Mario Koch, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Is
it possible for Jakartans to experience the delights of German food
culture without having to endure a costly, tiring 15-hour flight or wait
for the annual celebration of Oktoberfest?
It is. Just make your way to Kemang, South Jakarta, and walk into German bar-cum-restaurant Die Stube.
Its name translates as ""parlor"", evoking childhood evenings at
one's grandparents', with stories from a bygone age and the smell of
freshly baked bread in the air.
Unlike some other places in
town, which pretend to offer original ambience and dining from some
distant country, Die Stube really delivers on its promise.
Its homey and comfortable atmosphere grabs the visitor immediately upon
entry. The single room is deceptively spacious, featuring rustic,
country house-style wooden furniture and a long bar.
For the interior design, owner Patrick Widjaja asked a architect friend for advice -- a move that definitely paid off.
The walls are lavishly laid out in the style of half-timbered houses,
the most popular method of construction north of the Alps from medieval
times to the 19th century.
They are covered with tin
advertising plates dating back to Wirtschaftswunder (the economic
miracle) in the postwar Germany of the 1950s.
One corner of
the room is reserved for memorabilia and trophies associated with German
Plus, a multinational Jakartan soccer community dating back to 1964.
Die Stube is still relatively new, having opened its doors for the
first time only in April 2004. The official opening, by German
Ambassador Joachim Brudr-Grger, took place on Dec. 8 the same year.
Patrick Widjaja, an Indonesian who was born in Aachen, western
Germany, and lived there until he was 13 told The Jakarta Post: ""When
we opened Die Stube, we hoped that it would be popular with the
German-speaking community in Jakarta.
""What's interesting is
that this community consists largely of Indonesians who have lived in
Germany, rather than German expats"", he said.
""Most people
here perceive that life in Germany is all about beer, sausages and
soccer; apart from the latter, that is what we intend to offer here.""
The huge menu features most of the above.
The selection of draught beers ranges from local Bintang to popular
Bavarian Erdinger Weissbier (wheat beer) and you can have your favorite
sausage from anywhere in Germany -- boiled, fried or grilled.
Apart from these well-known dishes, there is a lot more to experience for lovers of the rich and long-standing cuisine.
Starting with different salads and soups, the menu consists of
typically meaty feasts like strammer Max (a thick slice of bread topped
with pan-fried liver pate and fried egg) or hackbraten (meat loaf) --
both a challenge to the calorie-conscious
Furthermore, there
is a large selection of chicken, pork and beef specialties, featuring
all-time favorites such as creamy hhnerfrikassee (chicken fricassee) or
delicious jgerschnitzel (pork schnitzel coated with breadcrumbs, served
with a rich, mushroom sauce).
With a side dish of perfectly
done bratkartoffeln (fried potatoes), the crispiness of which would
leave many a German housewife green with envy, the latter is a true
delight.
Schweinshaxe (pork knuckle), which must be ordered
in advance because of the time taken to prepare it, is all about crunch
as well. Grandmother's rinderroulade (beef roulade) is soft on the
palate, with a sauce in which to dip your spaetzle (homemade, thick
pasta).
By all means allow yourself a little break after one of these rather heavy main courses, but by no means skip the dessert.
Special attention should be made here of the restaurant's sweet,
mouthwatering Kaiserschmarrn (pancake topped with powdered sugar and
raisins), perhaps one of the best outside Austria.
For a three-course meal, expect to pay around Rp 150,000 per head, including tax and service.
To spoil yourself completely at Die Stube without suffering unduly,
make sure you go with the following thought in mind: feast today,
(maybe) fast tomorrow.
- See more at: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2005/11/30/fans-german-cooking-may-look-kemang.html#sthash.b3y3I3pM.dpuf
Is it possible for Jakartans to
experience the delights of German food culture without having to endure a
costly, tiring 15-hour flight or wait for the annual celebration of
Oktoberfest? It is. Just make your way to Kemang,
South Jakarta, and walk into German bar-cum-restaurant Die Stube.
Its name translates as
""parlor"", evoking childhood evenings at one's
grandparents', with stories from a bygone age and the smell of freshly baked
bread in the air. Unlike some other places in town,
which pretend to offer original ambience and dining from some distant country,
Die Stube
really delivers on its promise.
Its homey and comfortable
atmosphere grabs the visitor immediately upon entry. The single room is
deceptively spacious, featuring rustic, country house-style wooden furniture
and a long bar. For the interior design, owner
Patrick Widjaja
asked a architect friend for advice -- a move that definitely paid off.
The walls are lavishly laid out in
the style of half-timbered houses, the most popular method of construction
north of the Alps from medieval times to the 19th century. They are covered with tin
advertising plates dating back to Wirtschaftswunder (the
economic miracle) in the postwar Germany of the 1950s.
