Journey Along the Spice Route at Attarine, Senopati
Refusing to brand itself as a Mediterranean restaurant, Attarine offers Western cooking inspired by the spice route.
While that sounds super fancy, the newest addition to the PTT Family actually offers simple yet flavorful dishes you can’t find anywhere else in the capital.
Despite being generously invited to Attarine this time round, it was actually our fourth time back to the place. We barely needed an invitation to come back, but considering that Attarine’s menu changes constantly, regular visits have become a necessity.
The rustic-homey interior of Attarine
Wood-fired flat bread with za’atar lentil dip and garlic eggplant dip
While it looks totally unassuming, this is definitely the one dish you have to order if you go to Attarine. The crispy but doughy flatbread is delicious, but the za’atar lentil dip is next level. I’ve never had za’atar that good outside the Middle East. Trust me, as much as I love eggplants (refer to: all other posts written by me), I can honestly say that for once, I was fully enamored with a non-eggplant dish more so than the eggplant dish. (i still love you eggplant)
Crispy chicken leg cooked with spiced honey
This was one of the night’s specials. Something I would’ve never ordered if not strongly recommended (and we were strongly recommended), and which proved to be one of the most delicious fried chickens in recent memory! The chicken leg was marinated in spiced honey for 3 days and so every single bite had the slight-sweetness of honey complementing the juicy meat. Fun fact: it took about 1 hour for us to actually finish everything, and even towards the end of the hour, the chicken skin was still crispy.
Crispy brussel sprouts
The fourth time I’ve been to Attarine, and the fourth time I’ve ordered the brussels sprouts. Fun fact #2: I actually used to (and still sometimes do) hate brussels sprouts, unless it’s cooked amazingly well. This one is cooked amazingly well. Smokey and crispy, it has zero of that weird brussels sprouts smell. Also, that white sauce on top? Yolk-less mayonnaise. It’s like mayonnaise but 10000x lighter. Delish.
Flank steak with brussels sprouts, mushrooms and cauliflower
While this dish might be a crowd favorite, I’m not a big fan of meat, so this was just ok for me. Well-seasoned and well-cooked, but I would 100% stock up on the chicken and veggies (and flatbread) next time instead of ordering this.
Having only opened for about a month (or two?), Attarine has quickly become one of my favorite restaurants in Jakarta. Fair warning: it’s not for everyone. I personally enjoy the abundant spices, especially the use of spice-route-inspired spices (think cumin), and the heavy focus on vegetables. Which is a point I would like to reiterate: do not go to Attarine without ordering the veggies. If needed, just order all veggies. And flatbread. I would probably go back there 100x just to order a shitload of flatbread and cocktails (hint: roasted bloody mary).
The aforementioned hint
That said, I really hope everyone tries Attarine, and when you do, keep an open mind and an open palate!
