Mandarin Oriental might not be the biggest hotel group, however with 15 restaurants across its portfolio, they have already acquired 23 Michelin stars. In other words, they take food seriously! Whenever people discuss about high end Chinese restaurant, there’s a good chance you’ll hear the name Li Feng, Mandarin Oriental’s contemporary Chinese restaurant.

Before turning into Li Feng, which literally means beauty in abundance, in 2015, the Chinese restaurant was known with its previous name Xin Hwa. Chinese restaurants are notorious for being traditional, and only appear to the older audience. However, you’ll have different impression when you step in to Li Feng. While trying to retain its distinctive classic Chinese touch, Li Feng also felt modern, ethereal, and contemporary.

Hong Kong-based LRF Designers Limited is the one who responsible for such atmosphere. When you look closer, you’ll notice that the interior is inspired by the voyage history and spices trade between China and Batavia, the old Jakarta.
While dining, guests will enjoy viewing “A Voyage to the South” artwork, a large-gilded glass piece by artist Helen Poon from Hong Kong that features an ancient etched and gilded map of Asia drawn up in 1602 by an Italian missionary named Matteo Ricci illustrating the ancient connection between China and Jakarta.

The kitchen was led by Chang See Loy, Li Feng’s Singaporean Executive Chinese Chef. Chef Loy is working closely with Chef Fei from Mandarin Oriental, Guangzhou to design the whole menu. Chef Fei is an award winning young chef from China, in fact, he has won numerous awards, including The Best Chef in China 2016. In June 2018, his signature restaurant Jiang, was awarded first Michelin Star in the inaugural Michelin Guide for Guangzhou 2018.

Chef Loy defines Li Feng’s cuisine as traditional Cantonese menu with modern presentation. “Of course, there’s a little bit of Szechuan influence, I know Indonesians love spicy food,” he said. “Chinese food is all about the sauce, we have 3 signature sauces here: dim sum sauce, chili sauce, and XO sauce.”

Heavenly Menus

It’s quite easy to get lost in the staggering number of mouth-watering menu in Li Feng. However, it’s nice to know that Li Feng also features the photo of the food in the menu. Some fast food restaurants may disappoint when you find the foods presented are far from their photos. Not here in Li Feng, what you see in the menu is what you’ll have, almost spot on!

If it’s your first time in Li Feng, Chef Loy gives some recommendations about which menus to order. “Try our Deep-Fried Swan Dumpling with Black Pepper Duck Meat and Crispy Fish Skin with Salted Egg Yolk,” he said. You’ve seen the Swan Dumpling in the Internet, in fact, that’s what you get when you type the word “Li Feng” in Google. At first, we thought the iconic menu is just about the look and smoky dry ice. However, a bite of the Swan convinces us the otherwise. This is how a signature menu supposed tobe done! Hands down the best fried dim sum in town!

Crispy Fish Skin with Salted Egg Yolk is the gourmet version of the current famous Singaporean snack. Of course there’s no competition, it’s like comparing artisan pizza with frozen pizza that’s available in supermarket’s freezer. The crispiness of the fish skin and the  distinctive taste of salted egg yolk make it one of the best appetizers in Li Feng.

It’s difficult to resist any seafood menus in Chinese restaurant, but we find it hard to look for bad things about Wok-Fried Angus Beef with Bell Pepper and Special Sauce as the main course. The tenderness of the beef is extraordinary; you can even use the spoon to cut it, effortlessly. If halal is not an issue, we highly recommend the Cantonese BBQ Platter. Faith in humanity, restored! Almond and Black Sesame Dumpling with Peanuts is a wonderful dessert to end the dining experience in Li Feng. Think of it as the fine dining version of Japanese mocchi.

As food connoisseurs, we always believe dining experience is more than just about filling your tummy, or the taste. It’s about the impression you get from the place. You might think we exaggerate it, but we’ll say our impression anyway: if you know a suicidal person, take him to dine in Li Feng, at least, he’ll have another reason to live, it’s that good!

There’s a local quote saying, “Santai seperti di pantai”. It’s not rhyming in English, but still it can be literally translated as “relaxing on a beach”. For that purpose, Santhai’s design embodies the holiday mood. The theme is tropical, and both outlets apply the always-fashionable neon lamps. Even the staffs are clad in beach shirts. Certain food and drinks are served on floaties and bird cages.

True to its name, Santhai was created in a way that’s playful, or “Instagrammable” – says the millennials. It’s unlike any other Thai restaurants that usually sport formal look. Surely you will immediately notice that most Thai restaurants have all that royal themes with statues, paintings, and the usual classical interior. Santhai is the complete opposite.

However, the most important part of all from a restaurant is always the food and Santhai is not short of surprises there. It boasts nearly 200 types of dishes, with additional a few dozen coming in after the second opening of their outlet quite recently in Pantai Indah Kapuk.

Credits should be given to the visionary owners and the native Thai chefs who have been collaborating closely to present this outlook. Aside from the eclectic designs, the owners also encourage the chefs to create interesting new dishes inspired from other cultures. Authenticity certainly has its values, but Santhai bravely mixes the two worlds to create both appetizing and intriguing lineup of the menu.

Santhai do embrace the classic choices such as the pineapple fried rice or the pad thai. They also offer the boat noodles, albeit the size may be different than the traditional. Expect to see other authentic options such as the Thai mango salad, massaman curry, the red and green curries with prata, and even the tom yum. To end the whole experience, the sticky rice with mango awaits you. The durian desserts are also ripe for the taking.

