AN INTERESTING mix of Indonesian, Malaysian and Thai cuisine greeted us on our first visit to Jakarta in Sheaveshill Avenue, just off Edgware Road, in Colindale.

The restaurant is tastefully decorated, with wrought iron chairs, walls painted in warm colours, and a selection of tribal imagery. The staff are extremely friendly and attentive and the atmosphere and surroundings pleasant.

When we perused the menu, we were unsure whether to opt for a few dishes or choose rijstafel, a seven-dish feast of Indonesian cuisine that varies according to the season. With eyes bigger than our stomachs, we decided to go for the latter. As Jakarta's owner is also the head chef, we knew we would not be disappointed by whatever we chose.

For the starter, we were pleasantly surprised with the sate, tender skewers of chicken marinated with the restaurant's own special mix of spices, grilled gently and served with fresh cucumber, rice cakes and savoury peanut sauce. We could have had udang bumbu, grilled Mediterranean prawns served with delicious sate sauce, or soto ayam, a popular Indonesian soup with chicken, vermicelli and vegetables.

Moving on to the main course, the semur daging, slices of tender beef in Indonesian sweet soya sauce, tasted sensational with an accompaniment of egg fried rice. We also had ayam panggang pacak, tender marinated chicken topped with milo coconut sauce; ikan tomato, superb salmon cutlets topped with tangy tomato and chilli sauce; sambal udang, succulent prawns fried in medium-hot chilli sauce, and cap tjai, fresh stir-fried vegetables in oyster sauce, all of which tickled our tastebuds. The food was delicious and left us feeling pleasantly full.

Other delicious sounding offerings on the menu included kambing masak pedas, deep-fried marinated lamb chops, cooked in hot green chilli sauce; kari udang, prawns cooked in Malaysian curry, and semur telor, a side dish of eggs boiled in Indonesian sweet soya sauce.

We would have been quite content to skip dessert, having eaten plenty already, but the friendly waitress tempted us with a traditional Indonesian layered cake known as lepis legit. We could not resist it, and somehow managed to squeeze it in. It was incredibly rich, very naughty, but nice. We could also have opted for pisang goreng, banana fritters topped with syrup, or rambuten, an Indonesian fruit in syrup.

The eating experience at Jakarta was exceptional, and this restaurant is highly recommended for a quiet, romantic meal for two or a family or group meal. And, if you are too busy for a sit-down meal, the take-away menu is just as extensive. - SM

Jakarta, 7 Sheaveshill Parade, Sheaveshill Avenue, Colindale

Telephone: 020 8205 3335

Reproduced from Limited Edition magazine, exclusive guides to living in Hertfordshire, Middlesex and the London Borough of Barnet (01923 216295)

December 19, 2001 15:00