Sindbad full of Middle Eastern promise

JAKARTA (JP): Bomb incidents at Slipi intersection aside, Petamburan, on the border between Central and West Jakarta, has always been a thriving part of the city, an area that never seems to sleep.

Lying on the edge of Tanah Abang, it is full of small businesses, workshops, sidewalk restaurants and the multiplicity of other urban paraphernalia, human and otherwise, that characterize the busier parts of the city. It is also something of a human melting pot, and has long been home to the Arab- Indonesian community.

Thus it is perhaps not surprising that a restaurant specializing in good but reasonably priced Arab food has been established in the area since the mid-1990s. To avoid any possible confusion, it has the distinctive name Sindbad (not Sinbad as most people assume).

Sindbad Restaurant: Jl. Aipda K.S. Tubun No. 2, Petamburan, Central Jakarta, tel. 5308366, 5308367, 5480071

Location: A few hundred meters from the Slipi intersection, on the western side of Jl. Aipda K.S. Tubun, and a few doors away from the Santika Hotel. If you are approaching in a vehicle from the direction of Tanah Abang make sure you don't overshoot, because after passing the restaurant, the median in the road will not allow you to make a U-turn to retrace your steps. You will have to take the tortuous route through the Slipi intersection to return.

Hours: From 11 a.m. to midnight, every day. Major credit cards are accepted.

Looks: From the outside, the restaurant is not particularly distinctive and one could easily pass it by without realizing it. The cream-colored painted walls and archways of the canopied entrance give it an almost mosque-like appearance, except there is no domed roof with the crescent-shaped moon symbol above. There is a rather faded "Sindbad" sign at the edge of the sidewalk.

Inside it is both cool and welcoming, despite the predominantly deep red of the decor, and is like an informal dining room, with an aquarium as the focal point. Unfortunately, there seemed to be only two fish swimming in the fairly sizable tank. There is ample seating for up to 50 people, at tables of either four or six, plus another 20, in a private room.

The waitresses' uniforms matched the red of the interior, and with their headscarves they looked rather like the stewardesses on some of the Middle Eastern airlines that fly to Jakarta. They were all friendly, helpful and polite.

What it's got: The food is mainly Arabic, with a good range of Yemeni and Syrian cuisine also available. This means that lamb predominates, along with salads that are marvelously refreshing, as well as some dishes that are both heavy and sweet, but meant to be eaten with the main courses, a custom that is perhaps slightly unusual to the Western palate.

The menu listed soups, salads, barbecued dishes, Arabic rice and pasta, fried dishes (mainly meat and fish), Arabic curries and desserts (mainly fresh fruit).

There were also set menus available, suitable for large groups of people and consisting primarily of roast lamb, plus side dishes. These represented very good value for money.

No alcohol is served, but this is more than compensated for by the wide range of fresh fruit juices (including a house special made to a secret recipe!), plus a range of teas and coffees.

Taste factor: As I was dining with two friends, we were able to order a range of dishes to get a good idea of what was available. We were determined to sample the lamb in its various guises, as, generally speaking, it is difficult to find well- prepared lamb in the city.

The lamb's leg soup had small pieces of lamb on the bone in it, and tasted both very rich and, with that characteristic lamb flavor, a little overpowering.

Three types of salad were ordered. The Syrian was rather like a Western salad, full of tomatoes, cucumbers and onions, except that some mint had been added to give it that extra, zesty taste. The Yemeni looked a little like raita (yogurt with cucumber and mint), except it had been made from yogurt and sambal (homemade chili sauce) and was rather too fiery for me. The Lebanese chopped salad was a little like the Syrian one, except the ingredients had been chopped small, and coriander and couscous had been added. In fact it was somewhat like the tabouleh you can buy at kebab outlets in some of Jakarta's shopping malls.

The Yemeni mashed bread mixed with dates was both heavy and sweet, but it acted as a perfect foil for the sharper flavors of the salads. Two legs of roast lamb on the bone had been cooked just right, with a little charring on the outside to give that attractive, barbecued taste.

Three types of rice accompanied this meal: kabbuli rice with chicken (a little like chicken biriyani, for lovers of Indian take-away food) plus kabsa (Arabian rice flavored with tomato) and biriyani.

The meal was washed down with mint tea: upon inspection of the teapot, it turned out to contain some Yellow label tea bags, plus some sprigs of fresh mint, but it very refreshing nonetheless, and the ideal accompaniment to this type of food.

We ordered an Arabic coffee to see what it was like. This was strongly flavored with aniseed and cardamom, and served with dates on a separate dish. The flavor combination is something of an acquired taste, which I, unfortunately, had yet to acquire.

Price points: We ordered only one portion of each dish mentioned, but it was enough for three people, and the bill for everything, including 10 percent tax, was just under Rp 125,000. This was a very reasonable amount indeed, considering the amount of food to eat.

The set menu prices varied from an eighth of a roast lamb (plus soup, rice and vegetables) for two at Rp 60,000, to a whole small lamb with side dishes -- enough food for 14 people -- at Rp 470,000.

Minus points: It was hard to fault this restaurant, although there was one gripe: at the end we had to ask the waiter to remove the dishes from the table, even though it was obvious that we had finished. This may be because their predominantly Middle Eastern customers prefer to carry on talking while the food is left on the table, so they can pick at leftovers.

Verdict: In a city where, apart from local delicacies, international and fast food tend to swamp everything else, an Arabic restaurant is still something of a curiosity, although several have opened in recent years. If you haven't tried Middle Eastern food before, then this is as good a place as any at which to begin. Its tasty food, pleasant, welcoming yet easy-going atmosphere and very reasonable prices will almost certainly mean that you will be back. (Les Coffier)