Going bananas over new cafe

Going bananas over new cafe

Deni Putri, Contributor, Jakarta

Bananas, which are easy to find in tropical countries, taste
sweet and are good for your health and personal appearance,
thanks to their nutritional value.

Many Indonesians love bananas and include the fruit on their
daily menus. They add the fruit to a variety of dishes including
martabak (traditional pancake), es palubutung (flour-wrapped
banana with ice and syrup) and banana cakes.

The popular fruit has also inspired Anthony Kemal Gultom to
set up the Banana Cafe at the Bale Air Food Village on Jl. Gatot
Subroto, Central Jakarta. Banana-based foods and beverages in a
variety of flavors, shapes and sizes are the cafe's specialty.

Gultom manages to turn bananas into a range of appetizing
dishes and beverages that aren't just fried, baked or steamed.

He makes special dishes such as Grilled Banana (served with
chocolate sauce and palm sugar syrup), Banana Pancake (served
with honey and ice cream), Banana Boat (three flavors of ice
cream with a fruit cocktail, grated peanuts and chocolate sauce)
and Banana Ice Cream.

Bananas also breathe life into such delicacies as Banana
Chicken Maryland (deep fried boneless chicken breast with cheese,
served with banana fritters and crispy smoked beef), Banana
Butter Scotch Custard Crepes (crepes filled with custard and
banana butter scotch as topping) and Banana Cream Crepes (banana
cream filled crepes served with vanilla sauce).

The banana's flavor helps Gultom produce special beverages
with names like Banana Ria (a mix of banana, pineapple and
lychee), Banoffee Coffee (blended banana with coffee and rum),
Big Bold Banana (blended banana, tofu and soybeans), Shakey
Banana (blended banana with vanilla ice cream), Banana Punch, and
Banana Juice.

The delicious Banana French Toast (French toast filled with
banana slices, cheese and chocolate rice), the fresh and white-
colored Banana Smoothie (banana juice with vanilla ice cream and
yogurt) and Banana Rama (blended banana with soybean milk and
vanilla ice cream) are an ideal accompaniment to a night out with
friends.

Forget about your diet regimen when tasting the sweet and sour
Banana Crepes with Chocolate Sauce (banana special mix served
with chocolate sauce), the sweet and appetizing Banana Flambee
(flamed sliced banana served with orange juice, liqueur, topped
with a scoop of ice cream), the tasty and attractive Banana
Fritters (crispy fried banana served with vanilla ice cream and
vanilla sauce) and the sweet and unusual Jumput-Jumput (stack of
deep fried banana batter with icing sugar).

Besides serving banana-based food and beverages, the cafe also
offers local and imported beef steaks, soups, salads, cheese
burgers, fried rice, deep fried calamari, beef teriyaki,
spaghetti bolognaise, roast beef sandwiches, barbecue chicken
wings and fried chicken with mayonnaise sauce, for those who
dislike bananas.

Cocktails a la cafe, local and imported beers and regular
beverages including fruit juices, coffee and soft drinks are also
on offer.

Considering the cafe's strategic location and its competitors,
the banana-based delicacies' prices, ranging from Rp 7,500 to Rp
16,500, are not too expensive, indeed are quite reasonable.

A glass of soft drink for Rp 6,500, juice at Rp 10,500, and
local sirloin steak for Rp 23,500 per serving are affordable for
cafegoers.

Banana Cafe, which employs 30 workers including its chefs and
attendants, has three levels that can accommodate more than a
hundred guests.

Each level has a different style of decoration. The first is
decorated like a restaurant, the second is set up in a lounge
style while the third has a Japanese theme.

Inside, the cafe guests can enjoy live band performances every
weekend at the center of the food village, which is surrounded by
many fast food stalls including Dapur Sunda restaurant, Doner
Kebab, Royal Steak Resto and Cafe, Warung Si Doel, Jojo Thai and
an Asian food house.

Some traditional Indonesian banana-based dishes including
Makasar's pisang epe and Manado's es palubutung are only
available during fasting month.

The cafe, which was opened and inaugurated just last month by
City Governor Sutiyoso, claims to be the only one in Jakarta
offering banana-based delicacies.