Jakarta Ropang Project

Coconut milk with fresh sliced coconut, jackfruit & avocado; fragrant, refreshing & not too sweet; good for sharing..

3 types of fish cake (lenjer, kulit, keriting); Lenjer is the original fish cake which is soft & springy, taste like childhood snack; Kulit is darker in color, mixed with fish skin, taste more stronger than the original; Keriting is the curly version fish cake which has a slightly spongy texture; came with sweet dipping sauce & fresh cucumber cubes at the side; worth a try..

Chicken leg marinated with a layer of sweet sauce then grilled to tender; came with fried beancurd, fried tempeh, cucumbers & chilli..

Rice is well-cooked to firm with soft bite; came with shredded chicken with pronounced lemon grass flavor, long beans mixed with beansprouts; salted baby squid with shallots & chilli; prawn crackers & hard-boiled egg; love how well all the ingredients complement one another without overpowering the tastes; homely & comforting meal which remind me of the meal I had in Bali..

Lovely ambience with unique dishes from the streets

One of the openings that we had been anticipating for quite a while is Jakarta Ropang Project; had seen some social media posts on the establishment some time back in end 2023, though they did postpone their opening for a while. Located at 111 Somerset, Jakarta Ropang Project takes over the now-defunct premises of Shake Shake in a Tub; this also makes them neighbours with the outlet of Verandah@Rael's that is located at 111 Somerset. As one might have guessed from its namesake, Jakarta Ropang Project is an establishment that focuses much on Indonesian cuisine — they can also be said as a social enterprise in a way that they do pledge to UNICEF with donations made to UNICEF on the spending made by their patrons there. The shop unit can be described as well-sized; the interior decor also being rather atypical of that of the usual Indonesian eateries that one would find elsewhere around the island — there is an effort to provide an aesthetically-pleasing setting almost akin to that of cafes that are part of the third-wave coffee movement. With an interior that mostly comprises of white and grey elements, one can find rable sculptures at the front of the establishment; the dining tables and chairs sporting wood of a darker accent that gives it a really classy look whilst keeping a minimalistic theme throughout the space. The menu at Jakarta Ropang Project is split across categories such as Signatures (comprising of Nasi Pedas and Nasi Goreng JRP), Traditions (comprising of Pempek Palembang, Indomie and Sop Indonesia), Savoury (comprising of Streets of Indonesia, Banana Fritters and Popang (Toasted Bread) and Desserts. Drinks available at Jakarta Ropang Project includes canned drinks, Teh Botol, Teh Pucuk, Teh Manis / Taiwar, and mineral water.

Many would probably recall seeing Jakarta Ropang Project’s Ayam Penyet offerings going around social media on the initial phase of its opening. That being said, the folks at Jakarta Ropang Project have since discontinued the item, with the items being taped over with masking tape and a handwritten message indicating the item as “unavailable”. One dish that got us really excited in visiting Jakarta Ropang Project however was the Nasi Bali – a dish that is listed under the Nasi Pedas (which translates to Spicy Rice) and translated into English as Traditional Balinese Rice. One cannot really find a dish named “Nasi Bali” in Bali, Indonesia; that being said, Jakarta Ropang Project’s Nasi Bali does seem to be an item that is loosely inspired from the Nasi Campur or Nasi Babi Guling — sometimes also known as Balinese Pork Rice. The menu does not describe on the elements that comes with the Nasi Bali here, though some elements of which we can recognise would be the white rice, spicy pulled pork, baby squid, Sambal Matah (Balinese raw onion sambal) and Sayur Ulih (green beans with bean sprouts), half boiled egg and onion crackers. The element of which we were most excited to dig in was the spicy pulled pork which came all tender and moist; did not require much effort to chew through. We also liked how the spicy pulled pork came with a really piquant and bright hint of spiciness that would work well with those with tolerance to moderate levels of spiciness. The baby squid also came with a similar kick of spiciness, though we really enjoyed how it did not feel particularly rubbery; gives a nice, bouncy chew that was easy to eat. For the Sayur Uli, it helps to reset the tastebuds from the spicy elements with a crunch from both the long beans and the beansprouts — all this whilst carrying a very light note from the turmeric added in.

The Sambal Matah is incredibly spicy however; more so than that of the spicy pulled pork with the use of raw onions and chili — tantalises the tastebuds even for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness. Other elements like the onion chips were crisp without feeling particularly greasy nor limp, while the half-boiled eggs were just good to have and did not really add-on to the dishes somewhat. Considering the composition and the flavours of the Nasi Bali at Jakarta Ropang Project, we do consider this to be quite close to what we have had before during our trip to Bali, Indonesia in July to August 2023. Other items which we had tried at Jakarta Ropang Project includes the Tahu Gejrot also known as “Traditional Melting Tofu” which we had not seen an other establishments; these are essentially fried tofu puffs that are cut up and served in a sauce similar to that of our local Rojak sauce less the Prawn Paste, and with a runnier texture. The end result is fried tofu puffs that had absorbed the sweet and tangy notes of the sauce with chopped up chilli padi that helps to provide a slight note of spiciness to tickle the tastebuds. The Es Teler 77 meanwhile was a dessert dish featuring coconut milk, jackfruit slices, avocado and coconut flesh that was refreshing without being particularly sweet. Overall, Jakarta Ropang Project is all about a good cause while providing patrons with an exceptional environment or enjoy Indonesian cuisine in; one that not only provides authentic-tasting fare, but also doing so at a rather wallet-friendly price whilst perhaps also making a change to the lives of some by the act of rounding up the bill during one’s meal here!