Some things fishy at Bawakaraeng restaurant
JAKARTA (JP): Bawakaraeng is the name of a mountain in Makassar; in the local language it also means "the king's appetite". In Jakarta it is also the name of a restaurant.
Opened in 1995 by B.J. Habibie, who has South Sulawesi roots and is reportedly a friend of the restaurant owner, Bawakaraeng is located at Jl. Ampera Raya 16 in South Jakarta, near the junction connecting Pejaten Barat and Kemang.
Open: For lunch daily from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
What's it got: Bawakaraeng is famous for its traditional soups like Coto Makassar (soup with beef meat and intestines), Sop Konro (a rich broth with beef ribs), Sop Ikan Kakap (a sour soup of red snapper with lime, unripe tomatoes and lemon grass) and Sop Spesial Bawakaraeng (a clear soup with lots of onion leaves, vermicelli, minced chicken and shrimp wrapped in cabbage).
Another prime Makassar-style dish is charbroiled seafood. There is Ikan Kakap Bakar (grilled red snapper), Ikan Bandeng Bakar (grilled milk fish), Ikan Baronang Bakar (grilled local baronang fish), Ikan Papakulu Bakar (grilled local ayam-ayaman fish) and Ikan Kakap Goreng Spesial (fried red snapper in sweet and sour soya sauce and vegetables).
Seafood dishes include charbroiled squid sauteed with ground chili or ground shallots and sweet soya sauce, charbroiled king prawns and fried crab.
Like many other Indonesian restaurants, Bawakaraeng also offers satay, such as the Sate Makassar Daging (beef satay with traditional peanut sauce) and Sate Makassar Usus (beef intestine satay with traditional peanut sauce).
Some of the popular vegetables cooked with Makassar dishes are available such as Tumis Jagung Peda (sweet corn sauteed with salted fish), Tumis Kangkung (leafy green morning glory sauteed with shrimps, garlic and slices of chilli), Lalap (assorted fresh green vegetables) and Pete (boiled or grilled "stinking" beans).
For dessert, there are the Makassar traditional dishes of Pisang Epe (grilled pressed banana with palm sugar syrup) and Es Pallubutung (sliced cooked banana with sweet rice flour porridge, topped with shaved ice and rose syrup).
Price points: A well-decorated restaurant in the affluent Kemang/Ampera area, Bawakaraeng is definitely not aiming for low- end customers. However, you will find that the prices of most of the dishes are not as expensive as the atmosphere created by the restaurant's impressive interior.
The famous Sop Konro is Rp 14,000 a serving, Coto Makassar Rp 12,500 and Sop Spesial Bawakaraeng Rp 14,000. The price for Sayur Asam Makassar is much cheaper at Rp 9,000 per portion.
Ikan Kakap Bakar, Ikan Bandeng Bakar and Ikan Kuwe Bakar are offered at Rp 6,000 per kilogram, while Ikan Pecah Kulit Bakar (grilled local fish with broken skin) is Rp 7,000 per kilogram and Ikan Baronang Bakar Rp 8,000 per kilogram. Ikan Papakulu Bakar is Rp 12,500.
Some dishes are quite pricey, though, such as Sop Ikan Kakap, which is offered at Rp 30,000, Rp 35,000 and Rp 40,000 respectively for the small, medium and large portions. Ikan Kakap Goreng Spesial Bawakaraeng is Rp 40,000 for a small portion, Rp 45,000 for medium and Rp 50,000 for large.
The price of other seafood dishes varies from Rp 22,500 for Ikan Salem Pallupamatti (local gray salmon in butter) and Rp 25,000 for grilled squid to Rp 50,000 for grilled shrimp.
Drinks vary from Rp 1,500 for a glass of tea to Rp 9,000 for a glass of the famous Makassar markisa (passion fruit) juice. The pleasant Es Pallubutung is Rp 7,500 per serving while the sweet Pisang Epe is Rp 6,000.
Looks: The most impressive part of the restaurant is its interior. Bawakaraeng actually occupies several parts of the owner's house entrance, foyer, living room and back terrace, which faces the pool. The restaurant has perfect lighting, lots of nice flowery themed paintings on the wall, a well-arranged hallway, simple but perfectly suited furniture and high ceilings. It is fully air-conditioned and free of flies. There are also bright, clean toilets.
The dining area is spacious, seating up to 100 people, with several seats available in a private room. There were only three tables occupied on the night we visited the restaurant, but the restaurant staff said they got very busy on the weekend.
Popular with: Families living around the Kemang area, Japanese executives and local white-collar workers from nearby offices, some celebrities, such as entertainer Tantowi Yahya and sinetron actress Maudy Kusnaedi, and politicians Andi Mallaranggeng as well as Hatta Radjasa and colleagues from the National Mandate Party (PAN), which is on the same street.
Taste factor: Some people say Bawakaraeng's Sop Konro is particularly outstanding. Well, the Post says the soups are all nice and the grilled fish dishes are fresh and tasty, but they are not really impressive. The vegetables are pretty standard in taste (the tumis kangkung was plain and the vegetable was not fresh).
Minus points: You have to wait for about 20 minutes for the grilled fish.
Verdict: Frankly speaking, we were most impressed by the atmosphere created by the quite elegant interior of the restaurant. If you live near the Kemang or Pejaten areas, or if you happen to be in the neighborhood, Bawakaraeng is a very pleasant place for lunch or dinner. But it is not worth spending two hours to get there if you mainly frequent restaurants around the Thamrin, Sudirman or Kuningan areas. (Chris Tumelap)