Julia's Indonesian Kitchen feels like home

We wandered into this narrow bungalow on a raw, wet day (is there any other kind in December?) looking for sustenance and craving something hot. We found just what we needed, starting with a bracing cup of ginger tea. "It's good on a day like this, but there are many reasons to drink it," said Rudy Tanumihardja, who suggested the drink, as he set the freshly brewed topaz infusion in front of me. The first sip stopped the shivering.

A slight, soft-spoken man, Tanumihardja is as soothing as that cup of tea. He was our server — and our tour guide — explaining the unfamiliar items on the short menu, patiently helping us pick and choose from among the Indonesian specialties prepared by his wife, Julia Suparman, and her daughter-in-law, Yusi Sasmitra.

Indonesian cuisine is influenced by many cultures, thanks to the early spice traders and centuries of European domination.

Rijstafel, a multicomponent feast with rice as its centerpiece, is a remnant of Dutch rule, and you can experience a version of it here. A miniversion is offered at lunch ($7.95); the full rijstafel is available at dinner ($48.95 for four) for now only on weekends. But beginning in January, the restaurant will open for dinner Tuesday-Sunday.

Simpler entrees, also paired with rice, feature curried or fried chicken, beef or vegetables.

There are noodle soups as well, and starters such as, lumpia, risoles (deep-fried crepes enfolding creamy chicken and vegetables) and martabak (a beef and onion omelet). Prices range from $3.95-$7.95.

The biggest splurge — Ayam Goreng Kremes, a whole fried Cornish hen that feeds two ($12.95) — is also the best bet.

Beverages go way beyond hot tea and coffee. Among the exotic array: a creamy avocado shake; an herbal tonic made with grass jelly and jackfruit; and an iced concoction sweetened with pink coconut syrup that blends shredded coconut, agar-agar and palm seeds.

Julia's two small rooms are homey and comfortable, softly lit and prettily done up with batik prints and Javanese puppets. It's a sweet refuge for an inexpensive meal whatever the weather.

Check Please

Lumpia: Four fried spring rolls filled with chicken and vegetables deliver crackle and crunch with every bite.

Martabak Telur Bandung: This egg pancake is billed as a starter but would be a fine light lunch. Egg is mixed with a savory mince of beef and spring onion, browned to a gentle crisp and cut into squares for serving. Sweet pickled vegetables make a wonderful accompaniment.

Ayam Goreng Kremes Tante Julia: This small, whole, deep-fried chicken is the got-to-go-for item. The crisp-skinned bronzed bird is cut into quarters and buried under "extra crispy bits." Delectable crumbles made with flour moistened with chicken marinade and deep fried to the color of mahogany. For more pizazz, count on the house special chili sauce, sambal terasi, a complex condiment that teeters between searing and sweet on a fulcrum of fermented shrimp paste.

Wedang Jahe: This ginger tea is not on the menu right now so you'll have to ask for a cup of the fortifying, sweet and spicy topaz elixir.

Teh Tarik: This milky black tea is also fragrant with ginger and sweetened with pandan sugar.

Providence Cicero: providencecicero@aol.com