Bumbu's seasoning spices up eclectic decor<\/p>\n
\"Where does one get a good, reasonably priced Indonesian
\nmeal?\" friends visiting the city recently asked me.<\/p>\n
An expansive wave in the direction of my local roadside food
\nstall would not have sufficed, even though the food-loving
\nmother-of-three who runs it makes a mean rice-meat-and-veg take-
\nout.<\/p>\n
They were looking for somewhere a little more refined, where
\nthe fried chicken would not come with an extra topping of bus
\nfumes and where there would be a more substantial chair than a
\nrickety wooden bench.<\/p>\n
So I took them to Bumbu, which opened about six weeks ago
\nunder the shadow of the soaring Landmark Center towers on Jl.
\nJend Sudirman. I'd been once before, on the recommendation of a
\nGreek-American financial consultant, and thought it deserved a
\nsecond visit.<\/p>\n
If its name, Indonesian for seasoning, conjures up images of
\ndelectable local offerings served in traditional surroundings, be
\nprepared for a shock.<\/p>\n
There is no other way to describe the surroundings than
\ntastefully eclectic but at odds with the cuisine. One thing the
\nrestaurant-cum-cafe is not is a potpourri of Indonesian designs,
\na bit of Java here, Sumatra there and Sulawesi yonder.<\/p>\n
No, it is more modern Western minimalism combined with a twist
\nof Louis Quatorze. One could be in any European or American city,
\nexcept that the chairs would look more at home in Versailles than
\ndowntown Manhattan. And it still feels new, as if the furniture
\nhas just been unwrapped, and the place is still trying to develop
\nits own personality.<\/p>\n
Don't let this put you off. The almost characterless
\natmosphere -- more reminiscent of the Wendy's next door and not
\nimproved by tinny 1970s and 1980s muzak blaring out at too high a
\nvolume -- should change over time and the food is, on the whole,
\nwell worth it.<\/p>\n
There are few frills, which makes a refreshing change from the
\nmany places in town that try that little bit too hard to be
\nclever. Just as JP Bistro at the Hotel Aryaduta prides itself in
\nits basic Western cooking, Bumbu can justifiably take pride in
\nits Indonesian equivalent.<\/p>\n
Top billing would have to go to the ayam panggang kecap, or
\nbarbecued chicken in a soy sauce. It is by far the best I have
\nhad in Indonesia and worth going back for even if nothing else
\nis.<\/p>\n
But good dishes rarely come by themselves, and whatever you
\nchoose from the menu of 30-odd items should satisfy both your
\nquality and quantity controls.<\/p>\n
None of the dishes was small and so unless you want, for
\nexample, liters of Soto Betawi -- a deliciously subltle meat and
\nvegetable broth -- order several dishes and share them among your
\ngroup.<\/p>\n
Few native Jakartans would say many of the dishes are spicy
\nenough, a tasty exception being the ikan Bumbu balado -- spicy
\nfish wrapped in banana leaves -- but there is plenty of homemade
\nsambal on hand for addicts for whom any meal is incomplete
\nwithout a bath of spicy sauce to drown their fare in.<\/p>\n
Other dishes that, while not being mind-blowing, were
\ndelicious, included the udang saus mentega -- prawns in a butter
\nsauce -- ayam bumbu -- chicken in a mildly spicy soup-like sauce
\n-- and the sate ayam. But really anything, however basic it
\nsounds on the menu, and most of the items do, should hit the
\nappropriate spot.<\/p>\n
Even though it is near the back of the menu, the martabak -- a
\nconcoction of vegetables encased in a delicate crispy batter and
\nthen fried -- serves as a great appetizer.<\/p>\n
The only culinary complaint we had was the vegetables. The
\nsayur asam, a mixture of vegetables in a tamarind-flavored sauce,
\nand gado-gado were both on the dull side, and the kangkung
\nbalacan spicy greens were overcooked.<\/p>\n
As the rupiah disappears further and further down the world
\ncurrency waste pipe, more and more people are paying closer
\nattention to restaurant bills. But at about Rp 30,000 (US$5.30) a
\nhead Bumbu will not bankrupt you, or not this week anyway.<\/p>\n
-- Epicurus<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bumbus-seasoning-spices-up-eclectic-decor-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }