Savor some ASEAN cuisine downtown<\/p>\n
By Ati Nurbaiti<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): It's possible to get to know popular dishes of
\nneighboring countries at a dining venue downtown. Consider it an
\nintroduction to an intriguing variety of daily fare, as new
\ntastes of familiar edibles are available at the ASEAN
\n(Association of Southeast Asian Nations) food festival.<\/p>\n
The Sari Nusantara Restaurant, on the ground floor of the Duta
\nMerlin shopping center on Jl. Gajah Mada, has joined in the
\nfanfare and is putting on a spread until Jan. 29. Note that the
\nbuffet, Rp 15,000 (US$6.94) plus tax, is only served during lunch
\nhours.<\/p>\n
For Indonesians and other Asians, it is a guarantee that the
\nexperience of eating foreign cuisine still means you get a full
\ntummy, as a deep bowl ensures an adequate supply of steaming
\nrice.<\/p>\n
Naturally the \"festival\" suits those not in the mood to pick
\nout dainty, sparsely arranged delicacies which come in a string
\nof courses.<\/p>\n
Seducing the appetite without diverting patrons' attention is
\nclearly what the management has in mind, as most of its noontime
\ndiners are executives entertaining potential clients and they
\nwant to keep business the focal point.<\/p>\n
Manager Suheri Hiustra commented that the executives seem too
\nbusy to more than glance at the buffet decorated by the flags of
\nIndonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei and the
\nPhilippines. So perhaps business people are not among those of us
\nwho are curious about what our neighbors eat.<\/p>\n
The management claims the restaurant is a one-stop dining
\nplace for Southeast Asian food. But only one country's cuisine is
\nfeatured at a time.<\/p>\n
Also, it is disappointing to find the \"festival\" leaves out
\nBrunei and the Philippines -- a country famed for its colorful,
\nfestive people and dishes. There's just a few Filipino dishes
\noffered on the regular menu.<\/p>\n
Something else featured in the restaurant that seems to have
\nbecome crucial in Asian entertaining: the karaoke lounge \"for
\nVIPs\" in the 350-seat diner.<\/p>\n
If you patronize the restaurant this week it will be
\nMalaysia's turn until Nov. 27. And if you expect to find the
\ncooking of Sumatra's neighbor dominated by coconut milk you'll
\nfind the opposite to be the case.<\/p>\n
In fact there are no signs of the heavy, richly spiced gulai
\nor other variants containing coconut milk. The Malaysian buffet
\npresentation begins with a delicious sour and chili-hot soup, but
\nthe chili is kept to a minimum to give only a fresh hint of its
\npresence.<\/p>\n
Not with rice<\/p>\n
It isn't a soup to eat with rice because of the sago mixture
\nwhich thickens it. The ingredients include tofu and mushrooms.<\/p>\n
Then there's a choice of ribs, shrimp, fish and chicken. The
\nribs are well done in honey and pepper, but honestly there wasn't
\nmuch of either. The shrimp is cooked in blistering cheese - \"we
\ncall it shrimp crystal because the shrimp comes out golden and
\nflowery,\" said a waiter.<\/p>\n
The chicken comes out interesting because of the momordica
\n(pare) in the chili and ketchup sauce. The other way around is
\nalso true -- pare comes out nice with chicken, because not
\neveryone likes the bitter gourd on its own.<\/p>\n
Besides meat and fish, tofu is another choice, its sauce
\nhinting at a seasoning which has crossed many borders: tauco,
\nfermented bean paste.<\/p>\n
Tauco is popular in Cianjur, West Java. Again the chef was
\nvery careful not to overdo its strong sour taste. As he was a
\ntrifle too busy that afternoon we were left to wonder whether the
\ndish, mapo tahu is really popular in Malaysia, or whether it was
\nthe cook's concoction.<\/p>\n
After the Malaysian spread, Thai food reigns to Dec. 11,
\nSingaporean to Dec. 25 and Indonesian to Jan. 15. The last
\nfortnight of the promotion will offer an assortment of Southeast
\nAsian cuisine till Jan. 29.<\/p>\n
Most of the selection must be a surprise as the menu only
\nlists \"grilled lobster\" and \"flat shrimp meatballs\" from
\nThailand, and Filipino grilled fish.<\/p>\n
Finally, a variation in your coffee will undoubtedly be one
\nthat is not consumed at the end of the meal -- explore \"chicken
\nand coffee a la Brunei\"!<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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