Dining with themes of love

Sudibyo M. Wiradji, Contributor, Jakarta

Scattered cafes and restaurants in Jakarta are gearing up for the Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day with many eateries planning to offer special menus and romantic treats.

Despite the unfavorable weather these days, with flooding in several parts of the capital recently, cafes and restaurants are fully committed to providing their best services for their customers wishing to celebrate the Valentine's Day on February 14 and the Chinese New Year, locally known as Imlek, that will fall on February 12, 2002.

In many of the city's cafes and restaurants, outside or inside hotels, celebrating Valentine's Day has become a tradition that attracts regular customers. With over 500 cafes and restaurants available, Jakarta has its fair share of options for celebrating the events while dining out.

As love is the central theme of Valentine's Day, all are prepared to have romantic themes, in their choice of decorations, entertainment, events, food and drinks.

Colorful flowers will decorate Planet Hollywood restaurant with the seating capacity of 300 persons. "Guests will feel as if they were in a flower park," Planet Hollywood's Assistant Sales and Marketing Manager Maria S. Tenggono said.

With 'Endless Love' as the theme of the program, the restaurant will present vocalist Andre Hehanusa who will sing love songs. Planet Hollywood will offer up an "endless love menu" at Rp 250,000 (about US$24) per person, including roses for all the ladies as a gift.

Guests will have their choice of the soup of the day or a half portion of the Caesar salad for the appetizer, pepper steak, barbecued chicken or sword fish for the main course and New York cheese cake for dessert.

Hard Rock Cafe, the popular international franchise, will feature the country's top pop band, Dewa. On a heart-decorated stage, the group will belt out a number of love songs. Entry tickets are priced at Rp 75,000 including snacks and drinks.

Known as one of the most popular places to hang out, Kafe Pasir Putih or Pasir Putih Seafood Market in Kemang, southern Jakarta, is set to organize an event called 'Romantic Seaside' that allows guests to share their most intimate moments with their sweethearts or company in a seaside atmosphere.

Not to be missed is an event called Fortune Teller at Planet Hollywood and Pasir Putih Seafood Market. "If you want to know what the future has in store, our Fortune Teller will tell all of what lies ahead for both of you," Fitri of the Pasir Putih Seafood Market said.

If you join the celebration of Valentine's Day in Movenpick Marche Restaurant, you will be treated to a three-hour session of non-stop love songs, starting from 7 p.m. that will send you soaring to new heights. The restaurant will also hold what is called a 'Love Message Contest' in which the guests will be asked to write their own words of love on a piece of paper and demonstrate what they have written after their paper is drawn. Attractive awards such as hotel vouchers and CDs will be available for the winners as tokens of appreciation.

A 'mouthwatering heart-shaped cake', blueberry and banana crepe with orange sauce, homemade tiramisu and chocolate mousse are available at the Movenpick Marche Restaurant's pastry counter. Australian franchise DOME will serve its special menu, with favorite cuisine, gourmet pie at Rp 160,000 for two, including a flower for ladies. If you have a yearning for authentic Japanese dishes, Puri Yoshiko must be your choice. Special menus on offer for Valentine's Dinner include sushi mie, tempura and sukiyaki at Rp 250,000 net.

A Valentine's Day with an Italian flavor can be had at Maxis Cucina Italiana. The restaurant will prepare a dinner for Rp 150,000 per person. With 'show to the heart' being the theme, Fashion Cafe will specially prepare menus like Claudia, New York Steak and Fashion-Fashion at Rp 75,000 per person.

Two days before Valentine's Day, many of the city's dining sites will offer dinner with a Chinese flavor, with lampions, candlelight and the like adorning the red-dominated interior, to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Highlighting the Chinese New Year celebration will be the performances by the Barongsai Chinese Lion Dance at the cafes and restaurants, including Planet Hollywood, Movenpick Marche Restaurant, Fashion Cafe and News Cafe.

The Chinese performances were banned for the past three decades in this country during the Soeharto administration.

With the theme the 'Year of the Horse, Planet Hollywood will not only feature the Barongsai Chinese Lion Dance show but also Chinese dances and a fortune teller, at no additional charge. Regular and special menus are available for guests wishing to celebrate the New Year.

The glamorous Fashion Cafe with a catwalk will feature a Chinese fashion show. Batavia restaurant, in North Jakarta, will prepare special menus at Rp 2 million. "To celebrate the Chinese New Year, we will serve dinner for the family, with the menu to feature Chinese cuisine," said Batavia restaurant's PR executive Yani Rachma, adding that the planned performance of Barongsai has been canceled due to the floods that have inundated the courtyard.

Not to be missed is also a food exhibition featuring Asian- style noodles at Movenpick Marche Restaurant from Feb. 11 to 23, 2002. kwetiau, stir-fried vermicelli Singapore style and Thai fried noodles, just to name a few, are noodle-made specialties available at the restaurant's Asian Counter.

If you wish to celebrate Valentine's Day or Imlek, cafes and restaurants in the capital will await you. Perhaps, it would be advisable for you to come a bit earlier or else you might not get a table. "Every time Valentine's Day is celebrated here, our cafe is always full and even the number of guests exceeds the seating capacity of 250 persons," a spokesperson for News Cafe said.