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the different pastas here,” he says. “It’s still early for Jakarta. It’s
all about education, and taking it up a step.”Also leading the charge of the current food
revolution here is Hakkasan, which in the year since it opened
has helped make Alila Hotel into one of Jakarta’s hottest food
destinations. On the ground floor is Vong Kitchen, from Jean-
Georges Vongerichten. The chic French-tinged New York–style
grill has artful lighting, and signature Jean-Georges dishes. But
it may be outshined by Hakkasan, reached by a special elevator.
A global sensation of haute Cantonese, Hakkasan first
opened in London in 2001, founded by Alan Yau, renowned for
the Wagamama Japanese chain. In two decades, it’s expanded
to a dozen cities. Occupying the top floor of a 25-story tower
with expansive views over the business district, it makes a
strong case for marking Jakarta on fly-in foodie maps. More so,
with the opening this year of its rooftop, a sweeping collection
of cabanas, tables with dazzling views, and a pair of dance
areas. The décor is dark, but everything is superbly lit, with
perfectly placed blue floor and ceiling lights, and romantic
lanterns out on the terrace.
Though the restaurant has 120 wine labels, the main
attraction is its inventive reworking of Cantonese fare. Most
start with dim sum. We order a sampler; it’s supercharged
Hakkasan-style, adding truffle to the har gao, substituting
scallops for shrimp in the shiu mai, heartening a water-
chestnut-and-celery dumpling with sea bass. They reinvent
classic Peking duck as a crunchy salad featuring a rich XO
sauce. Purists may bristle at the unorthodox twists on
Cantonese cuisine, or the departures from it such as the
Mongolian-style lamb chop. But even as former longtime
residents of Hong Kong, my wife and I relished the knockout
flavors in every dish, including the showpiece Australian Black
Angus tomahawk in decadent truffle sauce.
Downstairs, Vong Kitchen seems almost subdued, a word
rarely used when discussing any restaurant in the Jean-Georges
empire. Yet Vong aims to be more casual, says his son, Cédric,
who oversaw the project. The design is fashioned after a New
York-style grill, and the circular Le Burger adds a bar and
counter service popular with the lunchtime workers, to broaden
the base.
At Vong, it’s all about casual elegance, with an open kitchen,
and a menu abounding with Jean-Georges classics like rice
cracker with locally sourced tuna, and egg caviar with creamy
vodka sauce for starters. Then, there is the heavenly truffle
pizza, with three dreamy cheeses that could be the mainstay of
any meal. Save your appetite for treats like Tasmanian trout in
tomato ratatouille and a crispy lamb shank with a purple potato
puree and tempura mushrooms.
One thing that isn’t on the menu here is Indonesian food,
but Cédric, whose wife is from Bali, is a huge fan. So much so
that last year, he opened Indonesian-French restaurant Wayan
in New York, to great acclaim. “People don’t know enough
about Indonesian food. People like the pastes and satay, but
there is so much food and flavor everywhere,” he says. “I really
think people haven’t been exposed to the diversity of
Indonesian cuisine. They think it’s like Thai food, but that’s
because it really hasn’t received much attention. That’s one
reason we opened Wayan.” Would he like to open his own takeon local cuisine in Indonesia? “I’d love
to,” he says. “There is so much potential
there. The food is fantastic.” While
international recognition for the fare is
his mission for now, perhaps a hint lies
in the restaurant’s name: Wayan means
“first-born” in Balinese.A lack of awareness about
Indonesian cuisine is bemoaned
everywhere in Jakarta. Ragil recounts
how when he attended culinary school,
he only learned French and other
Western types: “There is no culinary
school for Indonesian cooking here.”
Many others talk of the huge long-term
investment Thailand made to promote
its cuisine globally, and to draw tourists,
who are in shorter supply in Indonesia.
“Nothing is done here,” a chef laments.
Instead, chefs talk about learning by
exposure, and several shower praise on
two of my favorite eating institutions,
Lara Djonggrang and Tugu Kunstkring
Paleis. Both are in Menteng, which was a
residential area under the Dutch that
today retains its parks, and colonial
buildings that now house diplomats, as
well as a pair of must-visit fine dining
options in Jakarta.
Tugu Kunstkring Paleis actually
served as a Fine Arts Center a century
ago, exhibiting works by van Gogh,
Picasso and Gauguin. It still hosts
exhibitions, along with shops selling
local crafts. The main dining room is a
throwback, with antique chairs, frilly
settings and massive old paintings,
appealing to groups and tourists. The
menu abounds with classic dishes,
extending to the colonial period with
Dutch-style rissoles, bitterballen and
erwtensoep (soup with vegetables,
sausage and chicken). There is also the
lounge Suzi Wong, which situates you in
roaring old Shanghai, with its vintage
Chinese lanterns and tables.
Lara Djonggrang is more centered on
Indonesian food and culture, menus
bearing the motto, “The Art, Soul and
Romance of Indonesia,” offering
delicacies of the entire country, and
boasting that rendang is the world’s
most delicious food. No argument here,
and in my humble opinion Lara
Djonggrang may lay claim to the best
rendang in Jakarta. As at Tugu, the food
is only part of the appeal, as the building
is filled with Indonesian art, antiquesClockwise from top
left: Gold-encrusted
har gao and scallop
shiu mai are
Hakkasan hits;
among the art and
antiques at Lara
Djonggrang; a tray
of handmade
pastas is brought
tableside in
Animale; Vong
Kitchen’s main
dining room.