FOOD AND DRINK
Challenge Yourself with Eastern Indonesian Delights at Canary Coffee Shop
Indonesia has more than 17,000 islands. Vast oceans surround the islands of this tropical paradise, so it’s no wonder that seafood is cherished in any of the myriad regional delicacies.
The fleshy texture of seafood is enjoyed in various ways, especially in the eastern Indonesian region. Papua, Sulawesi, and their surroundings have mouth-watering special culinary delights that will make you crave for more, even when your taste buds can’t handle anymore explosions of exotic spices and chilli that are frequently used. Eastern Indonesian food is indeed famous for its spicy taste. Indeed, that’s what makes specialities from the east of Indonesia particularly enticing.
Fish, for example, is bound to feature most prominently. You can grill, boil, steam, or fry fish. Add sambal, sweet sauce, coconut milk and/or any of the typical rich spices you have lying in your kitchen, et voila – you have an eastern Indonesian-inspired fish ready to eat. You can always avoid the hassle of following recipes you’ve dug up online. The Canary Coffee Shop at ASTON Priority Simatupang Hotel and Conference Centre has your eastern Indonesian food cravings sorted. Other Indonesian favourites such as the bestselling sop buntut - Indonesian oxtail soup either grilled, fried, or boiled - soto ayam, sate ayam, along with Western delights like burgers, sandwiches, steaks, and so on, are all available. Yet the taste of eastern Indonesia is truly the centre of attention.
Executive Chef Djoko Hendrasto is exceptionally familiar with eastern Indonesian food, having previously lived in and explored the culinary spectrum of Papua, Sulawesi, and Kalimantan. He explained that the abundance of exotic, rich spices at hand elevates seafood to a whole other level; definitely distinct and flavoursome.
Manado-inspired cuisine is what I had for lunch. Different types of fish were served but all had one flavour in common: spicy, or pedas. A couple of the fish I had were inspired by North Sulawesi’s provincial city and aren’t available on the menu yet, but rest assured, they’ll soon be ready for spicy food fans.
Escolar fish, or ikan gindara, is one of the new additions to the menu as one of the restaurant’s signature dishes. I had the pleasure of trying out Chef Djoko’s twist on ikan gindara woku. For a little background, woku is a special type of spice mixture from Manado, North Sulawesi. It consists of red ginger, turmeric, candlenut, and red chilli pepper, mixed with chopped shallots, scallions, tomato, lemon, turmeric leaf, lemon basil leaf, and lemongrass. One bite of ikan gindara woku offers a rich aroma and a fresh, spicy flavour. It’s perfect for those of you who have a strong appetite for spicy dishes.
The udang bakar rica madu - rica madu grilled prawns - is highly adored as well, but it’ll soon be replaced on the menu by prawns in a spicy Thai sauce, also incorporated with a basic rica-rica spice mixture. Again, one bite of this Thai and Manado inspired dish will leave you wanting more of the sweet and spicy prawns on top of lettuce leaves. Truly refreshing.
The star of this gloomy Tuesday lunch was definitely the skip jack fish, or cakalang bakar hoje, served as a thick grilled fillet with sauteed water spinach, papaya leaf, and sambal kecombrang – yes, it was as spicy as you imagine. This dish is a crowd pleaser and typically the fish is served whole, but you can request it be cut into fillets if you prefer. For those who’ve never had cakalang before, be aware that its texture is very thick and quite tough to chew. Nonetheless, the chilli paste smothered all over the fillet complemented the refreshingly sweet melon juice I had on the side.
Chef Djoko squeezed his favourite dish onto the table; the crusty salmon steak with baby beans and risotto. It’s a western delight and a firm favourite; I can understand why. The perfectly pink salmon fillet was cooked until tender and the risotto was creamy. It was truly appetising to savour something nonspicy for a split second.
Canary Coffee Shop’s original dining space is located on the ground floor of the hotel, usually accommodating a maximum of 250 people. This has obviously been cut down to 125 for the new normal. The restaurant is connected to the outdoor swimming pool so you can enjoy your meal while overlooking a serene outdoor space.
However, the dining space is currently under renovations so it’s been transferred to the second floor until 2021. Walking into the temporary restaurant, you’ll notice that modern stylish accents are present through glass walls and daring coloured accents. Though smaller in size, this temporary dining space, that’s in fact the hotel’s Japanese restaurant called Momiji, can accommodate a maximum of 150 guests, making that 75 for the new normal.
Regardless of its location, Canary Coffee Shop is available for buffet breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as serving an array of a la carte meals at any time of day. Say good-bye to taking buffet food on your own. Canary has adapted to the new normal practice of food and drinks served directly to diners to minimise chances of COVID-19 transmission. Moreover, the hotel’s management has rigorously implemented health protocols that you’ll notice the moment you enter, with body temperature checks and hand sanitiser pumped on your palms; cutlery is placed within a special sterilisation machine; tables are immediately sanitised after use; and of course, the team maintain physical distancing.
Mostly business and government visitors will be seen chatting and chowing down here. MICE events, from government institutions and corporations, remain strong at the hotel, while families are more than welcome to relish and spend quality time here as well. Fear not, health- conscious crowd, Canary Coffee Shop’s menu has an array of keto and healthy foods with prices ranging from Rp50,000 to Rp210,000.
If you’re still wary about dining in at restaurants, the restaurant opened its delivery service as soon as large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) were imposed earlier this year. Until now, delivery is still available. Simply place your orders to +62 21 7883 877 ext. 6611 or +62 812 9568 1813.
Live a little with these exotic spices. Challenge yourself and your loved ones on a whirlwind adventure of spicy eastern Indonesian delights at Canary Coffee Shop.
Live a little with these exotic spices. Challenge yourself and your loved ones on a whirlwind adventure of spicy eastern Indonesian delights at Canary Coffee Shop.