Though the wet weather is late this year, I'm quite prepared to go somewhere sunny just on principle. Sadly, limited vacation time and cash flow doesn't permit any of us the luxury of regular jaunts to hot white-sand beaches. Fortunately, a trip to a tropical restaurant is an excellent interim measure. That is, if it's a good one.
Taste is memory and fine food inspires flights of mental travel better than anything else.
I've never been to Jakarta or Bali. But every time I slurp a spoonful of rich curried Laksa Ayam soup and sip a glass of young coconut juice at Pondok Indonesia, I'm transported to the front-row seat at a Sundanese gamelan orchestra concert. The staff is fast, friendly and very helpful with menu suggestions. I was particularly impressed with our waitress pointing out that many of the dishes included nuts, flagging which items people with food allergies would want to avoid. If there was an award for frequency of tea and water refills, the floor staff would have to share it.