However, if you are feeling playful, then you should try something different. The popularity of salted egg dishes these past two years encourages the chefs of Santhai to develop their own Thai take which can be seen from salted egg spring beans, crispy salted egg yolk with chicken, also with prawns. The mantou buns proved to be a perfect choice as the starter, since it can be served with Peking duck or soft-shell crabs with Thai basil.

As for our personal experience, we were very delightful when trying the always good fried rice, but this time served in a coconut shell and presented on a floatie. This eclectic presentation was immediately followed by the highly delectable salmon’s head curry. For the desserts, the durian spring rolls awaited us curiously in one corner.

The highlight of the day goes for the salmon’s head curry. It’s not easy to cook a wonderful salmon dish, since I personally think that salmon is only best when served as gravlax or sashimi. Through this dish, Santhai made it clear that they can make salmon as the star of the show. It tasted very fresh, with enough serving for a few people, and the rich red curry’s flavor was out of this world. Simply majestic!

There you have it, a complete package of a playful Thai restaurant with a rich lineup of menu and perfect for the whole family. We have a feeling that we’re going to see great things coming ahead from Santhai in the future.

Located on the second floor of the five star luxury JW Marriott Hotel Jakarta, Pearl Chinese Restaurant is a fine Cantonese restaurant and ready to bring the best of Cantonese Dim Sum to the heart of Jakarta. Chinese cooking is one of the ancient and most diverse in the world. Among 23 provinces within China, Guandong (or Canton) has the most well-known for its wide variety and cooking style. Yum Cha or Dim Sum is the most popular and well-known form of Cantonese cuisine. In Chinese, Dim Sum literally means “a light touch on the heart” which describe a happy and boisterous occasion when family and friends gather up to sip tea and eat a great variety of dishes.

Pearl Chinese Restaurant has been famous for its starter menus, such as Caramelized Honey Salmon, Crispy Duck, Pork Belly, and of course, the famous Steamed Dim Sum like Siew Mai, Hakau, Chicken Feet and Xiao Long Bao. The distinctive food presentation of a la carte or prefix menu is carefully crafted by the new award winning Chinese Chef Pearl, Daniel Foong. To Passion Media, Daniel shared his love of Cantonese cooking and his attempt to adapt to the local taste preference.

How did you fall in love with cooking?

When I was a child, I saw my relative was cooking, the way he was moving while the fire is burning….it was very cool! I start cooking when I was 14, I was living in Pahang, Malaysia. I don’t have any formal education in cooking because back then, culinary schools are not as famous as it is now. It was also very expensive, at that moment my mother couldn’t pay for that, so I start learning Cantonese cooking with my master.

You specialized in Cantonese cuisine, how do you describe that style of cooking?

Cantonese requires the original flavor (of the ingredients), the taste is a bit light and sweet, meanwhile Szechuan is very spicy and they use lot of spices.

In Pearl Chinese Restaurant, which sort of cuisine will you offer?

The owner of the hotel requires us to serve Cantonese cuisine, however I will add on some other cuisine that’s suitable for the local people.

I heard you’ve been working in other 5 star hotels in Indonesia?

Yes. I’ve worked here for 2,5 years from 2012 to 2015.

How long have you been working in Pearl?

I started on September 22nd 2018, still new over here. Our concept is traditional Cantonese cooking with modern presentation.

You’re quite familiar with the local taste preference, aren’t you? How far is it from the original taste?

At the moment, I see the Chinese over here prefer Cantonese cuisine, however you can’t compare the taste preference with Hong Kong. In Indonesia, the taste preference is very rich and strong, meanwhile in Hong Kong, everything tastes less intense.

Is it difficult for you to adapt to the situation?

No, just add more seasoning, because Cantonese cuisine’s taste is very light. Cantonese cooking always requires fresh ingredients, such as live seafood, everything must be fresh. When the fish is fresh, you don’t need too much spice, just steam it, you will maintain it’s original taste and the fish will remain juicy.

What’s the biggest challenge in running Chinese restaurant in Indonesia?

Most of the ingredients that we use are imported from other countries. Almost everything, from fruit, meat, spice, to sauce and sometimes it’s quite hard to get them because of the custom issues.

On our previous coffee issue, Toni Wahid, author of cikopi.com, once praised Koultoura’s approach in expanding its business. If a coffee shop brands are having success, most of the times they can’t wait to open new outlets using the copy paste approach for the whole concept to the new place. Koultoura did the opposite, they don’t rush things. They even adjust their concept (also the name) to their new place in Central Jakarta.

One of the most noticeable things is the presence of coffee roaster in front of KLTR’s outlet. “Since Koultoura’s inception in 2013, we knew one day we will have our own roastery, we just don’t know exactly when. In 2017, when we had the opportunity and a new place, we’d go for it immediately,” said Joe Sentoso, one of KLTR’s owners.

Koultoura VS KLTR

Joe understands location determines the customers’ characteristics, therefore, he made some conceptual adjustments. From Koultoura’s bright, colorful concept with some cartoon characters, into KLTR which features the very masculine Brooklyn, New York 1920’s style. “To complement our coffee shop that operates from morning to afternoon, we also have a bar that serves cocktail, whisky and draft beer in the night. There are other market segments we’d like to cover here because the opportunity is great, we just need consistency and time to educate the market,” Joe added.

