Shinta, 1/F Kar Yau Building, 36-44 Queen's Road East. Tel: 527 8780.
THERE is one dish that is truly outstanding at the Shinta Indonesian restaurant, and that is the beef rendang.
There is nothing remotely gristly or chewy about the meat here, unlike some other venues in town (not to mention in Indonesia itself). The beef, laden with spices after a lengthy cooking time, is so tender it almost falls apart as soon as you stick yourfork into it.
It is perhaps not surprising that the rendang should be so authentic, because the Shinta shares its premises with the Indonesia Club of Hongkong. Tradition is continued with the use of bamboo in the decor, the colourful batik table cloths, cushions and wall hangings . . . but stop there.
The music is anything but the real McCoy: it is good old-fashioned Western pop or Richard Clayderman-style classics. Our suggestion that a recording of gamelan, Indonesian percussion orchestra music, might go down well was met with a bemused smile from the waiter.
But who really cares about the decor if the food is good, especially when you are not paying through the nose? For the Shinta is nothing if not good value for money.
If you want your dishes to arrive in sequence, Western-style, you'll have to order them separately. Service here is fast: almost before you've translated sambel goreng udang into fried shrimps in chilli, egg and coconut sauce, it has already landed on your table.