Great Pakistani food at Tanduri

Restoran Tanduri: great value Pakistani food on Jl Fatmawati

Les Coffier, Contributor, Jakarta

An area close to the always-busy intersection between Jl. Fatmawati and Jl. Cipete Raya in South Jakarta is characterized by a hotch-potch of different business premises and shops. One of the few restaurants in the area is Restoran Tanduri, established for just over three years.

It is very popular with both expatriates and Pakistanis living in the locality. Despite its run-of-the-mill external appearance, the restaurant is memorable for its fine food and unbelievably low prices. It also offers a welcome escape from the roar of the traffic on Jl Fatmawati.

Restoran Tanduri: Jl R.S. Fatmawati No. 12, Jakarta Selatan, tel. 7651604/5, 7656463.

Location: The restaurant lies on the western side of Jl. Fatmawati, about 200 meters to the south of the T-junction with Jl Keramat Batu, in Gandaria Selatan and almost opposite the better-known and long-established Indonesian restaurant, Sate Tomang.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day. Major credit cards are accepted.

Looks: In the same ownership are a very brightly lit carpet showroom on one side and a textile shop on the other.

The effect is a little unfortunate, for diners are left with a feeling that they have somehow found themselves in a kind of temporary transit point between the two other premises. A television blaring away in the corner seemed too much for even the staff, as they turned down the volume before I was able to complain about it.

The restaurant can seat about 60 to 70 people, but all at large circular tables, each of which can accommodate at least six people. My dining companion and I felt rather overwhelmed at one of these; clearly, the owner relies on people eating here in groups rather than pairs.

The staff were nonetheless all very polite, helpful and attentive, without being intrusive.

What's it got: What the restaurant lacked in ambience was more than made up for in its food, which was both delicious and cheap. Every day, according to the wait staff, the restaurant puts on a buffet, from which diners may gorge themselves without restriction.

There are attractive selections of meat-based and vegetarian curries, as well as the other usual accompaniments, such as rice, samosa (deep-fried triangular pastry pockets filled with curried, minced meat or vegetables), chutneys and other condiments.

The a la carte selection includes a range of starters (kebabs, grilled meat tikka and samosa), flavored savory rice, curries (chicken, lamb, vegetable, beef and seafood), dahl (spicy lentil dishes), breads (baked or fried, some with savory or sweet fillings) and martabak (Indonesian-style pancakes with savory fillings).

A range of rice-, carrot- and milk-based desserts was also listed on the menu, as well as Pakistani ice cream. We never found out what that was, as each day, only one of the six desserts is prepared and becomes the dessert for that day.

Drinks included Pakistani tea or coffee, lassi (flavored drinking yogurt), milkshakes, fresh fruit juices, soft drinks and mineral water. Chilled water is brought to the table as soon as food has been ordered and is continually topped up. There was no alcohol listed on the menu.

Taste factor: In order to get a good idea of what was available, we tried both the buffet and made some a la carte selections too. From the buffet we selected beef, mutton, chicken and two types of vegetable curries, along with meat samosa, nan bread and yellow rice.

From the menu we chose chicken tikka, lamb korma (mild lamb curry in a thick, creamy sauce), a dahl nan (leavened bread stuffed with lentils and baked in the tandur oven) and saffron rice.

The curries were all very tasty, without being too fiery, so that you could still taste the various spicy ingredients. The meat used was good quality and very tender. The chicken tikka had been coated in the usual savory sauce then cooked to perfection, so that it had a good, barbecued taste and a little charring on the outside.

The breads complemented the curries well and were not the slightest bit heavy. We washed the food down with mango lassi, which was not too sweet and so was an ideal accompaniment.

For dessert, we had gajar halwah (shredded carrots cooked in butter and sugar, flavored with almonds, raisins, almonds and pistachios). Despite its unattractive appearance, (looking somewhat like regurgitated food), it had a creamy, carroty taste, without being too sweet.

We finished with two cups of Pakistani coffee; this was slightly bitter at first, but a pleasant way of rounding off the meal.

Price points: The entire meal above cost just over Rp 113,000, including tax at 10 percent! This represents incredible value for money. Had we both eaten the buffet, the food cost, not including drinks, would have been only Rp 66,000, including tax.

Minus points: The main drawback is the ambience, or rather the lack of it, as mentioned above. As I suspect the uneaten lunchtime buffet food is served again later in the day, it is probably better to go at lunchtime if the buffet is what you are after.

Verdict: If you are prepared to put up with the somewhat bizarre ambience of Restoran Tanduri, you will be handsomely rewarded by the quality and range of its food and its amazingly cheap prices. Go in a group though, as couples will seem rather lost at the huge tables!