Kembang Goela: Savor the delights of colonial Indonesia

Kembang Goela: Savor the delights of colonial Indonesia

Susanna Tjokro, Contributor, Jakarta

Are you getting bored with the modern, too-cool-for-school
eateries around town? Want to savor the culinary delights of
Indonesia in old-world ambiance? If so, drop by Kembang Goela, a
place where one can taste traditional Indonesian home-cooking --
and an opportunity for some to sample some of their ancestors'
favorite food.

Kembang Goela is the old-fashioned word for candy, these days
most Indonesians would say permen, instead of kembang goela.

The restaurant is beautifully furnished in a colonial style,
with some old Indonesian and Dutch tunes softly playing in the
background. Its antique collection is also a feast for the eyes;
an old clock, tiffin carriers and a gramophone from a bygone era.
Some of these artifacts are for sale, while others are part of
the restaurant's private collection.

While waiting for food or friends, one can also browse Kembang
Goela's mini-library of old books and new, glossy magazines, like
Architectural Digest, Prestige and The Peak.

Thumbing through the menu, besides Indonesian dishes, one will
find Dutch and Dutch-influenced cuisine, such as the appetizer
huzarensalade (carrot, beet, pineapple, applea and green peas
dressed with home-made Dutch sauce).

Talking about the food, chilies are used in a wide variety
ways in Indonesian dishes and it's a good idea to ask the waiter
beforehand whether the food is fiery. A lot of the recipes that
use lots of chilies can be altered to make them less spicy. As a
person who cannot stand hot, fiery food, I was lucky to find out
early on that my main course yuyu djeroek Bali (fried soft-shell
crabs served with Balinese orange salad, Rp 45,000) was a hot
dish. In the description of yuyu djeroek Bali on the menu, I did
not see the word "chili", yet I was told that it was a fiery
dish. Although the chef toned down the chilies, as requested it
remained delicious, with the pungent salad and crabs
complimenting each other perfectly. The mouth-watering fried yuyu
(crabs) were crunchy on the outside, yet tender on the inside --
succulent from first bite to last crunch.

Oseng-oseng ketjipir (green vegetable Ketjipir, with shallots,
garlic and chilies, Rp 27,500) was also tasty and not too hot for
my liking. My drink was a luscious es bendera (Rp 22,500), a
blend of sirsak, lime, pineapple and pink guava -- very
refreshing.

If you are into hot food, the dendeng balado (crispy fried
beef spiced with sweet and sour red chili, Rp 50,000) or ayam
mevrouw lientje (grilled chicken with red chili sauce, Rp 45,000)
are excellent.

Boentoet balado (fried oxtail spiced with sweet and sour red
chili) and oedang kapiten jongker (fried king prawns with special
black pepper, shallots and garlic sauce) are among the other
choices.

As for dessert, one has a range of traditional Indonesian
desserts here, like pisang gentjet (fried banana served with
Javanese palm sugar syrup, Rp 15,000) and kue jongkong (coconut
cake, Rp 22,500).

Opening its doors in May this year, the grand opening of
Kembang Goela is scheduled for the first week of August. In
August the restaurant's rijsttafel, a Dutch term, literally
translated as "rice table" will be on offer.

Rijsttafel is a complete rice banquet with a selection of
dishes and accompaniments -- a representative sampling of
Indonesian cuisine. The idea is to have tastes of many things
rather than a full meal of any single dish, as all five or 10 (or
more) dishes arrive all at one time. Semur ayam (tangy chicken
stew), sayur lodeh (vegetables cooked in rich coconut gravy),
kroket (croquettes) and sate ayam (char-grilled skewered pieces
of chicken served with peanut sauce) are just a few of the many
dishes in the rijsttafel.

The dish was created during Dutch colonial times in Indonesia.
High society, including top-ranking government officers and
plantation owners enjoyed eating an array of many dishes in small
portions that sometimes covered the whole table. Although it was
created by the Dutch, the rijsttafel has its roots in Indonesian
cooking, as most Indonesians traditionally take a meal from a big
bowl of rice with other dishes arranged around it.

However, one needs to make a reservation at least two days in
advance for rijsttafel. A minimum of 15 guests is also required.
There are many variations on offer, the easiest on the pocket at
Kembang Goela is the Rp 225,000 per person version, for nine
dishes (from appetizers to desserts) including drinks.

Bon appetite and selamat makan.

Kembang Goela
Plaza Sentral, Parking Lot
Jl. Jendral Sudirman Kav. 47- 48, Jakarta
Tel: 520 5651
Opening hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily
The writer can be reached at s_tjokro@yahoo.com