Seeking a dining room with a view

Kenny Santana, Contributor, Jakarta

Eating outside the home is always an interesting experience. From the moment you walk through the door of a restaurant, are shown to your table and take that first taste of your meal, you are bombarded with impressions.

Good or bad, these impressions have much to do with the ambience of the restaurant. And this ambience is affected by your fellow diners, the music being played, the interior design and the view afforded by the restaurant.

While it is certainly true that the view is not the most important consideration in a restaurant, why not choose an eatery that has the sort of view that can complement the food, making a good meal that much better.

Jakarta is known for its metropolitan cityscape, with towering skyscrapers, traffic jams and lights everywhere. The fantastic hustle and bustle of this teeming metropolis, the millions of different stories being played out on the streets, offer some very interesting people-watching opportunities.

And some restaurants are aware of this. The following are some of the restaurants where you can eat and enjoy the spectacle that is Jakarta:

Empire Grille, 35th floor, Menara Imperium, Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said, South Jakarta, Tel: 835 3978. Opening hours: 5 p.m. - 11 p.m.

The Empire Grille is the first name that comes to mind when talking about restaurants with a view. The place has everything, including a magnificent rotating floor.

Basically, this place will spoil your eyes. Being the first and only rotating restaurant in our beloved city has surely been a boon for the restaurant, but it deserves everything it has.

It is simply good clean fun to have your meal while spinning around, right round, like a record baby. The core in the center of the restaurant does not spin, only the outer seating area, doing a full rotation in about two hours. So the next thing you know, the toilet in the core will have suddenly moved to the other side of the room.

While having fun watching one of Jakarta's busiest streets (not to mention the moving toilet), you can also enjoy food that is satisfyingly good.

The lamb citrus was properly spiced and delivered a rich sensation, and the tender chicken breast hit the spot nicely. The steak section of the menu offers different choices of sauce. The only complaint was that you have to pay for vegetables and other side dishes. Shouldn't they come with the meal?

While most of the items on the menu cost over Rp 100,000 (except the appetizers and pasta dishes), the desserts are surprisingly reasonably priced. Of the three dessert choices (all under Rp 30.000), try the ricotta cheesecake. It is rich, but not overly so, providing a superior end to your meal compared to the rather bland green tea parfait and not-to-special lemon polenta.

With good service and an over-the-top view, this restaurant is one that can be recommended. A tip: get here for the sunset if you want to see Jakarta at its best.

Kafe Mario, 7th floor, Pasaraya Blok M, Jl. Iskandarsyah II/2, South Jakarta, Tel: 726 8345. Opening hours: 9 a.m.- 9 p.m.

This place is neither popular nor hip. But at least it has a view of the Blok M bus terminal.

Come during the evening, and you will see that the always- crowded station -- with both passengers and pickpockets -- doesn't look so bad when viewed through the restaurant's windows. With the blue rooftop faintly glowing in the evening light, the station will never look better. You can even fantasize that you are not in Jakarta, but some foreign country where bus stations are safe and comfortable melting pots.

On the food side, the appetizers aren't appetizing. The tahu selimut tepung, or deep-fried tofu with fish, which might sound tasty, isn't at all.

But when it comes to the main courses, there is a surprisingly good and wide selection. Try the laksa Betawi, which featured some of the best laksa, or glass noodles, I have ever tasted. The mix between the noodles, egg and rice cake in the laksa sauce will simply make your day.

Their chicken picatta is not bad either, like most of the main courses which are better than average. And the desserts are OK as well. But improvements are needed in the so-so service, early closing hour and poor live music.

Dome, Plaza Indonesia, Jl. M.H. Thamrin 28-30, Central Jakarta, Tel: 310 7553. Opening Hours: 10 a.m.- midnight (Saturdays until 1 a.m.)

What can you say about Dome. We are simply lucky to have such a perfect place in the center of Jakarta.

Street rallies in the afternoon, traffic jams in the evening, Dome has the best view of the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle and fountain.

Another plus point is that Dome closes later than most of the other cafes in the mall, a fact that moves many a tired shopper to sprawl into one of the cafe's chairs for a few hours of relaxation.

About the menu, there are three things to say: great coffee, good cakes, pricey.

Starbucks, which has great coffee, good cakes and is also pricey, just opened next door, giving Dome some tough competition. But Starbucks doesn't own the great view Dome does, and sometimes the view makes all the difference.

C's, Grand Hyatt Jakarta, Jl. M.H. Thamrin 28-30, Central Jakarta, Tel: 390 1234. Opening Hours: 12 p.m.-3 p.m., 6 p.m.-11 p.m.

One of the hippest restaurants in town, C's has become the talk of the town, and for good reason.

C's is beautifully designed, and with its open kitchen concept guests can watch the chef prepare their meals.

The activity around the kitchen simply brings the place alive. And unlike many restaurants, where it seems diners think they will be charged extra for talking, in C's the atmosphere is charged with conversation.

If the view inside doesn't satisfy you, there is a view of Jakarta from two of the restaurant's four private rooms: Capital and City.

From inside these rooms, guests get a view of Jl. M.H. Thamrin and the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle. There is no extra charge for the room, but you have to spend a minimum of Rp 2.5 million.

Order almost anything from the menu and you will be satisfied. But beware, the food doesn't come cheap.

Their specialty is steak and seafood, but there is Chinese food as well. For first-timers, platters offering everything from appetizers and entrees to desserts are highly recommended. You'll get several choices in one order, and everything is satisfying.

The crab cakes and foie gras appetizers are splendid, so is the mixed grill meat for the entree. And the mango pudding is divine.

The place simply rocks. And if you want more of the view of Jakarta, go downstairs and relax in the Hyatt's Fountain Lounge.