Finding comfort food at New York Deli in Jakarta

Finding comfort food at New York Deli in Jakarta

By Grace Segran

JAKARTA (JP): Things are not always what they seem. Nestled in
the quiet back streets of Menteng, not flashy as the name might
imply, the New York Deli offers simple lunch and "after-work"
menus without the hassle of hotel lobbies and long waits.

The deli just opened its doors two weeks ago. Its branch in
the Puri Casablanca Apartment complex has offered the same sort
of menu for several years. At Puri Casablanca, it's more of "take
out" orders. Henry C Harmon, advisor to New York Deli, hopes to
turn the outlet in Menteng into a dine-in. The deli seats 24
people comfortably.

The same company which runs the New York Deli also runs
Casswell's Mom's, an importer of packaged and frozen foods and
meats.

Says Harmon, "We seek to attract single people from downtown
-- especially those working in the embassies and foreign news
agencies in the vicinity -- who do not cook and long for
something American."

To help us understand the concept of New York Deli, Harmon
says: "Imagine you are in New York and you miss nasi goreng. I'm
the guy you would call."

The decor of the deli is eclectic. The tables and menu holders
are Indonesian in design. They are made of dark brown solid wood.
Likewise the food counters. The ceiling has intricate cornices
all over, with a chandelier in the center. On the walls are
pictures of the New York skyline and famous U.S. landmarks.

A tall wooden shelf stands against the wall at the far end of
the room and holds a fairly large selection of imported potato
chips, lunch box snacks such as individually wrapped chocolate
chip cookies. On the counter are small gift chocolate "samplers",
hoho's and dingdong's.

New York Deli essentially serves two types of sandwiches.
There's the traditional roast beef, beef pastrami, roast turkey,
corned beef, BLT, ham and three-cheese ranging between Rp 13,000
and Rp 21,000. You can have them on a choice of bread: french
baguette, black pepper and onion and focaccia, topped with
lettuce, onion, green pepper, tomato, mayonnaise, mustard, salt,
pepper, vinegar and oil. You can also have extra cheese for Rp
5,000 or pickles for Rp 4,500.

The "special sandwiches" are very popular. The Bomb (Rp
37,000) is a three-quarter length baguette with roast beef, swiss
cheese, and tons of toppings. The Turkey Bomb (Rp 39,000) is
equally large with roast turkey instead of roast beef.

For those who prefer less red meat, there is the Thanksgiving
Treat (Rp 25,000) which is made with roast turkey, mayonnaise,
cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and cranberry sauce in
focaccia bread, or Long Line Tuna (Rp 21,000), or Tender Chicken
Breast (Rp 18,000).

And for those who absolutely don't want any meat, there is
Veg-Out (Rp 15,000). It is focaccia bread stuffed with all sorts
of vegetables and topped with their special sauce.

What's really nice about the deli is that they will make your
sandwich to order. You can ask to leave this ingredient out or
put that one in, and they're happy to oblige.

Included in the special sandwich selections are BLT (Rp
16,000) and Reuben (Rp 17,000) Wraps. These have the same
fillings as the sandwiches of the same name except that they are
wrapped in a tomato tortilla instead of bread.

New York Deli has its own blend of premium coffee: 40 percent
Toraja, 40 percent Mandeling and 20 percent Robusta. Says Harmon,
"We chose the Robusta over the Arabica because Americans love
coffee that gives them the kick. The Arabica has only 50 percent
of caffeine compared to that of Robusta."

Harmon hopes to draw in people after work who do not want to
go to hotels or shopping malls and are not interested in happy
hours.

"We also endeavor to provide a friendly, relaxed, nonalcoholic
hangout, and a place to snack, before hitting the Jakarta traffic
jams," says Harmon. Here they can have a long black or a
cappuccino, or a soft drink or splash juices.

Soon they will be bringing in cheesecake and other rich sweets
which will be served not only at teatime but throughout the day.

If you prefer to have your sandwich in the comfort of your
home or office, you can have the food delivered. You can call for
take-out or fax in an order form. The choices and prices for
delivery and eat-in are the same. Orders are delivered by
motorcycle to your home or office for no extra charge.

New York Deli is located at Jl. Pekalongan No 26, Menteng. It
is open between 8:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m.