Oasis restaurant caters to presidents and kings

Oasis restaurant caters to presidents and kings

By Lenah Susianty

JAKARTA (JP): You're in the gent's when U.S. President Bill
Clinton enters, slaps you on the back and says "Hi!"

It's not a scene from a new Hollywood blockbuster. It happened
last November at the Oasis restaurant in Central Jakarta when
Clinton was here for the APEC leaders meetings.

The Clintons refused to dine in one of the Raja, the king
rooms on the second floor, they wanted to mingle with the other
guests.

"My guests were very surprised to find the president and his
wife among them that evening. At first, I wondered whether it was
true that I was serving the President of the United States of
America because inside the restaurant there were only a few
security guards," Oasis General Manager Oom Mucharam Endi told
The Jakarta Post recently.

"Only when I went outside did I see that the restaurant was
being guarded and the whole street had been blocked," Oom added.

Special officials were placed at both ends of Jl. Raden Saleh
Raya that evening to pick up Oasis employees. Without the
officials' nod they would have not been permitted to enter the
street. Other guests, who had made reservations were first
confirmed by a special team.

The tight security for the couple wasn't a first at Oasis.
Established in 1968 by Carol Gandanegara, it has since served
King Juan Carlos of Spain, Prince Bernard of the Netherlands,
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia and former first lady
of the Philippines Imelda Marcos. President Soeharto, Vice
President Try Sutrisno, State Minister for Research and
Technology B.J. Habibie and Indonesian tycoons, including Sudono
Salim, have also eaten at the restaurant.

Today, the restaurant is famous as a venue for international
companies and businesses to entertain their guests.

"Most of our clients are corporate people," Oom explained.

The 1,800 square-meter restaurant was built in 1928 by the
Dutch millionaire F. Brandenburg Van Oltsende, owner of tea,
rubber and cinchona estates. The two-story building was designed
in a style prevalent during the governorship of Sir Thomas
Stamford Raffles, who was British lieutenant-governor of Batavia,
now Jakarta, in 1811.

Being a rich man, Van Oltsende made his house luxurious.
Statues of pure Italian marble can still be found in the rear
garden. A painting by an Italian artist -- which was previously
installed above Van Oltsende's bed -- adorns a bar on the second
floor. A marvelous stained-glass window, designed by Dutch artist
Robert Deppe, made by J.J.R. Engel in Jakarta in 1936 and
dedicated to Dutch humanist Erasmus of Rotterdam, decorates the
Sumatra room. The room is named after the dozens of old
handwoven, gold-embroidered Sumatra sarongs hanging on the walls.

The last Governor General of the Dutch East Indies, Tjarda van
Starlenborgh, was reported to have fled to the building during
World War II every time he felt uneasy that his Koningsplein
Palace (the present presidential Merdeka Palace) was going to
bombed by the Japanese.

After the war, the building became the official residence of
the United States naval attache and was the venue for the annual
marine ball.

The next owner, Carol Gandanegara, was a keen collector of
Indonesian traditional artifacts and art and turned the building
into a restaurant in 1968. He made it into a museum to display
his rich collections of traditional masks, statues, textiles and
paintings.

In 1978, the restaurant was bought by the late Tirto Utomo,
known as the king of water because his company, PT Golden
Mississippi, pioneered the bottled water business in 1974.
Besides a sharp instinct for business, Tirto also had a great
taste for art.

"When he saw Indonesian traditional art works and artifacts
adorning the walls of the restaurant, which were perfect for such
an old building, he determined to keep it as it was," Oom said,
"Our regulars are familiar with the atmosphere and those who
return after a long absence are always amazed that everything is
still the same."

Two gold plated mirrors, for example, have for years decorated
the walls of the Kalimantan room, the first room after the foyer.
"The Kalimantan room's curtains are always burgundy," Oom said,
adding that only a slight variations is acceptable.

Every painting was done by the late Hendra, a noted Indonesian
painter. They have been hanging on the same walls since the time
of Gandanegara. Maintenance has therefore become one of the
restaurant's rituals.

The restaurant is a place for nostalgia. At night, when
chandeliers and small oil lamps on the tables are lit and patrons
eat and drink merrily to the sound of the house band, the
ambience of a Dutch colonial party is brought back.

Food

Tirto, who died in March last year, began promoting Indonesian
cuisine. The restaurant had both Indonesian and European food,
notably French cuisine, but the Indonesian food was not as
popular as it is nowadays.

