When you say to a couple of friends that you’re going to grab some lunch in a hotel, they would certainly respond through a chorus of begrudging oohs and aahs. Do hotel eateries really deserve that much of a respect? There’s even a saying how sometimes hotel restaurants benefit a lot from the hotel’s renowned name. However, there’s no room for such theory in OPEN Restaurant at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel.
Located just across Cikini railway station and right beside the art-deco Metropole Cinema building, the hotel successfully positions itself hiding from the dodgem-like traffic outside. Take further steps into the hotel and, voila, there you’d find the prized place of retreat: OPEN Restaurant.
Leave the thought of rigid fine dining behind; the dominating light wooden fit-outs (dining tables, chairs, bar counters) combined with a stroke of bright colours seem to coax your brain to put on your nonchalant-self and just relax. The floor-to-ceiling windows allow a serene view of a lagoon-shaped pool that is bordered with green foliage – it’s a view you would love to see every time you dine.
OPEN Restaurant offers a diverse menu ranging from buffet and a la carte options plated on elegant crockery. If you expect something out-of-the-ordinary, their Western-Indonesian fusion rendang pizza is a must-try. Meanwhile, Rasa Nusantara Platter takes you to a somewhat succinct Indonesian culinary tour (yellow rice, rendang, prawn balado, kalasan fried chicken, Balinese satay lilit) on a huge solid black plate.
On the dessert end, their DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cheesecake will take you by surprise with its amazingly light cream and balanced with a spatter of chocolate chip cookie crumbs (the hotel’s signature cookie) on top.
The best thing of all is to have the luxury in choosing whether to dine in while watching the chefs pulling off their skills behind the open kitchen, or out, basking under the sun by the pool. If you want to bring back that faint experience of dining in a secluded resort, OPEN Restaurant is definitely the next go-to place on your list.
