Savor some ASEAN cuisine downtown

Savor some ASEAN cuisine downtown

By Ati Nurbaiti

JAKARTA (JP): It's possible to get to know popular dishes of
neighboring countries at a dining venue downtown. Consider it an
introduction to an intriguing variety of daily fare, as new
tastes of familiar edibles are available at the ASEAN
(Association of Southeast Asian Nations) food festival.

The Sari Nusantara Restaurant, on the ground floor of the Duta
Merlin shopping center on Jl. Gajah Mada, has joined in the
fanfare and is putting on a spread until Jan. 29. Note that the
buffet, Rp 15,000 (US$6.94) plus tax, is only served during lunch
hours.

For Indonesians and other Asians, it is a guarantee that the
experience of eating foreign cuisine still means you get a full
tummy, as a deep bowl ensures an adequate supply of steaming
rice.

Naturally the "festival" suits those not in the mood to pick
out dainty, sparsely arranged delicacies which come in a string
of courses.

Seducing the appetite without diverting patrons' attention is
clearly what the management has in mind, as most of its noontime
diners are executives entertaining potential clients and they
want to keep business the focal point.

Manager Suheri Hiustra commented that the executives seem too
busy to more than glance at the buffet decorated by the flags of
Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei and the
Philippines. So perhaps business people are not among those of us
who are curious about what our neighbors eat.

The management claims the restaurant is a one-stop dining
place for Southeast Asian food. But only one country's cuisine is
featured at a time.

Also, it is disappointing to find the "festival" leaves out
Brunei and the Philippines -- a country famed for its colorful,
festive people and dishes. There's just a few Filipino dishes
offered on the regular menu.

Something else featured in the restaurant that seems to have
become crucial in Asian entertaining: the karaoke lounge "for
VIPs" in the 350-seat diner.

If you patronize the restaurant this week it will be
Malaysia's turn until Nov. 27. And if you expect to find the
cooking of Sumatra's neighbor dominated by coconut milk you'll
find the opposite to be the case.

In fact there are no signs of the heavy, richly spiced gulai
or other variants containing coconut milk. The Malaysian buffet
presentation begins with a delicious sour and chili-hot soup, but
the chili is kept to a minimum to give only a fresh hint of its
presence.

Not with rice

It isn't a soup to eat with rice because of the sago mixture
which thickens it. The ingredients include tofu and mushrooms.

Then there's a choice of ribs, shrimp, fish and chicken. The
ribs are well done in honey and pepper, but honestly there wasn't
much of either. The shrimp is cooked in blistering cheese - "we
call it shrimp crystal because the shrimp comes out golden and
flowery," said a waiter.

The chicken comes out interesting because of the momordica
(pare) in the chili and ketchup sauce. The other way around is
also true -- pare comes out nice with chicken, because not
everyone likes the bitter gourd on its own.

Besides meat and fish, tofu is another choice, its sauce
hinting at a seasoning which has crossed many borders: tauco,
fermented bean paste.

Tauco is popular in Cianjur, West Java. Again the chef was
very careful not to overdo its strong sour taste. As he was a
trifle too busy that afternoon we were left to wonder whether the
dish, mapo tahu is really popular in Malaysia, or whether it was
the cook's concoction.

After the Malaysian spread, Thai food reigns to Dec. 11,
Singaporean to Dec. 25 and Indonesian to Jan. 15. The last
fortnight of the promotion will offer an assortment of Southeast
Asian cuisine till Jan. 29.

Most of the selection must be a surprise as the menu only
lists "grilled lobster" and "flat shrimp meatballs" from
Thailand, and Filipino grilled fish.

Finally, a variation in your coffee will undoubtedly be one
that is not consumed at the end of the meal -- explore "chicken
and coffee a la Brunei"!