Under the influence of Indian spicy culinary at Haveli

JAKARTA (JP): If music be the food of love, play on, so they say. But if food is what sets your heart humming and puts a little zip into your step, well, keep on dishing up the Indian.

This diner has long enjoyed a culinary love affair with the sultry dishes of the subcontinent. Chinese may do the trick for an occasional one-night stand, and Italian can leave one chanting amore after a satisfying tangle with tagliatelle, but Indian is where it's at when it comes to savoring the best that nature and human ingenuity can whip up in the kitchen.

Epicurus can only look askance at those who turn up their noses at the predominance of spices in Indian (or, for that matter, its Arab cousin) and mutter snippety asides about lingering odors. For Epicurus, chowing down is like a workout. Not, I am embarrassed to add, in the hopefully past sense of eating until the cows come home and chalking up new culinary feats of excess. But in losing oneself in the textures, tastes and spices which form the uniqueness of a dish.

And, spice, in all its varieties, is always right. Lips afire and beads of sweat on the forehead are part and parcel of dining out for yours truly.

And there is nothing more downright moorish and sensual, in the culinary scope of things, than a simmering plate of fiery curry, served over a steaming bed of rice. A little piece of heaven on a plate.

Certainly, word about India's offerings has got out to the rest of the world. One may put it down to English nostalgia and an inability to let go of the past, but you know Indian has arrived when chicken tikka sandwiches are featured at high-street Marks & Spencers. It may not be as commercial as Chinese, but it has won over its own legion of devoted followers.

The same applies to Jakarta, which has a small but growing ring of restaurants. These include old mainstays along Jl. Veteran, pricey but popular Hazara on Jl. Wahid Hasyim and assorted others tucked away in far-flung corners of Kemang and Pasar Baru.

Haveli, this week's choice for review, is not backward in coming forward about its delights. It touts itself as the "Best Indian Cuisine in Town" in its classified ads, almost begging to be knocked off its lofty perch.

Located in Graha Irama, an office building near the American Express office on Jl. Rasuna Said, it is set in a long, narrow L- shaped room, perhaps a couple of office suites merged into one. From the tables and sofas next to the windows, there is a view over adjoining residential areas and, among all the sprawl, the incongruous sight of a vacant piece of land.

On the menu was the lunch buffet, a relatively inexpensive Rp 42,000 ++ per head, not including beverages. Price matters on this count, especially when eating out at other Indian establishments can be a decidedly steep proposition.

Dishes included stuffed cheese in a creamy sauce, chicken tikka, lamb curry, biryani rice, a nondescript potato dish and bitter Thai cucumber simmered in chili and spices. Also provided were samosa, delicious masala potato pancakes, served piping hot from the skillet, and plain naan bread.

We only noticed after we finished our meal the soup stand, located next to the dessert of fresh fruit and ice cream (Haveli also offers an extensive range of Indian treats, starting at about Rp 5,000 each).

The verdict? Tasty, hearty, filling fare in a pleasant atmosphere (business types made up almost all of the lunch crowd). Service? Helpful and attentive but not to the point of being overbearing. The servers appear to know what they -- and you -- are talking about.

Gripes? A lack of variety in the buffet choices; those wishing for a chicken curry, for instance, would have gone hungry unless they chose to order from a la carte. And spices, except for the Thai cucumber, were kept moderate, with nothing to send diners guzzling the Aqua.

Best Indian food in the city? Perhaps it could be said that it is more of a goal than a statement of fact, but Haveli, with its kind-on-your-pocketbook price, fits the bill for addicted Indian lovers needing a fix.

-- Epicurus