“Koultoura already has strong image for family, neighborhood, and student segments. Our philosophy is to adapt with the surrounding. When we had a new place, we noticed that the people around here are young executives, expatriates that are surrounded by office buildings, we wanted something new,” he explained.

So, why the name change, isn’t consistency crucial for a brand? “It’s fun, it’s always exciting for an establishment to have something new. People identify name with things or expectations, with different name, we want people to have different expectations. We removed the vowels in Koultoura and it left us with KLTR.”

The next significant change is in the coffee and food. Since its inception, Koultoura was specifically designed to give consistent coffee flavor, every week, every month. “In KLTR, we offer various choices, it’s more adventurous. We switch the coffee bean every 2 weeks, and it’s always single origin as we have so many choices of bean from our roastery,” explained Joe. KLTR offered 2-3 bean choices for espresso-based coffee and 4-5 single origins for filter coffee, both of them are rotated periodically.

If Koultoura offers comfort foods such as pasta and rice bowl, KLTR gives the more fusion and classic menus, such as Cheese Burger and Tiramisu.They claim their tiramisu is the best homemade tiramisu in Jakarta, and apart from whether you agree or not, we’re hard pressed to find better tiramisu anywhere else. KLTR also offers some healthy menus like the refreshing Shirataki Beef Salad (lettuce, carrot, zucchini, shirataki, sliced beef, sweet tangy sauce).

Long Term Business

In the beginning, we assume KLTR focused on serving imported beans because of their wide array of imported bean like from Tanzania to Ethiopia, but apparently, KLTR put special attention to source the local bean directly from the farmers.

“Our imported bean act as complement to what we have. Another reason is that sourcing imported bean is relatively easier and more consistent with some help of coffee traders. For local bean, we prefer to source directly to farmers. We go to their farms, live there for 2-3 days, if we had an agreement, we’d propose a contract. Of course, it will be more difficult, but we want long-term relationship,” Joe explained.

So far, KLTR managed to do long term business with some prominent coffee farms in Indonesia, from the farm in Takengon, Aceh to the farm in Simalungun, North Sumatera, to the Java Frinsa Estate in Weninggalih, West Java. “We understand that the business is a long-term project, even though our culture is all about short-term. We’d like to say that this business is not sprint, it’s marathon,” he added.

In the future, Joe said that KLTR’s business expansion will focus on green bean sourcing directly to the farmer instead of opening new outlets. “If the past 2 years we have invested in 3 farms in West Indonesia, for this year and the next one, we will go to East Indonesia to regions such as Papua, Toraja, and Flores,’ he said.

In the middle of the rising number of new coffee shops with unique concepts, Joe has a rather simple principle to retain his customers, “under promise, over deliver! We didn’t exaggerate things, such as Instagrammable place or delicious food.  We want to invite people with low expectations, and let us show you the whole package experience that exceeds their expectations. We’re sure people will return. We prefer to grow slowly while steadily educating the market instead of going crazy in the beginning but running out of steam in the next 3-6 months,” Joe said.

KLTR shows that coffee shop is a flexible business that has to adapt to its surroundings. They won’t hesitate to change their concept and name to give different expectation to the customers. So, a coffee shop slash roastery in the morning and then
whisky and cocktail bar at night, why not?

Di edisi kali ini, PASSION ingin mengulik tentang khasiat serta manfaat rempah ‘Star Anise’ atau yang biasa dikenal sebagai bunga lawang.

Berasal di dataran Tiongkok dan juga tumbuh subur di dataran Vietnam, bunga lawang merupakan rempah mujarab yang kaya akan citarasa sehingga jamak dipakai sebagai penyedap rasa dalam masakan Asia. Bentuk daunnya yang bertekstur tajam dan terdiri dari delapan ruas membuatnya menyandang nama ‘Star’ atau ‘Bintang’ dalam bahasa Inggris. Di China sendiri, rempah ini dikenal sebagai salah satu dari ngo hiang atau ‘Lima Bumbu Utama’ bersama adas, cengkih, kayu manis, dan juga lada Szechuan.

Bunga Lawang masuk kategori istimewa karena memiliki akar manis serta menghasilkan aroma wangi. Tidak heran jika rempah kering ini menjadi bahan pokok pada makanan di banyak negara di asia Asia seperti dalam sup Vietnam yang biasa dikenal dengan ‘pho’. Di negeri India ia dikenal sebagai salah satu campuran dalam garam masala, yang juga terdiri dari cengkih, kayu manis, merica hitam, jintan, ketumbar yang digunakan sebagai bumbu untuk nasi biryani yang sedap, dan juga beraneka ragam kari.

Chocotoberfest yang kedua kembali digelar di Mal Taman Anggrek pada 25-28 Oktober 2018 oleh PT. Freyabadi Indotama dan Tulip Chocolate. Tidak hanya sekedar memamerkan, mempromosikan produk, dan memperingati Hari Kakao Indonesia yang jatuh pada 16 September, Chocotoberfest kali ini yang bertema Circus Chocolate didesain untuk lebih mengedepankan edukasi, ide, dan gagasan baru agar cita rasa cokelat Indonesia menjadi yang terdepan di pentas dunia.

