Scusa means an excuse or pretext in Italian and one surely doesn’t need much of either of these in order to head down to what is surely one of the best Italian restaurants in Jakarta.  You will fi nd Scusa slap bang in the centre of town, down at the Intercontinental Jakarta Midplaza, which is just off the main Jl. Surdirman strip.

Inside, Scusa is a large, elegant restaurant with a modern, almost night clubby feel to it.  Indeed, there’s a newly refurbished stage area towards the restaurant’s rear on which live music can be heard on Friday and Saturday nights, as well as during Scusa’s Sunday brunches (which will set you back Rp.288,000++ by the way and which will also let you dine at the Intercontinental’s neighbouring Java restaurant in a great two-for-one deal). Scusa also sports a number of private dining rooms which you’ll fi nd upstairs at the top of a glittering staircase and which can be reserved by calling the above number.

Moving on to that magnifi cent Italian cuisine then, Scusa makes its own fresh pasta and imports a lot of its ingredients.  Simply pull up a table, marvel at the well-stocked wine cellar which is crammed with Italian, French, Australian, American, Chilean, Kiwi and South African vintages (Rp.92,000 - Rp.111,000 per glass) and peruse the menu.Whilst you’re doing that, why not take the edge of your appetite with some of the snacks that you’ll be presented with. Scusa goes well beyond the traditional breadsticks and serves its guests with walnut bread fi lled with feta cheese and an olive tepanade to dip into whilst they run down the dishes of the day.  Absolutely delicious in fact, just remember not to spoil your appetite too much for the feast to come.

Chef Antonio Massagli is a master of his craft and has been in charge of the culinary reins down at Scusa for over a year now.  Originally from the fi ne Tuscan town of Lucca, Chef Antonio knows his penne from his parmesan and is a whiz at various different Italian regional cuisines.We started our meal with a tasty Italian mushroom soup and then moved on to a plate of Paglia e Fieno (Rp.140,000) which is a delectable mix of home-made white and green tagliatelle, served with porcini mushrooms and duck ragout.  Mushrooms are one of the great motifs of Italian cuisine of course and this tasty dish was suffused with that irresistible porcini taste.  The white and green pasta are supposed to represent hay and grass and the dish has a superbly natural, rustic taste and texture.

Scusa also serves a comprehensive Italian seafood menu and we tried a Crisp Fried Barramundi Fillet (Rp.175,000).  This was another winner and was smothered in a delicious tangy sauce.  We also tucked into a pizza.  Pizzas are a new addition to the Scusa menu, believe it or not, as everyone’s favourite comfort food is not usually considered a high dining option. Scusa’s woodfi red pizza oven offers up decent enough fare though and our Prosciutto e Funghi was a fi lling mixture of ham and mushrooms.

All in all, a fantastic Mediterranean meal. Scusa is well worth a look if you’re an olive oil soaked gourmet, and who doesn’t like Italian cuisine, let’s be honest?  Head down in the evening and stay on after you’ve eaten to enjoy some cocktails, long drinks, live music and general nightclub ambience.  Those Italians like to party after all.