Some things fishy at Bawakaraeng restaurant

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)