Salah satu latar belakang acara ini adalah fakta bahwa Indonesia sebagai salah satu negara penghasil kakao terbesar dunia ternyata tingkat konsumsi cokelatnya masih sangat rendah yaitu 0,4kg/kapita/tahun. Di sisi lain, Malaysia sudah mencapai 1kg/kapita/tahun bahkan di negeri yang tidak punya pohon kakao malah tingkat konsumsinya sangat tinggi hingga 12kg/kapita/tahun.

Chocotoberfest 2018 dan Cocoa Day 2018 memiliki tujuan yang sama yaitu mempromosikan produk-produk unggulan dari industri olahan kakao di dalam negeri dan untuk meningkatkan konsumsi masyarakat terhadap produk berbasis kakao/cokelat. Jika upaya tersebut terus meningkat maka bukan hanya turut berkontribusi terhadap perekonomian nasional dan penyerapan tenaga kerja tetapi juga turut meningkatkan kesejahteraan petani kakao Indonesia.

“Dibandingkan tahun lalu, pertumbuhan jumlah usaha cokelat home industry menjadi banyak sekali, merekalah penggerak yang dapat meningkatkan konsumsi cokelat. Yang menarik, terdapat beberapa home industry dari luar Pulau Jawa yang latar belakanganya adalah petani. Merekalah pelaku konsep ‘bean to bar’ yang sesungguhnya,” jelas Louis Tanuhadi, The Embassy of Chocolate sekaligus salah satu penggagas utama Chocotoberfest.

Salah satu produsen cokelat home industry yang mengundang kekaguman dari Louis adalah Delicacao. “Banyak orang berpikir bahwa produksi cokelat membutuhkan peralatan canggih berskala industri, namun sebetulnya, alat dengan skala home industry masih mampu memproduksi paling banyak 5kg/hari. Itu pun hasilnya sudah cukup baik, bahkan saya sempat terkejut. Mereka masih menggunakan cara lama untuk melakukan conchinh yaitu diaduk selama 2 hari dengan menggunakan mixer agar hasilnya homogeny. Beberapa produsen yang kurang sabar hanya melakukannya selama beberapa jam saja, tentu hasilnya kurang bagus,” tambah Louis.

Kebanyakan masyarakat Indonesia yang hanya memiliki 2 musim: musim hujan dan kemarau, oleh sebab itu, konsep menu seasonal merupakan hal yang asing. Untuk menyambut musim gugur di Prancis, pada Oktober hingga November, Amuz Gourmet Restaurant memperkenalkan beberapa Autumn Menu, mulai dari Pate de Foie de Volaille Au Cognac (pate liver ayam dengan rasa Cognac), Poached Lombok Langouste, Butternut Pumpkin Soup Cinnamon Cream, Char Grilled Pacific Yellow Fin Tuna Loin, French Bistro Style Warm Chicken Liver Salad, 18 Hours Slow Cooked Black Angus Beef Short Plate, Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Pumpkin, dan Assorted Sorbet 3 Scoop

Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food kembali mengadakan kegiatan edukasi dan kampanye makanan lezat dan bernutrisi yang berlokasi di Global Research and Development Centre Sinar Mas, Marunda, Bekasi. Acara berjudul “Belajar dari Ahlinya: Aplikasi Produksi Minyak Kelapa Sawit Sehat dan Bernutrisi”ini menghadirkan Dr. Marya Haryono selaku ahli gizi, Chef Nina Bertha, Dr. Paul Wassell (Head of Global R&D Innovation) dan Dr. Isti Christianti (R&D Category Head).

Young Chef Club Indonesia Bali Chapter mengikuti International Young Chef Challenge Ningbo di Ningbo Gulin Vocational School China pada 24-28 Oktober 2018. Acara ini diikuti oleh 59 kompetitor China sebagai tuan rumah dan 50 kompetitor internasional, mulai dari negara-negara seperti Australia, USA, Singapura, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Kamboja, Malaysia, Korea, dan tentu saja, Indonesia. Tim Indonesia yang diwakili oleh Wilson Widjaja (Renaissance Bali Uluwatu Resort and Spa), Andy Chandra (The St. Regis Bali Resort) dan Gede Eka Perdana Diatmika (Movenpick Hotel) mengikuti beberapa lomba, seperti Ningbo Seafood Challenge, Two to Tango, dan Farm to the Plate.

Pembukaan Thai Food Festival di Le Meridien Jakarta diresmikan Senin 1 Oktober 2018, dengan aneka makanan lezat khas Thailand yang disiapkan khusus oleh Guest Chef Mama Duu dari JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort & Spa, Thailand. Acara pembukaan ini diresmikan oleh General Manager Le Meridien Jakarta, Bapak Kanit Sangmookda, dan Wakil Kepala Misi dari Kedutaan Besar Kerajaan Thailand, Ibu Jiraporn Sudanich, di La Brasserie Restaurant. Le Meridien Jakarta menyelenggarakan Thai Food Festival dari tanggal 1 hingga 21 Oktober 2018, menawarkan kesempatan kepada para tamu untuk merasakan cita rasa otentik masakan Thailand, mulai dari bahan-bahan segar hingga hidangan mewah dengan metode memasak tradisional dan resep inovatif

Electrolux, produsen peralatan rumah tangga terkemuka dunia dari Swedia dan produsen produk peralatan dapur premium, akan membawa dunia kuliner di Indonesia ke tingkat yang lebih tinggi dengan meluncurkan kampanye “Taste Stories” dengan menghadirkan 3 chef ternama: Chef Chandra Yudasswara, Chef Eddrian Tjhia, dan Chef Nina Bertha yang membagikan pengalaman dan pengetahuan akan ragam inovasi produk peralatan dapur Electrolux.