"We can't sell soto ayam for Rp 10,000 (US$4.54) per portion.
No one will buy it if it is just like other soto ayam sold at
street stalls. Therefore Tirto suggested that we sell Indonesian
rijstafel in 1978," said the general manager of the two time
winner of the Adikarya Wisata award. The award is presented by
the Jakarta administration for institutions considered to be
dedicated to the development of tourism.

Rijstafel, or rice table in old Dutch, was known in colonial
Indonesia as nasi besar (big rice). It is an array of mild to
strongly spiced Indonesian dishes, including a soup or soto,
meat, shrimp, eggs, vegetables and dessert.

The classic rijstafel used to be served on Sundays on the
terraces of the Des Indes Hotel, which has been replaced by the
Duta Merlin shopping center on Jl. Gajah Mada. The dishes in
those pre-World War II days were served by barefooted waiters in
white livery and batik head dresses who brought up to 60 dishes
on silver platers. The large number of dishes was improvised by
early Dutch planters who had great appetites. It was also the
Dutch who initially turned the meal into such a ceremony.

The colonial meal is now disappearing, although some
Indonesian restaurants in the Netherlands reportedly still serve
it.

Oasis is among the few restaurants which serve rijstafel in
Indonesia. However, the dishes have been reduced to 12 and are
served by 12 waitresses in traditional Sundanese kebaya.

One by One, the twelve waitresses offer each dish. You choose
whatever dishes you like to fill your large Ming plate.

The rijstafel is what brought the Clintons to the restaurant.
They ate kimlo (black mushroom and chicken soup), sambal goreng
dadar (egg omelette in chili sauce), ayam tim (chicken steamed
with ginger and star anise), tahu isi (beancurd stuffed with
minced chicken and shrimp), serundeng (roasted grated coconut
with peanuts) and also the famous pisang goreng (pan-fried
banana).

"Before we began serving rijstafel, 30 percent of total sales
was Indonesian food. Now, an average of two thirds of our take
comes from rijstafel. We once had 129 guests out of 150 asking
for the rijstafel," Oom explained.

On Sunday evenings they serve a Betawi rijstafel, native
Jakartan food.

Coffee is also a special treat. It is more of a ceremony than
an after dinner drink. The coffee is prepared on a trolley beside
your table. The preparation of the "diamond coffee" rivals that
of flaming cointreau.

French cuisine is still on the menu and is under the guidance
of Swiss chef Ewald Falk. Chef Broto Soetantyo worries about the
Indonesian menu. They are assisted by 83-year-old Malia Soenario.
She started at Oasis in 1979 and is still strong and healthy.
Apart from cooking, she leads the waitresses when serving the
guests.

Prices, service

Prices vary. The rijstafel goes for about Rp 60,000 per
person, while a set menu dinner consisting of starters, the main
course, sherbet, dessert and coffee costs from Rp 55,000 to Rp
125,000 per package.

An ala carte menu is also available, offering for example
delicious "Maharaja" Chicken Curry at only Rp 28,000 per portion
or Beef Stroganoff for Rp 50,000.

Indian "Maharaja" curry is worth trying. The pan-fried chicken
is topped with Oasis home-made curry sauce and served with tasty
rice, sweet bananas and raisins. The curry isn't very strong for
those who are used to very spicy and hot food. Chilies and other
spices are automatically offered by the friendly waiters and
waitresses. The banana gives the curry a fresh taste.

Oasis Lightly Smoked Salmon, served with horse radish cream,
capers and onions, and Avocado Pear "Emerald Islands", avocado
stuffed with shrimps and topped with green goddess dressing, are
perfect for appetizers.

Fresh vegetables and Rujak buah and a basket of kerupuk are
served on all tables, to be eaten while you are waiting for your
appetizers.

Classic desserts such as Chocolate Mousse, Peach Melba and
Creme caramel are listed on the menu. Indonesian kue, served
petit-fours, is another choice for those who want to mix the
western plate with the eastern one.

Service is remarkable. From the time you step into the
compound, a parking valet is there to help. Waiting for a table
or for your companion to come? Waitresses and waiters will usher
you to Topeng bar where drinks are available. Food is served
quickly and a small basket of sweets is provided for the ladies
when they leave the restaurant.

Batak music, from the ethnic group in North Sumatra, has
become part of the restaurant. Two Batak bands, Amores and Yan
Sinambela, perform on different nights and turn the dining room
into a merry singing stage. Their repertoires include foreign
songs like O sole mio.

It is no wonder that last year the restaurant was awarded a
platinum award for the best restaurant in terms of quality,
atmosphere and service by organizers of the Jakarta Food
Festival.

President Clinton may yet come back to canvass in the
restroom.