Fine French food at La Fontaine in Cipete

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)