Exotic Asian dishes becoming more popular

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.