Offering typical dishes of Brazils silver arowana, the restaurant is covered by lush foliage and flowers in the agro-tourism park, which provides a plethora of modern tourist facilities.
The Arwana Restaurant, inspired by the revered arowana fish, a Chinese symbol of prosperity and abundance, ranks among the top eateries in Kampar offering an extensive selection of seafood and poultry items such as chicken.
"As the name implies, the Arwana Restaurant offers typical dishes of Brazils silver arowana but not the species protected by the state. Brazils silver arowana is not rare and can be farmed and is not protected by the state," Rachmat Jevari Juniardo, the restaurants owner, stated in Pekanbaru recently.
He noted that with the arowana special menu being offered at his restaurant, visitors can pace themselves while enjoying the delectable and bountiful feast of fresh, good-quality seafood.
Juniardo, who is familiarly known as Aldo, affirmed that the Arwana Restaurant will make the visitors feel glad to be alive, reinforcing how fortunate they are to be able to enjoy and experience the culinary lifestyle in Kampar.
Aldo has created the arowana special menu and has also designed the restaurant with a garden filled with flowers and green, shady trees.
"Before entering the main area of the Arwana Restaurant, the visitors must pass through a winding path along the edge of fish ponds teeming with arowana fish of various types," Aldo remarked.
He explained that the place near the restaurant where the visitors can hang around is also designed in a minimalistic style, with the seating made of natural wood, which has been varnished.
He noted that visitors at the Arwana Restaurant can also enjoy the natural scenery and a leisure park, with a fishing pond equipped with water bikes.
In addition, the visitors can also go horseback riding to tour the argo-tourism park or learn farming in the pilot area provided by the Food and Energy Independent Household (RTMP).
The RTMP is a program run by Kampars youth to reduce poverty and unemployment in the district by teaching the local communities to manage an area of one thousand square meters to earn a total of Rp25 million, or more than the salary of a regent.
Called the Tiga Dara Tourism Village, the agro-tourism park in Kampar district has been frequented by a variety of state officials, including from the Military and Police.
The agro-tourism park was last visited by Nawal Lubis, the wife of Army Strategic Commander Lieutenant General Edy Rahmayadi, early in February, who stopped by at the Arwana Restaurant to sample the typical dishes made from arowana fish.
"Well, I did not expect to be served arowana fish. This is an exceptional and surprising welcome," Lubis affirmed.
She noted that it was actually her umpteenth visit to Kampar district, and there were always different things during each reception.
"In my earlier visits, I did not find this type of Arwana Restaurant, but now, it is there and serves a special menu of fried arowana fish, and it is incredible," she noted.
Kampar Regional Legislative Assembly (DPRD) member Eva Yuliana, who accompanied Lubis during the visit, stated that the arowana dish was part of the special menu served by the Arwana Restaurant.
"Arowana is a kind of fish farmed by my son since several years," Yuliana said, adding that the restaurant serves Brazils silver arowana fish.
She noted that Brazils silver arowana is a fish species that can be farmed as a food item.
"In ancient times, the arowana was a typical food of the kingdom. But with passage of time, the arowana fish dwindled in number, but we are making every effort to reintroduce it to the public as a typical food that can be enjoyed not only by kings but also by the general public," she noted.
In the meantime, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Public Relations official Syamsidar stated that arowana fish is indeed a protected species.
She noted that the Asian Arowanas (Scleropages Formosus) are especially protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora.
In Asia, the Asian Arowanas are known as Dragon Fish and are believed to be the harbinger of good luck.
Therefore, several pet owners love to brag about the luck that Asian Arowanas brought them as it is believed that the species can protect them from evil.
Able to grow to a length of forty inches and weigh up to fifteen pounds, the protected Asian Arowanas can live for a period of ten years or more in captivity.
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EDITED BY INE
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Reporter: Otniel
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
