Fine French food at La Fontaine in Cipete

JAKARTA (JP): Jl. Cipete Utara (formerly known as Jl. Abdul Majid) is a well-used shortcut in the north Cipete area of South Jakarta, running between Jl. Fatmawati (almost opposite the junction with Jl. Haji Nawi) and Jl. Pangeran Antasari (also known as Jl. Arteri).

The twisty road is primarily residential, with some small shops and simple warung (sidewalk food stalls) -- not the place one would normally expect to find a roadside restaurant in the French Provencale style.

This restaurant must be one of the best-kept secrets of the Jakarta dining circuit, but hopefully the word will soon be out about all it has to offer.

La Fontaine: Jl Cipete Utara 17A, Cipete Utara, South Jakarta 12150, tel. 7243614, 7207902

Location: The restaurant lies midway between Jl. Fatmawati and Jl. Pangeran Antasari, on the north side of the road. It occupies a medium sized building set back a little from the road itself. It is therefore fortunate that the forecourt can hold about five or six cars, as the road is fairly narrow at this point. There is an illuminated, pole-mounted sign at the edge of the sidewalk, so that will be your landmark on your first visit.

Hours: Open Mondays to Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. and again from 6 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. On Sundays and public holidays it is open in the evening only, from 6 p.m. until 10:30 p.m.

Looks: The restaurant occupies an unpretentious building, typical of those found along this road. Inside, it has an almost domestic feel and is immediately welcoming, as the simple decor uses warm Mediterranean earthy colors. There is a small bar to one side, and tables that can seat a total of about 50 are subdivided into small groups by partitions.

Upon entering, you almost feel that you have stumbled upon a dining room in rural France (or elsewhere in Europe for that matter). The only thing missing was the red-and-white check tablecloths, but the red cloths with white doilies on top, were a thoughtful gesture to the host nation, and added to the warm atmosphere.

The actual temperature inside the place was nonetheless comfortable as it has air-conditioning, assisted by somewhat ornate ceiling fans.

There was a rather bizarre, but curiously engaging display of ornaments and wall decorations to look at while waiting for the food to come, ranging from Torajan carvings, a poster of New York City by night, to carvings of mallard ducks (not available on the menu, though). There was also the obligatory, framed Toulouse Lautrec print adorning one wall, for that added French authenticity.

The staff are friendly and helpful, and above all, leave you to eat or talk in peace, but are ready if you need them (it's a quality which is hard to find about the capital's waitpeople).

What's it got? The owner has shrewdly decided to make a combination of both French provincial and Indonesian/Chinese food available, to cater for all tastes. You can even get a sandwich here (usual range of fillings) if you're just passing for a quick snack. For drinks, there is a reasonable range of (predominantly French) red and white wines, plus beers (local and imported) and soft drinks. Aperitifs and liqueurs are also available.

Taste factor: At the start, slices of crispy French bread and butter were brought to the table (shame there was no extra virgin olive oil, even if this wasn't an Italian restaurant). My companion and I started with escargots and the chef's pate. The half-dozen snails were attractively presented in a beige earthenware dish and had been cooked in a herby, garlic butter. They tasted delicious.

The pork pate was a coarse one (the kind I prefer) and had a good, garlicky flavor. Both choices were an excellent start to the meal.

One of the main courses was selected from the list of plats du jour and one from the fish dishes. We chose sole in sole with anchovy sauce, served with boiled potatoes and a ratatouille-like vegetable accompaniment, plus steak with rocquefort cheese sauce. Both meals were brought on warmed plates, a very thoughtful and necessary gesture in an air-conditioned restaurant such as this, too often forgotten elsewhere.

The fish dish was tasty, without the anchovy being too overpowering, while the steak was cooked medium rare (precisely as requested) and the cheese sauce was not too dominant either. Crispy French fries and a vegetable creation similar to the one above accompanied the steak.

We shared a salad bastille with the main courses. This was described in the menu as comprising green salad, palm heart, avocado and crab meat. I found that a little too much dressing was used, and the crab meat was hard to find.

One of the desserts chosen was chestnut cream which was smooth and delicious, and tasted as though it had the merest hint of liqueur (although this wasn't mentioned in the menu). The other was cheese, a pleasant selection of about four or five cheeses of both soft and hard varieties.

The coffees were served in rather an interesting way. My cappuccino came in a stemmed wine glass, so it looked rather like an Irish coffee (but was OK anyway). My companion actually ordered a liqueur coffee, which was served black in a demitasse, with the Grand Marnier in a separate liqueur glass. This turned out to be a good idea, because you could savor them together or separately as you wished.

Price points: This is where La Fontaine scores highly, for not only is the food well-prepared, tasty and the portions reasonably sized, but the prices represent very good value for money. The complete three-course meal for two described above (including a glass of house red wine and a small Bintang beer) came to just under Rp 300,000, including 10 percent tax. A service charge is not automatically added, but it would be a very mean guest indeed who didn't want to tip generously here.

As a guide, the hors d'oeuvres are Rp 16,000 - Rp 40,000, soups are Rp 20,000 - Rp 25,000, fish dishes Rp 20,000 - Rp 45,000, plats du jour Rp 40,000 - Rp 55,000, sandwiches Rp 18,000 - 25,000, Indonesian/Chinese food Rp 18,000 - Rp 25,000, and desserts Rp 10,000 - Rp 30,000.

Aperitifs range from Rp 18,000 for a Martini to Rp 60,000 for a glass of champagne brut. Beers are from Rp 9,000 for a glass of Anker to Rp 25,000 for an import. Wines are around Rp 230,000 per bottle or Rp 25,000 for a glass of house red or white (the latter nothing special, but what do you expect at that price?). Liqueurs are Rp 30,000 - Rp 40,000 for a small glass.

Minus points: It was difficult to identify any major fault with La Fontaine.

It may be a little difficult to find, but that is hardly the fault of the restaurant, and its location off the beaten track comes as something of a surprise that actually adds to its attractiveness anyway.

When it came to paying (by Visa credit card) it was unfortunate that the restaurant's credit card processing machine didn't work properly (although I'd checked at the beginning with the waitress if it was OK to use my card), so they couldn't complete the transaction. They kindly allowed me to pay at a later date though, which was very trusting of them.

Verdict: A simple and unpretentious little gem of a place, particularly if you like French food, and well-worth the search in South Jakarta. Try it for yourself and see! (Les Coffier)