| FOR years, it has been known as the favourite hangout of Filipino maids.
But these days, another foreign community is making its presence felt at Lucky Plaza in Orchard Road. Very soon, the shopping centre may become 'Little Jakarta'. While foreign domestic workers still gather there on Sundays, it's the Indonesian yuppies and students who flock there in large numbers every day.  | | New discovery: Student Eric Tumewo (left) and his cousin Yudi Putra used to hang out at Wisma Atria before finding out that Lucky Plaza serves up a treasure trove of authentic Indonesian food.--picture: Joyce Lim | The draw? Indonesian food. Many Indonesians living here have been going to Lucky Plaza after two major Indonesian franchise food chains - Es Teller 77 and Ayam Penyet Ria - set up shop there last year. Today, there are about eight Indonesian restaurants in the six-storey shopping centre. Entrepreneur Edy Ongkowijaya, 28, a Singapore PR, opened the Indonesian franchise food chain, Ayam Penyet Ria, in February last year with a partner. In June, he opened another outlet in Joo Chiat. He does a roaring business - the restaurant is packed and long queues form outside, especially on weekends. Mr Edy, who has lived here since 1993, told The New Paper on Sunday: 'I've always wanted a place that could make Indonesians here feel at home. 'In the past, I used to organise Indonesian nights at Hyatt Hotel, which are basically parties for Indonesians.' Though official numbers are not available, Mr Edy estimates there are a few hundred thousand Indonesians living in Singapore. 'Every year, many Indonesians come here to seek medical treatment, he said. 'As Mount Elizabeth Hospital is located just behind Lucky Plaza, there is a demand for Indonesian food.' Mr Edy said he later left the partnership due to differences in business directions. In February this year, he, together with three other Indonesians living here, opened a new Indonesian restaurant called Resto Surabaya in Lucky Plaza. On weekdays, patrons of the restaurants are mostly Indonesian professionals working in the area, students and tourists. Come weekend, families, both Indonesian and Singaporean, pack the restaurants. GOING UPMARKET Lucky Plaza's centre manager Raymond Tay, 37, said: 'We are going upmarket with our image. We want to clear people's perception that Lucky Plaza is full of maids.' 'Just over the last six months, we have had three to four more restaurants open here and they have attracted the PMEBs (professionals, managers, executives and businessmen) to dine here.' Mr Tay added that Lucky Plaza's entrance now looks brighter and more colourful. Part of its interior and the toilets have also been upgraded. The management is also looking at changing the building's floor tiles.  | | Fans of Lucky Plaza: Sales manager Fei Wong dines at Lucky Plaza at least once a week. | When Indonesian pop-rock band Peterpan held a concert here in June, they also patronised Mr Edy's restaurant. Other famous customers include Indonesian TV actors Syahrul Gunawan and Tamara Geraldine. Mr Edy said the Indonesian celebrities have helped to make Resto Surabaya better known. The authentic Surabaya food, whipped up by a chef from Surabaya and sold at affordable prices, has also made his customers come back for more. One can have a meal at the restaurant for less than $10. Are the more established eateries at Lucky Plaza threatened by the flourish of Indonesian restaurants? Mr Loo Liat Wang, owner of the famous Lucky Chicken Rice, said in Mandarin: 'We target different groups of customers. 'Many of my customers are also Indonesians, but they are mostly Chinese. I am also selling chicken rice, which is a more specialised dish.' The 57-year-old hawker has been in the food business for about 15 years and has regular customers from all walks of life. A sales executive from Da Vinci Jewellery said sales has been boosted by the opening of more restaurants. Miss Lina Gosali, an Indonesian executive working in Singapore, eats at the Indonesian restaurants with her Singaporean boyfriend, Mr Victor Ow, regularly. Mr Ow, 38, a finance manager, said: 'It's not just more restaurants popping up, I've also noticed that the retail shops are going upmarket. And the Indonesian crowd is substantial.' Their presence inspired another Indonesian to open a restaurant there. Six months ago, Mr Kiki Kosasih, a Singapore PR from Jakarta, went to Lucky Plaza to buy a camera. While he was there, the 40-year-old IT consultant, who has lived here for seven years, noticed that most of the shoppers were Indonesians. 'When I dined at one of the restaurants, it was so crowded that there was a long queue outside,' Mr Kiki said. 'So I thought that there'd be room for another Indonesian restaurant here.' In June, he opened Ayam Bakar Ojolali at Lucky Plaza. Business was so good that he opened another outlet two months later, just three units away from the first restaurant. Mr Kiki declined to reveal how much he makes, saying only that it far exceeds his target. He said: 'I recently found out from my Indonesian customers that Lucky Plaza is very well-known back home. It is a mall Indonesians will definitely visit when they come here.' Indonesian student Eric Tumewo, 23, who arrived in Singapore last year, initially had difficulty finding affordable authentic Indonesian food. 'I used to hang out with my friends at Wisma Atria before I discovered the Indonesian community at Lucky Plaza,' he said. 'Now I come to Lucky Plaza almost every day. It is also a good place to meet pretty Indonesian girls,' he added jokingly.
Medical tourists snap up apartments MANY Indonesians who fly here to seek medical treatment at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital prefer to stay at Lucky Plaza Apartments instead of checking into a hotel. Not just because the apartments, located above the shopping mall, are a stone's throw away from the hospital. But also because it costs less to stay there than in a hotel. Every time Mr Hartanto Iswara comes here for his medical follow-up, he rents a room there for $90 a night. It costs between $200 and $350 for a room in a four-star hotel at Orchard Road. Mr Hartanto, 75, said: 'It's much cheaper than staying in a hotel. I can save quite a bit since I come here so often, and each visit is between three and five days. 'The rooms are clean and the location is ideal, being just in front of the hospital. There are also many eateries and shopping centres within walking distance.' Last year, more than 350,000 foreigners flew to Singapore for medical treatment. More than half of them were from Indonesia. Mr Raymond Tay, centre manager of Lucky Plaza said Lucky Plaza Apartments are not service apartments. They are residential apartments. When Mr Hartanto was here last week, he was accompanied by his 70-year-old wife and son. His son, Mr Harto Iswara, said: 'It's the 10th time we've come here. It's only during this visit that we discovered the Indonesian restaurants at Lucky Plaza. Before that, we would eat at the food courts or restaurants at Ngee Ann City and Paragon. Now, we eat at Lucky Plaza every day. My dad likes the food there. It's exactly like what we used to eat back home.' | 
