Se’i has been one of the most wanted food in Indonesia’s culinary world probably since about a year ago. If you are not familiar with the word Se’i itself, it is a term for a local cuisine from East Nusa Tenggara. If you are not familiar with it, se’i is a thin cut sliced beef marinated with a lot of salt to be later smoked with a special kind of wood. This se’i craze started in Bandung and I’ve been an avid fan of one particular se’i restaurant there. Right when I heard Jakarta has their own restaurant that sells se’I, I literally lost my mind.

Se'i Lidah Reguler with Sambal Matah

Came to the restaurant on Sunday afternoon, I thought the restaurant will be packed of people but surprisingly it wasn’t that full. Since I came with a few friends, we decided to try each one of the menu listed. We order the Se’i Sapi Reguler (IDR 38K), Se’i Ayam Reguler (IDR 25K) and Se’i Lidah Reguler (IDR 42K). Each Se’i dishes came with a small bowl of local sambal; Sambal Lu’at, Sambal Matah and Cabe Ijo. We also add Nasi Jeruk (IDR 8K), Sup Brenebon Reguler (IDR 35K) and Es Teh Manis (IDR 8K) to make our meal complete.

Se'i Ayam Reguler with Cabe Ijo

I FRIGGIN’ LOVE THE SE’I SAPI. The beef was tender and juicy with a bit of salty and crispyness that made my meal taste interesting. However a huge disappointment came from the se’i lidah. The lidah (beef tongue), came out very dry and really hard to chew. I hope this was just a bad day at the kitchen, which means I need to come there again to try their se’i lidah once more. Meanwhile the se’i ayam was nice as well but not something over the top for me.

Se'i Sapi Reguler with Sambal Lu'at. BOMB!

The Sambal Lu’at was something out of this world. It has the perfect balance of spicy and sour, without overpowering the taste of the se’i itself. As for the rest of the sambal, it was nice but since I’ve tried so many Sambal Matah and Cabe Ijo, I cannot tell the difference between these sambal and the one from other places. Meanwhile the soup was quite tasty. It has this rich but very light beef broth flavor. The fillings in the soup (kidney beans and beef slices was also given quite generously. It was a perfect complement to the se’i dish.

Sup Brenebon Reguler

Honestly, I’ve been an avid fan of se’i for the past year. It was something that I always looked for every time I went to Bandung. To me, se’i from Se’ilera taste great and definitely worth your money. Even though I had some bad luck with the food that time, doesn’t mean I won’t come back again for their good stuffs.

***

Se’ilera

Jl. Kesehatan Raya no 30

Bintaro, Jakarta Selatan

DKI Jakarta, Indonesia

(+62) 813 8015 7212

Opening hours: 10.30 AM – 9 PM

Food: 4/5

Ambiance: 4/5

Price: 4/5

Service: 4/5