If you think you know classic Indonesian comfort food inside out, a trip to Social Garden in Jakarta might just make you think again. The restaurant has recently launched its newest culinary campaign, “More Than You Think”, and it is all about taking the traditional dishes we know and love and giving them a serious glow-up.
By combining familiar local recipes with premium ingredients and modern cooking techniques, the kitchen team has created a menu that feels both comforting and surprisingly fresh.
It is an invitation to look past your first impressions and discover just how much depth, craftsmanship, and creativity can be packed onto a single plate.
At the very centre of this new menu is the Wagyu Se’i Signature. This dish offers a contemporary, upscale twist on the beloved smoked meat specialty from East Indonesia. Instead of the usual cuts, Social Garden utilises tender, smoked wagyu beef, pairing it with aromatic cassava kecombrang, a sharp sambal matah, fragrant rice, a rich beef broth, and crispy emping crackers.
For those who prefer seafood, the Grilled Barramundi is a standout choice that celebrates the bold, vibrant flavours of coastal Indonesia. The barramundi is charcoal-grilled to perfection and glazed with fragrant Sulawesi spices.
To bring the heat, it is served alongside a spicy Manado-style sambal rica-rica and a refreshing, tangy sambal colo-colo.
The menu also does a fantastic job of upgrading simple, everyday noodle and rice dishes into luxurious treats. If you are looking for pure indulgence, the Lobster Noodle is hard to beat.
This dish takes wok-fried egg noodles and tosses them with charred grilled lobster, succulent prawns, and calamari, all topped off with a classic sunny-side-up egg, house pickles, and crispy crackers. It is rich, textured, and incredibly satisfying.
Equally comforting is the Roasted Duck with Rice Vermicelli. Here, silky rice vermicelli is submerged in an aromatic, slow-simmered duck broth. It is served with tender roasted duck breast, duck leg, baby bok choy, and a kick of green sambal ijo to cut through the richness.
Finally, the Roa Seafood Fried Rice rounds out the new collection with a punchy, smoky profile. Infused with the distinctively bold flavour of roa fish, this fried rice is loaded with charred river prawns, calamari, clams, and prawns.
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