IO, Jakarta – Arguing over culinary destinations in Jakarta is certainly exciting. Known as a city that never sleeps, Jakarta appears to spoil every citizen with a vast option of culinary selections. From typical street vendor foods to high-class cuisines in particular malls and hotels, citizens may certainly fulfil any of their culinary tastes. The cultural diversity of its population also delivers a variety of dishes to town, ranging from original Indonesian specialities to the fancy foreign meals: it’s all present in the capital’s culinary markets.
With 12 million inhabitants and around 2.5 million middle-class people earning an average of approximately 240 million rupiah a year, obviously, this will support an amazing number of restaurants, cafes and bistros.
Selection of a dining destination not only depends on taste, but also details about the likes restaurant atmosphere, service, menu choices, and site impressions. With an increasing number of middle-class people in Jakarta, fine dining restaurants are profuse. They compete with each other to deliver the best mixture of taste, cooking techniques, comprehensive small details, and comfortable restaurant vibes.
What comes to mind when you hear about fine dining? Definitely, expensive rates. Restaurants with this sort of concept usually appear more formal and fancy than casual dining. Even the waiters are well-dressed, and guests normally adhere to particular dress codes.
“No ripped jeans or T-shirts,” is a sign often spotted in fancy places. The other prominent feature of a fine dining restaurant is they have the best wine selection, with a sommelier to suit your particular type of meal. When it comes to food menus, a fine dining restaurant comes with a more spectacular menu selection, which are made of high-quality ingredients by the best chef in town.
There is just such a restaurant with a fine dining theme in Wijaya, South Jakarta. This eatery will deliver a special experience for you who want to be delighted with proper service and the fine taste of Indonesian delicacies. Named ‘Eastern Opulence’, this restaurant applies an elegant yet luxurious European-style architecture to heighten customer experience.
Eastern Opulence is also available for birthday celebrations, corporate meetings, or even engagement ceremonies. The restaurant has three floors, with the main dining room on the 1st floor, able to accommodate 300 guests; on the 2nd floor is a special dining place with two types of rooms, VIP and Thematic, with each accommodating around 100 guests. Another dining room is also available on the top floor. Surrounded by large glass windows, it heightens the urban mood into your senses and most importantly delivers a comfortable ambience to guests.
A ‘Glass House’ theme is specific to the whole 3rd floor, and this room is the only space that allows guests to smoke. Discussing restaurants without talking about the food is such a void. Eastern Opulence’ main focus is on Indonesian delicacies, serving the best authentic Indonesian dishes ranging from appetizers, main meals, and desserts.
The menu of Eastern Opulence features satay, honey roast, gurame Ubud, and rawon, all from authentic Indonesian recipes. The presence of magnificent colonial architecture carries a special message to deliver. “Even though lies beneath the luxury European site, the wealth of Indonesian cuisines always comes for your appetites.”
Not only food – all kinds of beverage are part of the local wisdom. For you herbal drink lovers, this restaurant provides a variety of jamu such as temulawak, beras kencur, and even kunyit asam. Jamu is often referred as Indonesian traditional remedies, made from natural ingredients, a part of herbaceous plants such as rhizomes (roots), leaves, tree bark, and fruits.
During my visit to Eastern Opulence, I had a special conversation with the restaurant manager. He said “In the culinary business, let alone providing a fine dining theme, we definitely should embrace the finest quality of food and the best service for our customers. We want to emphasize the wealth of Indonesian culinary to them. Hence, we will satisfy every guest with the food we provide and also the proper service from our professional crew.”
Eastern Opulence is open from 10 am to 11 pm during Monday to Sunday. If you want to visit this restaurant, it is advisable to phone ahead to place your reservation, to avoid a long queue. Eastern Opulence is such a nice option to socialize with your family or colleagues.
(Muhammad Akbar)