The end of the year is an ideal time to enjoy Jakarta, a crowded city with 10 million people. This year as Christmas and New Year fall on a Tuesday, many enjoy an extended holiday with a number of options for celebrations. 

Kenneth Young in his article Festive Feasting for the Jakarta Expat listed more than 40 eateries mostly in hotels, serving  Christmas Dinner and Christmas Brunch.

We headed to The Dharmawangsa Hotel for Christmas Super Brunch, initially curious with what it has to offer since the hotel just had a lavish October Super Brunch and a Thanksgiving Dinner that we posted here and here. 

We were in for surprises, because although the map to the 40 food, drink and dessert stations spread all over Jakarta Restaurant, the Garden, and Majapahit Lounge looked the same as the October Super Brunch, the feast was remarkably special.

Executive Chef Vindex Tengker and The Dharmawangsa team showered their attention to details in taste, food & drink presentation, decoration and ambiance.  Colorful baloons floated around children's corner complementing psychedelic tubes for science activities.

The Dharmawangsa seemed to epitomize what Will Budiaman, the recipe editor of The Daily Meal, wrote in Christmas Dinner: It's Not Thanksgiving Anymore:

“No repeats! That's the mantra that many of us are now accustomed to, living in a society where we are confronted with so many choices. So it's no surprise then, that when Christmas comes around on what feels like the heels of Thanksgiving, that some of us are yearning for something just a little different.”

Granted the Roast Turkey Station at The Dharmawangsa served turkey, but it came with wild rice and cranberry that tasted fresh with a tinge of sour and sweet. Not far from the turkey was a pan of fried chicken with couscous. These choices were a pleasing change from the Thanksgiving Dinner.

Brunch at The Dharmawangsa, be it a regular brunch or a super brunch, is always a melting pot of cuisines from different regions of the world.

Coming from the Asian region, besides the Japanese Station with Miso Soup, Chawan Musi, Sushi and Sashimi, was Chinese Food, spread in several stations. The ever-popular Dimsum had its competition in the sought after Peking duck.  Yong Tau Foo station situated near the Majapahit Lounge was on a sturdy miniature wooden boat. A Hakka dish from  China, Yong Tau Foo is a soup meal with an assortment of tofu products, vegetables and seafood.

We did not see many traditional Indonesian fares but Nasi Liwet (rice cooked in coconut milk with chicken, egg and vegetables as side dishes) and Mie Jogjakarta noodle cart possibly satisfied some Indonesian epicures.

Undoubtedly there was some regret from cheese lovers who missed the Christmas Super brunch at The Dharmawangsa. Arranged in several tables were cheese condiment, cheese fondue and  Racklette, a Switzerland melted cheese dish.

A spectrum of of AOC cheese blocks set in Majapahit Lounge delighted cheese devotees. Appelation d'Origine Controlee is the French designation for name-control status on a cheese. Producers that use the AOC label on their cheese must be in compliance with legal stipulations regarding how and where the cheese is made.

The top cheese of the day, which we have never seen before, was the Grana Padano.  It was  labeled D.O.P - Denominazione di Origine Protetta the Italian version of AOC. Grana Padano has a 1000-year history.  Made from the skimmed milk of Italian Holstein-Friesian cows, it can only be produced in 5 regions north of Po River in Northern Italy.

Efficient servers at Laurent  Perrier Champagne station and the Sangria station greeted guests to the Christmas Super Brunch.  The drinks complemented non-alcoholic beverages such as iced tea, fruit juices, and mocktails.

While the champagne was elegant, the Sangria, a Spanish party drink,  was friendly and inviting due to the mixing of of red wine, fruits soda.

Desserts fascinated us not only for the extravagant choices but also for the  Dharmawangsa’s team creativity. The real treat was when they prearranged the hotel’s cake shop and the table for Indonesian market munchies (usually for sale) as free dessert stations.

A selection of sweet Christmas delicacies from many parts of the world completed our brunch: Panettone, Italian Christmas cake; Germany’s Stollen Cake; Christmas pudding;  and Yule Log Cake, the European Bûche de Noël.

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Images: Omar Niode Foundation