Chianti serves Continental fare
Bill Blade, Contributor, Jakarta
They do say that all good things come to those who wait, "they" no doubt being well-versed in such matters.
In my experience, though, I've generally found that "they" basically wouldn't know a good thing if it jumped out and whacked them on the head.
An exception to this, however, has been my recent experience with the Chianti Classico Bistro (or Chianti C for short), where "they" seemed to have it more or less off to a tee, for once.
The problem arose the first time I attempted to satiate my raging hunger pangs way back at the end of November by taking a long detour out of my way to Chianti C (located in that rapidly developing business district known as Mega Kuningan). My distraught eyes almost popped out of their sockets with shock to read the large notice posted up on the expansive plate glass window of what was obviously a forlorn and desolate eatery: "Closed for renovations until mid-December," it screamed out to a horrified your's truly.
What a bummer! But, as "they" in their infinite wisdom had attempted to assure me, all good things, or at least many good things, did come my way at Chianti C, albeit after putting in a month's wait and coming back to Mega Kuningan the week before Xmas, a' droolin' and a' dribblin' like never before (a month is a long time to go without dinner!).
Having prudently phoned ahead this time, myself and the companion found ourselves welcomed in a friendly, down-to-earth manner that held out the prospect of something special in store: an eatery where the staff (both waiting and kitchen), take pride in their calling and put in that extra effort to ensure that the diner enjoys a meal to remember.
My Christmas visit to Chianti C wasn't, in fact, the first time I'd set fork to plate there. But, as a result of the pre- December renovations, the place had taken on a new and decidedly more "with-it" look. While the former Chianti C was as true an incarnation of a classic bistro as you're likely to find anywhere this side of the Old Continent, the new version is altogether much trendier, and almost has the feel of a boutique restaurant, while still, thankfully, managing to retain its friendly, homey atmosphere.
And while the old Chianti C was dark and could get ever so slightly hot and crowded on weekends with the diners all packed in tightly together, its new incarnation is as airy, cool and bright as you could wish for.
Truth to tell, though, I'm not quite sure which I prefer, the old version or the new, improved version.
As for the food, no changes at all that I could detect. In other words, the diner is guaranteed the same excellent Continental cuisine -- with the accent on Italian and Spanish -- that this particulary eatery has been serving up since 1998. And no skimping on the portions either. In true bistro tradition, you'll come away a few kilos the heavier unless you exercise some serious self-restraint -- take it from me!
Round One: The Appetizers.
We decided to set the ball rolling with a soup course: Mussel Soup for your's truly and Creme de Champignons for the partner (Rp 24,900 for all soups). Both delicious: five juicy mussels in a tangy, tomato soup for me, and a truly creamy, almost voluptuous, broth replete with lots of squishy, smoky mushrooms for the partner. No complaints here!
Round Two: The Entrees.
Appetites well-whetted by our salacious soups, we decided to go the whole hog and get stuck into some serious nosh: the roast duck's breast in bigarade sauce pour moi (Rp 69,900) and some good old spaghetti carbonara (Rp 52,900) for my by-this-stage purring, Chesire-cat faced partner.
The duck was actually a little bit of a shot in the dark on my part as a reasonably edible bigarade sauce is a rarity indeed around these parts. Supposed to be tangy and slightly sour, what you normally get in Jakarta eateries is a brown sauce that tastes like its been left boiling on the hob for half a day: something that's not normally fit to be fed to the dog let alone aspiring bon vivants!
No such horror was served up by Chianti C, thank heavens, and what I got was a bigarade sauce to give the best of them a run for their money. Plus a mouthwateringly tender, well-textured half-roast duck and crispy fried potatoes -- a real treat from the cooler climes of Northern Europe.
As for my partner's spaghetti carbonara, this once again surpassed expectations: a mountain of wonderfully al dente spaghetti smothered with rich cream sauce, loaded with spicy, smoky beef bacon, and all laid out under a fluffy blanket of fromaggi Parmesano.
Given the portions served up earlier by our generous hosts, dessert seemed by this stage to be more of a trial than a temptation. But duty calls, and all that, and I shortly found myself confronted by an enormous slice of liquid-center chocolate cake (Rp 24,500), while my partner was on the receiving end of an equally humongous, and delectable, slice of cheesecake (also Rp 24,500).
Following a couple of cups of Espresso, we decided to call it a night and waddled off fully sated through the misty wastes of Mega Kuningan to look for a taxi, more than a little satisfied with ourselves and the state of the world, and safe in the knowledge that the Chianti C Bistro still has all that it takes to put a smile on the face of even the most fastidious of diners. Well recommended!
Chianti Classico Bistro, Kawasan Mega Kuningan, Menara Rajawali (you can call them on 576-1601). All prices quoted above are exclusive of 15.5% tax and service.