From the outside, this restaurant looks just like other food outlets in the area. However, visitors will notice something distinctly different about this place.

Next to the lobby is a large sign that reads Pasar Ikan (fish market), directing visitors to a collection of tanks, ice boxes and trays, where they can meet their "meals" - prawns, lobster, crabs, squid, grouper and shellfish.

Customers are escorted to the "market" area to make a selection. Then, chefs will cook it to order. Restaurant's waiters and waitresses are also ready to assist guests who are a bit confused about what to order.

This restaurant sometimes seemed like a real seafood market, with people carrying plastic tubs, busily choosing fresh crabs and prawns for their dinner.

Bandar Djakarta has for some time been one of the most popular seafood restaurants in town. Its first branch was established in 2001, in the Ancol Dreamland Park site in North Jakarta.

Now, those living in Serpong and its surroundings do not have to venture all the way to North Jakarta to enjoy this seafood fare, since Bandar Djakarta opened its second branch in Serpong on Aug. 19 this year.

The concept behind the Serpong Bandar Djakarta restaurant is slightly different to the one in Ancol.

While at Bandar Djakarta Ancol you can see a beautiful view of the sea as you eat great seafood, the new restaurant in Serpong offers garden views with dozens of exotic wooden huts.

If you are looking for a different eating experience, try one of the huts with the palm leaves for a roof.

You can stretch your legs while looking at ponds full of fish and decorative plants around the huts, listening to water trickling from small fountains.

A large wooden hut can seat up to 20 people, while smaller ones hold up to seven.

But if you want to stare at the sky above and see busy Alam Sutera streets below, the rooftop area is the place for you.

There are several interesting seafood dishes on the menu. The good thing is this restaurant offers each dish with a choice of different delicious condiments, including Jali, Bandar, Teluk, Singapore and Thai sauces.

For starters there's Tahu Ondel (fried tofu filled with prawns and sliced carrot), crispy-fried squid or crab asparagus soup.

Bandar Djakarta's signature dish is ?crab with black pepper sauce. It's a real challenge getting your hands messy, trying to crack open the crab while craving the juicy meat and licking the sauce.

It also has crab with Singapore sauce, served with fried buns. This dish is more like the famous Singaporean chili crab.

If you don't want to get busy or messy handling crab, there are many other dishes to choose from.

Ikan Gindara Bakar Saus Bandar (grilled gindara fish with Bandar sauce) is a good choice. The fish is sliced, grilled and mixed with the special sauce.

Other items include Kerapu Saus Thailand (Grouper with Thai sauce), Udang saus teluk (prawns with special sauce) and lobster with mayonnaise.

You can complement your seafood meal with a choice of vegetable dishes on the menu, including the traditional karedok (raw vegetables with peanut sauce served with prawn crackers) or Chinese-style vegetable dishes such as broccoli with garlic.

For drinks, you can't miss the fresh coconut - the local favorite. Sipping fresh coconut water and digging for its young flesh is really special.

Bandar Djakarta offers several packages for groups, ranging from its "Party of Ten" package for 10 people, to a banquet package for a minimum of 50.

Into the night, the restaurant remained busy with families and groups chatting. The homeliness of the architecture and its great seafood apparently makes visitors reluctant to leave.

Here is a restaurant truly made for seafood fans.

Bandar Djakarta Seafood Restaurant
Flavor Bliss, Alam Sutera, Tangerang
Phone: +62-21-53140388, 53140398

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