Hand made Italian at Trattoria

Everybody looks for that perfect fall-back dinner option, a restaurant with consistently good food, service and atmosphere that you can refer to as your ‘regular’. It might be a little early to call it given we’ve only been there twice so far, but Trattoria is fast on its way to becoming a staple in our Jakarta cupboard.

Nestled in the corner of Mega Kuningan’s East Building, Trattoria could easily be missed from the main street, or even spotted and then overlooked because of it’s somewhat outdated signage, with a diner-esque logo that betrays its class, wine list and most of all, delicious hand-made Italian food.

The restaurant features high ceilings and an open-plan floor, but still somehow manages to pull off a cosy feel. Framed by the kitchen, bar and wine room, it has a pleasant, simple ambience without the pretentiousness; the tables adorned with flowers and candles, and Italian music crooning in the background. Once seated, you are quickly presented with some bite-size bruschetta, a basket of breads and some dipping oil, a complimentary bonus that never fails to set the right atmosphere for a meal.

The menu plays host to a range of pizzas, meats and pastas, with the latter available in both fresh, hand-made and regular options. The prices are, in my opinion, reasonable for the quality, with mains starting at about RP60,000 and packed with fresh ingredients. The pesto gnocchi with prawns is melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and the tomato seafood spaghetti surprises with an unexpected depth of flavour. The portions are relatively large in size and great for sharing, especially the pizzas.

Best of all, Trattoria has some great and, for Jakarta, affordable wines which are an absolutely must when gorging on Italian. We indulged in a caraffe of Cabernet Sauvignon which set us back RP200,000 for about four glasses, well worth it, in my opinion. Bottles start from about RP280,000, some of the lowest restaurant prices this side of town.

The only downside to Trattoria, and I have to mention it even though I highly recommend it, is that while you’re busy paying attention to your mouth, your ankles are exposed to a pesky mosquito problem that, even when seated inside, is rather unpleasant. Even though they keep the doors to the outside seating area closed, I’d recommend slapping some Bushman’s on your ankles before leaving the house.