A Fair Pasta Lunch at Olio

In a sunny Saturday, 2pm in the evening, we were forced for a very late lunch. I turned my car into the parking space of Plaza Kuningan, where Olio rstaurant located. It is a small restaurant, conveniently located in the office building, and always hard to find empty table during weekdays lunch time. But on the weekend way after lunch time, we're the only patron.

There are one reason why we end up at this deserted restaurant: They served the most reasonably priced homemade pasta in town.

The menu contains vast selection of pasta, from standard Spaghetti Bolognese, to the complex Gamberoni Grigliati Con Spaghetti All' Alio e Olio. Creative patron could improvise, to mix certain their favorite pasta, with any sauce available plus selection of beef, sausage or seafood toppings. Some selection of Italian antipasti and soups are also available. But beware, they don't serve pizza.


We ordered Zuppa di Fungi and Caesar Salad to start with, and 2 pasta course. The soup was excellent, thick, creamy, with decent aroma and texture of the mushroom. Unfortunately, the salad is nothing to tell about.


Our 2 pasta dishes was served with matching tomato-based and cream-based sauce. My lasagna is topped with fresh tomato, cooked and moist, and leaving me wondering on how to made one. My last experience with fresh tomato left me with dry tomato and very moist pizza dough in the oven. Refreshing is better word than sour to describe the taste of the sauce.



A word of caution though, once you taste the cream-based ravioli, never go back to tomato. The thick heavy cream sauce make the tomato sauce sour. It is a perfect cream though, especially combined with spinach ravioli. Eat the ravioli in whole, and on the first bite, the spinach will burst with the cream sauce, filling in your mouth, triggering an exquisite sensation.


I drink my cup of Capucino, just to make sure I didn't fall asleep after such relaxing lunch. We were slightly distracted with the smoke coming from the cigarette of a lady behind us. It certainly would be worse during crowded weekdays lunch time, so it would be better to eat on the weekend, when you can have the restaurant all by yourself.

Our bill came with less than Rp. 200.000, a fair price to pay for such great lunch.

Olio Cafe Italiano
Plaza Kuningan South Tower
Phone: +62 (21) 5206654