Such a cute brand for an Italian trattoria! As you might have noticed in the logo, it's actually a Japanese brand taking an Italian approach! Italian cuisine has been known to strongly influence Japan's culinary culture, as a lot of Japanese contemporary restaurants have been serving a fusion style pizza and pasta. Here's another place to prove my words!
By the way, the outlet I visited was in Mall Taman Anggrek! It's opening just beside Fish&Co. at the 4th floor. The first one opened in Indofood Tower, Sudirman and there will be another one opening soon at Grand Indonesia! Such ambitious plan to grow in such short amount of time, huh?
I like how they build an interior that holds its consistency to the brand's image. Homey! Utilizing bright colored woods and rustic furniture, this place really gives you an image of home-cooking restaurant despite being in the middle of a big shopping mall.
Love their cooking principle here:
"Hand-kneaded with love like it were homemade, cooked with excellence like it were haute cuisine."
Ambitious! Having a friend who works in fashion industry, I wonder if this restaurant would be able to stand to the definition of haute.
As I said before, I love their branding consistency! Good selection of fonts (yes, I'm a sucker for many things beautiful: graphic design included) in ornaments that support their overall brand image. Cool!
Here's the brand logo: Popolamama, after further research, comes from Italian word popolare and mama. It doesn't literally mean "a popular mom", but I think it's more like popular home cooking made by mom!
Also some other trivial matter: if you see the website of the Japanese main branch (web address below!), you'll notice that they use different logo in Indonesia. This "mom" looks more skinny!
By the way, I suddenly remembered that this place's cuisine has exactly the same type of origin as AW Kitchen by Akira Watanabe, a pizza and pasta place; but that's it. Different cooking style, target market (their pricing here is relatively cheaper than AW Kitchen), and taste!
Done with the tour and now to the ride throughout your taste bud!
MIMOSA SALAD IDR 26k
Opening my meal with various greens in a bowl! Topped with japanese wafu dressing and egg whites, this simple bowl of pasta would do both job: to fill your dieting stomach OR to prepare you for the main course!
BOLOGNESE POTATO GRATIN IDR 33k
This one is bombastic! As the name literally suggests, it's potato bits with melted bolognaise sauce, minced beef, and cheese! Such a hearty meal that would warm you inside-out: now we're talking about the "homey" concept!
AGLIO OLIO WITH JAPANESE MUSHROOM AND SMOKED BEEF IDR 55k
I love that they make their own homemade pasta! The texture is a bit unique and to some people, they identify it as "overcooked", although it's not, since you can still taste the chewiness character in the pasta. Standard flavor though, it's not so strongly seasoned so it didn't really stand out as an overall dish.
AGLIO OLIO WITH TUNA IDR 50k
Now this one, despite its very, very plain appearance, was more surprising. Since they used some chili, they needed to give more salt and garlic to balance the flavor, therefore giving a stronger taste to the palate. Quite good, but still not out-of-the-world good.
YOKUBARI AGLIO OLIO IDR 72k
The pasta tastes exactly the same as the first one I mentioned (but of course! They're both aglio olios!), only with different toppings. Broccoli that livens up the plate (or for you veggie haters, killing the plate), sausages, smoked beef, and mushrooms. Complete package!
That's it folks! Didn't manage to order too much at that time because we were only looking for a light meal. Perhaps will try and update you about the pizza next time? We'll see!
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