Grappling with pub grub at the Stamford Arms

JAKARTA (JP): British food enjoys an unenviable reputation as boring, stodgy and generally insipid, if not actually inedible. Some consider pub grub, the fare served up in pubs, to be even worse than the average British meal.

However, hailing as I do from the sceptered isle, I am fully convinced that good British pub grub can stand its own with the best of them. One of those flying the flag in Jakarta is the Stamford Arms pub at the Hotel Ambhara, Blok M, South Jakarta.

Entering the pub, one is transported to a more solid and traditional world that conjures up memories of cold winter evenings, open fires and convivial company.

There is, of course, no open fire in The Stamford Arms, but otherwise it is an almost perfect replica of a British pub, replete with the ubiquitous red wallpaper, luxurious red-padded pews and brass fittings that characterize so many hostelries in Britain. The scene is made perfect by a large, horseshoe-shaped bar where one can imbibe and discretely observe one's fellow tipplers at leisure. There was even a "slate" hanging behind the bar, part of that noble tradition whereby indigent tipplers are facilitated in the pursuit of their hobby without the onerous requirement of immediately proffering payment. The scene was made even more credible by the "No Credit" sign hanging immediately next to it.

It was still early evening at the time of our visit, so we had no difficulty ensconcing ourselves in one of the aforementioned well-upholstered pews. The menu was rather on the short side and seemed to be a token gesture at presenting British food rather than anything else. Absent were the ploughman's lunches and the various stews that are such an essential part of pub grub in Britain. What there was consisted of steak and kidney pie, shepherd's pie, fish and chips and bangers (sausages) and mash (the latter, we were told by a chance acquaintance, was for some reason originally referred to in the menu as "bangles" and mash until someone pointed out the error). The waitresses, however, are still firmly convinced that the correct name for the dish is bangles and mash. So be warned!

I decided to try the goulash soup for a starter while my partner opted for The Stamford Arms chef's salad. The goulash soup (Rp 15,000) was a hearty, filling and well-spiced broth consisting of (a little) meat, potatoes, capsicum and onion. Perhaps the size of the serving did not quite do justice to that particular feature of British cuisine: large helpings. As for the chef's salad, well, the very opposite was true. It was fit for a ploughman, if, of course, there are any ploughmen who would be seen dead tucking into a salad, and consisted of both red and green lettuce, roast beef and chicken slices, boiled egg, capsicum and cheddar cheese, served with a choice of dressings.

Then on to the entrees and what I firmly expected would swing my partner forever in favor of British food. A steak and kidney pie is a meal in itself, a pot pie consisting of a simmering stew beneath a flaky pastry crust, and should be sufficient to satisfy even the heartiest of appetites. The actual steak used is round steak (cubed) while the kidneys can be ox, veal or lamb, with the latter two being of milder flavor. I myself have always preferred ox kidneys but, judging by their size, The Stamford Arms was using lamb (probably goat) or veal kidneys for their pie (which was priced at Rp 29,500). Traditionally, the pie is seasoned with salt, thyme, black pepper and a bay leaf. Worcestershire Sauce, or any of the numerous other similar regional sauces from Britain, is thrown in to give it that final zing.

Anyway, that is how it is supposed to be. My partner, however, professed abject disappointment with the British epicurean treat I had promised her and managed to only finish about a quarter of the food on her plate. Upon tasting the pie, it was immediately apparent what the trouble was. While the innards of the pie were delicious and everything was as it should be, the pastry was more akin to shortcrust than flaky single crust and, just like the detractors are wont to say, was stodgy and insipid.

As for myself, I had opted for the cottage pie (Rp 18,500), a dish consisting of ground beef topped by creamy mashed potato and cheddar, all baked in a pie dish and served with green peas. This time the results exceeded my expectations, and even my doubting companion admitted that it was quite delicious.

For dessert, I decided to try out the apple bread pudding with hot cinnamon sauce (Rp 13,500) which turned out to be a taste-bud sensation, with the sweet cinnamon delectably setting off the slightly tart apples. Meanwhile, my partner tried the cheesecake with a chunky peach sauce (Rp 17,500). Again, she was well satisfied and, judging by her expression, the dessert more than made up for her ponderous steak and kidney pie.

All in all, I was well-pleased with my British epicurean evening (especially given the reasonable prices), despite feeling decidedly bloated. My partner, however, seemed to be less well- taken by the experience and summed up her thoughts by saying that while hearty British fare may be just what the doctor ordered in the cold and rain of northwest Europe, it may not be so appropriate in Jakarta's humid and sticky climate. (Bill Blade)