Good food that won't break the bank
Good food that won't break the bank
Fabio Scarpello, Contributor, Jakarta
Anyone blessed with an average IQ, if posed the question "what
makes a good restaurant?" would answer, "a combination of good
food, nice environment, attentive, but not overbearing service
and a bill that can be settled without having to sell the house".
The same person would probably add that in Jakarta,
restaurants that offer the right balance of these essential
ingredients are few and far between.
And they would be right.
Lan Na Thai means "rice fields". It is also the name of an
area in northern Thailand where, many moons ago, the armies of
Rama I stood firm against the hordes of foreigners pressing on
the borders. With Rama's success came the fundamentals of the
modern kingdom of Thailand.
However, history and etymology aside, to me and you, Lan Na
Thai is a Thai restaurant tucked away in Jl DR. Kusuma Atmaja in
plush Menteng.
Now, holding my head high, I can say that a bottle of good,
medium body red wine (with a light raspberry tinge and a long-
lasting aftertaste) was just an ephemeral barrier between me and
a full critical analysis and that, the remaining 500 or so words,
are the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Lan Na Thai is one of those few places where the trade-off
between the quality of the food and the ambience is not on the
menu.
It is an all-round first-rate restaurant, run by a competent
manager with professional staff and a chef who does not speak a
word of English but certainly knows how to handle the wok and mix
the spices.
On the night, after a full dinner, the toughest criticism a
party of four could come up with was that the Massaman curry was
"a touch too sweet".
The fact that one of the four was a vegetarian added to the
comprehensiveness of the menu sampled.
At my corner of the table, the grouper proved to be a meaty
yet delicate fish that melted in the mouth and the sweet, sour
and spicy sauce that garnished it was just that -- a sweet, sour
and spicy sauce with the three flavors finely balanced.
Prior to get to the main course, an assortment of appetizers
had set the mood. I particularly enjoyed the Pandan chicken, as
the menu reads: Succulent pieces of chicken wrapped in a fragrant
Pandan leaf and lightly grilled.
It was simply delicious, just like the two salads with a heavy
lemon grass flavor we had in between courses.
My dinner companions had similar comments apart from the
Massaman Curry that was a touch too sweet.
To that, I might add that, all in all, the food has been
Westernized and is not as spicy as in Thailand, although I was
told that the sauces are imported from there.
The restaurant itself is located on the first floor of a old
Dutch colonial house that was falling to pieces before English-
born architect, Frank Drake, met Batak (Sumatran) entrepreneur
Haidi Angkawijana.
The two joined forces and transformed it into a pleasure for
the eye and a testament to good taste.
The work finished in 1997 and ever since, Lan Na Thai has
pulled the right mix of local professionals and expatriates who
have kept it above water even during the darkest days of the
Soeharto era and the East Asian financial crisis of 1998, when
many other establishments folded.
"It was weird to serve people inside, while there were
demonstrations going on just a hundred meters away," recalled
Canadian-born general manager Stephen Bianchin who has been here
since the beginning.
Detail, detail, detail. It's all about details.
Lan Na Thai is stylish and elegant -- not in an up-your-nose
sort of way but in a warm, cozy and comfortable one.
Blue curtains, paintings and textiles fill the walls while the
various Chinese, Javanese and Thai artifacts add another layer to
the visual experience.
This is especially evident in "The Face" -- the name of the
bar on the ground floor.
Plants, together with dry and fresh flowers unpretentiously
embellish corners and bring the solid wooden furniture and
floorboards to life.
Central lighting is avoided like the plague. Instead, low
lights, often placed in corners, provide a soothing yet more-than
-adequate luminosity. Incense and music complete the mood.
In the restaurant, each table has its own little candle and
their tiny lights bounce off the red walls.
Tables are placed far apart, and the room presents various
corners giving enough privacy to the guests. Chairs, however, are
not that comfortable. Mr. Bianchin, please take note.
Bianchin talked about "soul and ambience," and said that the
strength of the restaurant-bar was its feel.
He also said that Lan Na Thai was ideal for couples on a
romantic evening and for businesspeople at lunchtime.
On both accounts it is hard to argue with him.
It was also nice to notice that the staff preempted most
requests while not breathing down customers' necks or racing to
fill up a glass after every sip. By the way, I did not have to
sell my house to settle the bill, either.
Lan Na Thai
Jl. D.R. Kusama Atmaja
Menteng
Central Jakarta 10310
Tel. 31925037
lunch 12 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
dinner 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.