Dorchester hotel features Indonesian culinary delight<\/p>\n
LONDON (JP): Indonesia is an archipelago with thousands of
\nislands, each with its own variety of delicacies, fruits, fish,
\nvegetables and spices.<\/p>\n
A hint of its culinary wealth has recently been provided to
\noutsiders by Sri Owen's newly published book Indonesian Regional
\nFood and Cookery (Doubleday) which combines recipes with travel
\nnotes and evocative line drawings. And it is now possible to
\nsample many of these archipelagic delights in a most unlikely
\nplace: Nusa Dua.<\/p>\n
Nusa Dua in south-eastern Bali, which in former times was
\navoided except for turtle-watching or high-risk surfing, is an
\narid limestone peninsula, ugly, infertile and sparsely inhabited.
\nIt possesses one of the world's most exquisite architectural
\nassemblages, the temple of Ulu Watu, cliff-perched on its very
\ntip 300 feet above the savagely lashing sea.<\/p>\n
Now the nearby landscape of limestone rocks, scrub and
\nmangroves, geographically and culturally almost separate from
\nBali, has become an almost Hollywood style paradise for the rich.
\nA focal point made up of up-market hotels, and also, not entirely
\nincidentally, the location of the most famous and esteemed school
\nfor training hotel staff (including chefs) in the Far East.<\/p>\n
Paramount among the hotels for its architecture (much
\nimitated), its gardens and its food, is the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel.<\/p>\n
Currently, for three weeks, the fabled Dorchester Hotel, Park
\nLane, London, is holding a festival of the best in Indonesian
\nfood, especially Balinese, and it has imported to its Oriental
\nRestaurant two master chefs from this hotel in an effort to
\nconvince the gourmets of London that Indonesian cuisine can hold
\nits own against French, Chinese, Thai, Italian and Japanese as
\namong the world's best.<\/p>\n
I went there at lunchtime to a table decorated with Balinese
\ncarved wooden ducks and frilly arrangements of snipped palm
\nfronds.<\/p>\n
Spicy<\/p>\n
Indonesian food is spicy, but the spices are not the same as
\nin Thai food, which it most closely resembles. Yes, ginger,
\nchilies, turmeric, coconut-milk, galingale and lime-leaves are
\nused, but there was no sign of any lemon-grass, which is the
\npredominant flavoring in Thai food (ground peanuts take over),
\nand the proportions were different.<\/p>\n
I started with Ayam Pelala (shredded chicken with chilies and
\nlime), delicate and delicious, followed by Soto Ayam (Madurese
\nchicken soup), a minced seafood satay and then Bebek Betutu
\n(spiced duck cooked in a banana-leaf parcel), a dish I would
\ngladly endure jet lag for to eat again. The meal was finished
\nwith slices of fresh tropical fruits served with an exquisite
\ncoconut-cream ice and coffee.<\/p>\n
The choices are enormous and includes several varieties of
\nRijstafel, a meal consisting of rice served with a variety of
\naccompanying dishes such as meat, seafood and vegetables, dating
\nback to the coffee and rubber planters' palates of Dutch colonial
\ntimes.<\/p>\n
When the Dorchester's Festival ends on Jan. 28 it will be
\nalmost impossible to find these dishes in London, where there are
\nno authentic Indonesian restaurants. You will have to go to Bali!<\/p>\n
-- Nicholas Guppy<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/dorchester-hotel-features-indonesian-culinary-delight-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }