The team behind Capocaccia Jakarta latest F&B venture presents the city with an authentic bistro. The seats, the ambiance, the menu and the floor staff’s long white aprons really give this place the proper bistro ‘feel’. Upon sitting down, we were presented with a breadbasket containing thick slices of lightly toasted baguettes, which won our hearts straight away because it gave sustenance to our empty stomachs
while we were browsing the menu. The butter that came with it was also impressive, a generous portion of 50-gram beurre echire from France. To get to know the place we started with an order of Le Baron Salad, which was out of this world. And we’re not just saying that  because this particular salad is topped with generous shavings of foie gras. No, what made this salad work so well was the bitterness from the mesclun greens coated perfectly with a light mixture of vinaigrette and olive oil that matches perfectly with the smokiness of the shaved duck breast and the foie gras. The attention to detail in this dish was impressive, from the sprinkle of salt on top which was key to drawing out a number of flavour notes, to the sprinkle of crispy fried shallots that gave the light salad good body. Their version of croque  monsieur didn’t fare quite so well. We were intrigued by its description on the menu, but when it finally got to the table, we were quite  disappointed. The rustic bread was all soggy from  the mournay sauce that (in our opinion) shouldn’t even be there in the first place. It managed to overpower the whole dish, including the two key ingredients the Gruyere cheese and the white ham. Luckily the confit de canard helped finish the meal on a high note. The duck was succulent, tasty and thankfully not over salted. The green beans that came  with it were classically al-dente, and the roasted cherry tomatoes provided a touch of sweetness to the dish that really tied it together.. For a bistro that is still in it’s trial period, Le baron did well, but we still think that some sections of the menu could use a bit of improvement.  Service was top notch and all the floor staff was super attentive, even though one waiter managed to ruin the mood a little bit near the end when he asked us if we want any chili sauce with our order of croque monsieu, One more thing, due to its tiny space, make sure you call  them and make a reservation before coming in if you don’t want to sit outside in the extremely windy smoking section. Sebastian Subakti

Plaza Indonesia Extension, level 1, Unit E20, Jl. MH Thamrin, kav. 28-30. 021 2992 3505. Price Range: Around Rp.400,000 for two.
two.