Another blog post from the lovely hometown and now I'm counting down the days for going back to reality, which I absolutely want to get rid of honestly, yet having no choice but to face it. Well, I'm not merely complaining so please don't take it as I'm being grouchy; I simply want to spend longer quality time with the beloved family time and 'long-lost' friends. I'm nonetheless still grateful that I still have a job and hectic days to get back to! *peace*
Enough with the bla bla bla, and let's get back to the laptop! I bluntly have no idea how long this new cafe has been established but somehow after doing a little bit information browsing, apparently it's less than 2 months old, so I coincidentally belong to the first-comer group without having prior intention to do so. It all started with my meet-up with friends at La.Ku, where we thought that it's too early to get back home as we still had tons of stories to share after not meeting each other for uncountable period. However, since we'd been quite long sitting there, we decided to move to another place to have more proper lunch (read: heavier meals).
Seeking for something nearby, my friend who indeed stayed in Makassar recommended Portable, as she mentioned it's quite new and the place seemed to be nice for spending long hours. So there we were, arriving at the gigantic building. It was gravely big, consisting 2 levels being occupied for the dining space, despite half of the first floor being used as the parking space. Yeah, great news there that parking was definitely not a problem to deal with here, since they provided abundant spots for it, including the front part.
The design was nothing like the lately hype cafe, being very simple with cement tiles and walls. It used the shiny tiles instead, combining black and white, looking more like a contemporary bistro, and perhaps giving more suitable ambiance for casual family dining as well, despite that they also brought the bar concept. More than that, the venue could also be utilized for events, even the one with medium-to-big size since there were abundant supply of spaces to be utilized.
Regardless the young age of Portable itself, the waiters/waitresses seemed to be well-trained, as they're able to assist me in picking my orders though the selections were actually quite a lot. They understood the dishes to quite detailed level so the explanation given was very helpful. This was such a plus point, especially because the menu was not that easy to follow, showing limited number of pictures and spread kind of here and there so you couldn't really tell which was which.
Enough with the bla bla bla, and let's get back to the laptop! I bluntly have no idea how long this new cafe has been established but somehow after doing a little bit information browsing, apparently it's less than 2 months old, so I coincidentally belong to the first-comer group without having prior intention to do so. It all started with my meet-up with friends at La.Ku, where we thought that it's too early to get back home as we still had tons of stories to share after not meeting each other for uncountable period. However, since we'd been quite long sitting there, we decided to move to another place to have more proper lunch (read: heavier meals).
Seeking for something nearby, my friend who indeed stayed in Makassar recommended Portable, as she mentioned it's quite new and the place seemed to be nice for spending long hours. So there we were, arriving at the gigantic building. It was gravely big, consisting 2 levels being occupied for the dining space, despite half of the first floor being used as the parking space. Yeah, great news there that parking was definitely not a problem to deal with here, since they provided abundant spots for it, including the front part.
The design was nothing like the lately hype cafe, being very simple with cement tiles and walls. It used the shiny tiles instead, combining black and white, looking more like a contemporary bistro, and perhaps giving more suitable ambiance for casual family dining as well, despite that they also brought the bar concept. More than that, the venue could also be utilized for events, even the one with medium-to-big size since there were abundant supply of spaces to be utilized.
Regardless the young age of Portable itself, the waiters/waitresses seemed to be well-trained, as they're able to assist me in picking my orders though the selections were actually quite a lot. They understood the dishes to quite detailed level so the explanation given was very helpful. This was such a plus point, especially because the menu was not that easy to follow, showing limited number of pictures and spread kind of here and there so you couldn't really tell which was which.
It didn't take quite long for them to make the dishes arrived on the table. Typical bistro style, the plates were the giant ones, but luckily the portion was typical Makassar's dish, HUGE and fulfilling! Yeah, it's the beauty of my hometown that most dishes were pretty affordable, particularly if you compared it relatively to the similar ones in Jakarta.
Grilled Mustard Chicken (IDR 95k)
I used to underestimate newly opened cafes in my hometown as I had the thought that they might only want to follow the trend, not prioritizing the dishes served since that's the rumour I mostly heard from most of my friends permanently staying here. However, I did believe the new comers now continuously improved and thought of making their cafe/resto to be a sustainably successful one. Finally, congratulations to Portable and great job done there! ;)
Grilled Mustard Chicken (IDR 95k)
I used to underestimate newly opened cafes in my hometown as I had the thought that they might only want to follow the trend, not prioritizing the dishes served since that's the rumour I mostly heard from most of my friends permanently staying here. However, I did believe the new comers now continuously improved and thought of making their cafe/resto to be a sustainably successful one. Finally, congratulations to Portable and great job done there! ;)
Starting from the poultry, this Grilled Mustard Chicken ordered by my friend, opened the dining session serving approximately half-sized chicken that I thought could even be for sharing. The chicken was juicy and tender, both for the thigh and the breast part. Despite that the portion was fulfilling, it didn't give that nauseated feeling because the chicken was flavorful till its center part, and the mustard sauce wasn't being too heavy since the texture was pretty smooth and wasn't overly thick. It was a good choice to go for, especially if your tummy was empty or you desired to have big feast to entertain yourself.
Pappardelle Beef Ragout (IDR 85k)
Looking for something coming from the pasta selections, my friend came with her adventurous mind, trying to find something uncommon in terms of the pasta base. Her choice then fell on this Pappardelle, since this type of pasta wasn't generally served in all other restaurants serving pasta, though I wouldn't say it was something so distinctive as well. The sauce in which the pappardelle was cooked, was something pretty familiar, serving minced beef cooked in tomato sauce; for my palate kinda similar to bolognaise. The bet turned out working well since the pasta was served al dente and all other ingredients in the sauce were blended well into the pasta and delivering scrumptious taste. I suddenly recalled my Dutch colleague ever said that the right way to cook pasta wasn't putting the sauce on top of the pasta itself, but to mix and then serve all of them altogether upon being well-stirred.
Beef Ribs Ravioli (IDR 80k)
Bluntly speaking, first time this dish was landed on my table, my brain automatically counted how many pieces of ravioli I had in my plate LOL. Yeah, perhaps this one was quite different from the previous two and what so called 'common size' in my hometown as I mentioned earlier. Nevertheless, when it came to taste and quality, I guessed it's all justified, notably as the price was quite affordable. Though this was different type of pasta, the structure was as great as the previous one. The pulled beef ribs inside the ravioli was soft and so easy to chew. It was a great invention made by the chef that this dish was cooked in kind of flavorful creamy mushroom sauce, exactly suited my preference so you could imagine a big grin there on my face!
Taste: 7.5/10
Place: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Price: 8/10
Thanks for reading! :)
PORTABLE KITCHEN & COFFEE BAR
Address: Jl. Sultan Hasanuddin No. 63, Makassar
Phone: (+62 411) 3634 783 / (+62) 8232 333 7773
Operating hours: Mon - Sun 11am - 11pm
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