Delicious Thai food away from the action at Jittlada
JAKARTA (JP): Jl. Sultan Agung runs through the "no-man's land" of small shops and nondescript business premises that exists along the northern boundary of South Jakarta, linking Manggarai and Setiabudi districts.
It lies just outside the so-named Golden Triangle (bounded by Jl. Sudirman, Jl. Rasuna Said and Jl. Gatot Subroto) and is on the opposite side of both the railway tracks and the Kali Malang river from the plush and elite suburb of Menteng.
This may explain why a restaurant housed in a building you would not give a second glance at is able to offer attractive and tasty Thai cuisine at prices unheard of in the more well-known parts of, say, Kemang or Central Jakarta. It's called Jittlada (or New Jittlada Thai Cuisine to quote its full name), and the food is thoroughly recommended.
New Jittlada Thai Cuisine: Jl Sultan Agung No. 10, 129780, tel. 8296126, fax 8303938. Open from 11:30 a.m.- 2:45 p.m. and 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. every day. Major credit cards are accepted.
Location: The restaurant is housed in a stand-alone two- storied building of no great architectural merit, set back from the road, and looks more like a school or office-cum-warehouse from the outside. There is an ample car park at the front that could easily accommodate 15 to 20 vehicles.
Looks: Unfortunately, the uninspiring external appearance is repeated inside, for one's immediate impression is of having entered a school or office dining room. Serried ranks of tables and chairs laid out in rectilinear formation help to reinforce this impression. The walls are plain, but adorned occasionally with Thai framed pictures or ornaments. Gentle Thai recorded music in the background helps to create something of an ethnic ambience.
There is seating for about 40 to 50 on the ground floor, with room for another 30 or so (in equally spartan surroundings) above. At lunchtimes there is unlikely to be much casual, passing trade, apart from small groups of business diners, while in the evenings, particularly at the weekends, it's much busier.
The waiting staff possess those three elusive qualities hard to find together, as they are polite, helpful and unobtrusive.
What's it got: The quality of the food comes to the restaurant's rescue and more than makes up for the lack of ambience. The cooking is of the no-nonsense, traditional Thai variety, and in addition to salads, appetizers, soups and barbecued items, there were curries, fish and steamed dishes, vegetables, flavored rice and desserts available. The usual range of soft drinks and beers, plus some predominantly French red and white wines were also on the menu.
Taste factor: My companion and I started with Yam soom oh (pomelo salad with chicken and shrimp) plus Ke nom pang nah kung (deep-fried bread topped with minced shrimp). In case you didn't know (I didn't!), pomelos are those large citrus fruits known locally as jeruk Bali.
The salad was a typical Thai taste combination -- fragrant, tangy and citrusy, with a hint of chilli spiciness, and was a perfect way of whetting the appetite for what was to come. The bread reminded me of the sesame prawn toast that you can sometimes get as a starter in Chinese restaurants, and was equally delicious.
It would have been unforgivable to continue without ordering Tom yang kung (spicy and sour prawn soup), so that was duly done. According to my companion who had once made the soup personally, this was top-notch, without being too sour.
The main part of the meal consisted of Keng keao wan kai (chicken green curry), Kung op kra tiam (steamed prawns with garlic) and Kung op sap pa rot (shrimp fried rice in pineapple). The green curry, another Thai classic, was rich and full of flavor, without being too spicy. I loved the prawns (but beware, this dish is really for garlic fans), while the rice was served in a hollowed-out pineapple. The pineapple taste was a little too overpowering for us, but plain steamed rice could have been served if we'd preferred it.
I got the impression that the restaurant wasn't really that keen on desserts, but had them on the menu anyway because a lot of diners would have expected them. We ordered Tuapep (rice- flour cakes dipped in desiccated coconut shavings and filled with green nut paste) which were a pleasant way of rounding off the meal as they were not too sweet and sickly, as I had feared beforehand.
Price points: That entire meal, plus a lime juice, pineapple colada and two bottles of iced mineral water came to Rp 218,000, including 15 percent tax and service charge. Where could you find such value in the parts of town better-known for their eateries?
As a more general guide, salads were in the range Rp 13,500 - 24,000, appetizers Rp 17,500 - Rp 25,500, soups around Rp 30,000, barbecued dishes Rp 30,000 - Rp 55,000, curries Rp 26,500 - Rp 40,000, fish dishes Rp 22,500 - Rp 50,000, steamed dishes Rp 40,000 - about Rp 120,000 (depending on prevailing market price), vegetables Rp 13,500 - Rp 25,500, flavored rice Rp 18,500 - Rp 24,500 and desserts Rp 7,500 - Rp 15,500.
Minus points: The lack of ambience may rule this out as a place for a romantic meal for two, unless you're strapped for cash but still want to impress your dining companion with your appreciation of fine food.
Verdict: If you are after a satisfying Thai meal that is really good value for money, then the somewhat drab surroundings need not be too great a drawback. The grass may be greener on the other side after all! (Les Coffier)