A revolution of good taste at the "Bastille"

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