'Happy Day' restaurant sticks to basics
'Happy Day' restaurant sticks to basics
JAKARTA (JP): It seems that Jl. Ir. H. Juanda in Central
Jakarta is exerting a compulsive attraction on me because I often
find myself on that road with the small hope of finding, perhaps,
an exciting new restaurant, to replace the memory of those long
gone gutsy eating places which Noordwijk - the old name for the
area - was famous for.
However, one restaurant owner recently confessed that the boom
days for eateries on this street ended with the advent of plazas
and malls in the south of Jakarta.
Well, my browsing expeditions there resulted in the discovery
of the Happy Day Family Restaurant.
The place is a newly renovated almost neighbor to a much
frequented Padang eatery on the same road. In the evening you
could hardly miss the restaurant for its many lights which
overshadow poorly lit spots to the left and right of the place.
Happy Day reflects the trend in Jakarta's culinary world of
combining lunching or dining with household shopping.
Not exactly the environment to foster gourmet and elegant
dining. No, it appears to be a place catering to middle-class
families popularly known as "family restaurants."
Happy Day restaurant's interior cannot be called posh. It is
modern but functional. Thick windowpanes make up the front of the
restaurant and offer the best seats in the house.
With its steady day-long flow of customers the seats don't
remain empty for very long.
Addicts
The new eatery is designed and built to appeal to the senses
of modern, yet hard working Jakartans.
The men and women at the start of their budding careers,
secretaries, clerks, shop managers, office managers, just name
it, you'll find them there.
The observation only strengthened my conviction that the
average Jakartan is well on his or her way to becoming addicted
to dining out.
With establishments maintaining reasonable pricing policies,
housecooks could become a thing of the past.
It sounds too good to be true - but the reasonable prices are
no doubt one of the main attractions of Happy Day next to the
casual and pleasant service by the waiters.
Where nowadays could you find a good, tasty serving of chicken
cutlet plus French fries for only Rp 5,500 (US$2.56).
Most of us are still inclined to give the old thumbs down to the
flavor and quality of a dish if it did cost very little.
No doubt the food at Happy Day is prepared in the same simple
manner of today's cooking schools - leaning more towards natural
flavoring with minute quantities of spice or herbs. The taste of
meat should not be smothered under heavy spicing.
It tasted very much like American country food which is now in
vogue among young luminaries living in the capital.
The menu at Happy Day combines popular Western food and
Oriental fare. Among the western dishes offered are spaghetti,
pizza, steak, baked potatoes and vegetables.
As for dishes from this part of the world, Chicken Hainan
sprang to my eye although it did not appear to be the speciality
of the house.
The average patron ordered western food with the majority
opting for steak and baked potatoes which was priced a shade
under Rp 10,000 ($4.66).
Another favorite of the Happy Day regulars seemed to be salad
served at a long and impressive looking salad bar.
Trendy female office workers, trying to keep unwanted pounds
at bay, opted for green salads with a light dressing, priced at
Rp 4,500 ($2.09) as if it were the culinary find of the century.
The list of drinks is kept to essentials like fruit punches,
fruit juices, soft drinks, beer, and mediocre but drinkable wine
sold by the glass.
Even so, I could find no reason to complain about the present
price of Rp 6,000 ($2.79) per medium-sized glass.
A tip is in order for guests who like to enjoy a glass of wine
to complete their lunch or dinner. Order red instead of white
wine at Happy Day.
The white wine of the house should rightly stay on the kitchen
shelf. It would be better used to blend with sauces for grilled
fowl, or, as the main ingredient in a marinade.
-La Chica