Sindbad full of Middle Eastern promise

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)