. They serve great freshly made food & beverages, not just another pre-made beef patties, buns, or drinks out of instant beverage powder. Yes, some dishes needs to be improved i.e, the shrimp scampi angel hair Ms. Tjohnardi had and reviewed in this blog, but having to be able to sample almost most of the things on their menu along with attending a bunch of private events held and hosted by the owners, I think this place has become a big hit because they progressively improving from day one of soft opening to their grand opening 3 months ago, up until today. I even found some of the dishes & most of the drinks are pretty generous compared to other restaurants within the same range of price or class.
ReplyDeletePerhaps you should try going and actually dining there before dropping a judgmental statement, Aris Munandar? Unless you prefer to just simply prejudice The Goods diner & stay away from it, I have nothing to complain about as this place is already full of fun, HIP, positive and well-mannered people to make my day.
To all people who had several flaws during their couple of first try in this restaurant.. I feel you all, I've had the same experience (mostly were during the soft opening, which is considered normal as it was a trial run for the restaurant with a purpose to learn on their strength & weaknesses on each departments and make some adjustments to em) but what makes this place different than others is they respond well to any complaints or suggestions and actually makes improvements!