A Family of Five

A friend of mine, who goes by the name Velly, is going to go to Jogja to attend her university. We decided to have lunch together, since it will be a while before she can go back to Jakarta, along with Icha, Sally, and Angel. HEMA, a dutch restaurant located at Kemang Pratama, is where we had lunch yesterday. We ordered lots of dishes, starting from main course until dessert, and we spent hours at the dining place as if we were the owners. 

Icha and I were the first ones who arrived at HEMA, followed by Sally. I had not have breakfast in the morning, which made me my stomach sung the song of its' people. I took the liberty to go through the menu and stumbled upon the words "San Francisco Beef Minced Steak". Any food that has a name that long ought to be one great dish! So, I decided to order myself a plate of that San Franciscan steak.

20 minutes later, a waitress with a traditional Volendam dress, approached our table and handed me a plate of burger. A pair of bun, with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and onion rings in the middle, covered with tomato sauce and barbeque sauce, and topped with a pair of nicely grilled minced beef enveloped in barbeque sauce. French fries were also spotted on the plate, adjacent to a puddle of what it seemed to me like another barbeque sauce. I have to say that the presentation was not as extravagant and flashy like how I imagined it to be, but I kept in mind that "simple is best".

My San Francisco Beef minced Steak

I ate the vegetables first because I'm not a big fan of veggie burger, then continued by finishing the french fries, which were countable and were not as thin as McDonald's french fries. I munch, and munch, and munch, until it was the buns and the steaks left. I took a bite of the grilled beef and I was taken aback by the fact that it tasted very similar to McDonald's burger meat. The buns, on the other hand, were far from similar with McDonald's burger buns. I'm guessing that those fluffy bread were grilled on a non-stick frying pan after the chef applied some margarin on them. 

I was not in the mood to eat the almighty San Francisco Beef Minced Steak like the way I devour Burger King's Double Bacon and Cheese Burger, so I stuck with my fork and knife. Classy fellow, aren't you self? All in all, the dish tasted nice, although not that spectacular like what I had in mind. The meat went along with the bun perfectly, and the barbeque sauce was awesome!

The chef didn't give a generous amount of french fries, if I may say

Angel, Sally, and Velly ordered themselves some spaghetti and iced lemon tea. Them spaghetti were very appealing and nicely decorated on a white oval-shaped bowl. Glazed with sweet and savory tomato and meat sauce, sprinkled with shredded cheese, and topped with a celery. Sally offered me her lunch and I didn't object, although I hesitated a bit because I was a bit full from eating the San Francisco Beef Minced Steak. The spaghetti was good, but I didn't find anything extraordinary from the dish. 

Spaghetti for lunch, yum!

The dish would be perfect if they add some more shredded cheese

Icha, on the other hand, ordered herself a big plate of HEMA's Sirloin Steak. The steak itself was as wide as my palm, served with french fries and vegetables, and coated with barbeque sauce. Being a person who feel stuffed easily, Icha handed over the duty of finishing the dish to Velly. I helped by finished the french fries and the vegetables, which I continuously dipped in the barbeque sauce available. I don't know why I fancy barbeque sauce that much.

Icha's Sirloin Steak smothered in barbeque sauce

After the main course, it's time for some desserts! Despite the fact that I had, and still have, a sore throat, I ordered myself a cup of strawberry ice cream. The others ordered a couple plate of a Poffertjes, one was served with powdered sugar and the other was served with Vanilla ice cream and powdered sugar. Poffertjes are Dutch's version of pancakes. It is made from the same batter that we use to make pancake, yet they have a rather spongy and light texture. Shaped like a small turtle, Poffertjes are usually served with powdered sugar or butter. At first, I doubt that I would like this particular traditional Dutch dish, but then I took a bite. Poffertjes really really tasted nice, especially those crispy rings they have. I personally love the one with the powdered sugar. If you happen to go to HEMA to have lunch or dinner, I highly recommend this particular dessert. 

Strawberry ice cream, topped with strawberry syrup and cherry

POFFERTJES!

Icha couldn't help but to continuously stick her fork to the grilled batter

After we had lunch at HEMA, we went to Angel's place. We were served with lots of snacks by Angel and her little sister, Tasya. There were Dynamic's Pillow Wassant, Union's Red Velvet cake, Food Hall's Japanese crackers, Ketan, and even Marshmallows. At first, it was like heaven to me, but then Angel's little sister said, "You can't go home before you finish all of the food." Good Lord, what mess did I got myself into?

We were forced to finish all these food

HEMA Dutch Resto

Jl. Kemang Pratama Raya 

Blok MM, No 19-20

Kemang Pratama, Bekasi

Phone: (021) 8241 2761

Opening Hours:

Monday - Sunday: 10 AM - 10 PM