Ajengan, a tempting taste of Bali on the quiet

Ajengan, a tempting taste of Bali on the quiet

Bruce Emond, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The shuffle of feet and the sound of a cassette quickly being
shoved into a tape player was the initial greeting when we
entered Ajengan one night last month.

"It must be to drown out the echo," my friend quipped,
surveying the quieter than quiet environs as the rising strains
of Balinese gamelan music did away with the awkward silence.

For it was a server-to-patron ratio of 3-1, an indulgence I
was to enjoy on nearly every trip to the restaurant, save for one
rather disastrous outing (more on that later).

Ajengan, which had come to my attention through a TV business
segment about small entrepreneurs making it in the big city, is
found amid the maze of abbreviated streets of Jl. Panglima Polim.
It's a distinctive, rather incongruous piece of Balinese
architecture standing out from the crowd of residences, hip
restaurants and convenience stores vying for space.

The front gate with the parasols leads into a small garden
patio and then the restaurant, with sturdy wooden tables and
chairs and walls decked out with Balinese art.

I had my reservations about the place; the vaunted promises of
those carefully produced business shows often prove hollow, with
the taste test revealing establishments which, despite good
intentions, fail to do justice to the food they claim to offer.

With my interest in Balinese cuisine piqued by an interview
with Janet De Neefe, an Australian-born restaurateur who has made
the study of Balinese food her passion, but with trips to the
island few and far between, I wanted to try out a Balinese
restaurant closer to home.

No, not the half-baked efforts of mall food courts or fancy
hotel restaurants, for Balinese food does not seem to travel as
well as its counterparts from Padang or Manado.

Instead, I thought to try the cuisine in a restaurant that
touts itself as offering a real taste of Balinese home cooking,
one that had no less than restaurant expert Laksmi Pamuntjak
writing, "Usually, the idea of a Balinese restaurant in Jakarta
is met with sniggers and raised eyebrows, but wait until you've
eaten at this place ... It really is rather good," in her
definitive Jakarta Good Food Guide.

De Neefe had compared the sharp, pungent flavors of Balinese
cuisine to the kecak dance -- "it's got guts!" -- but it's also a
case of concocting the proper blend without throwing the whole
spice rack in out of confusion.

I went to Ajengan the first time and was quickly hooked,
loving the subtle but perceptible use of ginger, kencur
(resurrection lily), turmeric and other spices in the dishes we
tried.

Sure, the food has been "localized" to non-Balinese tastes and
sensitivities; like some Manado restaurants, it does not feature
pork on its menu or the other, more "exotic", game meats.

And although the famed banana stem in chicken broth and
special Bali condiments was never to be had despite being on the
menu ("We can't find a supplier for the banana stem," the waiter
said, a rather bemusing explanation in this tropical land), we
quickly found some firm favorites that proved nothing was lost in
the taste translation.

The be siap sambel matah (roasted chicken in a Balinese
dressing of crushed shallots, garlic and chili) is a powerful,
aromatically heady mix, a stimulating sensation for the taste
buds and a guaranteed clearer of the sinuses.

We also feasted on be siap sisit (shredded chicken in shrimp
paste), delicious with a steaming mound of freshly cooked rice
and emping (melinjo) crackers.

As well as the chicken dishes on the menu, there are plenty of
vegetables to select from; the bean sprouts in a peanut sauce,
similar to gado-gado but with the crunch still in the vegetables,
jukut lawar kacang panjang (chopped green beans in coconut and
spices, a Balinese karedok) and the tantalizing soft tofu with
chili made sure my vegetarian friend did not go hungry.

There is much more on the menu, including fish (a non-fish
eater myself, I gave the kakap and tongkol a miss), Bali's famous
duck, either roasted or pan-fried until dry, and duck's eggs in
spices.

Ajengan has been a great discovery for me, a place to take the
uninitiated to try out some new discoveries. Unfortunately, if
our experience one Sunday night when a group of birthday
celebrants was in the restaurant is any indication, it seems to
find it difficult to cater to large groups at the same time.

Without getting into the drama of it all, we waited -- and
waited -- for 45 minutes, during which time our fellow diners
took pity on us and gave us some of their birthday cake as
various waitpeople (unfailingly polite, even in facing up to
complaining me) seemed to be commandeered to help out the
overloaded kitchen staff.

However, we choose to see this as the lone blight on our
dining record at Ajengan. Hopefully, business will pick up, and
the kitchen staff will be able to cope with the traffic. But we
warn you to get there before word gets out, or else you will find
yourself jostling for a seat.

Ajengan
Jl. Panglima Polim 1/65, South Jakarta
Tel. 021-722-0227