FRESCORISTO JAKARTA - ONE OF THE GOOD CHEAP EATS? (+ GIVEAWAY)

I am trying to keep things low key awesome here and reviewed this recent finding which actually has been around (aka opening) for one year, without any further ado, say hi to Frescoristo!

DO NOT trust Google Maps or Waze here because they directed me to the wrong direction and almost reaching Pondok Indah Mall, so first suggestion for them is to change and reset the cafe location. It's not exactly isolated, but the fact that this cafe is small might be the reason why you skipped at glance, if you make your way from Jalan Sultan Iskandar Muda and heading to Pondok Indah Mall, you know that there are two underpass tunnels and do not take the second one, instead turn left before the second underpass and Fresco's located not too far, precisely beside Gepuk Nyonya Ong and align with the Mini Cooper car showroom.

Upon arrival you'll be greeted with this blackboard with some of their best selling menus written on it, Fresco was nothing fancy but again don't judge its book by it's cover because you never know what you're signed up for once you enter the door.

You should aware by now that they're Italian restaurant <3

Still on Christmas vibe

Fresco's interior was very simple but somehow homey with moderate lighting, and they also have the second floor dedicated for smoking guests with this more lounge like ambiance. The sitting capacity on the first floor wasn't exactly much, the whole floor could prolly acomodate 30 people. As for the food, the range was honestly larger that I initially expected & featured the common classic Italian cuisine (from appetizer, mains, rice dishes, pasta to desserts) with their own touch and made fresh from their own kitchen, unfortunately the menu was lacking 'pizza' which somehow should be the most Italian, but anyway to be fair, I don't crave for pizza anytime as it's probably my least favorite kind of Italian food.

For appetizers, they have various kinds of Salads, Fish Finger, Onion Rings, Calamari Rings, rice dishes feature Beef Marinara & Stroganoff, range of pasta was the widest and they have Aglio Olio, Pesto & Chicken, Bolognaise, Carbonara, Meatball, Italian Stroganoff, Butterlemon Shrimp and one that I was most attracted to: Al-Funghi (mushroom fan here are you as well?). Highly recommend thrist quencher was their coffee and soda drinks.

Price range for food here starts from IDR 30k-85k - seriously CHEAP AS FUCK!

Truffle Fries - IDR 30k
They gotta be freakin kidding me with their truffle fries, seriously UBER GENEROUS with generous truffle oil dressing and salty in the most delicious way. This will make you happy, seriously.

I don't know what's it with this fries, maybe they cook it so beautifully that it might be among the good ones that I've tried in town.

PASTA WITH A CHOICE OF LINGUINE/SPAGHETTI/CAPELLINI

Al Funghi Pasta - IDR 46k

Bitch are you seriously livin? IDR 46k for this pasta you're looking at! By this I mean generous portion with generous amount of mushroom topping and overall a decent one! When I ordered this I didn't expect to have the best pasta I've ever had in my life that I am dying of the goodness but this honestly surpassed my standard! The seasoning was beautiful and it was perfectly creamy just not too much. Short to say, this was delicious!

Meatball Pasta - IDR 46k
Opted for linguine on this one, the pasta was dressed & tossed with Marinara sauce, topped with three meatballs and Mozarella cheese. Not so much into tomato based sauce but this one was fresh with decent amount given, the meatballs were meaty (that's the most important) and mozarella just made everything better.

Tenderloin Steak - IDR 85k

For steaks they have selections like Rib Eye, Tenderloin, Sirloin and Salmon (seafood) and how often do you get Tenderloin for IDR 85k? Don't think so, that doesn't stop there as the steak also came with sides like greens, that you can choose (mashed/fries/wedges and mushroom/blackpepper/BBQ sauce).

Ordered medium and they gave me spot on medium (say hello to the juicy pink center below), overall the steak was juicy and tender enough but don't expect to have the most tender steak (remember you get what you're paying and I am giving my judgement from different perspective), they seasoned the steak with a pinch of salt & pepper that's why it's a bit light when you only had the steak, as it was meant to be paired with the thick sauce, the mushroom sauce was pretty thick and rich, again plotted to be the perfect pair to the steak.

Skipped on dessert because I was super full, when I return I'll definitely give that a shot!

Decent food, friendly service (I like how the staff here's polite and attentive) and no other bullshit. Fresco is the place to go if you're on a budget but wanted to have a nice little date with that someone special, remember it should be who you're with on a date with and then the food to contribute to the Q-time.