The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali, bekerja sama dengan Bali International Convention Centre (BICC) dengan bangga berkontribusi terhadap kesuksesan International Monetary Fund (IMF) – World Bank Annual Meeting 2018. Acara ini dihadiri oleh sejumlah VIP, kepala negara internasional, menteri-menteri, anggota parlemen, akademisi dan perwakilan dari sektor swasta, semuanya mengunjungi Pulau Bali untuk berpartisipasi pada acara yang diselenggarakan pada 8-14 Oktober 2018.

We met I Made Kona in 2011, in one of 5 star hotel located in Kuningan, Jakarta. We were impressed with his highly detailed cake decoration, his paintings, and his nurturing nature. Since then, we often see each other in various events, until we heard the news that Chef Kona has retired and returned to Bali, his hometown. We were surprised to know when The Dharmawangsa announced him as Jakarta Restaurant and Cake Shop Executive Chef through email on July 30th 2018. It didn’t take too long for us to arrange the schedule to meet Chef Kona to find out what happened in the past few years.

People know you as one of the most senior pastry chef; please tell us a bit  about your career.

Yes, in Jakarta, probably me, Rahmat (Kusnedi) and Tusyadi are regarded as the first generation of pastry chef. I’ve been in the pastry industry since 1986 where I worked for Nusa Dua Beach Hotel, after that, I moved to Intercontinental Bali, Grand Mirage, then to Four Seasons to handle their properties in Jimbaran and Sayana, Ubud. In 2003, still in Four Seasons group, I moved to, at the time was still known as Regent Hotel, Jakarta. Last, I worked in Archipelago International, the holding group of Aston Hotel as Corporate Pastry Chef where I was responsible to make standards for their 118 hotels all over Indonesia.

After that, I heard you retired and moved back to Jimbaran, Bali?

Not a retirement, but I have a personal spiritual duty as Hindunese priest, (aka) Pemangku Adat. So, I have to dedicate my life from my home, I reduced my other “worldly” activities. It didn’t mean I was completely disconnected from the world, but there has to be some process. After a while, I started to lecture in STP Nusa Dua, Bali. I also spent much time painting.

Then, why did you return as pastry chef? 

I had a call form The Dharmawangsa to help their team here, in the beginning, as a consultant. Of course, I could get back to work here, in my personal language, after getting permission as I had the chance to receive the duty and to do my service.

Are you still a priest? 

Yes, but it’s more universal as I don’t always have to be attached to custom conditions. Being a priest is a purity I have to maintain and execute, but now, I have wider access. Even though I was in other region, I can still do the job as a priest. Thanks to my experience as a priest, whenever I have inspiration to create products, I always try to give them meaning that can be translated through the craft or the description.

You’ve been absent for over 2 years, after you returned, do you notice any significant changes? 

In terms of business and trend, there’s not much change. We had Rainbow Cake trend which lasted for 3-4 years, then we had Red Velvet Cake, cupcakes. Now, I notice that we’re back to regular products, even though I’m sure that one day people will return to those products.

Now, it’s getting harder to define the trend, there hasn’t been a single trending product like Rainbow Cake. What I see is that cake shops are trying to make their own trend through their signature products.

Signature cakes aren’t new, are they? In the 90’s, most leading hotels in Jakarta popularize them.

Yes, let’s take Black Forest for example, how did it become the trend back then? Because at the time, not everyone can make it, and then media help to popularize it, in addition to the massive word of mouth. In the past decade, everything’s getting easier, especially because of the existence of media and social media.

In Jakarta Restaurant & Cake Shop, what’s your signature product?

We’re known for our Chocolate Martini Cake and Raspberry Mille Feuille, for quite a while. In the future, I commit to the mission from the hotel, our concept is Indonesian Luxury Experience. I strengthen it with products and combinations without forgetting the classic, because my root is definitely classic French. The recipe I give you, Gayo Tiramisu is a combination of the traditional Aceh coffee bean and Italian tiramisu.

I heard Sriwijaya Restaurant in The Dharmawangsa changed its concept form fine dining into steak house. Does it affect your products? 

Most of it affects the bread line. For instance, we serve the country bread with orange leaf that give you aromatherapy effect, we also serve simpler, more elegant, and latest products In addition, when the guests are done dining, our waiter always presents our dessert trolley in front of the them. People who don’t plan to have dessert are interested because of the pretty looks. After they order the desserts, they can also takeaway the dessert in our cake shop. I build the concept so we can have connection between Cake Shop and Sriwijaya. It has become some sort of attraction, something unique.

How hard is it to adopt traditional aspect into pastry? 

We’re talking about acculturation. It happens whenever there’s saturation in the market that’s often ignored. Acculturation happens because loads of references and quality products, then people try to discover something that’s more specific to they merge the traditional aspect with nouvelle cuisine, or east and west combinations. Then we have pastry products using local ingredients. Actually, combining the two is not that difficult, but we need to have better understanding, we also have to know the initial terminology. We had a birthday cake order combined with traditional snacks. We put Palembang sugar apple, lapis legit, and local ingredients into the birthday cake.

In the midst of declining buying power, is there a chance for expensive pastry products? 

