Heavenly fare from Bali at Aston Atrium<\/p>\n
Bill Blade, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
You're stuck, at around 6 p.m., in one of those hopelessly
\nvast, frustrating, and unavoidable traffic jams on Jl. Sudirman
\nwhen your mind begins to wander. As mild hunger sets in, it opens
\nup your senses for something salubrious.<\/p>\n
Wouldn't it be great, you think to yourself, to just close up
\nshop, hop on a plane and head to somewhere like Bali for a spell
\nof much-needed of R-and-R?<\/p>\n
Well, er, yes it would. But it would also, unfortunately, be
\nentirely impractical, and could most likely lead to serious
\nrepercussions on the job front.<\/p>\n
Never fear: What you can do is turn around and venture off in
\nthe direction of Senen, the Coffee Shop in the Aston Atrium Hotel
\nto be precise, and pamper yourself by checking out their Bali
\nFood Promotion, which runs through March 16.<\/p>\n
OK, alright, it's not the real thing -- there are no beaches
\nor cool hill resorts, but if you're into Balinese food, it's
\nabout as close to the real thing as you're likely to get in this
\nneck of the woods.<\/p>\n
Brought to Jakarta by Chef Nyoman Rudita from the Aston Hotel
\nin Bali, this is a rare opportunity to savor what Indonesia's
\npremiere holiday isle has to offer in the culinary arena.<\/p>\n
Trust me, you won't be disappointed.<\/p>\n
For your appetizer, you could try the kuah ares, a light soup
\nconsisting of tofu and onions, spiced up with a sprinkling of
\nchili. Not really my scene, but my Indonesian partner for the
\nevening proclaimed it delicious.<\/p>\n
For me, the highlight of the evening was the abundance of duck
\nand chicken dishes on offer, including spicy Bali chicken,
\nchicken and duck betutu, and good old traditional Balinese roast
\nduck with tauco.<\/p>\n
The duck betutu appeared particularly tempting and, truth be
\ntold, lived up in every way to its promise. The word betutu
\nactually means "yellow spice" in the Balinese language. The duck
\nis first seasoned with salt and pepper, stuffed with red and
\nwhite onions, chili, galingale and ginger, and then roasted.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Spicy Bali Duck was true to its name, without
\ncausing any mad dashes for the water dispenser.<\/p>\n
First coated and then covered with a paste made of chopped
\nonions, ginger, green chili, pomelo and lemongrass, this is a
\nsubtle and tantalizing dish that is seriously difficult to stop
\neating -- one of the problems inherent in any buffet worth its
\nsalt, I suppose.<\/p>\n
The roast duck with tauco (fermented bean paste), though, for
\nme had to be the star of the show, and judging by the other
\ndiners, I was not alone in being seduced. The deliciously crisp
\nand perfectly browned skin, and tender, aromatic flesh all served
\nto mark this out as a dish apart.<\/p>\n
Other treats on offer included kari ayam bualu (mild chicken
\ncurry with coconut milk), sate pusut sapi (skewers of barbecued
\nground beef -- good, but could have been a little spicier), and
\nthe ikan bakar (baked fish coated with chili -- wonderfully
\ntender.)<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, there is only a limited selection of Balinese
\ndeserts were available. But those on hand are quite memorable,
\nparticularly the pudding tape ubi. This turned out to be a
\npudding made from cassava, mixed with yeast so as to render it
\nsoft, plus jelly mixed with coconut milk, with the whole ensemble
\ntopped with a vanilla sauce. Absolutely delicious.<\/p>\n
There were, however, one or two complaints.<\/p>\n
The first and most serious was that by the time we arrived at
\nthe Aston Atrium at 8 p.m. (not exceptionally late for dinner,
\none would imagine), most of the dishes were already cool, and
\ngoing on cold.<\/p>\n
Of course, this is not such a major complaint when dealing
\nwith Balinese cuisine or Indonesian cuisine in general, as people
\nhere often prefer to eat their food cold.<\/p>\n
There was also, however, a notable absence of pork, which
\nstruck me as a little strange, given the importance of pork in
\nthe Balinese culinary tradition.<\/p>\n
But apart from these minor quibbles, for only Rp 55,000 per
\nperson (plus 11 percent tax and 10 percent service, excluding
\ndrinks), this is a veritable feast and enough to get one into
\nvacation-planning mood.<\/p>\n
Well recommended, overall.<\/p>\n
Bali Food Promotion, Aston Atrium Hotel, Jl. Senen Raya 135,
\nJakarta 10410 (you can call them on 3442828), running through
\nMarch 16 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily.<\/p>",
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