Bird flu, BSE scares still abound, eat fish instead!

Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

If you are bored eating hamburgers or fried chicken and want something new, or if bird flu and mad cow disease still scare you, this place might be worth a visit.

Everything about fish -- with artificial fish, fishing rods, and old treasure boxes hanging on the wall -- is on offer here.

Fish & Co., started the business -- bringing all kinds of fishy dishes, with a seafood-in-a-pan concept -- last year at upmarket Mal Taman Anggrek, West Jakarta.

Although the dish is not so familiar to many diners here, when, in 1839, Charles Dickens referred in Oliver Twist to a "fried fish warehouse", he probably did not forecast that fried fish with chips would one day become one of Britain's most famous culinary delights.

And it was more than 20 years later that fish and chips finally became the talk of the town, making it the country's traditional favorite.

The fishy food here includes mussels, calamari, shrimp and fish, all served in a black iron pan.

To tempt diners' appetites, the house offers its "get-hooked" baked mussels served with garlic and lemon butter sauce, and fried or grilled calamari served with a dipping sauce on the side.

Then, for heavier courses, diners can opt for either the restaurants's "best fish and chips in town" or the award-winning seafood platter for one.

For those who crave cajun cooking, they can always consider the house grilled salmon served Cajun-style, or, if diners prefer a black pepper dish, they can try the grilled stingray served on banana leaf and topped with black pepper sauce.

Then, if there is still room left for dessert, the restaurant recommends ice bomber -- its own version of ice cream cake.

Unlike fish and chips in Britain, usually served with only salt and vinegar, that offered by the house is served with lemon butter sauce.

Although the deep-fried breaded fish is tender and juicy, the supposedly tangy lemon sauce is almost undetectable, leaving diners a bit confused as to whether the sauce is too sparse or the fish too large.

Although perfect chips should be crisp on the outside but soft and dry in the center, the ones served by the restaurant are too soft, leaving them totally beaten by the fries of a giant fast- food franchise.

With a platter full of seasonal dory fish, grilled calamari, and five pieces of grilled prawn served with Cajun-style rice, the seafood platter is savory -- except for the rice.

In comparison with the authentic, Cajun-style food served in southern parts of the U.S., the rice served by the house lacks the taste and aroma of the spices and herbs that are usually present in cajun cooking, and is too sticky.

However, the fish is surprisingly tender and moist, the calamari are juicy and the prawns -- best of all -- will certainly get diners hooked.

Once diners are full and need a drink to wash down those heavy meals, they can always order iced lemon tea, or better still, the house special pink passion.

For diners with adventurous tastebuds, the pink passion may be the best option. With a funky fusion of pineapple, orange, cranberry and honey, and with a stem of artificial cherry, the drink is certainly refreshing, leaving fruit punch at the starting gate.

At a price of around Rp 55,000 (US$6.50) plus tax per person (except for the seafood platter) the restaurant is quite expensive for a "semi" fast-food chain, especially if it is aimed at teenage diners, who mostly just want to hang out with friends and forget the price list.

Fish & Co., Mal Taman Anggrek; 4th floor/419; Jl. Let. Jen. S. Parman Kav. 21, Slipi, West Jakarta. Tel: 56998575