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span class="caption" style="width: 248px;">Organic red rice with beef bolognese sauce. (JP/Theresia Sufa)Say goodbye to greasy fried food and hello to healthy choices.

A group of lecturers and alumni from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) have just launched Dillenia Kitchen, a restaurant that uses local products, which the institute's research has deemed good for your health.

The name of Dillenia is taken from dillenia, the Latin name of the Sempur tree.

Promoting the concept of fast and healthy food, the restaurant ' located on the second floor of Botani Square shopping center in Bogor ' gives customers carbohydrate options such as corn noodles, organic rice, white rice, red rice and analog rice (made from corn, sorghum and sago). It also offers herbal drinks such as apple cinnamon and
speargrass.

'We want to bring IPB's research to consumers. Our purpose is to create a restaurant offering healthy and delicious menu based on the innovative research at our institution,' said Umi Cahyaningsih, a researcher from the Veterinary Medicine school who manages the restaurant's herbal products.

Fatimah, an alumnus of IPB who also manages the business, said she was upbeat about the restaurant's future because currently the upwardly mobile middle- and high-class are interested in a healthy lifestyle.

'We have no fried food in Dillenia Kitchen, everything is boiled,' she said.

The restaurant offers dishes with price tags ranging from Rp 27,000 (US$2.70) to Rp 71,500.

Fatimah said purchasing products directly from farmers was important to not only ensure a fair price but also to give them a sustainable way of earning money.

The carbohydrate products, for example, were produced by farmers living in the area of Mount Halimun Salak National Park and Ujung Kulon National Park in West Java. The farmers are supervised by Ani Mardiastuti from the forestry faculty.

'We buy around 20 tons of organic rice, which not only caters for the restaurant, but also six other Serambi Botani outlets,' Fatimah said, referring to outlets that sell IPB's various raw agribusiness products.

Dillenia Kitchen is also a hub of inspiration for visitors in search of unique healthy products.

All food and beverages come with calorie content information. It is suggested to customers to choose vegetables first as they are then paired with suitable carbohydrates later.

Mayang Dewi Indrawati, a patron, said she did not know the restaurant had been established by IPB lecturers, but she appreciated the move to use organic products and research to inform the menu.

'I am a fan of organic food, so this restaurant suits me. I can also calculate my calorie intake as the menu is complete with information,' she said.

Some mouth watering options on the menu include the organic red rice with beef bolognese and analog rice with chicken teriyaki. Served on hot plates, the two dishes are accompanied by colorful vegetables such as broccoli, corn, bean sprouts and baby carrots.