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.