Spice and all things nice at Lemon Grass

Now is the time to trundle out those trite cliches to keep us shining through as much around us falters.

Every cloud has a silver lining. No pain, no gain. What does not kill us makes us stronger.

Or, a little for late for some unfortunates with hefty accounts in the liquidated banks, don't put all your eggs in one basket.

They may provide the moral sustenance many of us need, and, to borrow and bastardize another hackneyed saying, whatever floats your boat and keeps it from sinking with the rupiah.

But we also need sustenance of the nutritional kind, and that is becoming increasingly expensive if your choice is eating out.

Be forewarned, for those little tack-on price stickers are popping up -- mushrooming for those yearning for more cliches -- on menus all across the city.

Are eateries jumping wholeheartedly on the bandwagon of panic and gloom to clean up on a few extra rupiah?

Perhaps, and perhaps not. While the hikes are understandable for the foreign franchises, saddled with requirements on imported ingredients, they are a little harder to swallow when the foodstuffs are sourced locally and the revised prices seem way out of proportion to inflation in local markets.

Which has put Epicurus in a bit of a quandary. By the very nature of the role of food critic, glorified food taster if you will, Epicurus must go out and sample new cuisine.

In the past, this meant carte blanche to try whatever piqued interest, be it a grand hotel promotion or a simple local restaurant.

Now, of course, it is not so much a case of carte blanche, as blanching at ridiculous overpricing. Dress it up, slap some fancy garnishes on it and cart it out for those suckers with money to burn seems to be the thinking of some restaurant proprietors.

Rp 42,000 for a desultory plate of baby snapper at one uptown hotel restaurant? I think not.

Rp 12,000 at the same venue for a cup of what is billed as kopi tubruk Indonesian coffee, except with the consistency of sludge and the suspicious taste of Nescafe? Undrinkable at any price, and unthinkable at that price for a cup of instant.

Value for money has now become the priority for Epicurus, who has taken to listening to recommendations from friends before setting out to taste the vittles.

And at least two friends and colleagues had sung rousing praise for Lemon Grass, an Asian cuisine addition to Le Meridien on Jl. Jend. Sudirman.

The restaurant, during two separate visits in the past week, fully lived up to its glowing advance billing.

Set between the hotel's grand staircase and coffee shop, it is a cozy, intimate setting, with booths in the smoking section and tables in the rest of the area.

Epicurus has never been one for sweeping tropical vistas for interior decoration. But at Lemon Grass they somehow defy their gaudy intrusiveness, blending in with elegant spice racks and exquisitely appointed touches, such as the napkin fans in beautiful gold holders.

The buffet is a smorgasbord of tasty delights of Asian cuisine, with emphasis on Indian, Thai and Indonesian favorites.

Available on our night was tender lamb, tandoori chicken wings, squid stuffed with snapper, sayur lodeh (vegetables stewed in coconut milk), a sultry, rich duck coconut milk curry, prawn satay, fried noodles, siomay (steamed fare), fish in banana leaves and chicken noodles.

Complementing these were white rice and Chinese fried rice, various breads and crackers from the region, and a salad bar offering sushi alongside Indonesian karedok (raw vegetables with grated desiccated coconut).

The verdict: a delicious feast all round, with particular praise heaped on the curry and prawn satay.

Qualifications to this are slight -- the breads and pappadum do not retain their freshness on a buffet display, and my friend, the first to admit her choosiness when it comes to squid, was disappointed with this item.

After the distinguished main selections, the dessert tray inevitably paled in comparison. But among the fruit and traditional tapioca-based cakes, a sarikaya (coconut pudding), with the consistency and taste of creme caramel, stood out.

Service, always helpful and instructive but never overly officious, was everything it should be. The mark of good waiters -- diners never want for anything but the service is only conspicuous in its discretion -- was in evidence throughout the evening.

All in all, the Rp 42,000 ++ for the buffet spread was value for money. Think of it as a periodic indulgence to be savored as we learn to pinch our pennies.

-- Epicurus