Big bites of hearty fare at the Aryaduta's JP Bistro

Big bites of hearty fare at the Aryaduta's JP Bistro

JAKARTA (JP): After dealing with our taxi's engine trouble but
saved by the exceptionally helpful driver, it was with a warm
glow and renewed faith in the human spirit that we were shown to
our table in the JP Bistro at Hyatt Aryaduta Jakarta.

We decided to take the opportunity to survey our surroundings
at leisure. Although this particular eatery calls itself a
bistro, it is, in fact, much more. The decor is grand palais
rather than rustic provencale, and there is not a red check
tablecloth or napkin in sight. The predominant mood is mellow
autumnal with contrasting light and dark wood paneling
prevailing, all of which is accentuated by a wonderful parquet
floor.

Having lethargically surveyed our surrounds and,
surreptitiously, our fellow diners, the vast majority of whom
were Westerners, it was now time to survey the menu, which was
quite short, as one would expect in a bistro. Curiously though,
despite the bistro appellation, there was a glaring dearth of
French cuisine on the menu, apart from a solitary bisque and the
old reliable coq-au-vin. The menu also contained an Indonesian
section, various Chinese dishes, as well as pasta favorites and
miscellaneous items such as Hungarian goulash -- definitely a
case of East meets West with a little bit of Central Europe
thrown in for good measure.

Time to order! I decided to kick off with the Seafood Chowder
at Rp 31,000, while my companion succumbed to her oriental
cravings by opting for the Lumpia Goreng (deep fried Indonesian
spring rolls with peanut sauce) at Rp 23,000. Well, my chowder
turned out to be hearty and satisfying, no doubt just what a
Breton fisherman would enjoy tucking into on a foul winter's day
(if he wasn't already fed up to the teeth with fish). It was
generously laden with squid and chunks of various types of fish
about the names of which our waitress was, unfortunately, unable
to enlighten us. My companion pronounced her lumpia to be
exceedingly delicious before almost starting to doze off in the
corner.

It was then on to the entrees. There my companion finally
settled for the Breaded Veal Escalope Viennese Style with Potato
Salad (Rp 85,000), which our waitress assured us was an excellent
choice. While my companion professed to be quite satisfied with
what she had been given, she did in the end admit to finding it
quite heavy going. Her comment put her finger on something that
had been lurking in the back of my mind since I first noticed the
kind of dishes being served up at neighboring tables -- namely
that the food served in the JP Bistro is primarily of the heavy,
northern European variety. For myself, hungry beast that I am,
this was akin to manna from heaven, but for those who tend to
peck, chicken-like, at their food, the large portions could prove
daunting. The JP Bistro certainly doesn't seem to believe in any
newfangled notions like nouvelle cuisine.

Given the miserable, wet weather and the rain beating against
our window, I decided to be a hog and go for the 180 gram Grilled
Australian Beef Tenderloin (Rp 95,000). This turned out to be a
mouth-watering, taste-bud sensation which literally did melt in
the mouth. The tenderloin was served with a major dollop of
delicious, buttery mashed potatoes (with the other choices in the
spud department being French fries, baked potatoes or country
potatoes) and a choice of red wine or mushroom sauce. I opted for
the red wine sauce, which proved to be exquisitely creamy and
tangy. The only gripe here was that while the first half of the
meat started out medium as ordered, by the time I had advanced to
the second half of the meat, I was definitely into well-done
territory. Do chefs ever really pay attention to how we want our
meat cooked?

Well, by this stage we were both pretty bloated but, after a
suitable period of R&R, we decided to chance our arms with
dessert. I went for the Warm Apple Strudel with Vanilla Sauce (Rp
22,000) which turned out to be nothing less than delectable,
while my companion indulged herself with the Swiss Cheesecake
with Raspberry Sauce (Rp 22,000). Despite lamentations about how
much damage it would do to her diet (honored a great deal more in
the breach than the observance, it would seem), it was also
pronounced delicious.

We left JP Bistro feeling well sated and at ease with the
world, just the way one should feel after leaving a fine eatery.
Not only does it have slick service and an attractive ambience,
it also has great food and portions which won't leave your
stomach growling for more. (Bill Blake)