Il Mare satiates Italian food lovers
Kurniawan Hari The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Down on the ground floor of the Mulia Hotel in Senayan, Italian food lovers can savor various Italian dishes and beverages in an atmosphere of tranquility.
Only the melodious voices of tenors Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti are heard.
The tables are adorned with red and blue ribbons with yellow flowers while the walls are terra-cotta red.
Three or four huge porcelain vases give an accent to the spacious room. A medium-size bar in the middle of the restaurant offers various wines.
I ordered iced lemon tea and, then, Pizza al Tonno (pizza topped with tuna fish), for a starter.
Unlike the American pizza commonly sold at pizza restaurants around town which is full of toppings, the Italian pizza is thinner and the base crispy. A medium round pizza costs Rp 50,000 (US$5).
"This is the original Italian pizza. The ones sold at some pizza restaurants here are the American modification. But, I think the taste of the (American pizza) is not bad," Italian Chef Gabrielle Noe told The Jakarta Post.
For soup, customers may choose from Minestrone alla Genovese (Traditional vegetable minestra with pesto) or Crema di piselli e asparagi con granchio al burro di aragosta (Asparagus and green pea cream soup with crab meat and lobster butter).
Ministrone and Crema di piselli cost Rp 36,000 and Rp 38,000 respectively.
Muslim customers need not worry about the dishes, because those containing pork have been obviously highlighted.
Like other Italian restaurants, Il Mare also relies on spaghetti and pasta, such as lobster spaghetti, lasagna and tortellini stuffed with meat and Parmesan cheese, as its specialties.
For the main course, customers could choose from the menu. Capellini con gamberi, Capesante, Aragostine e Pesto Alla Genovese (Angel hair with prawns, scallops, lobster and pesto sauce) costs Rp 110,000.
Spaghetti all'aragosta (Spaghetti with lobster, garlic and spicy tomato sauce) is offered for Rp 165,000.
"These are the favorite dishes for the past five or six years," said the Venice-born Chef Gabrielle.
Despite his skill in serving appetizing Italian pizzas, Gabrielle said that for him the pizza was not so special. That kind of pizza, he said, was common in Italy.
According to him, the pizza dough could be prepared a day in advance. "The dough made of flour, water and egg could be prepared in a few hours," he said.
Gabrielle always uses fresh ingredients to prepare seafood dishes that have a distinctive Northern Italian flavor.
For Sunday Brunch, Il Mare offers a selection of Italian and international cuisine, from cheese and cold cuts, carved roast beef, to pates de foie gras.
For dessert Il Mare offers Macedonia di frutta con gelato alla vaniglia (fresh fruit salad with vanilla gelato) or Sformato tiepido al cioccolato fondente con gelato al bailey's (hot chocolate melt with berry compote and baileys ice cream).
Macedonia and Sformato are Rp 44,000 and Rp 46,000 respectively.
For those gastronomes who love Italian food, Il Mare could be just the place to satisfy their palate.
Il Mare Restaurant, Mulia Hotel, Jl. Asia Afrika, Jakarta Phone: (021) 574 7777
Opening hours: Sunday Brunch: 11 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Lunch (Monday - Saturday): 12 a.m. 2:30 p.m. Dinner: 6 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.