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FOOD | Dec 24, 2009

What’s on the Menu for Christmas in Jakarta?

Christmas for those from the Northern Hemisphere may mean snow, a log fire and turkey. To those from the south, beach, barbecues and beers. For Christians, maybe a church service, and for non-Christians, Christmas is a just good excuse for gifts and time with family and friends. Whatever your creed or culture, the one thing everyone in Jakarta should do this season is eat themselves silly.

And if you’re not planning a feast at home, the city’s many restaurants are ready to dish up banquets fit for royalty. Here are a few places that promise to please.

The Park Lane Jakarta
Jl. Casablanca Kav. 18
Tel. 021 828 2000

Riva, at the The Park Lane will serve Christmas Eve dinner with a set menu of sauteed Canadian scallops on tender lamb with lettuce and walnut dressing, a lightly smoked barramundi fillet served with snow peas and daikon julienne (radish salad), and a French dessert of glazed chestnut puree and Chantilly cream, prepared by the hotel’s executive chef, Gilles Marx.

Hotel Mulia Senayan
Jl. Asia Afrika, Senayan
Tel. 021 574 7777

It’s certainly Christmas at Hotel Mulia. The Senayan hotel has transformed its ground floor for the festive season with a giant Santa statue and a colorful Christmas tree made from 500 lollipops, where kids can have photos taken on Dec. 24 and 25.

“The cafe will be the perfect choice for those looking for an international Christmas buffet,” says Adeza Hamzah, of the hotel. “You can’t miss our roast turkey with chestnut stuffing and herb roasted prime ribs with mustard and horseradish cream.”

For those looking for something more daring, Orient8 has designed a unique pan-Asian menu with a touch of French cuisine. “This menu includes a buffet of entrees and desserts, and four small-platter main courses,” Adeza says, adding that the seared Wagyu rump steak and the grilled organic, lemongrass chicken are must-tries.

Le Meridien Jakarta
Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 18 – 20
Tel. 021 251 3131

Chef Hussein Nasser Sleiman has decided to bring a taste of his Lebanese homeland to Al Nafoura restaurant at Le Meridien Hotel this year.

His Christmas Eve repertoire includes traditional Lebanese dishes harouf meshwoui bil somsom (braised lamb shank), tajin samak bil snobar (deep-fried snapper fillet) and shybiye bil jibna (pastries with honey cream cheese).

The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta
Jl. Lingkar Mega Kuningan Kav. E.1.1 No.1 Mega Kuningan
Tel 021 2551 8888

A three-meter-tall Christmas tree looms over the silver and white dressed lobby of The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Mega Kuningan.

“On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, our choir will welcome guests with beautiful Christmas carols,” says Gloria Vera Kristie, the hotel’s public relations manager.

Lobo, the newest restaurant at the hotel, will feature a five-course menu for Christmas Eve, with highlights including champagne risotto with schiuma di vino bianco (white wine sauce) and freshly shaved black truffles, lamb shanks braised in Burgundy sauce, and a good old-fashioned Christmas pudding with vanilla-bean ice cream and bourbon anglaise.

Warong Shanghai Blue
Jl. Kebon Sirih Raya 79
Tel. 021 391 8690

Warong Shanghai Blue restaurant will celebrate this Christmas the old Batavian way. “On Christmas Day, we will serve the Shanghai Blue Christmas chicken beggar, an old recipe of chicken, traditionally baked in a clay pot to lock in the natural flavors and juices,” says Mei Suling, of the restaurant.

Mei promises a classy and romantic dining experience, complemented by the Nita Aartsen Project, an ensemble featuring American jazz saxophonist and flautist Steve Wilson.

The Dharmawangsa
Jl. Brawijaya Raya No.26 Kebayoran Baru
Tel. 021 725 8181

“To show appreciation to our loyal customers, our executive chef, Olivier Piganiol, and his team have prepared a set menu of luxurious ingredients to satisfy the palate,” says Lira Dachlan, public relations manager of The Dharmawangsa.

At Sriwijaya restaurant’s candlelit Christmas Eve dinner, you can sample foie gras terrine au torchon (goose liver seasoned with salt and spices), fresh turbot cooked a la plancha (grilled and dressed with oil, garlic and parsley) and salted Welsh marsh lamb, seasoned with juniper and orange. Or you can find a more laid-back atmosphere with live music and gourmet buffet at The Jakarta restaurant.

Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta
Jalan HR Rasuna Said
Tel. 021 252 3456

The Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta offers a whole different experience for a Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner. The Lai Ching Chinese Restaurant will serve a set menu of baked king prawns, seasoned with cinnamon and hoi-sin, minced pigeon parcel with pear salad, bamboo pith soup with seafood dumplings and wok-charred 300-day-old beef tenderloin served with Schezuan pepper sauce.

Hotel Borobudur Jakarta
Jl. Lapangan Banteng No. 1
Tel. 021 380 4444

Bogor Cafeé at the Hotel Borobudur Jakarta also offers something unique for Christmas Eve. The dinner buffet includes specialties such as baked, honey-glazed gammon ham, oxtail soup, baked oysters with spinach hollandaise sauce and a Christmas Yule log.

“The buffet also includes free-flow soft drinks and hot mulled wine,” says Evi Rumondang, of the hotel. There will be a children’s choir to entertain the guests and Santa Claus will make his guest appearance

Wherever you end up this Christmas, may your bellies be full and merry.

Source: The Jakarta Globe

Indonesian Lifestyle 2008