Mouth-watering and healthy Chinese cuisine

T. Sima Gunawan, Contributor, Jakarta

Every afternoon several young men ride their bicycle in different directions around a housing complex in South Jakarta, while shouting now and then: "Siomaaiii...", offering a kind of dim sum which is put in a large bowl on the back of the bike.

Siomai is only one of many Chinese delicacies and dishes which are widely available in the city. Others include Lunpia (spring rolls), Mi Ayam (chicken noodles) and Cap Cay (sauteed mixed vegetables).

Chinese food is so popular here that it can be found anywhere, from the sidewalk to posh shopping malls as people from all walks of life love it.

As a matter of fact, it has long been a favorite of people all over the world. No wonder most star-rated hotels also serve Chinese food.

"Chinese cuisine is one of the most popular and well accepted cuisines for Jakartans and other communities around the world. By having a specialty restaurant, it will help provide a more exceptional culinary experience for our guests within the hotel," Mellani Solagratia, public relations manager of JW Marriott Jakarta said.

She is referring to the Pearl Chinese restaurant, one of three restaurants in the hotel -- the other two are Sailendra, which offers a variety of contemporary yet distinctive Asian and international cuisines; and Asuka, which serves authentic Japanese cuisine.

Pearl features authentic Cantonese cuisine with strong emphasis on freshly prepared seafood such as abalone and shark's fin. The lunch menu also includes a wide array of dim sum.

Another five-star hotel, Gran Melia, has a Chinese restaurant called Tien Chao, which in Chinese means "Sky Paradise", besides Cafe Gran Via, Columbus Fine Dining and Kelts' Irish Pub.

Tien Chao serves authentic Cantonese and Szechuan cuisine, offering a wide variety of dim sum dishes for lunch as well as an extensive a la carte menu for lunch and dinner.

"A Chinese restaurant is very international and people, both locals and foreigners can adapt easily to Chinese food. It is one of the most popular types of restaurant to have. Of course, quality matters too, especially when we are dining in a five-star hotel," said Hana Hoed, public relations manager of Gran Melia Jakarta.

Mandarin Oriental Hotel has its own reason for having a Chinese restaurant, Xin Hwa.

"Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is based on Oriental culture which will effect the overall operations, standard operating procedure, service and food. (Having) the Chinese restaurant is also another way to approach Oriental culture. And from the business point of view, our number one local customers are Chinese," explained Widya Kertawidyawati, the hotel's food and beverage manager.

Borobudur Hotel's Teratai restaurant offers authentic Cantonese Cuisine while other types of food are offered at the four other restaurants Bogor Cafe, Bruschetta Italian Restaurant, Miyama Japanese Restaurant and Singosari Poolside Restaurant.

"Teratai Chinese Restaurant offers mouth-watering Peking duck and a superb dim sum selection prepared by our master chefs from Hong Kong," said Sari Priskila from the hotel's public relations department, who also recommended pan fried goose liver Chinese style (Rp 288,000 per portion) and deep fried king prawn with egg yolk (Rp 50,000 per piece).

In order to ensure the authenticity of its dishes, JW Marriott hires its chefs from Malaysia. Xin Hwa's Sichuan style food is skillfully prepared and cooked by Chinese Chefs, while Gran Melia has a Singaporean Chinese Chef, Roger Tay, who has vast experience in the Asian region including Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand and Jakarta.

Chef Roger recommends wintermelon soup with seafood; pan-fried fresh scallops with prawn paste in orange sauce; sauteed beef cubes with black pepper sauce; steamed imported sliced cod with asparagus and shimeiji mushrooms (which costs Rp 64,000 per portion); steamed fish a la Thai (Rp 180,000 small, Rp 288,000++ medium, Rp 360,000 large) and pan fried veal ribs (U.S.) with teriyaki sauce (Rp 80,000 small; Rp 120,000 medium; Rp 160,000 large).

As for the Marriott, the recommended dishes include roast Peking duck and drunken prawn, a live a la minute presentation the cooking of which can be viewed by the guest.

"For the roast Peking duck, we use a secret recipe; different herbs to marinate the duck," Mellani said, adding that the kitchen team creates a modern presentation and yet retains the originality of the Cantonese dishes.

Xin Hwa offers not only appetizers, soups and main entrees, but also a live seafood selection from the fish tanks. Its signature dishes include kong pao chicken, smoked duck, traditional hot and sour soup, and traditional champor tea smoked duck. Dim sum is available for lunch.

Gran Melia has an exclusive club called the Tien Chao X.O. Club to provide an exclusive service for the restaurants' most distinguished guests. Regular patrons who are entitled to a VVIP status will get a pair of silver chopsticks with their name engraved on them. Among the listed members are former presidents B.J. Habibie and Megawati Soekarnoputri.

In order to attract guests, the Chinese restaurants often hold food promotions. For the month of June, for example, Tien Chao promotes the "Super Clay Pot, and for July, it will create sumptuous mushroom menu with the inclusion of enoki and matsusake mushrooms mixed with Chinese ingredients, called "Wild Wild Mushrooms Promotion".

Every Saturday and Sunday, Gran Melia and Borobudur offer dim sum at Rp 68,000 for all you can eat.

The 99 Chinese Buffet is available at lunch time from Monday to Saturday at Rp 88,000 per person at the Marriott, which has also launched JW Preferred Card -- an avenue for guests to experience various privileges in its restaurants such as discounts or other special offers.

Even though food additive monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a common ingredient in Chinese food, you don't have to worry because Chinese restaurants in those hotels mostly use chicken powder instead of MSG.