One of the perks living in a capital city of a country is having abundant choices of cuisine and international restaurant franchises. Especially lately, a lot of new international restaurants are seen opened in Jakarta. But nope, I am yet to talk about those newly opened eateries. Rather, I am talking about my personal discovery of a diner that turns out to be a part of worldwide restaurant chain.

While I was looking for new places, nay, new cuisines to be tried since I moved here, I stumbled upon this restaurant called TGI Friday's in Gandaria City Mall with a good expectation. Entering the retail, I felt like I was transported right to the United States. The interior reminds me of cowboys saloon I usually watched in movies combined with a good hint of US bar ambiance especially with the banquette seating and the color tone of the whole interior. I could easily spend more time here because of its coziness and warmth feeling. Surely, this restaurant is for group dining and I could imagine how lively and loud the atmosphere if the place is full.


What's more interesting than the interior is of course the food. "Interesting" enough, they provide deal breaker lunch menu which is available until 3 pm on Monday to Friday—starting from IDR 49.900++! When I mentioned a deal breaker menu, I meant that it is affordable, moreover, it comes with a drink and full portion of a normally priced dish. Fear not, if you can't make it for the lunch, there are always two course meal menus, also at a very affordable pricing from IDR 79.900++ for those big eaters like me.


Since I am interested with a specific menu, I went for the two course meal that costed me IDR 129.900++. I went with Broccoli Cheese Soup for the appetizer and Southwest Chicken Bowl for the main course. Note that the soup is also available in the lower priced two course meal, but heck, I love broccoli and cheese and I was falling for it the first time I saw the menu! Thanks God it is as delicious as I thought, but somehow the amount of broccoli is not enough for me. The soup was so creamy, rich in taste and the broccoli was cooked to a perfect texture—not too hard, not too soft. I finished the soup just in minutes since it was that good. Put it short, it is similar to a cream soup with richer texture, dominating cheese taste, which I loved so much (I am a cheese lover by the way).

Broccoli Cheese Soup

As the appetizer was on top of my scoreboard, I had high hopes for the main course. The Southwest Chicken Bowl came out piping hot, with smokes evaporated from the rice. Looking at the presentation of the dish, I was assured that at least the price reflects its look. I was more than assured that I paid a good deal while I was tasting the first bite of the dish. To me, it was my first time tasting a US Southwest claimed cuisine (as written on the menu), not Asian alike at all, and the taste was surprisingly memorable. I was imagining that the food would be somewhat bland or tasteless, but the mix of spices on the chicken and the rice as well as the thick gravy as the base blended together in my mouth perfectly—some foodies called it "foodgasm".

Perfect should be a suitable word for this dish: starting with the rice, which was not sticky nor mushy, then perfectly mixed with dices of tomatoes and various herbs and spices; then the chicken, without any overcooked chewy texture and under-cooked part, seasoned evenly and complementing the rice. The additional big slice of chili and sausages also brought the dish to the next level. I rarely taste something this good and satisfying in my mouth in most diners, and it also came in a big portion!

Southwest Chicken Bowl

While waiting for the food to be served, I took a look at a huge tagline written on the glossy brick-like wall: IN HERE, IT'S ALWAYS FRIDAY. After finishing my fulfilling dinner, I understand that it was the perfectly-cooked dish that gave me the feel of an anticipation wanting to eat here again—similar to Friday, a day we always anticipated every week. True enough, after eating here again for multiple times—with all the consistent yet flavorful and delicious dishes they serve—it is always Friday in here!

In here, it's always Friday!

TGI FRIDAYS
Gandaria City Mall, Jakarta, Indonesia
+62 21 2751 5248
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