Rijsttafel Betawi at Tugu Kunstkring Paleis

TIMESINDONESIA, JAKARTA – The Traditional Grand Rijsttafel (translated as the Rice Table) featured in each property of the Tugu Hotels & Restaurants Group portrays the sumptuous social feast that used to be celebrated by the Dutch plantation lords when they hosted their honorable guests, starting from around the 1910s. The Grand Rijsttafel is a display of the richness of the spices that grew in Indonesia as well as the culinary arts of the indigenous people, as seen from the many different flavors which were all brought together to make the one elaborate Rijsttafelmeal.

The composition of the menu consists of dozens of flavors and presentations mainly from the island of Java. Each of the dishes that contributes to the Grand Rijsttafel is served by one waiter, adding up to an impressive total of waiters uniformed in colonial-style clothing, who led by the maitre d‟hotel, line up and serve their part extravagantly in front of each guest. The number of waiters who serve the Rijsttafel also depends on the number of the menu presented, therefore can be 2, 12, 22, 32, or even more waiters. The maitre d‟hotel expertly explains the miscellaneous menu to the host of the party who is usually seated at the end of the table.

The Rijsttafel is not just about the extravagance of the service and the number of dishes served, but it is presented to inspire nostalgia for the romance of Indonesian the bygone years. Tugu Kunstkring Paleis features a particularly unique “Rijsttafel Betawi” which cannot be found anywhere else in these modern days, where the menus are served in a distinctive Betawi atmosphere as it was once served at Hotel des Indes, Batavia, a beautiful old hotel where the Rijsttafel was made known for the first time. This legendary hotel had been completely demolished and replaced by a shopping complex on Jalan Gajah Mada, Jakarta.

Grand Rijsttafel Betawi of Tugu Kunstkring Paleis usually served in the “Ruang Diponegoro”, with a capacity of 85 seats. The waiters, uniformed in Betawi circa 1910 style, present the dishes in the artistic „pikulan-pikulan‟ Betawi. This ceremonial dining is enlivened by musicians who usually perform the festive, traditional music of the „Ondel-Ondel Betawi‟, a pair of colorful giants characteristic of old Jakarta street parade.

For a more intimate atmosphere for smaller groups, The Rijsttafel Betawi at Tugu Kunstkring Paleis can be served in the beautiful private room the Colonial Rijsttafel Room, decorated with old photographs, in tribute to the golden years of the original Hotel des Indes in Jakarta. The Rijsttafel Room has a 6 – 8 seating capacities.

The grand historical building originally housed the Fine Arts Circle of the Dutch East Indies and was opened on 17 April 1914, featuring various creative arts between 1934 and 1939 as well as world-class masterpieces of Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin, Marc Chagall, and the likes. One of the wings of this building also housed a very popular café that sold fine food and wine, known as Stam en Weynes.

The Tugu Kunstkring Paleis is now a proud center of art exhibitions, as well as other events with a high appreciation for the beauty of arts and history. It also houses a large event space with a capacity of up to 1000 people, a gallery/shop that features beautiful artworks, jewels, lifestyle products, and other design items, a fine restaurant, a grand elegant lounge as well as a tea house.

For further information, do not hesitate to reach us at (021) 3900899 or by Instagram DM to @kuntskring, or go through our official website at www.tuguhotels.com.