Yes, highly possible, moreover if you balance it with quality and other supporting aspects such as product’s uniqueness, strategic place, intense promotion. Actually high price is not obstacle, it’s more to understanding your clients. How about the middle class, can they coexist? Of course, as long as they’re consistent, committed to quality.

In August 2018, Heavenly Sweet Academy invited Joakim Prat as its guest tutor and Passion Media had the chance to interview the French Pastry Chef about his views on pastry industry, his current activity, and the future of specialized pastry products. Joakim has been working in 9 Michelin starred restaurants throughout his career from France, Spain, and England: from 2 starred L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, 3 starred Can Fabes, 1 starred Sauc, 1 starred Hofmann, and 2 starred The Greenhouse. In addition, Joakim has also won the golden medal for UK Best Dessert of the Year 2014, and awarded as UK Rising Talent at UK Pastry Open World Cup 2013. Despite of his great achievements, actually Joakim is one of the coolest, humble, warm French Pastry Chef we’ve ever met. Here’s our exclusive interview with the owner of London’s Maitre Choux.

Who’s your primary inspiration in pastry? 

Joel Robuchon and Pierre Hermes. Joel is my most important mentor as he taught me about excellence. When you do something, it has to be the best thing that you can do. If you should do a cake, it has to be the very high quality with high level of decoration.

Pastry chefs are notorious for being a perfectionist, does it have to be that way? 

Yeah! I think it’s very important, because if you want consistent product all the time, you have to be perfectionist. Basically, in pastry, if you mess up something, you have to start all over from zero, you have to be more precise.

From 1-10, how perfectionist are you?

9.

I heard you have 9 Michelin stars? 

No, you can’t have Michelin star as Pastry Chef, it’s given to the Head Chef of the kitchen. However, I have been a Pastry Chef in some Michelin starred restaurants, some are 3 starred, 2 starred, and 1 starred, that’s why people came up with the 9 stars.

Do you deliberately aim for the (Michlein) stars?

Yes, because it’s the best place to learn. We talked about excellence before, and the best food is in the Michelin star restaurants.

How do you describe your style?

It’s very feminine, delicate, refined, tasteful and colorful. By feminine… it’s hard to describe, have you seen what I’ve been doing?

Of course, mostly from Maitre Choux’s and your Instagram. 

You’ll see all the design, decoration… Actually it’s funny, because of the design, before people know me, they’d think the Head Chef is a girl, you know what I mean? It’s either I’m a girl…. or a gay. My design is very refined, elegant, more like a woman craft, I would say, but I’m comfortable with that, I don’t mind.

You’ve been a Pastry Chef working with many pastry products, now you settled only on one specific product, éclair. Why?

First, I really like choux pastry. I think it’s something that’s really playful, you can play with the shape and color. It’s also really technical, I mean, if I teach how to make it to a person, it doesn’t mean tomorrow he’ll be able to reproduce it. You need to practice and train to understand and to have it perfected.

I think specialization is the future. In pastry, you got so much different products, you can do mille-feuille, baba, choux, entremets, petit gateau, or chocolate. But I really think, you can’t be very good in everything, there’s no one that’s perfect in everything. I think more of focusing in one project but bringing it to the highest level. Little by little people will concern more in signature or mono products, I think it’s the next (big) thing.

What makes Maitre Choux different from any other choux? 

If you come to our shop, everything is done fresh during the night, everyday! I have 2 teams, the first one start at 9.00 pm to 6.00 am. Basically, everything is baked, decorated during the night, and in the morning you will have the freshest product you can find. Some pastry shops make their choux store it for 2-3 days in the display, but I’m not doing that. If I have some leftovers (at the end of the day), they’re going to the garbage bin. Of course, you won’t get sick if you eat it after 3 days, but if you want the best texture and flavor, you have to eat it at the same day. If you want to eat some meat, would you cook it one day in advance? It’s the same concept that I apply in Maitre Choux.

You worked in some countries, tell us some interesting stories from your journey.

Without being cocky, I’d say pastry is coming from France, it’s like saying pizza is from Italy. As pastry chefs, we, the Frenchmen are very arrogant. When you speak about pastry to a French pastry chef, they’d think that everywhere you go, people make rubbish pastry, just because the chefs aren’t French, which is completely wrong nowadays.

I know, most of the chefs all around the world are learning pastry to France, but when they come back to their countries, they’d twist it with their own tradition, so actually, pastry is getting richer and richer there. Meanwhile French people are not that interested in what happened in other countries because they think they’re the best. For example, when I move from Paris to Madrid, of course the level in Paris was much higher, but people in Madrid is getting better and better and as French people, we have to be careful about it.

Why did you decide to open your own shop in UK?

At first, I love London, it’s a very open city, and I think you got more opportunities here. Being a French chef in France just mean I was just another one more chef, but in London, I am The French chef, do you know what I mean? And businesswise there’s no comparison, I have less competition here and London people have more money to spend.

How many outlets do you have in London? 

Currently, I have 4 shops. The first one is in French area in London, in South Kensington, the second one is in Soho, the third one is in Westfield White City, and then I have one in Piccadilly.

How do you find balance in flavor, also for the concept of the product? 

