WARUNG MJS – SETIABUDI, Jakarta

Indonesian food at its best, Warung MJS or MJSetiabudi holds a good reputation as Javanese Dish Specialist. Located in Setiabudi street, AnakJajan can easily say that Warung MJS is such a gem in Jakarta’s food scene.

Situated in homey space, the restaurant is very spacious with indoor and outdoor areas. It has a quirky one-of-a-kind unique decor that makes an instagrammable place for picture.

Take your time to appreciate every single corner, coz each corner has its own charm and unique ornaments, for example there’s one area dedicated to old traditional soy sauce bottle display, then Wayang or Indonesia’s traditional puppet display, etc. Judging by the decor, you can tell how passionate the owner is with his restaurant.

The outdoor area is surrounded by lush green trees and pool which is such a rare sight to enjoy in the middle of Jakarta. Imagine having your meal under the shade of a tree and cool breeze of air, you might as well call it paradise in the middle of the Jakarta’s concrete jungle.

Ok, move on to the food, specialize in Javanese cuisine, Warung MJS is famously known for their spicy dishes especially central Java dishes, it’s the place to go for spicy food lovers.

Upon entering, customer can enjoy traditional “Jamu” welcome drink for free. Apparently the restaurant provides many freebies such as free welcome drink, cracker, banana, and free valet parking.

A while ago, after returning from 2 weeks of Europe trip, me and Mr. Jajan had a major cravings for spicy Indonesian food, so we scheduled our visit to Warung MJS immediately and went crazy aka “kalap” with our order. Here are some menu we tried:

Gorengan Punakawan IDR 35,135
Looking at the tempting menu of Indonesian fritter platter, AnakJajan simply cannot say no to it and it was AMAZING!! The platter consists of “bakwan jagung”, “perkedel”, “bakwan udang” and “tempe mendoan” with spicy sweet soy sauce. My oh my, every single fritter was cooked to perfection, it’s indeed a must order especially the “tempe mendoan”.

Ayam Setan IDR 23,627
Out of many dishes, their Ayam Setan is the most popular one, it’s basically spicy chicken dish cooked in red chili and and kemangi (basil) leaf. As the name suggests, the spiciness level is surely very devil, savory spicy burning yet very addictive.

Ayam Siluman IDR 23,463
Another signature spicy chicken dish, compared to Ayam Setan, this one uses green chili, the spicy taste certainly calls for lots of rice.

Oseng Mercon IDR 20,956
Yesss to more spicy dishes. The Oseng Mercon is no joke spicy, burning hot level, so make sure to get your cold drink ready. Love the fact that the “kikil” is tender and soft, it absorbs the seasoning nicely.

Telur Bacem IDR 7,000, Tahu Bacem IDR 8,000, Tempe Bacem IDR 8,000
It has been a while since the last time we had a good “Bacem” or Javanese style sweet marinated dish so AnakJajan ordered their egg, tofu, and tempeh “bacem”. It was a good one indeed with seasoning fully absorbed into it, sweet yet savory.

Cumi Hulk IDR 23,463
A dish that simply cannot go wrong. Squid cooked in spicy savory green chili & green tomato sambal.

Oseng Sayur Krecek IDR 19,480
A nice dish to complement other item, “Krecek” or traditional Javanese cattle skin spicy stew dish.

Udang Gaul IDR 23,700
Small prawns cooked in spicy seasoning. The small prawns are packed with flavor with medium level of spiciness.

Sapi Gendeng IDR 33,636
Beef stew cooked in coconut milk. Love the fact that the beef is super tender, sooo tender it falls apart easily in the mouth.

Opor Daun Singkong IDR 14,978
Cassava leaves cooked in coconut milk stew until very tender. The texture is very smooth and the seasoning is not overpowering, just perfect to complement other strong tasting dishes.

Nasi Hijau IDR 8,658, Nasi Bakar Asoy IDR 22,424
For rice options, they have several options like fragrant uduk rice, green rice, brown rice, etc. AnakJajan opted for fragrant Nasi Hijau and Nasi Bakar Asoy. The Nasi Bakar Asoy is sooo good and aromatic with savory fragrant rice, anchovies (Teri Medan) and aromatic “daun so” in it.

Sambal Demit IDR 12,000, Sambal Terasi IDR 8,636, Sambal Bawang IDR 10,956
Of course Indonesian food feast wouldn’t be complete without having sambal. There are 3 options of Sambal in Warung MJS; Sambal Demit, Sambal Terasi, Sambal Bawang. Sambal Demit is by default the spiciest one.

Kue Cubit IDR 10,000

Kopi Susu Bu Lurah IDR 19,000
Besides the all the food menu up there. Inside Warung MJS, there’s one small corner of coffee shop called “Kopi Susu Bu Lurah” (Available on Go Food) specializes in local coffee creations.

Our favorite is Kopi Susu Bu Lurah or iced coffee milk drink, it has a balance between the milk and coffee. For every purchase of coffee, customer will get free snack as complimentary.

Overall, with vast variety of dishes, Warung MJS undoubtedly serves great Indonesian especially Javanese cuisine. The unique quirky decor surely gives the restaurant another plus point. We can see this place as a nice option to introduce Indonesian food to colleagues from abroad.

Address:
Warung MJS
Jl. Setiabudi Tengah No. 11, Setiabudi
Jakarta Selatan
Phone: +6221-5252605
Instagram: @MJSetiabudi
http://www.warungmjs.com

Opening hours:
Mon-Fri : 10.00 – 22.30
Sat-Sun : 09.00 – 22.30

Map: