Chang Purk's exterior belies very good food

Penn Dawson, Contributor, Jakarta

There is a saying that we should not judge a book by its cover, which goes along with the idea that it is what's inside that counts.

Generally speaking, however, while nice in theory, in practice books are judged by their covers and if the outside is not attractive, people will not bother to have a look inside.

Someone should have told the owner of Chang Purk, a new Thai restaurant located, more or less, across the street from Le Meridien Hotel and next to the Standard Chartered building that eateries with even the dimmest hope of being stylish and hip don't put up ugly walls out front that block off the entire view of the building and otherwise dress themselves up as a "military dormitory", which is how someone described it.

It is a fascinating experience, that first visit to Chang Purk, particularly, if like me, you had passed by it numerous times in a car and been intrigued by that glimpse of the restaurant's roof that you get from the street.

The outside is just so ugly that one expects much the same from the inside. You go to Chang Purk that first time hoping the food is good, and bracing yourself from an interior taken straight from the high school cafeteria school of design.

Well, the food is good, and the inside of Chang Purk looks nothing like a cafeteria. It is, in fact, one of the most striking and stylish restaurants in Jakarta. The effect of walking into this absolutely beautiful restaurant, which is so unexpected, almost justifies, even explains the ugly exterior.

Location: Chang Purk is located at Jl. K.H. Mas Mansyur No. 13. Although the address is Jl. K.H. Mas Mansyur, it is really Jl. Casablanca, just across the way from Le Meridien, right before Jl. Casablanca crosses Jl. Sudirman. You can just see the sign with the restaurant's name above the wall that was apparently put up to block out the noise of traffic or to keep the restaurant's presence a secret so the wait staff inside wouldn't be overwhelmed by any big crowds. The telephone number is 572-2152 or 572-2153.

Hours: 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m/6:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m., seven days a week.

Looks: First, Chang Purk is a very big restaurant; massive, almost, and very impressive. Wood is the main motif, and there seems to be acres of it inside. The whole dining area is centered around the bar that stands in the middle of the room.

It is not really a bar, where one pulls up a stool and has a beer. It is more of a drink preparation area, where the drinks ordered by diners are prepared. It is somewhat unusual, and I cannot remember ever having seen such an arrangement in another restaurant.

Another eye-catching and stylish touch is the indoor gazebos, under which diners can savor their meals in utter style. And over in the corner are semi-private tables, which you get to by way of a kind of rock-lined path, and gurgling away next to the tables are little water fountains. The whole effect is of dining outdoors, next to a little brook in some peaceful field. Or something of the sort.

When you enter Chang Purk, the bar is immediately to your left. And this is the real bar, where you do pull up a stool and have a beer. Its official name is the Hmong Room: Bar and Cigar Lounge, but I think we can dispense with the formalities and call it the bar. It is set off from the dining room by a glass wall that completely encloses the bar. There are some few small, round tables set out, and you go up a step to get to the bar itself. The whole area is largish and comfortable, if not quite so stylish as the restaurant itself. It has the full selection of drinks, including the oh so necessary wine list that every self- respecting bar these days must have.

Taste Factor: Nicely complimenting this stylish restaurant is an extensive menu of some very good Thai food. Our party of three started the meal with Tom Yam Kung, Tom Yam Seafood and Chicken Pandan.

The Tom Yam comes in single servings, so you can't order a bowl for the whole table. The soup stands up quite nicely when compared to other Thai restaurants in the city, and is a very good way to start the meal. The Chicken Pandan was tender, and only a tad greasy, compared to similar dishes drowning in grease ladled up at similar restaurants.

Next came the main course, which consisted of Dried Beef Curry, Chicken Curry, Grilled Tiger Prawns and Kangkung (translated here as "sauteed early morning" although other places call the green morning glory).

The tiger prawns came in two and were succulent, though some at the table found them a bit off putting because they came in their shells with little legs and eyes still attached. But the meat beneath the shells was worth the effort of cracking them open.

The kangkung, which is a personal favorite, did not disappoint. It was crisp but tender, cooked up in a wonderfully tasteful sauce. The curry was excellent as well, with a not too heavy coconut milk sauce and with the addition of leunca, the tiny green vegetables.

The dried beef curry was slivers of meat covered in a red chili sauce, with heapings of basil. Again, a very tasty, satisfying choice.

Service: Chang Purk can be rightly proud of its food and its stylish decor, but really its best asset may be its friendly and helpful staff. A hostess who seemed genuinely pleased that we had chosen her restaurant for dinner promptly greeted us.

Our waiter was very friendly, but did not hover in the least. He was there when we wanted to order our food or get another drink, and he appeared when the check was needed, but he was out of sight the rest of the time, as a good waiter should be. Chang Purk has assembled a fantastic staff that does the restaurant proud.

Price: Chang Purk is a bit expensive, thought not so much as some other restaurants. It is all relative, after all. The Chicken Curry was Rp 50,000; Dried Beef Curry Rp 55,000; Grilled Tiger Prawn Rp 69,000; Chicken Pandan Rp 30,000; Tom Yam Kung Rp 35,000; Tom Yam Seafood Rp 35,000; Kangkung Rp 30,900; and Thai Rice Rp 15,000.

Add in a couple of Thai ice coffees, two melon juices and three Singha Thai beers and the total amount was Rp 572,209. For three people, that is a bit expensive. But if you want good food in extremely stylish surroundings it will cost a bit.

Verdict: Good food, good people, good decor. Chang Purk has put it all together to offer Jakarta a very impressive restaurant, that holds its own quite nicely against the city's top restaurants. It is just a shame it looks so ordinary from the outside, if you can even spot it behind its wall.