Daeng Thai serves up traditional fare
Daeng Thai serves up traditional fare
JAKARTA (JP): Thai food lovers and those who covet delicious
fare of any culinary disposition should make a beeline to Daeng
Thai Restoran, an appetizing new addition to the Jakarta
restaurant scene.
The biggest problem we faced all evening was locating the
restaurant, which is carved out of the lobby of the new building
in the Wisma Prince complex on Jl. Sudirman.
Prospective diners should make a sharp left after the Toyota-
Astra showroom to arrive in front of the restaurant -- there is a
large Bank Dwipa sign on the building.
Daeng (which, appropriately, considering its location, means
prince in Buginese) is tastefully decorated with wooden tables
and chairs with Thai music playing softly in the background.
The waiters and waitresses, attired in traditional Thai
costume, are attentive, but discreet. Unlike some other Jakarta
restaurants, diners will not have to consider the possibility of
a restraining order to allow them to eat their meal in peace. But
it is the food, the centerpiece of any dining experience, which
is outstanding.
Daeng is a taste revelation for jaded diners for whom Thai
food means curries in turgid coconut milk sauces and the
smothering influence of chili powder.
Diners at Daeng are pleasantly assaulted with delicate taste
combinations blending the tartness of fresh lime juice, the
subtle aromatic fragrance of lemon grass, and nam pla, the staple
fish sauce of most Thai dishes.
Daeng is Thai dining with a decided difference because it does
not serve the hybrid of Thai-Chinese dishes found in most Thai
restaurants in Bangkok and abroad, according to Edmund Arriola, a
consultant at Daeng.
"Daeng's food is based on the traditional ways of cooking
found outside Bangkok and in the northern areas of Thailand,"
says Arriola, who has more than eight years experience in Thai
restaurants in Singapore.
"Thai-Chinese cuisine, which most people are familiar with, is
sweeter than traditional Thai food, which gets spicier as one
travels north."
Food
The appetizers were a delicious taste of things to come. The
mango salad, a julienne of young mangoes tossed in lime juice and
flecked with fresh chili and peanuts, was at once winningly spicy
and sweet.
The beef salad featured succulent cubes of tenderloin atop a
bed of fresh greens, tossed with a light lime juice and lemon
grass dressing.
There was also a traditional dish of chicken wings stuffed
with minced shrimp, which Arriola believes is found at no other
Thai restaurant in Jakarta.
A smattering of tangy tomato sauce enhanced the tasty wings,
which were not too oily or highly spiced. Daeng serves up its own
variation on Tom Yam, the Thai soup found on menus of many hotels
and restaurants across town.
Swimming with chunks of squid, red snapper, shrimp, and fresh
mushrooms, the soup is highly spiced with lime leaves and the
heady taste of lemon grass.
The broth is clear, which may surprise some diners who are
accustomed to hotels adding evaporated milk to create a milky red
color.
Next came the entrees. Yellow rice, presented in a half
pineapple and crowned with raisins, shrimp, chunks of chicken,
carrots and desiccated meat, was a meal in itself.
The green curry of chicken and eggplant was excellent, and not
too spicy for our tastes.
Diners with sensitive palates will be pleased to note that
Daeng's four Thai chefs can easily adjust the spice level o their
dishes. A heaping serving of baby kailan, braised in a garlic and
oyster sauce, won unanimous approval from the diners. Beef stir-
fry with ginger was a little too pungent for our party's palates,
but still very good.
The highlight of the evening was boneless pomfret with garlic.
The fish was crispy, with chunky white flakes sprinkled with
shavings of stir-fried garlic. It was mouth-wateringly good; one
diner, who usually does not eat fish, agreed with the others that
this was a delectable dish.
The desserts were tempting although we could hardly do them
justice after gorging ourselves on the appetizers and entrees.
A selection of traditional Thai cakes and sweets of mung beans
shaped like fruits and vegetables were served along with cassava
in coconut milk sauce.
The special favorite was the traditional Thai dessert of fresh
mango eaten with glutinous rice and sweet coconut milk.
Anyone who has ever visited Bangkok during mango season will
have tried this dessert, and Daeng's version was excellent.
There are no pork dishes on the menu although Arriola says
that the meat is a staple part of traditional Thai cuisine.
"This was a strategic move on our part as Moslems do not eat
pork, and prefer not to eat in restaurants which serve pork," he
says.
During Ramadhan, the restaurant is also providing a
complimentary buffet of sweets for diners to break the fast.
Daeng also accommodates special requests from diners.
Vegetables can be substituted for meats in curries and MSG can
be omitted from dishes, although Arriola says only 30 percent of
the menu items use the flavor enhancer. Daeng is open for lunch
from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on every
day of the week, including Sunday.
Although prices are not cheap (entrees average around Rp
18,000), the quality of the food is worth it.
There are two traditional Thai dining rooms, one seating 12
and the other eight. The restaurant is awaiting its liquor
license, but Arriola says patrons are welcome to bring their own
drinks.
-- Bruce Emond