Tummy Prosperity: Protein Feast at D’Kevin Bistro, Bar, and Steak

Located at the uniquely shaped Intiland tower, which resides at the heart as well as center of crowd of Jakarta, D’Kevin has a highly accessible venue, taking the assumption that the traffic is being nice. Hearing the name of the restaurant, people might start making wild-guess that there must be something to do with someone named Kevin. This was also the first thing came into my mind and surprisingly it’s 100% true. This restaurant was named after the owner, making it a simple yet catchy choice for a name.

Not only the name, the design of the place’s also attractive as I felt that I was bring back to the nature with those green walls and hanging garden. Beyond serving food for the tummy, apparently they also wanted to feed my eyes with something healthy. It’s actually a quite spacious place, divided into indoor and outdoor areas. For me, it’s a cozy spot for dining or even just spending short breaks over a cup of drink, particularly the outdoor area where you could enjoy the natural lighting and fresh air. But beware, this might only be applicable during the rainy season as in the hot sunny days, I was worried it might be quite hot and humid there.

Entering the venue, I was immediately greeted with the waitress’ warm smile. It was always awesome to visit restaurants with great service and I did highly appreciate places with well-trained waiters & waitresses. Another good stuff, the waiting time was reasonable, such a perfect match to my starving tummy.

As the eyes were firstly welcomed with something green, the initial introduction to the belly was also talking about the same thing. For appetizers, my friends and I had the Chicken Berries Salad (IDR 55k) and the Glazed Salmon Salad (IDR 95k); both of which were actually served with generous size of protein on top of the healthy veggies. Honestly speaking, at first I thought these 2 dishes would only look nice with the beautiful combination of colors displayed on the plate. Nonetheless, they astonishingly turned out to taste really good, especially the chicken one, which for me, was one of the best dishes served there! The savory grilled chicken was perfectly complemented by the slightly sour and refreshing sauce, combining orange, apple, tomato, and berries. This had successfully transformed the healthy mesclun, the blend of lettuces and other leaves, into a plate of delicious goodness. On the other hand, the salmon one brought out the mixture of oil and wine vinegar for its salad dressing, delivering a great choice for those who loved vinaigrette.

Chicken Berries Salad (IDR 55k)

Glazed Salmon Salad (IDR 95k)

Moving on to the heavier part, the 3-round main courses seemed so complete, as beef, chicken, and fish were all available on the table. Beginning with the award winner for the presentation, there was the Tenderloin Crumbles (IDR 399k), serving Grilled Australian black angus tenderloin topped with mix mushroom reggiano cheese and accompanied by bacon and baby potato as the side dishes. To enjoy this meal, there were also maple and cognac sauce to add more flavor into the dish. Talking about taste, it was actually nice enough as the tenderloin was juicy and tender with the medium-well level of doneness. However, considering the price, I was actually expecting something more to surprise my palate.

Tenderloin Crumbles (IDR 399k)

The next protein was the Roast Half Spring Chick (IDR 115k), roasted basil chicken served with veggies, garlic potato, and chicken jus. Well, I guessed I couldn’t comment much on this one as I was still too in-love with the grilled chicken and that one suited my taste bud better, though I didn’t say that this one wasn’t luscious. One more thing, that one allowed me to eat nicely by simply taking the chicken fillet with my fork; while for this one, the best way to enjoy it was to get my hands dirty, which as I didn’t want, in turn making me have to put quite some effort in cutting the chicken with the cutleries.

Roast Half Spring Chick (IDR 115k)

Calling it as saving the best for the last, this last main dish I mentioned was actually my most favorite among the three, Salmon Sturgeon (IDR 180k). The salmon was flavorful and the texture was just right; not to forget the crispy skin which was absolutely the creme de la creme for any grilled salmon. I did love the idea of blending the mashed potato with the sautéed spinach and put them below the grilled salmon, letting me to grab everything at once and enjoying the mixture of taste in a single munch.

Salmon Sturgeon (IDR 180k)

And finally, it’s the turn for the last dish I had at D’Kevin, Mix Berries Bowl with Granola (IDR 65k), which I still doubted to call as dessert, since for me it’s more suitable to call it as a dish though it’s the last one to be enjoyed and it’s sweet; the 2 characteristics people usually referred as desserts. Ok never mind about the term, this one was actually a simple combination of mixed berries yoghurt, fresh fruits, and granola. Despite the simplicity, I looovee this healthy bowl quite much. Yes, I admitted that I might have a little bias on this as I was indeed a granola addict. But shortly said, it was refreshing, balancedly sweet, and for sure healthy!

Mix Berries Bowl with Granola (IDR 65k)

Overall, I enjoyed my dining session at D’Kevin particularly due to the cozy and green atmosphere, allowing me not to only spoil my taste bud, but also to indulge my mind and relieve my stress. This place could be a nice choice to kill the time especially when you’re around Central Jakarta area, rather than getting stuck in the hectic traffic of the heart of our beloved capital city.