Heavenly fare from Bali at Aston Atrium

Bill Blade, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

You're stuck, at around 6 p.m., in one of those hopelessly vast, frustrating, and unavoidable traffic jams on Jl. Sudirman when your mind begins to wander. As mild hunger sets in, it opens up your senses for something salubrious.

Wouldn't it be great, you think to yourself, to just close up shop, hop on a plane and head to somewhere like Bali for a spell of much-needed of R-and-R?

Well, er, yes it would. But it would also, unfortunately, be entirely impractical, and could most likely lead to serious repercussions on the job front.

Never fear: What you can do is turn around and venture off in the direction of Senen, the Coffee Shop in the Aston Atrium Hotel to be precise, and pamper yourself by checking out their Bali Food Promotion, which runs through March 16.

OK, alright, it's not the real thing -- there are no beaches or cool hill resorts, but if you're into Balinese food, it's about as close to the real thing as you're likely to get in this neck of the woods.

Brought to Jakarta by Chef Nyoman Rudita from the Aston Hotel in Bali, this is a rare opportunity to savor what Indonesia's premiere holiday isle has to offer in the culinary arena.

Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

For your appetizer, you could try the kuah ares, a light soup consisting of tofu and onions, spiced up with a sprinkling of chili. Not really my scene, but my Indonesian partner for the evening proclaimed it delicious.

For me, the highlight of the evening was the abundance of duck and chicken dishes on offer, including spicy Bali chicken, chicken and duck betutu, and good old traditional Balinese roast duck with tauco.

The duck betutu appeared particularly tempting and, truth be told, lived up in every way to its promise. The word betutu actually means "yellow spice" in the Balinese language. The duck is first seasoned with salt and pepper, stuffed with red and white onions, chili, galingale and ginger, and then roasted.

Meanwhile, the Spicy Bali Duck was true to its name, without causing any mad dashes for the water dispenser.

First coated and then covered with a paste made of chopped onions, ginger, green chili, pomelo and lemongrass, this is a subtle and tantalizing dish that is seriously difficult to stop eating -- one of the problems inherent in any buffet worth its salt, I suppose.

The roast duck with tauco (fermented bean paste), though, for me had to be the star of the show, and judging by the other diners, I was not alone in being seduced. The deliciously crisp and perfectly browned skin, and tender, aromatic flesh all served to mark this out as a dish apart.

Other treats on offer included kari ayam bualu (mild chicken curry with coconut milk), sate pusut sapi (skewers of barbecued ground beef -- good, but could have been a little spicier), and the ikan bakar (baked fish coated with chili -- wonderfully tender.)

Unfortunately, there is only a limited selection of Balinese deserts were available. But those on hand are quite memorable, particularly the pudding tape ubi. This turned out to be a pudding made from cassava, mixed with yeast so as to render it soft, plus jelly mixed with coconut milk, with the whole ensemble topped with a vanilla sauce. Absolutely delicious.

There were, however, one or two complaints.

The first and most serious was that by the time we arrived at the Aston Atrium at 8 p.m. (not exceptionally late for dinner, one would imagine), most of the dishes were already cool, and going on cold.

Of course, this is not such a major complaint when dealing with Balinese cuisine or Indonesian cuisine in general, as people here often prefer to eat their food cold.

There was also, however, a notable absence of pork, which struck me as a little strange, given the importance of pork in the Balinese culinary tradition.

But apart from these minor quibbles, for only Rp 55,000 per person (plus 11 percent tax and 10 percent service, excluding drinks), this is a veritable feast and enough to get one into vacation-planning mood.

Well recommended, overall.

Bali Food Promotion, Aston Atrium Hotel, Jl. Senen Raya 135, Jakarta 10410 (you can call them on 3442828), running through March 16 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily.