As stated on their Instagram bio, Salted Olive describes itself as “loosey-goosey Mediterranean-y”. Having visited the place twice, I can’t help chuckling at the description because it’s the perfect encapsulation: they specialize in Mediterranean/Middle Eastern dish yet the vibe doesn’t feel Mediterranean nor Middle Eastern. Instead, whimsy and quirks are splattered all over the restaurant. I mean, look at the little olives on the couch!
The ambiance is everything I could hope for: warm wood panels combined with colorful tiles, eccentric framed prints, warm lighting, funky indie tunes… The latter, however, was unfortunately interrupted by the staffs’ personal playlist that was blasted from the kitchen. I was there during slow hours and learning from my past work-from-cafe experiences, it’s expected. Apart from that, I had no other complaints with the service. Servers were friendly, quick and responsive.
Food was fantastic. I ordered fattoush salad and sous-vide potato fries for snacking. The salad tasted very fresh – and unique, since I don’t eat Middle Eastern dish often. The zest that came from the radish was quite unexpected. The crispy pita bread chips and the tender, yet crunchy vegetable chops complemented each other. I wish they could be more generous with the fries portion though.
I always love it when an establishment is not only powered by a cute identity branding, but also take their customer service seriously. I wrote a Google review regarding the disturbance I mentioned earlier – not forgetting to mention my acknowledgement of the carefully-curated music. Salted Olive promptly replied, assuring that it wont happen again. They’re also glad that I liked the music. I adore everything about this restaurant and will be back again.
Salted Olive
Wijaya Grand Centre, Jl. Wijaya II No.24 Blok C6 | Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan | Opening hours: 11.30 AM – 10 PM
