OTW Food Street: Food Court Meets Hipster Café
7:00 PM
OTW may be the universal abbreviation of “on the way”, but here, it does not mean exactly that. It’s the name of a—sort of—food court. Each stall serves a different type of menu: one offers food, one offers drinks, one offers desserts, and so on. I call it a “sort of” food court because OTW Food Street is most definitely not your typical food court. It looks funkier. And serves a fancier food.
THE NITTY GRITTY DETAILS
As I’ve said before, OTW is one funky place. The decoration is very unique; it kinda reminds me of street stalls. They are using cute graffiti drawings and concrete-brick walls that look like they are about to collapse soon. But worry not, it’s not going to really collapse soon—it’s just part of the interior.
From the concept, I think everything works harmoniously, somewhat. OTW means we are going somewhere and when we are going somewhere, we will use the street. So that connects to… street stalls? Plus, graffitis remind me of various parts of Jakarta, where different graffitis would randomly pop out on a daily basis. I hope that makes sense.
THE FOOD
Nasi Goreng OTW (IDR 25k)
This fried rice menu is said to be one of the favourites. As far as fried rice goes, I think this is an okay one; the rice is dry enough and does not stick one another. It comes with a square-shaped fried egg (cute!), scrambled egg (mixed with the rice), chopped chilli and leaks, minced chicken, and flavourings (garlic, onion). The flavour is there but it’s not bold enough, so overall the fried rice tastes plain and meh. Especially when compared to nasi goring tek tek.
Black Beef Burger - BA (IDR 30k)
Unfortunately, I don’t get a taste of the famous black buns because they are running out of stock. I’ve read numerous reviews that these black buns taste good, but after eating the burger with regular buns I start to question… Is that truly so? My bun is too dry, I can see it crumbling down when I cut my burger in two. Maybe I just got a bad batch. Maybe the black buns truly taste better. Who knows? On the other hand, this burger is saved by the patty; the patty tastes nice and juicy. Some other positive points: fresh veggies (muy importante!), generous ketchup and mayo (love to see those two generously running through the bun. Yum!)
Ice Thai Milk Tea (IDR 18k)
This one tastes plain. I can’t even say 100% for sure whether there is tea or milk inside. Maybe it is because there are too much ice and they melt very fast.
Ice Lychee Tea (IDR 18k)
The Ice Lychee Tea tastes quite decent, although you can tell from the first sip that this beverage uses canned lychees. I personally don’t like canned lychees, therefore for those of you out there who are on the same boat as me might want to order something else. Both drinks (Ice Thai Milk Tea and Ice Lychee Tea) are served in plastic cups although I’ve said that we’re dining-in. In other words, don’t expect cute fancy glasswares for these two.
Ice Yakult Lychee (IDR 20k)
Okay. Unlike the previous two, this beverage comes in a cute mason jar—plus point for presentation. However, similar to the Ice Lychee Tea, this Ice Yakult Lychee also uses canned lychees. The yakult drowns and disapppears in the middle of canned lychee flavour.
Kue Cubit Mix (IDR 20k)
Kue cubit originally comes from Bandung, but has become famous in Jakarta ever since I was still a kid. I love this simple traditional street food, especially when it’s medium-cooked. To put it simply, I expect a lot from Kue Cubit Mix. Sadly, it falls off the mark. I realise I order the kue cubit to be medium-cooked, but what comes to my table is waaay undercooked. The flavourings are also off; the taro-flavoured one looks purple but that’s pretty much the only thing that makes it relatable to taro, the milo-flavoured one doesn’t really taste like milo, and the green tea-flavoured one is like that too. Plus there’s the taste of weird uncooked flour. I’m sad.
Ice Cendol Original (IDR 16k)
At first, it really has the taste of a nice cendol, but soon after the ice melts, it becomes… weird. When you sip it, a strong liquid of coconut milk will run through your tongue, and then suddenly you will be hit with a heavy, weird taste. That’s when I realise that they most probably use Kara coconut milk without any water. Other than that, the cendol and the palm sugar taste fine. In conclusion, drink the cendol while it’s still cool.
Black Forest Filled with Cream Cheese and Oreo Martabak (IDR 135k)
YES, it really is that expensive. However, it’s still not the most expensive one available. Lovers of monochrome colour tones will enjoy this martabak: black skin with black and white fillings. One of the cooks said that the black colour comes from some kind of powder bought from Japan, which supposed to give the black forest flavour. But it doesn’t really taste like black forest, to be honest. The cream cheese and oreo fillings taste delicious, although it leaves a thick, greasy aftertaste. I can’t eat too much of this kind of martabak, as it leaves me feeling very full. There are 16 cuts of this sweet black thing.
THE VERDICT
Don’t forget to tell the staffs wether you want to dine-in or take-away, because it will effect the presentation/ packaging of your food and drink. But I believe the martabak will be presented inside a box either way.
Although it is quite expensive for a street food look-a-like, OTW is worth to try. Since they have those "modern day and hipster" feel, for your own experience, just give it a shot. For me, I think I will be back only when I have guests from outside Jakarta.
OTW Food Street
Instagram: Click Here
Address: Jl. Kelapa Kopyor Raya Blok BA 2 No.1, Kelapa Gading, Jakarta 14240
Phone: (021) 4531245
Opening Hours: Tue - Sun 08:00 - 22:00 (Closed every Monday)
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