Kitchenesia visited Sailendra Restaurant of JW Marriott Jakarta.
Kitchenesia.com - Sailendra Restaurant of JW Marriott Jakarta, the name itself sounds euphony in my ears, let alone very Indonesian. The word “Sailendra” is after one of Indonesia once triumphant realms in Indonesia and South East Asia from Central Java in its heyday, back in 7 century.
Though exalted, I shouldn’t be so surprised of what is to offer; when it comes to dishes. The restaurant itself critically acclaimed by many culinary curious as the best all day dining buffet restaurant with Indonesian cuisines as their main showcase.
I am utterly dazzled with its Indonesian-inspired visceral arrangements; with open kitchen and nine live cooking stations in a total, its class is outright conspicuous.
It is so telling and self-evident. An experience, prima facie, of all senses exceedingly spoiled. I haven’t touched its gastronomic excellence the place can cater with all the features.
Two Indonesian Cuisines of Topmost Gastronomic Merit
Out of eight Indonesia dishes especially served for Kitchenesia, neatly wrap in two-course meal: main course and dessert, most of them are main course, those of Bubur Manado (Manado porridge), Mandalika Rijstafel, Sate Pusut, Gecok Babat, Arsik, Ebatan, Mandalika Rijstafel, Fragrance Steamed Rice and Beberuk Terong; with one of the most extolled dessert of the restaurant, that of Dadar Gulung Cake.
I would love to go in in-depth detail for these two dishes: Bubur Manado and Dadar Gulung Cake that I find have eminent gastronomic merits, for their taste and presentation. Those two in tandem would make a perfect combination for two-course meal.
Juicy “Bubur Manado” propels Indonesia’s Culinary Heritage with Class
My first trial of “Bubur Manado” (Manado Rice Porridge) leaves me with sticking impression towards the dish. Let alone the fact of its myriad health benefits for our body, this food maintains to be delectable. While most people will associate healthy food less tasty, Bubur Manado proves the reverse.
Manado's signature dish, according to Chef Heri, is suitable for breakfast. He further adds that it is also nutritious as it contains 70% tubers and the remaining rest is vegetables like basil leaves, kale leaves, pumpkins and sweet corn.
Its aromatic merit is simply relaxing and calming. Chef Heri suggests me to eat it along with Sailendra's signature sambel, that of Sambal Koja. He can't be more correct, Koja's unique spicy taste juxtapose well with Bubur Manado. Tofu as additional side dish won't go wrong with it.
Refined Dadar Gulung Cake, Preserved Authentic Taste
I’m still in awe with its enticing presentation; I wouldn’t have guessed the cake was the major turnover of Dadar Gulung (Sweet Coconut Pancake). It is totally detached from its street food low-key profile.
It has layered partition with pandan and shredded sweet coconut fillings in it, make in dense. To some extent, it gives the experience of munching a real cake. The sweet taste is not over the top either, the combination is carefully thought out, I can tell.
To accentuate its aromatic and aesthetic merits, it uses fruit trappings like mulberry and mint leaves. It is pleasing both to my eyes and my gustatory; it quite significantly exceeds my expectation in those two aspects.
Their effort in refining dadar gulung image is a landslide success in its entirety; while the authentic taste of Dadar Gulung is well-preserved. All things considered, out of all the dishes, this is by far my favorite along with Bubur Manado.
By and large, I choose Bubur Manado and Dadar Gulung combined as my two-course meal preference, out of the menus offered. They simply got the best of both worlds based on gastronomic merits: enchanting presentation and luscious taste.
I would love to recommend Sailendra Restaurant of JW Marriott Jakarta for those culinary curios who want to experience Indonesia signature cuisines in an ambience of utmost luxury. As such, it deserves 8.5 out of 10. It is so winning with its local cuisines exploration.
