September 11th, 2017. I heard a month ago about William’s from Teddy, owner of Nitro Coffee. It belonged to his cousin, I think. Then the day before, Hans sent me the photo of William’s from someone’s Instagram. I asked him, Aline and Cindy to visit the place this afternoon. Too bad, Hans and Cindy had another event. So today only Aline joined me.
Serving food, coffee and wine daily, William’s offers a thoughtful menu homage to Western-Asian comfort food in a laidback place located in the heart of Jakarta’s central business district.
When I was arrived, I was speechless. The facade of William’s was very lovely. It’s not intimidating but still exclusive. Very lovely with green plants everywhere. But, when you came in, you will feel another ambiance. It’s warm and very friendly. And I really love their hospitality. Even the Chef was very humble. I asked them why they named it William’s. It’s actually the name of the owner’s son. He loves to eat. He eats all the time *high-five kiddo* and his name is William. He’s 10 years old, fyi. I wanna meet him!!!
William’s was inspired by a kid who has a constant curiosity for new food, appreciates a warm, hearty meal and always has room for dessert.
HOUSE PREMIUM TEA
Peachy Lychee 55k
Black Tea, Apple, Candied Pineapple, Orange Peel, Sweet Blackberry Leaves, White Hibiscus Blossoms, Peach, Lychee
Actually I didn’t really like flavour tea for my hot tea. I mean, it’s not really flavour. It’s just a hint of fruis or flowers etcetera etcetera. But this time I took best shot. And it was very good. Fresh flavour with light texture of the tea. I loved it!
SMOOTHIES
Peanut Butter Smoothie 55k
Peanut Butter, Banana, Milk, Vanilla Cream
This Peanut Butter Smoothie was very very delicious. Perfect texture. Not overly creamy. Just the right amount of cream. Really love the combination between peanut butter and banana. Beware! It’s addicting!
STARTER
Arancini 90k
Italian fried rice balls served with Arrabiata sauce, melted parmesan and watercress salad
It’s actually a risotto in a form of croquette LOL. Coated in golden crumbs, each fried rice ball holds a treasure of gooey mozzarella. Too bad, the risotto tasted a little bland. We need more flavour! The Arrabiata sauce was fantastic. But if you want to taste more flavour, you must ask them to prepare the sauce a little bit more.
LIGHT BITES
Popcorn Chicken Coated With Salted Egg 55k
A tasty, crispy way to enjoy juicy chicken meat. The salted egg enhanced the flavour of this popcorn chicken. Sadly, it’s too spicy for me. I only ate 2 pieces and I gave up. I let Aline finish the dish with sparkling eyes. Yes, she really loved it. So, I guess next time I go there, I must tell them to make it non-spicy. 😀
WESTERN
Ossobucco Barley 160k
Braised ossobucco with a bed of barley, garlic butter and fried enoki mushroom
Good thing, Aline loved the barley. Yaaaaay, I could eat all of the succulent ossobucco hahahaha.. Actually, after a while, the texture of the meat became a lil bit dry. So I suggest for you to finish it before it’s getting cold. The fried enoki mushroom complemented a little touch of crunchy texture to the dish. Well, I’m drooling while writing about this ossobucco. Superb!
Ossobucco: Italian for “bone with a hole” (osso bone, buco hole), a reference to the marrow hole at the center of the cross-cut veal shank.
Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally.
Duck Aiguillettes 160k
Imported duck breast served with romaine lettuce foam, sweet potato puree, sauteed vegetables, king oyster mushroom and red wine sauce
Thoughtful presentation leads to a more enjoyable meal. Duck Aiguillettes means thinly sliced duck fillet. But they cut the duck not too thin, evidently. Quite thick for me. They have a comparably lighter color than other duck cuts and have a milder flavor. And they cooked the duck in medium-well level. If I’m not mistaken, it’s the most delicious way, according to the chef. Fine with me. I love ducks no matter how they cook it. The sweet potato puree make a wonderful contrast to the buttery and tasty duck. Super recommended!
DESSERT
Eton Mess 90k
Beautiful mess of assorted seasonal fruits, roast coconut flakes, fried bubur sumsum and meringue
While everybody ordered Dragon’s Nest, we tried Eton Mess. I was trying not to be mainstream hahaha.. Actually it’s really a beautiful mess. Love the way they present the dessert. Sour flavour from the fruits. Of course it’s not my thing. But they combined the fruits with meringue. OMG! Cute meringues everywhere. The special guest was the fried bubur sumsum. It’s really good. You should give it a try.
Thank you so much William’s for the hospitality. For a new place, William’s really offered a comfortable casual ambiance. Quite pricey but worth to try. Well, you don’t have to eat there everyday, right? Just give it a go. In fact, I think I will be back to try their coffee. Anyone wanna join me?
William’s Casual Dining
Jl. Tulodong Atas 28
SCBD, Jakarta
Phone: +62 21 7242828
IG: @williams_id
