Sailendra: Restaurant truly fit for a king

Bill Blade, Contributor, Jakarta

The Sailendra, J.W. Marriot Hotel, Jl. Lingkar Mega Kuningan Kav A 1.2 No. 1 & 2, Mega Kuningan, Jakarta 12950. For reservations call 57988888. All major credit cards accepted (quoted prices exclude 10% tax and 10% service charge)

Jakarta has a new restaurant that's fit for a king, or should be if its name is anything to go by. The Sailendra, located in the highly impressive new J.W. Marriot Hotel in Jakarta's Mega Kuningan area, takes its name from the ancient Sailendra monarchs (who are credited with building Borobudur temple), and, just like its namesake dynasty, this is an eatery that sets out to impress.

And impress is exactly what it succeeds in doing, although with its vast size, soaring ceilings and copious quantities of marble cladding, it appears more redolent of Cleopatra's Egypt or Caesar's Rome than Central Java.

The restaurant is designed in a split-level style, with the upper level opening in from the hotel lobby and ending with a balcony looking down far below at the richly carpeted lower level, all fronted by an enormous expanse of plate glass stretching all the way up to the ceiling high above.

With autumnal reds, yellows and ocher prevailing, the lower- level dining area suggests mellowness and relaxation, far removed from the cares of this world. The upper level, however, is more urbane with virtually nothing, apart from a few enormous red- ocher urns sitting high up on pedestals, to lessen the coldness produced by the all-enveloping sea of marble and chrome.

The upper level is also home to a large coffee shop counter where those in a rush can grab a quick bite to eat.

And so time to order!

A menu with something for everyone, including European, Japanese, Indian and Indonesian cuisine, encouraged my companion and I to go our separate ways at this stage, with yours truly opting for European this time around and herself deciding to go Asian, settling on the Sailendra spring rolls (Rp 35,000) as a starter.

And what a starter they turned out to be! Large enough for a main course in themselves, the two giant spring rolls consisted of one Chinese-style and one Thai-style roll.

With both of them bursting out of their crispy golden shells with luscious fresh vegetables sauteed in soy sauce, the Thai spring roll was easily distinguishable from its Chinese counterpart by the extra chili and ginger-induced zing, as well as an unmistakable redolence of cilantro (coriander leaves).

As for myself, I had settled on the sauteed chicken livers served on a bed of arugula (a European herb of the mustard family) and red pepper salad, and topped by a caramelized port wine and onion dressing (Rp 35,000). Although certainly most esthetically pleasing, I must admit that I was not overly taken by this particular dish, especially as regards the chicken livers, the textures of which were to my taste rather cloying. This, however, contains no element of reflection on the chef as the choice had been something of a shot in the dark on my part.

For her entree, my companion selected, wisely as it turned out, the stir fried beef with crushed garlic and pepper (Rp 70,000).

A classic Chinese dish from the wok, this particular exemplar was pronounced a giant among its peers. With a riotous assembly of green, red and yellow peppers all blaring out their conceited warnings, a tangy black pepper and garlic sauce to tickle the taste buds and the nostrils, and juicy strips of tenderloin just waiting to melt in the mouth, it is no exaggeration to describe this particular dish as a deliciously eclectic extravaganza of tastes and colors.

For myself, I found it impossible to resist the five spiced duck casserole (Rp 77,000), which was described in the menu in almost reverential terms. And, truth to tell, it's not hard to see why. First marinated in the five spices (a traditional Chinese seasoning), the bird is then braised in its own juices until almost ready to drop off the bone. The final product is served in a woody-flavored gravy together with char-grilled vegetables, including eggplant, red and yellow peppers, and onions, wonderful roast potatoes, and a whole roast, sweet apple with sprigs of fennel emerging from where the core had been to provide the finishing touch.

This is a superb dish, and wonderfully evocative of colder climes and howling winter nights, and one that I'll certainly be coming back to try again.

While surveying the crowded dining room leisurely over coffee and gateaux as we approached the end of our meal on that particular Sunday evening, I couldn't help getting the impression that quite a few were there, as we were, to put the new arrival through its paces, so to speak.

And despite one or two hiccoughs on the service side (quite understandable, I feel, given the Sailendra's recent opening), I think many of the diners will be inclined to agree with me when I say that for once the blurb doesn't lie. The Sailendra truly is a restaurant fit for a king and a welcome addition to Jakarta's stock of fine restaurants.