Setting:
A relaxed, home-like atmosphere: garuda images adorn the tablecloths; Indonesian dolls, puppets and masks, some a trifle unnerving, gaze down.
7
Food:
You may not be entirely familiar with Indonesian cuisine, which shares similarities with Malaysian food, but anyone with a passing knowledge of Thai dishes will quickly get to grips with the extensive menu. Flavours tend to be sour and/or pungent, rather than out-and-out spicy. Novices might opt for a traditional rijstaffel: yellow rice with seven side dishes, including soup, rendang curry, satay and gado gado (vegetables with peanut sauce). If you wish to go off-piste, maybe start with pergedel (fried potato and chicken patties). Ikan pepes, marinated fish in banana leaves, is similar to Thai hor mok, juicy and piquant. Gule nangka is a mild but tasty yellow curry, made with chunks of young jackfruit. Nasi goreng, Indonesian fried rice, is a good accompaniment. Fruit salad with sherbet makes a refreshing end to a filling meal; a layer cake, subtly flavoured with cloves, is more substantial. But can you resist the temptation to count the layers?
2
Wine:
As Indonesia is mainly Muslim, alcohol is not a major consideration. Australian house red and white, plus beer, is the booze quota.
7
Service:
The manager is efficient, helpful and knowledgeable, but some of the supporting staff seems less confident, and minor mistakes occasionally happen.
Price:
Two people can go on a culinary tour for about 1,300 baht.
