La Rucola

Tagliata ristretto Chianti with spinach and mashed potatoes

Unlike the Italian economy and Italian politics, Italian food has not lost any popularity in recent years. Quite the contrary, Italian food seems to be defending successfully its title as the most popular and universally liked food in the world (even though competition is tough – e.g. sushi, dim sum, etc. …Indonesian food would probably also be in this list if it had better marketing). In Surabaya, the number one (authentic) address to get your pizza & pasta fix has long been La Rucola. Today there are a few more options (like Antica Osteria) but we think that La Rucola is still one of the best places to enjoy Italian food in a dolce vita atmosphere (there are some things to consider though – read on). The restaurant itself is a nice place with a warm, Italian inspired interior. It is recommended to bring a dictionary for the menu. The names of most dishes are in Italian and there are not many explanations.

Unfortunately, the service has gotten worse recently. There have been rumors that new places like Domicile and 1903 hired good staff from La Rucola. We waited comparatively long until the waiter took our order and probably 45 minutes again until our main dishes arrived. But thanks to the free grissini (bread sticks) and pesto, we didn’t have to starve. And waiting is part of the Italian lifestyle anyway. When Italians need to get personal administrative stuff done (like getting a new passport), they get a day off at work because Italian bureaucracy is so chaotic and slow and they have to wait in line for almost forever. Sounds familiar? :-D  

1903 Society Complex

Molten Chocolate Cake

It has been quiet on the blog for a while. This is not because we are tired to review restaurants or because we spend our time watching the World Cup or because we are broke (well, almost :D ). It is because I went back to Europe for the holidays. But there is nothing to worry about – before I left Surabaya, Carlo and I tried a lot of restaurants and we will publish the reviews in the next few weeks. I will be back in Surabaya in October :) . 

The restaurant we tried on my last evening was 1903 at Society Complex. You have probably already heard of it – Society Complex is a new location in Jalan Sumatera and also home to Historica Coffee & Pastry (see our review here) and a bar which hadn’t opened yet when we were there. 1903 is a fine dining kind of restaurant so make sure to bring your good dress or shirt and some more money (see prices on the menu list below) :-) . 1903’s interior is dominated by the colours white and black and it is slightly vintage. The atmosphere is a bit “cold”, maybe they could put some pictures on the wall to create a warmer and more comfortable atmosphere? The room was also cold in a literal sense, it was über-airconditioned (so Ladies, bring your vests or better yet, order an alcoholic cocktail :D ). Our table was too big for only us two and we haven’t really seen smaller tables. So if you go to 1903 on your first date, it is fine because you will sit not too near to each other. But if are on your fifth date and your relationship is already close, the big tables will not really create a very romantic atmosphere. The place would be great for a vintage themed party with Venetian masks or Great Gatsby attire. 

Historica Coffee & Pastry

Sunday is the best time for breakfast at a café as it is the only day that Carlo does not have to work (yes, poor C). After Libby Café (read our review here) we tried Historica Café in Jalan Sumatera this time. We didn’t go there because of its location (Jalan Sumatera seems to be getting a popular restaurant/café street - the famous Domicile is also there), but because Historica café is having a 20% discount on breakfast and coffee this month :-) .

The café looks nice, outside and inside, and as you may have guessed from the name ‘Historica’ its interior design is vintage. There are a few big comfortable chairs (we were too slow to chope them – damn it!) and many normal chairs. It has also a small terrace if you want to sit outside. It was almost noon when we got there, so sitting outside was out of question, even for me as a European (this really means something...Europeans are crazy about sun and tanning). We came to Historica café not only to have breakfast, but also to “chillax”, read a bit and discuss our future plans...

Antica Osteria

Crema di zucca

The Italian cuisine is probably the most popular in the whole world – I haven’t met anyone yet who didn’t like Italian food. Have you? If yes, tell me about it :-). For authentic Italian food in Surabaya, La Rucola is our favourite place but last weekend, we tried Antica Osteria and were surprised – in a good way.

Antica Osteria is located in the centre of Surabaya and we had quite a hard time to find it. Some rather annoying traffic rules (i.e. one-way streets) combined with Carlo’s not-really-good driving skills and our bad orientation made us go some extra rounds, so when we finally arrived there, we were already super hungry. The place itself is quite nice and it really reminded me of a European restaurant. There was Italian music in the background and a huge screen which displayed FashionTV. Some restaurants and bars I have been to in Italy also displayed FashionTV so this evoked some good old memories. So if you eat at Antica Osteria and are bored with your dinner date, you can just watch FashionTV.