Instead of taking leave to do a culinary journey across the country, foodies in town can save time by visiting the Indonesian food festival held at the JW Marriott Hotel's Sailendra Restaurant.

Starting from March 19 until March 29, the food festival features some of the tastiest and most distinctive treats across the most culturally diverse archipelago on earth, creating a culinary journey from Sumatra to Papua.

Ina Ilmiaviatta, marketing and communications manager at the JW Marriott Hotel, said her hotel held the food festival this month to change the paradigm that it was only appropriate for traditional food festivals to be held in August, in accordance with Independence Day.

"The food industry usually holds such events around Aug. 17. But Indonesia has many traditional foods. There is not enough time to show them all in just one event," she said.

Opened by Jakarta deputy governor in charge of tourism and culture, Aurora Tambunan, the festival cooperated with the Textile Museum, the Tourism and Culture Agency, Gramedia bookstore and Indonesia's renowned celebrity chef Sisca Soewitomo.

Guests can take home one of Sisca's cookbooks, as the restaurant is providing a collection of her books during the promotion.

"We decided to work with Sisca Soewitomo because she is an expert on Indonesian food. Therefore, there is no doubt it will taste good. Cooking is more than just recipes, but rather about tasting, feeling, savoring," Ina said.

With guidance from Sisca, the Sailendra team is presenting a huge array of traditional dishes like Bebek Betutu (duck broiled in banana leaf from Bali), Ayam Taliwang (spicy chicken from Lombok), Gulai Cubadak (curried jackfruit), Ikan Bakar Colo Colo (Indonesian-style grilled fish from Maluku), Nasi Jamblang (rice wrapped in teak leaf, a traditional food of Cirebon, West Java), Sup Konro (Bugis-based beef rib soup) and many more.

"There will be different food each day. Therefore, every day guests will have a different culinary experience," Ina said.

Sisca Soewitomo said that all Indonesian foods were special because they usually used three basic spice groups: the red spices, the white spices and the yellow spices.

"Our culinary heritage is still well-preserved. If we go to malls, there are food stalls selling traditional foods. What have changed are simply the cooking utensils. But it doesn't affect the taste," she said.

"The authentic taste of each food is distinctive, as each region has its own herbs, spices and cooking methods. Indonesia can be proud of its fertile soil, its plantations and its ocean yields; because of these, there is an abundant variety of wonderful food."

The festival also features 14 traditional snacks, such as nopia (Purwokerto-based cakes), semprong (traditional egg rolls), spinach chips and rengginang (sticky rice crackers). Some of these snacks are now difficult to find at the market.

The festival would be the perfect place to introduce children to their national culinary treasure, as well as fun for the whole family.

Sailendra Restaurant

Hotel JW Marriott

Jl. Lingkar Mega Kuningan Kav E I.2 No. 1 &2

Jakarta 12950

Phone: (021) 5798 8888

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