Famous names on the menu at the Star Deli

By Aida Greenbury

JAKARTA (JP): Don't you sometimes dream of having a slab of steaming hot Ricky Martin while gabbing with your gal mates?

Now your dream can come true, sort of, at Star Deli, located at Jl. Kemang Selatan Raya No. 5. The huge and sloppy Ricky Martin burger is served with spicy guacamole, sour cream, fresh spring onion and salsa, plus a handful of fat, crispy French fries. Then she bangs -- she bangs!

OK, the front part of Star Deli, which officially opened last month, does not look as appealing. There are the waitresses, the Star girls, who are very sweet in their T-shirts and blue aprons over white shorts. The entrance has a juice bar in the corner, a set of colorful high chairs and narrow tables.

The first impression is of a clean, non-smoking, full of healthy fruit juices kind of restaurant (yawn!).

But as soon as you enter the double door on the right, it feels like you have been transplanted to the diner era of Hollywood in the 1940s and 1950s. You find yourself in a dim rectangular room, with a dozen or so brown leather booths with photos of Hollywood stars hanging low on the walls. A pool table, a private bar and a low seating area piled with black cushions dominate another room that adjoins it.

It gives you the chills of a time gone by, before you sniff the greasy bacon strips sizzling on the grill in the kitchen.

"We had the idea to open Star Deli while we were living in Los Angeles a couple of years back," explained the owner, Mary Gregory. "There was a restaurant with a similar Hollywood theme there which we often went to. But our main reason is that there was no single restaurant in South Jakarta that provides breakfast on their menu. Well, there are some, but either they only open after 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. or their menu selection is very limited."

Opening bright and early at 7 a.m., the newest member of Kemang's restaurant collection emphasizes its breakfast treats. Beside the typical foods that have become essential parts of the menus of other cafes and restaurants in Kemang, like nachos, fajitas, fish and chips and spaghetti, Star Deli also serves a variety of special breakfasts, gourmet burgers and freshly made sandwiches, all with names of stars such as Winona Ryder, Madonna and Drew Barrymore.

If you order Leonardo DiCaprio for example, you will get a combination of scrambled eggs, sliced ham, Swiss and American cheese on grilled focaccia bread and hash browns with apple sauce. Another egg dish, Cruise, which is an avocado, bacon and cheese filled omelette, is fluffy, with the avocado adding a tangy and refreshing element to it, balancing the fatty taste of the bacon and cheese.

Last but not least from the breakfast list are the filling buttermilk pancakes -- authentic homemade grandma-style pancakes.

From the deli counter, the Reuben is the pick for people who like hot corned pastrami. It is served on toasted rye bread, topped with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing. All sandwiches are accompanied by coleslaw and French fries.

Somewhat missing from the menu are vegetarian dishes. The only tempting dish for the greenie is the Hollywood Melt sandwich -- grilled cheddar cheese, tomato and lettuce on focaccia bread.

But for the beef and pork lovers, this is definitely the place to be!

"The theme we picked, Stars, underscores the whole setup of the restaurant, which is celebrities, a local and Western media atmosphere," said Mary, who runs the restaurant with her husband, himself a sort of star, as the foreign man at passport control in a TV ad for a cough medicine.

"This is a place for stars who like to hang out in a relaxing and funky ambience where the general public can also go. It's a platform for local actors and actresses, models, directors, photographers, writers and all kinds of people who are involved in the world of art."

Artists will be invited to put their work on the wall and demonstrate their abilities at no cost.

"We are going to organize several special events throughout the week, namely events that focus on sport groups, holiday events, women associations and any community based associations," said the restaurant's general manager, Elizabeth.

"We would like to make this restaurant a kind of neighborhood community building. It might sound strange here, but it's actually rather common back in the United States."

Chef Hendro Soejadi, who has been sharpening his skills in five star hotels and restaurants in Jakarta for 10 years, runs the deli's kitchen.

He said cooking American style was an eternal learning process.

"I have learned a lot since the opening of this deli. To achieve the authentic American flavor, I always ask for comments about the food from our guests and they have been very helpful indeed," said Hendro.

The restaurant overall is great, aside from the limited parking space and rather slow service. When it does get to you, the food is good, except for itchy hands in the kitchen that tend to put too much white pepper on some dishes, a common failing among local cooks.