A favorable change of heart at Bistro Garden

Malls are not the best of places to sit down and savor a heartening meal. Or so has been the rather persnickety view of Epicurus during treks through the marble-covered floors of many a Jakarta shopping emporium.

Food courts? Well, the hodgepodge of culinary offerings may suffice if the senses of sight and sound can withstand the onslaught of gaggles of children running helter-skelter with assorted nannies in tow, or finding oneself sitting cheek-to-jowl with strangers amid growing mountains of dirty trays during crowded weekday lunch hours.

Epicurus, a creature of habit and a decided lover of peace and quiet, is loathe to venture too far into that madding crowd. Eat and run? Safety in numbers? No, thank you.

Of course, nestled among the boutiques and stores are also to be found assorted cafes and upmarket restaurants touting their fare for the well-heeled masses. Once again, yours truly is apt to make a frenzied beeline in the other direction.

Belief is -- or was would perhaps be more appropriate -- that most of the aforesaid eateries catered more for those cell-phone- touting-people-about-town who put food on second billing behind a craven desire to make their presence known. As in "I'm sitting here in this chintzy, overblown setting, so take a look at me, people".

A jaundiced view, to be sure, but toying with a limp lettuce leaf and blob of boiled egg in mayonnaise for some exorbitant plus-plus price tag fails to get Epicurus' digestive juices racing like one of Pavlov's pooches.

Selective exceptions were made, however, usually for a quick bite of a croissant and cup of coffee. Among the choice few of these eateries in the last couple of years was Bistro Garden, located on the third floor of Plaza Senayan.

Part of the attraction was the location, nestled far enough away from the hullabaloo and hijinks of one of the aforesaid food courts to allow respite.

And the rest of the appeal was undoubtedly its jukebox, with Epicurus learning by heart numbers of personal favorites (tops being 5413 from a certain movie soundtrack).

Curiously, the food was rarely sampled, save for "safe" mainstays of sandwiches and desserts. They were sufficiently satisfying, but not enough to consider writing a column praising their merits or flaying their flaws.

Well, sometimes one ventures a little further off the set culinary compass and is forced to eat humble pie, albeit the sweet-tasting one that comes from pleasant surprises after sticking doggedly to a misassumption.

A friend and colleague gushing about the pleasures of a night of dining at Bistro Garden was enough to qualify it for a review, although this food critic sat down at a booth at the restaurant with decidedly low expectations and an unwavering attitude of "make me like you".

Which Bistro Garden did, and in volumes, from the understated decor (it has been renovated) to the pleasant waiter in a smart, informal uniform of T-shirt and jeans (apparently there is a different theme every day).

Heaps of style, but what about the substance? After all, the nitty-gritty of what is dished up on the plate is what gets true diners into the restaurant and coming back for more. On this pivotal point, Bistro Garden won hands down.

Appetizers started the wooing. A light vol-au-vent smothered in a rich creamy sauce and with tender pieces of diced chicken was excellent, matched in taste, quality and presentation by sliced eggplant covered in cheese and tomato.

Main courses were an eclectic mix. Aforesaid friend opted for her favorite beef "zchnitzel", a dish tried on her previous trip to the restaurant. She confessed to being a trifle puzzled because it resembled more a beef stroganoff than the floured sliver of meat served with a twist of fresh lemon.

At the risk of leaving the reader baffled as to who was eating what, another friend and dining companion opted for the beef stroganoff. It closely resembled the "zchnitzel" (the menu's spelling); the only difference, we hazarded a guess, was the cut of meat and, in the stroganoff, a teasing hint of red wine. Either way, both dishes were pronounced delicious.

Epicurus set the ultimate challenge by ordering fish. A tall order because fish has never been a personal preference, an unpleasant legacy from childhood memories of pilchards and sardines. The selection was gindara, a delicious flaky white fish neither too mushy or fishy-tasting for the squeamish.

Admiring words were also in order for the desserts and drinks. Companions sang the praises of the "opini", a heavenly concoction of mixed juices and yogurt. From the dessert tray, the crme brle and chocolate cake were judged winners, a class above those frequently found dessert-as-a-grudging-afterthought selections.

Although Bistro Garden is not cheap (both beef dishes were Rp 39,500, the appetizer of eggplant Rp 27,500) its prices are on par with other restaurants of this ilk, with the notable attraction that the food is also good. After a satisfying and pleasant lunch, Epicurus was more than glad to own up to a pleasant change of heart.

-- Epicurus