You may be a traveler who has been to different places around the world, seeing different cultures and tasting different foods in different countries.
But no matter how far you have gone abroad and how many foods you have craved, at some point you will end up thinking, "there's no taste like the one at home."
Most of the time, the food at home is of the traditional kind and it helps remind us of our roots and culture.
Andrawina, a restaurant in the Grand Sahid Jaya Hotel, tries to bring back the glory of Javanese traditions and cultures in a modern, contemporary style. The interior of the restaurant combines a modern interpretation of an art deco style with modern surroundings and traditional culture.
The traditional features include Loro Blonyo statues (a Javanese couple in traditional wedding outfits) placed around the restaurant. You can enjoy your meal here while staring at the bustle of business on Jl. Jend. Sudirman, in Central Jakarta.
As a hotel that is trying to keep local traditions, especially Javanese culture, the restaurant offers a range of traditional Indonesian dishes. On offer are a range of items rarely found at eateries across the capital. Like the interior design, the cuisine itself mixes local and international favorites.
Andrawina's signature dish is sop buntut (oxtail soup), which comes fried or boiled and is served with rice. The soup consists of sliced potatoes, tomatoes, shallot leaves and fried shallots.
The oxtail soup goes nicely with fried emping (crackers made from the melinjo nut), sweet soy sauce with sliced chili and green chili sauce.
Reiki Alfaridzi, the director of food and beverage at the hotel, claims the soup goes through a double boiling process so it has less fat and oil.
"About 60 to 70 percent of the oil is removed in this process. So, it is healthy. We also use no MSG (monosodium glutamate) in any of our food," Reiki said recently.
The fried oxtail is sweet, and is quite different to conventional oxtail soup. If you don't have sweet teeth, you'd better skip this.
Instead, you could try the nasi goreng beras merah (fried red rice) with fried chicken, kerupuk udang (shrimp crackers) and sliced cucumber and tomato. The rice doesn't taste oily and the free-range chicken is delicious.
If you are a big fan of spicy foods, try the rendang bakar (grilled meat simmered in spices and coconut milk). The dish is served with steamed rice, fried prawns, tempeh and salted baby fish, boiled cassava leaves and sambal (chili paste). This is a traditional Sumatran dish served with a "fusion" look.
If you are too full to eat rice, you could have a mi goreng jawa (Javanese style noodles), stir-fried egg noodles with chicken, prawns and sate.
Besides main meals, the restaurant also offers traditional snacks and desserts. Favorites include pisang goreng (fried banana with brown sugar) and tahu petis (tofu with blackened shrimp paste).
For dessert, there is es cendol (a drink consisting of rice flour, brown sugar and jack fruit flavored sauce) to freshen up your day.
But if you prefer international cuisine, there are many dishes to choose from.
For starters, you could try smoked salmon tartar (chopped salmon with mini brioche bread), tuna loin (rolled tuna wrapped with black pepper and vegetables) or Caesar salad with chicken.
After tasting the appetizers, you can opt for grilled mushroom soup or Szechuan hot and sour seafood soup to warm your body.
International main courses include various kinds of pasta, and Asian dishes such as Thai Pandan Chicken and liver satay (boneless chicken drumstick flavored with ginger and pandan leaves).
You may wish to mix your choices, combining traditional and international foods, which are priced at between Rp 30,000 (less than US$3) and Rp 200,000.
Andrawina is open 24 hours every day, and seats up to 210 guests. The restaurant has two private meeting/dining rooms and an open kitchen. Free Wifi Internet access is also available for guests.
For further information: Grand Sahid Jaya +6221 5704444 / 5702201