I really like the combination of raspberry and vanilla, something sharp. I don’t know if I’m answering your question, but conceptually, I think shop is the opposite of a restaurant. If you go to a restaurant, people are coming for experience. You don’t have any idea of how the food’s going to look like as most of the menus only have nice names and the explanation of the products. In a pastry shop, you will see the products and you choose them, therefore, the design is more important in a shop than in restaurant. Of course, the flavor has to be as good as it looks, so people won’t get disappointed.

Do you always trying to find new flavor combinations? 

Yes, but I mainly work on the design, because, I think in pastry shop, there’s so many flavors you can’t take off, like chocolate, coffee, vanilla, or caramel. It’s a classic! If you go to a pastry shop and you don’t have chocolate, something is wrong.

Do you think that working in a specialized product limits your creativity?

Actually, no. In the beginning I was scared to be bored easily, but… how can I say it…. Actually, restrictions allow you to be more creative. After a while, I knew that I can do all the techniques I’ve learned in pastry and apply them on éclair. I can make chocolate mousse éclair, tiramisu éclair, crème brulee éclair, anything.

What’s next for Maître Choux? 

Right now, I’m developing savory menu, like salmon eclair with avocado, chicken and mayonnaise, and developing vegetarian choux using broccoli or carrot.

Literally, a sommelier is defined as “a waiter in a restaurant in charge of serving wine”. However, like most professions, the role and responsibility of a sommelier always go beyond the definition.

To understand this rather rare occupation in Jakarta’s F&B industry, Passion media met Iksan Tahdinal, Amuz Gourmet’s Sommelier, which also happens to be the Best Indonesian Sommelier 2017. Iksan told us the story of how he became a sommelier, the competition, his daily job, to his unexpected favorite wine.

Tell us your story of how you became a sommelier? 

I started my career as bartender, like most sommeliers I know. Bar is a good basic for sommelier because we are required to understand spirit, brandy, whisky, beer, sake, coffee and tea, to cheese, so not only limited to wine. If you’re in a good financial position, you can learn it at WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust), the nearest one to Indonesia is in Singapura, of course, it will cost a fortune.

After being a bartender for 10 years in various places, in 2013, I worked as Amuz’s bartender in 2013 and I had the chance to know its previous sommelier, Hezron Febriando, The Best Indonesian Sommelier 2012. My interest in wine started to grow as I saw Amuz’s wine cellar that has so many varieties. Hezron didn’t taught me directly, he just gave me some book recommendations, then we started the sharing session. Until today, it’s how we learn, sometimes the sommeliers gather and bring their own wines, and we’d enjoy them and learn from each other.

When you switched from bartender to sommelier, did you ask for it, or were you appointed? 

For the position, you can’t just be appointed; you should have your inner will. It takes extra time to learn everything, not only the the taste, also the history, the geography of wine producing countries, you can’t be forced to study it all. I was interested in the position, also because there aren’t too many of us, even in Jakarta, the number of sommeliers is no more than 50 people. According to Hezron, whenever we had bartender vacancy, we’ll see applicants lining up, meanwhile for sommelier, very few.

What are the things that should be prepared in competition? When did you start to enter it?

First, you’ll have written test. The topic is mostly around grape varieties, regions, and enforced law of a region. Let’s take Bordeaux for example, they only allow 5 grape varieties: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. It’s not Bordeaux if you use other than those 5 varieties. Then for Burgundy, it has to be 100% Pinot Noir. The questions also cover other things than wine, such as cocktail, whisky, cheese, beer, sake, coffee, tea, and food pairing.

If you pass the first round, you will move to the semifinal for practical test to serve the guest. You might be asked to make some cocktails, give some food pairing recommendation, and the most difficult one is describing the wine. You’ll be given 2 wines, you have to be able to tell the grape variety, the region, also the vintage. It’s tough because you need lot of practice and experience in tasting wines. In 2014, I entered the competition for the first time but ended only in semifinal. Since then, I always participate in the competition until I become The Best Indonesian Sommelier 2017.

How useful are those theories in your actual job?

Pretty useful, because in restaurant, we don’t only give recommendation, we also have to educate the guests. I love it when the guests are asking lot of questions. Even, when we serve set menu with wine pairing, I’d be very happy if the guests request any recommendation outside our available wine pairing, we might find something new. Of course, I have consult with the chef beforehand.

Education is crucial, especially in food pairing, because apparently, many guests haven’t got any idea. For example, the popular pairing for foei gras, some guests complained when we serve sweet wine because they see it as dessert wine. Actually, with its high fat content, foei gras is often served with sweet condiments such as orange marmalade or mix berry sauce to balance the fatty, umami taste. Traditionally, foei gras is paired with the sweet Sauternes wines. But still, some guests can’t take idea idea of having sweet wine in the middle of a dinner.

What’s the biggest challenge as sommelier? 

We have to understand what the customers want, the problem is, everyone has his own taste preference. What’s good for us doesn’t mean good for them. For example, when we offer our steak with a full-bodied wine, some customers suggested us to provide light-bodied wine because the steak was served with the light, acidic chimichurri sauce. The thing we fear the most is mistake in giving recommendation, because of the vast number of the wines we have.

Where do the wine collection in Amuz come from? 

Mostly from France, around 65%, the rest is from Italy, Australia, or Chile. As a fine dining restaurant, we don’t have problem in serving medium level wine, as long as it has good quality.

Personally, what’s your favorite wine? 

Napa Valley, California wines, such as Opus One or Allen Estate.

Surprising! Not French wine? 

