A revolution of good taste at the "Bastille"

JAKARTA (JP): At a party not too long ago, amid the young diplomats and other impresarios of Jakarta-chic, a bearded, cigar-smoking man strode about in a grease smattered chef's uniform, apparently unconcerned with the power chatting he was missing.

At a question about his outfit, he mumbled something, went to rummage around in a bag, and returned with his card. Chef J. Dupain, proprietor of A La Bastille.

The French Dupain has definitely recreated a piece of his mother country at the six-year-old Bastille, but don't start conjuring up images of chandeliers and white glove service.

In a building that looks like a bistro airlifted from the back streets of a French resort town, his restaurant consists of one brightly wallpapered room, complimented by strings of tricolors and Christmas lights.

The atmosphere is relaxed and without the self-consciousness that plagues most restaurants that serve European food in Jakarta, which invariably fall flat by doing the complicated poorly instead of the simple well.

A La Bastille belies its name; there's nothing revolutionary or aggressive here, and the virtues of simplicity and making patrons feel at home are well understood. Even the flashing lights are charming instead of hokey.

There are no pretensions towards haute cuisine either. Hearty food prevails on the menu; snails, Bouillabaisse, steak au poivre, ratatouille, pureed vegetables, potatoes, the type of food found in neighborhood restaurants all over France.

There are problems though. In general, a lack of precision in the preparation ends up with bland food that has the potential for a better grade.

The Bouillabaisse is an example; you can taste the kinship to the really good stuff, but only faintly. There's a lack of boldness to it and most of the tastes fade out on the tongue.

Butter ends up as the predominant flavor in this and a number of other dishes.

The salads, rarely a strong point of any local restaurant, are not what they could be, with faded greens and innocuous dressings.

Worth criticizing also is the quality of the steak. Given the cost of prime meat here, this is understandable; a really good cut would be priced well above the level of the restaurant.

This granted, it still drives down the quality of the meal.

A similar problem is that while there is wine, it is inordinately expensive.

But for some reason, these shortcomings are easily forgiven after a few drinks, listening to a maudlin post-war French torch singer on the tape player and a little conversation with friends. A La Bastille strikes a chord rarely heard in Jakarta.

Blessedly not in a hotel or a mall, and not a dual function restaurant/pub/cafe, it avoids the prevailing air of institutionality at most of the expensive local restaurants.

There's an absence of incongruity in the restaurant that's, well, incongruous for Jakarta. All the separate pieces match.

The service and presentation are appropriate to the style of the restaurant and you'll neither feel neglected nor hovered over.

If you're looking for a low key evening somewhere that isn't desperate to be all things at once, you could do a lot worse than storm the Bastille. It's a warm, human and personal place, which makes its price tag (about Rp 90,000 for two, with drinks) worth it.

Business tends to be slack during the week, although on weekends the restaurant is said to be quite crowded and reservations may even be necessary. A La Bastille is located at 30 Jl. Yusuf Adiwinata, Menteng, Central Jakarta.

Mark Messier