SUPER LOCO JAKARTA

Had lunch earlier today at Union Group's latest exciting establishment: Super Loco, which has been operating (as this post's written) for around 1 week. Since the first day guests have filled up their waiting list that I couldn't even put my name on it and have to wait another week to be able to come (and none of the shortcut shit by contacting the PR directly).

Super Loco is UNION group's first collaboration with foreign brand, and this time with the Loco group from Singapore. The comtemporary Mexican Cocina Y Bar is located at the lobby level of Pacific Place Mall Jakarta just next to Hard Rock Cafe Jakarta so I suggest that you come from the Artha Graha lobby. Design wise, UNION group just won't stop coming with something refreshing to see and experience as I superlo(ve) the design, they managed to combine this posh pub concept with something earthy (especially the al-fresco area) and tropical that even though I know this place should be fancy, I didn't feel intimidated. It's funny even after coming to a lot of restaurants in my life sometimes I still get intimidated, at least that "I don't belong here" feeling that I get at certain restaurants.

A mini bar area located around the entrance.

The food here's heavily curated and backed up by Chef Jason Jones from Australia, who happens to be a restaurateur and he co-founded the popular Mexican restaurant in Melbourne: Mamasita! Had the chance to briefly met him today and first impression he was very warm & cheerful, call him the master of Mexican cuisine and you'll be pampered by authentic Mexican cuisine that the restaurant has to offer, expect to find good range of Mexican traditional feast made well like ensaladas, tostaditas, quesadilla, taco, Mexican main courses and dessert with price ranging from IDR 50k-IDR 350k, a pretty UNION Group standard, not exactly the cheapest but clearly not the most expensive either.

By the way , you guys have to check out their website the design has a lot of fun to it -> super-loco.com, technically made for their Singapore outlet but the menu shared some similarity.

Watermelon Basil mocktail
Very fruity and well-dominated by the watermelon juice, however expecting a little more basil kick to the drink, maybe the should make the sparkling version as well should be nice.

Talk about their drink, I heard that they're pretty big in Agave spirits and here you can also enjoy various tequila and mezals, even ones that have been aged from 9,12 to 18 years.

Elotes (vegetarian menu) - IDR 45k

From their Antojitos menu and a must order, the ingredient was actually pretty simple (corn on the cob, chipotle mayo, cheese and lime) but it was that savory-spicy seasoning that really did all the talking. That little kick of spice was certainly something amusing to my palate, YUM!

Assorted Tostaditas (Crispy Tortillas with Various Tasty Toppings) - 4 pieces per portion

Huitlacoche (vegetarian menu) - IDR 75k

Mexican Truffle, Wild Mushrooms, Sweet Corn, Goat Cheese, Salsa Serrano

Tried all of their Tostaditas and they were good. I am a big mushroom fan so their Huitlacoche should be pretty entertaining, I have this thing where I automatically smell something before I consume it but this time was an exception, when it reached my palate, I noticed something that I really didn't like and turned out when I looked at their menu there's a goat cheese in it (which by the way the kind of cheese that I REALLY DISLIKE) and was pretty strong. Luckily the salty seasoning and the juicy mushroom kinda washed out the goat cheese flavor and aroma, if you fancy goat cheese and I am pretty sure that you'll love it.

Also on their Tostaditas menus: Carne (IDR 95k - seared angus rib-eye) which was tender and lightly seasoned, and Cangrejo (IDR 105k - blue swimmer crab). Unfortunately they were running out of blue swimmer crab so they changed to shrimp instead, and boy the Cangrejo was surely THE BOMB, it was among my favorites of the lunch for its rich seasoning, beautiful play of texture, burst of savory, spicy and buttery flavor and juicy goodness on each bite. A MUST TRY!

Carne - IDR 95k // Seared Angus Rib-Eye, Red Onion, Oregano Salsa, Chipotle Mayo & Leeks

T A C O S

Here in Super Loco they also serve you 6" of tacos with various assorted topping such as Baja (fried fish), Pollo (chicken), Lengua (ox tongue and cheek), Res (braised short rib), Carnitas (pork belly) and El Jardin (vegetarian). I am a huge Lengua fan so that on the list!

Lengua Taco - IDR 70k

Their taco skin was more to the softer kind instead of the crispier one you'll find at Taco Bell but I heard apparently that's how they authentically do it back in Mexico. Their chunky Lengua was so perfectly cooked and seasoned, self-explanatory why they were so tender and delicious, if you can't have spicy food you better adjust this to the waiter (in case they don't tell you) because this was pretty spicy and slowly elevated to even spicier by time.

Carnitas - IDR 75k
While I was hoping to have a hint of spicy to this taco, they got none, however the pork belly and the amazing cilantro mayo seasoning was a matchmade! The Pork Belly was uber juicy (especially the fatty part of course) and the cilantro dressing really elevated the flavor and I liked it even better after a little bit of pineapple sauce added to the taco (you can request for the pineapple sauce anyway). The only thing that was a little extra was the jicama, the cut was too big and they put two in it, should've just put one for that extra texture.

Baja - IDR 80k

Res - IDR 85k

Carne Asada - IDR 320k

From their main courses: the impressive Carne Asada or marinated 280 gram Angus Rib-Eye! The steak was perfectly "medium" cooked with the mandatory juicy pink center and altogether tender texture, so tender that cutting the steak was barely a chore. I totally forgot the smoked jalapeno mayo sauce on the side as the marination and meat juice were already very beautiful on their own, you got this savory goodness with a hint of sweet and most importantly that natural char-grilled beef steak flavor that should exist in the first place.

Costilla De Cerdo (350 gram) - IDR 190k

Had no more space left for this so I skipped, but my friends told me it was pretty good with tender pork meat.

Pastel De Maiz Azul - IDR 65k

Call me a caveman but I seriously have been living under a rock because I just knew that there's such thing as an actual "blue corn", yes literally a corn that's in blue color. Please tell me you also just knew about this cause it's gonna make me feel better MWAHAHA!

Flavor wise, didn't see any difference than the regular corn, it still tasted like the common corn bread, only with a little more density and texture to it compared to the banana bread. I like how they didn't make this dessert to be overly sweet and keep it simple with fruit dressing, vanilla ice cream and honey. A simple nice closure to a beautiful lunch.

Didn't remember complaining a lot on this post, I do hope they keep up the amazing work because based on my visit, the food here was good, one of the strongest newcomers so far in 2017 (well we're still in January anyway), I want you guys to try it ASAP, but the only problem is I am not really sure about the waiting list, you should prolly call and check if they still have space for this week. Same thing happened to me everytime I want to book for Bistecca on its early days I got the waiting list for like one freaking month.

Anyway the best of luck and thank you UNION group for always maintaining your quality and image, that's important in this hard rocking business.