Exotic Asian dishes becoming more popular

Sudibyo M. Wiradji, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The growing trend towards eating out among the Indonesian middle class has turned the country's major cities into fertile ground not only for Western fast-food chains but also restaurants selling non-Indonesia Asian delicacies.

Restaurants offering Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Thai specialties have, for example, become popular dining places in Jakarta.

With their "hip-casual" style and their relatively competitive prices, such restaurants are often packed, particularly at lunchtime.

As in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Hong Kong, Asian restaurants have developed rapidly and are incredibly popular among middle class society, according to author of The Jakarta Good Food Guide, writer Laksmi Pamuncak.

"Not only is the number of restaurants increasing each year, but also the variety of food sold," she said, adding that the growing habit of eating different kinds of food started in Indonesia around 10 years ago in parallel with the entry of international fast food chains into the country.

China's Peking duck and dim sum, Japan's sushi, sashimi, teppanyaki, and India's kebabs, curries and biryanis -- to name but few -- are among the preferred Asian dishes.

In addition to the Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Thai cuisines that entered the market earlier, more foreign dishes from neighboring countries are now available in town with the opening of new restaurants specializing in the cuisines of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

According to Laksmi, many delicious Asian foods in Indonesia are served based on their original recipes -- known as "authentic" cuisines -- and many others based on recipes that have been blended with local foods. Authentic foods include China's Hainanese chicken rice, Hokkien noodles, Thailand's Pad Thai, and Japan's sushi and sashimi, tempura or teriyaki.

"These staple dishes are available everywhere at stand-alone cafes and cafes in star-rated hotels," she said.

Laksmi said that only the Japanese restaurants had so far demonstrated strong character, displaying a combination of taste, esthetics, health consciousness, presentation, and great designs and atmosphere.

The restaurants, which are mostly casual in style, are always attractive to dining-out lovers. The "purity" of Japanese cuisine, which is relatively free of foreign influences, despite the introduction of rolls and contemporary Pop Sushi, also has its own appeal.

Japanese food is widely available in many Japanese restaurants, including Ikaya at the Sahid Apartments, Taichan Ramen, Shunju in Kemchicks in Kemang, Sushi Tengoku on Jl. Radio Dalam, Nippon Kan in the Jakarta Hilton International, Miyama in the Borobudur Hotel, Sumire in the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Kinokawa in the ATD Tower and Ebeya in the Kempinski Hotel.

Korean cuisine has also gained a special place in customers' hearts. Despite being standardized or uninspiring in terms of design and presentation, most Korean restaurants offer delicious food, including the one serving dog meat in Pasar Santa, South Jakarta. Korean food with its abundance of garlic, sesame seed, sugar and grilled meat is quite palatable to Indonesians.

Compared to other non-Indonesia Asian cuisines, Chinese restaurants are much bigger in number. They can be easily found along Jalan Mangga Besar in downtown Kota, or in five star-rated hotels and major office buildings, such as Xin Hwa in the Mandarin Oriental, Tien Chao in Hotel Melia and Ming's in the Setiabudi Building.

Chinese and Indian recipes have made contributions to the Indonesian food tradition thanks to their long standing presence in the country, not only in terms of tradition and taste but also availability.

Some Chinese foods such as noodles, legumes, tofu, fermented soybean cake and salty soybean sauce have even been adopted as Indonesian staples.

"Chinese and Indian foods are close to our taste," said Laksmi. "This is the reason why many Indonesians prefer Asian cuisines that have undergone an acculturation process rather than the 'authentic' ones," she added.

As long as priority is placed on the taste factor, Asian foods will continue to captivate local food lovers.

Apart altogether from the taste factor, many restaurants, be they old or new, strive to attract customers with different concepts and techniques. They generally put the emphasis not only on the taste of the food but also other elements such as interior design, food quality and complexity.

Taichi Restaurant, located on the third floor of the Crown Plaza building on Jl. Jend. Gatot Subroto Kav. 2-3, South Jakarta, for instance, offers Chinese and Thai dishes at the same time in a warm and cozy ambience.

Shark's Fin dishes are among the favorites in this restaurant not only because it is a healthy food but also because the soups and sauces are made based on Thai recipes known for their richness in taste and aroma.

Despite being considered a new comer, one Indian restaurant, Ganesha ek sankriti Restaurant, located in Central Park, Gedung BRI II, Jalan Sudirman, Central Jakarta, is gaining popularity with its kebabs, seafoods and curries.

"Regular customers to the restaurant, who also include Indonesians, like to order kebabs because they are similar to Indonesian sate, while our curries are similar to Padang food (rendang). Meanwhile, our biryani (Indian fried rice) looks like Indonesian fried rice," the restaurant's marketing manager, Pawan Bhatnagar, said.

Due to the rising demand for Asian cuisines, especially those from Japan, China and Indonesia, the Jakarta Hilton International is increasing the selection on offer at its three Asian restaurants, Sriwedari Garden, Nippon and Lotus.

Indonesian dishes such as Ayam Tuturage, fried rice and tail soup are available at Sriwidari, while Nippon Kan and Lotus serve Japanese and Chinese dishes respectively.