Meal #2 – Java

When most people think of Java, they think of coffee... but we didn’t. In hindsight, we probably should have ordered some…

DJAKARTA RESTAURANT

Modern Indonesian Cuisine

Licensed & BYO

338 Bridge Rd. Richmond 3121

From the moment we entered, Djakarta was clearly trying to set itself apart from the usual run of Indonesian food joints. The décor was aiming for a classier feel (although that hadn’t stopped them from bedecking the walls with masks and Indonesian hats) and the menu promised “modern Indonesian cuisine”. Clearly, this was a place trying to take Indonesian food away from the sari club and the street warung and into contemporary restaurant culture.

The menu offered a mixture of traditional Javanese dishes with those that were Chinese style or Chinese inspired with an Indonesian twist. The service was enthusiastic if a bit muddled - e.g. coming to take our order before we had got menus. Mind you, the constant soundtrack of a James Blunt CD on repeat would play tricks on anyone’s mind! It wasn’t exactly what we were expecting but if this was modern Indonesia, than we wanted to taste what it had to offer.

On this, the second leg of our journey, we were joined by Caroline, Rami, Nick, Paul, Deb, Gene and Sai, a group with several different dietary restrictions – vegetarian, kosher (no pork or shellfish) and wheat and dairy allergies. This week we ordered individual dishes, although we did end up sampling from everyone else’s plates.

Entrée:

Tahu Isi – Fried beancurd with fish meat served with sweet chilli and basil sauce.
Santan Sereh – Broth with chicken, straw mushrooms, coconut milk, lemongrass, chilli and lemon juice.
Burung Puyuh – Crispy marinated quail with sweet soy chilli and lemon juice.
Gumi Gumi Basal – Warm calamari salad in a light soy bean sauce with chilli, mint and lemongrass.
Udang Kari – Tempe Djakarta

Mains:

Gulai Kambing – Tender lamb and potato curry
Ayam Manado – Chicken cooked with onions, ginger, chilli, tumeric, lime leaves, tomato and basil
Ikan Pepes – Whole fish with tumeric, lemongrass, lime leaves, coriander, chilli and coconut milk wrapped in banana leaves
Udang Sambal – Prawns with chilli, garlic, ginger, baby corn, tomato and coriander
Udang Salad – Warm prawn salad with chilli, coriander, onions, lemon juice and lemongrass
Vegetarian Bakmi Goreng – Egg noodles stir-fry with vegetables
Sayur Kari – Combination vegetables cooked in coconut milk with candlenuts, tumeric, beancurds and lemongrass

Dessert:

Lapis Legit – Traditional Indonesian layer cake served with ice cream
Ketan Hitam – Black rice pudding with coconut milk
Sorbet with Fruits


Entrée:
The most traditional item on the menu was the fried tofu stuffed with fish meat. This had a heavy texture, in contrast to the lighter tofu more commonly associated with the region, and the fish stuffing was equally chewy, making for a disappointing introduction to the island’s specialties.

We tried one soup (the Santan Sereh) which was like a typical Chinese chicken and mushroom broth, with coconut milk added. An interesting twist and one that didn’t go awry because neither coconut nor chicken overpowered the other.

Mains:
The mains were an eclectic mix, from a delicious lamb curry, to “sambal” prawns that were basically drowned in sweet and sour sauce. There were a couple of coconutty curries (prawn and vegetarian) which were decent enough and a tasty vegetarian Bakmi Goreng. The most traditional item we had was the Ikan Pepes a whole fish wrapped in banana leaves and grilled with a mixture of spices. By whole, they mean whole – the fish had been cooked guts and all, adding a gritty taste to what otherwise could have been a highly enjoyable offering. The meals were not particularly spicy – we weren’t sure whether this was the traditional Javanese thing that we'd read about or an attempt to make the dishes palatably “western” – but most of us had been hoping for more chilli.

There was a broad selection of vegetarian dishes. However, the menu was not very coeliac friendly and the staff seemed baffled at requests for a gluten free meal. Getting exact information on the ingredients, either for dietary reasons or for determining whether a dish was kosher, was not always easy.


Desserts:
Unfortunately half the desserts were off the menu because bananas were the central ingredient. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the black rice pudding and the fruit sorbet. There was also a Lapis Legit, a traditional layered cake. This is worth trying for those unfamiliar with it, though a couple of Lapis afficionados in our group howled in dismay at the sight of it drizzled in chocolate sauce.


Overall:
On the whole, Djakarta was a bit hit and miss. Some dishes were great, others were quite ordinary and at $30 a head it was expensive for what we got. Seems like modern cuisine means the same in Indonesia as everywhere else – smaller servings, higher prices and a lack of genuine atmosphere.