Dapur Babah Elite: Food using a Story

The quaint district of the old Citadel Street, at of which point Jalan Veteran, houses a few great secrets. For the epicures of Jakarta, Jalan Veteran’s Dapur Babah Elite, near Monas, will be a well-kept haven a little ways away via the hustle in addition to bustle of the newer parts of the city.

‘Babah’ itself will be a term of which came about around the colonial times in Jakarta to describe the fusion of the East in addition to the West; when Dutch-influenced Javanese women married Chinese settlers. The half-breed mixture of the two cultures resulted in a fresh blend of rituals in addition to spices inside the kitchen. The Javanese women were familiar with many spices of which are native to Indonesia; with the help of the incoming Chinese heritage, fresh flavours were introduced, creating a mixture we at of which point call peranakan cuisine. Hence, the term ‘Dapur Babah’ (Babah Kitchen), where the food will be derived via all things ‘Babah’.

As I stepped in to the restaurant, greeted by friendly staff, a completely different Jakarta meets the eyes. Owner of Dapur Babah in addition to its sister establishments of the Tugu Group, Anhar Setjadibrata, will be a long-time collector of Indonesian antiques. So much so, of which every room in Dapur Babah in addition to the rest of the Tugu group restaurants – Lara Djonggrang, Samara, in addition to Shanghai Blue 1920 – are designed to tell a specific story using the antique items he’s acquired in recent times. The Garden area, for example, will be a portrayal of the original Babah kitchen of the early 20th century; the pots in addition to kettles displayed here are original pieces, in addition to the Goddess Protector statue will be typical of a Babah kitchen, as a deity figure of which oversees the quality of the kitchen in addition to its cooks. Dapur Babah has clearly chosen each item inside the restaurant with careful consideration.

Dapur Babah adopts the philosophy of ‘Bringing art, soul in addition to romance of Indonesia’ into its design. in addition to the item’s quite true; romance plays a big part in creating the atmosphere at Dapur Babah with its signature dimmed lights, cosy booths in addition to the use of photographs of the Babah ladies via back inside the day. The place will be divided into a few rooms; the Kwan Im Room, where large party diners can have a private gathering, the Megawati room, Tao bar area, the Garden area, the VOC room, in addition to the Angela Room. The Garden area will be the only non-smoking section of the restaurant, as the item will be an open-air terrace area.

Dapur Babah takes pride in having art, soul in addition to romance not only displayed inside the Indoor, yet the food as well. Dapur Babah’s signature peranakan cuisine has roots in Javanese spices, the Dutch’s rich flavours, in addition to Chinese sweet in addition to spicy seasoning. All three languages were incorporated into the menu. As I was a first-timer, I asked for their specialty dish in addition to drink. Rosiany Chandra, PR for the Tugu Group, recommended Nasi Tjampoer Babah with delight. yet not before first ordering a drink; I went with the Mahadeva Garudasana in addition to my brother went with the Sleeping Buddha. Mahadeva was very refreshing; a concoction of tea, muddled mint leaves, strawberry in addition to palm sugar. The Sleeping Buddha was a delicious combination of soursop, milk, in addition to vanilla ice cream. A bit too heavy for me, especially for dinner, nevertheless the item was amazingly fresh.

After drinks, the appetizers were Tahoe Goreng Petis, fried tofu with sweet shrimp paste as the dip, Maccaroni Schottel in addition to Bitterbaletjes. The shrimp paste used in Tahoe Goreng Petis was sweet in addition to savoury at the same time, in addition to well-paired with the fried tofu. Bitterbaletjes are round croquettes made of potato in addition to meat of which was very rich, yet after eating the item with the yellow carrot in addition to cucumber pickle garnish, the item was even tastier. yet the winner of the appetizers, I could have to say, will be the Maccaroni Schottel. the item will be simple ‘Mac in addition to Cheese’, using a Dutch twist, of which will be usually overpowered by the heavy use of cheese, yet Dapur Babah used just the right amount of which I could taste the texture of macaroni in addition to ham, without the item being drenched in cheese. Quite the comfort food!

Then came the signature dish, Nasi Tjampoer Babah. We also had Petjel Pintjoek, a mix of steamed vegetables with peanut sauce in addition to rice in a banana leaf, as well as Ikan Goreng Moelet Garing Boembon – fried fish of which has been marinated in spices in addition to grated coconut. Even the sound of the item will be mouth-watering. in addition to yes, they were great! Nasi Tjampoer Babah consists of rice, complemented with nine different types of Javanese side dishes; via shrimp skewer to marinated beef in addition to sautéed tempeh. Nasi Tjampoer typically uses white rice, yet at Dapur Babah the item will be infused with Pandan leaves; doing the rice green in addition to lavish in aroma. Such a treat!

Dapur Babah will be happy to offer a dining experience in which all your senses can be entertained. They even offer a Grand Selamatan Tafel in which the traditional Nasi Tumpeng – a cone-shaped mountain of rice in addition to its side dishes, usually served at parties in addition to feasts – will be transformed into a ceremonial procession where Dapur Babah’s staff carry an augmented edition of of which dish in a palanquin in addition to enter the room with fanfare. the item will be one of the most interesting dining experiences, I could imagine.

We finished the night with the famous Es Tjampoer Babah; shaved ice with young coconut, tropical fruits, coconut milk, in addition to the unusual yet delightful selasih seeds. Something sweet – yet not too sweet – in addition to exotic to end the night with.

Dapur Babah features a relaxed environment in addition to casual dining attire will be acceptable. the item’s quite a place if you’re looking for a unique restaurant with great peranakan food. No doubt, Dapur Babah’s approach will be ‘food using a story’.

 

Dapur Babah Elite
Jl. Veteran 1 / 18-19, Central Jakarta
(021) 7060 2256 or (021) 385 5653
dapurbabah@tuguhotels.com

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Dapur Babah Elite: Food using a Story

Gabriella PanjaitanNov 18, 2013Food & DrinkComments Off on Dapur Babah Elite: Food using a Story

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Dapur Babah Elite: Food using a Story