Jl. Danau Permai Raya Blok C1
Sunter
Jakarta Utara
Tel. 650 9969
There’s a whole menu’s worth of good reasons why Queen’s is the spot of choice for the sizeable Indian community in Sunter — from the smoothest, creamiest, garlic-flavoured lasooni palak dotted with mushroom, to the beautiful Bombay pani puri, those ingenuous crispy hollow pockets filled with onions and other raw veggies which are then drizzled with chilled mint water and sweet tamarind sauce and eaten whole before the liquid leaks through the pastry.
Not all is stellar: the harra fish, char-grilled and marinated in mint, lacks the oomph of the restaurant’s city centre version. Equally lacklustre is the subz masala, which combines corn, mushroom, bean, green peas and cashews in the chef’s masala. But the kalimirch chicken masala, with its peppery sting, reclaims some vibrancy; ditto the bhindi naintara — ladyfinger with sesame seeds and cocoa slivers.
The décor — sponged mustard walls, framed sequined quilts in bold orange, kitchen and household pottery displayed like museum artefacts on walls — is a tad more festive than the one at Wisma Permata, and there is always a family banquet feel to the place. The wine list displays a bias towards the usual duty free Australian suspects, and the last Rosemount Shiraz we had seemed to suffer from slight oxidization. But you’ll come and come — trust me.
Price range: Around Rp 350,000 for 3 (Rp 750,000 with a bottle of wine)
Operating hours: 11:30 – 15:00 (lunch);
18:30 – 24:00 (dinner)
Dress code: casual
Atmosphere: gilded family style
Alcohol: yes + wine list
All major credit cards accepted
Reviewed: December 2007
