Take your seat for 'lesehan' at the Dharmawangsa

Take your seat for 'lesehan' at the Dharmawangsa

JAKARTA (JP): Want to get down, literally, to try the true
taste of food from Central Java?

If yes, then lesehan, the traditional way of people eating al
fresco on the floor, is for you. If you cannot make it to the
famed Jl. Malioboro in Yogyakarta or the main streets of
Surakarta, where eateries abound, then there are several spots in
the capital, including Blok M in South Jakarta and on Jl. Gadjah
Mada in the downtown area.

And if your tastes run to more expensive settings, then the
sumptuous Dharmawangsa hotel on Jl. Brawijaya Raya 26, Kebayoran
Baru, South Jakarta, has been offering the food since December.

It may be the right stuff for expatriates and well-heeled
Indonesians, but how does the traditional menu measure up in the
thoroughly modern setting of a five-star hotel?

All the mainstays are there, with nasi liwet (mixed rice), mie
godog and mie goreng, or boiled or fried noodles.

The menu helpfully informs novice lesehan diners about the
areas of origin of the dishes. Also included on the menu are
sherbets and drinks such as bajigur, wedang ronde and es cendol
to be had with the meal or as dessert.

The restaurant management has made it their business to
maintain the true taste of the food by bringing traditional
cooking equipment -- including a charcoal earthenware stove --
and chefs from Surakarta and Yogyakarta who have many years'
experience..

Dharmawangsa hotel's managing director Luis Fernandes said the
hotel's mission was to preserve local culture and make it part of
their service, including the provision of meals from regions
which will be familiar to Indonesians but may be hard to find in
the city.

It is reflected in the restaurant's atmosphere, where guests
get to experience eating at a traditional food stall without the
worries of traffic and noise pollution.

A waiter escorts guests to take their seats on plaited
mattresses around a short wooden table. Each table is furnished
with a bottle of pickled chilies and a candle, typical items at a
traditional food stall (the latter is to keep away flies).

At the entrance is a cook who prepares the dishes by combining
an array of cooked food, displayed on the table before her.

The hotel's executive chef, Chris Janssens, said the hotel
would maintain the cooks' traditional approach to preparing
dishes.

Prices for the dishes are quite reasonable for a five-star
hotel. Nasi Liwet Keprabon Solo, consisting of slow-cooked
chicken, liver, hardboiled eggs, rambak crackers and spicy soya
bean cake or tofu, with vegetables, is served warm on a banana
leave for Rp 38,000. Mie Kadin rebus, served with pickles, for Rp
32,000. Each sherbet costs Rp 12,500. (Maria Endah Hulupi)