Hotels offer free snacks, drinks during Ramadhan
Hotels offer free snacks, drinks during Ramadhan
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Bringing a basket full of dates and cookies, a man walked
around the lobby of Mulia Hotel in Senayan offering them to
guests. It was dusk. It was time for Muslims to break their fast.
Some people took the dates and continued their conversation in
the lobby while others rushed to the hotel's restaurant after
taking a few.
"We provide our guests with dates or cookies to break their
fast for free. This will help them to complete their fast
immediately," said Mulia Hotel's public relations officer Eka
Resmiasih.
Although the five-star hotel has not put up decorations for
this year's fasting month, it still provides guests with various
choices of dishes for break-the-fast meals.
At Samudra Suki Restaurant, for example, customers can soothe
their thirst with Thai cendol, es kolak (banana with sweet
coconut milk and ice) or steamed cassava with coconut sugar.
Located on the ground floor, the restaurant also offers a main
course of buffet or shabu-shabu. During Ramadhan, Mulia Hotel
offers a buffet for a minimum of 50 persons. The price starts
from Rp 145,000 (US$14.50) per person.
As night falls, more people come to Samudra Suki to have
dinner with their family, joining with those breaking the fast.
Like Mulia Hotel, the Shangri-La also offers guests a special
service. Iced syrup and dates are available for free on every
table at the Satoo Restaurant.
It was rather surprising that the 480-seat restaurant was
almost fully occupied at break-the-fast time.
A number of guests, including Golkar legislator Marzuki
Darusman, were already seated at Satoo minutes before maghrib
(evening prayers, when the fast is broken).
"Like usual, this restaurant is always full. Perhaps, people
like to eat here to avoid traffic jams," said Shangri-La's
communications coordinator Gloria Vera Kristie.
Es kolak and es doger (sliced young coconut and young
jackfruit with syrup) will quench your thirst.
For those who like jamu (herbal drink), there is a choice of
beras kencur (rice and herbs), kunyit asem (curcuma and tamarind)
and jamu kuat (combination of beras kencur, kunyit asem and
ginseng) at the juice and herbal station.
After finishing the appetizer, guests can browse the various
kitchens in this ample restaurant. They can choose Asian
delicacies, Indian cuisine, Western food, noodles or grill and
barbecue.
Meanwhile, Nikko Hotel offers a break-the-fast buffet for a
minimum of 30 person at Rp 120,000 per person.
At The Olive Tree Restaurant, guests can douse their thirst
with cocopandan or mango syrup served on each table. Afterward,
dates and various cookies and snacks are provided from a mini
bar.
The man in charge of preparing the dishes is executive chef
Setiyanto. With his team, he prepares various sweet snacks and
drinks like cake, es kelapa muda, es kolak and others.
While enjoying their meal, guests could also listen to Islamic
songs at low volume.
The atmosphere of Ramadhan is becoming more obvious with the
presence of two bedug (a large drum).
For those who want to perform evening prayers, a mushola
(prayer room) is provided at the nearby Diamond Ballroom on the
ground floor.
"We try to give the best service to our customers," said
Sugeng Purnomo, assistant public relations manager at the Nikko
Hotel.