Popular Indonesian seafood cuisines have a style of their own. Served hot, delightfully raw and simple and accompanied with earth-shattering chili sauces. Some of these maritime treats are influenced by Chinese cooking, resulting in finger-smacking spicy-sour or salty flavors. Alternatively, the tempting roadside stalls are strong breaches of hygiene concerns.

Yet, someone had finally thought of the answer. D' Cost in Kemang provides the adventurous meals without the hassles and worries. In place of the cramped tents and overpowering fumes, you can now enjoy the road side-style food in a modern and clean atmosphere. As the slogan says, it's five-star services with five-digit costs.

• The Vibe
  D' Cost features three dining sections in its 1100 m space. The first and second section is a model of the perfect family restaurant with their light and colorful vibe, modern yet comfortable furniture with large tables. Due to the long waiting list on weekends, a comfortable waiting section is installed at front. A small, indoor smoking room is located inside the second dining section.

  If you are looking for a more romantic atmosphere, try the outside dining section. Greeneries and a pond complete with an arching bridge will enhance your dining experience. Of course, it would be better to enjoy this section at night if you do not want your meal to be swarmed with hungry flies.

• The Food
  Those who equals seafood with caviars or lobsters in mild avocado sauce might get a shock when experiencing the Indonesian style seafood. Yet, shocking as it is, it might be for their own good. Fresh fishes are grilled with old-fashioned coal with simple marinating of lime and salt. Eaten with the accompanying chilli sauce, you'll find out what you've been missing all along.

  Another fishy option is the Ikan Patin Tim or the steam-cooked Patin fish. This freshwater fish is cooked until soft and topped with savoury dressing along with fresh shallots and chilis. For an even more tantalizing flavor, dab a little of the terasi (fish paste) chilli sauce.

  Dare you try the Kepiting Lada Hitam or Crab with Black Pepper Sauce? This particular item will send waves of heat to your brain. However, at the same time, you'll find yourself probing deeper inside for more of the meat. No need to hide it, you're addicted to this crab in black! A common reaction of course, considering the marriage of the crab's sweet meat and the explosive hot sauce should be claimed the wedding of the century.

  Don't forget the light dishes! The crispy flour-covered calamari dish is probably a common sight, but using the terasi sauce as the dip gives it a whole new twist. For a sweet and milder experience, bite into the deep-fried floured prawn with mayonnaise and sesame seed dressing. Wash all of these delights down with fresh coconut juice, straight from the shell.

• The Services
  The restaurant pays quite an attention to its guests. Realizing that many can fall in love with its menu, it chooses to employ certain rules in terms of booking. D' Cost is often chosen as the place for casual business lunches or meetings, and sometimes the bookings can get out of hand. To avoid disappointing non-reserving customers, the restaurant always keep 100 free seats available. Mr Effendi, the manager claims that those who want to book D' Cost for their events would also have to live by this particular rule, so no chance of you having the place all for yourself, even if it's your birthday.

The SD Food Advisor's Take on D'Cost
D'Cost may seem a little too fast food-ish at certain points, but it is a regular restaurant by all means. A great place to eat with families and friends. Don't worry if the eating gets a little messy, using your hands is not a taboo. It would be best to ask the waiters about the menu items you are interested in, and if you don't want your food too spicy then you'd better mention that too. Again, be sure to come a little early on weekends since this place have tons of fans waiting their turn.