Yes, because I think Napa Valley wines have the fruitiness, medium body, slight sweetness, and not too powerful, very suitable for local taste. For wines in Napa Valley, the most dominant variety is definitely Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine can be enjoyed while chilling out, with any food pairings, even with none at all. Meanwhile, French wines are best consumed in more formal situation, with proper food pairings.

How do you see the growth of New World wines?

Lately, the quality has been improving a lot. Judging from the guests’ response, they often pick the New World wines because of the taste. As opposed to the Old World which was bound by strict laws and regulations, the producer of New World wines is more daring to explore taste notes through various grape blends. For example, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, in France you will never find such combination.

What’s your recommendation for beginners in wine? 

Read books and browse the Internet. Start with some easy to drink wines with light body, like New World wines. Along the way, you’ll understand your own taste preference. You’ll be able to tell that the same variety can taste significantly different if it comes from Old World or New World. Then we talk about climate, the grape grows in warm climate countries like Australia and Chile that has more body and fruity compared to the ones from cold climate countries like France or Italy.

Most people see sommelier as a fun job because they only see us tasting the wines, chatting with the guests, but behind all of those, never ignore the fact that we went through long learning process.

We’ve come to the best online shopping era for customers. With the inception of various new websitse and e-commerce services, they are fighting for their own market share. One of the most easiest and popular promotion strategy for most Indonesians is definitely discount. We met Chef Rahmat Kusnedi, The President of Indonesia Pastry Alliance (IPA) to understand how should we see the online business development.

How do you see the online shopping phenomenon lately?

Online business is not entirely new in Indonesia. However, if previously people are selling retail goods, now online business started to reach food and restaurant business. The problem is, when there’s no one dominating the business, the nature of the business would be to kill each other.

Small business entities are low cost and low profit, when they become big, it will be hi cost, but still low profit in the beginning. For instance, the conversion of Matahari into mataharimall.com. In its offline business, they have rental cost, COGS, salary, utility cost, etc, meanwhile in online shopping, the shipping cost is on the customers.

However, it’s not the only thing that’s causing lower price in online shops. Let’s take a cellphone worth Rp 10 million for example, how come online shop sells it for Rp 8 million? If you reduce the marketing, rental cost, etc, you can only cut, let say Rp 1 million, the rest will be covered by the service provider (such as Go Pay or OVO). All online business suffer loss in the beginning, event Matahari is said to burn away trillions rupiah.

Another example is OVO, in the beginning, they give many benefits, such as free parking, 30% discount in many places. They will start to gain profit when they reach certain amount of users. As a cashless system, imagine if all of its user are doing the top up, there’s lot of cash flow getting into the appointed bank, it’s like some sort of programmed capitalism, but it’s invisible.

It seems like the competition among the investors is very fierce? 

Online businesses tend to kill each other, let’s say the online transportation. In the beginning, Gojek, Grab and Uber are competing in giving the best price that disturbed the existence of conventional taxi companies. When Uber was out and Gojek and Grab keep on growing, the price wasn’t as low as it was. The thing about the business is, who grow the most, they will rule the game, and they’re willing to suffer huge loss in the beginning. When they no longer have any competitions, they can do as they’d like.

How does it relate to food business?

Most people only see the technology, people love ordering food from Go Food and GrabFood for their practicality, especially for people with high mobility. Restaurants work together with service provider to give discounts, the problem is, not all food can go online.

For example, in coffee business. If you have spare time, of course you’d prefer to socialize in coffee shops, especially for true coffee lovers. But, for coffee addicts with high mobility, they wouldn’t mind using the delivery service, even though the coffee is no longer hot, or the ice has melted when it arrived.

For people in F&B industry, it’s a good opportunity because they can have programmed sales to push the production cost, but it will cause problem when you want to expand the business. Let say, an online business can have 10 orders per day, if they have 100 orders tomorrow, can they meet the demand? Of course, the conventional business is more prepared in term of stock management.

How about products that need special handling like ice cream and cake? Not all service providers have proper handling system. For example, Harvest have special cool delivery box for their cakes, and then Hoka-Hoka Bento or Pizza Hut have special box that can keep the heat to ensure the products reach the customer in proper condition. If you force yourself to send cake using online service provider, there’s a big chance that the product won’t be in good condition.

If the customer receives product in bad condition, who will they blame? 

Of course, the seller, not the online service provider. They just don’t care. Therefore, you need to carefully plan the communication to customers since beginning. You can warn them beforehand, or you can sell the products that don’t need special handling. Sometimes, home industries are using these services for all products, even if it’s not suitable, it will tarnish the reputation of the business.

What sort of foods are best to be sold online? 

Definitely fast food, because they already have solid business chains. If you’re living in Pluit and ordering food in Ciledug, the shipping cost would be too high. It’s a different case when you order in, let say PHD, they will appoint their nearest outlet to deal with the customers, that’s why they can ensure that their products can reach the customers within certain amount of time.

Is it wise to use current market situation as base for long-term business in the future? 

No. Back to the beginning, our society is very discount-minded. So far, the customers are the ones that get the benefit with loads of discounts, but, when there are less competitors, the price will slowly escalate. I have to admit, the Internet gives access for everyone to build business and help them in marketing, but there are some weaknesses you need to pay attention for.

One of them is about the tax. Until today, online transaction is taxfree, it’s one of the reason people can sell it cheaper. If you were to shop in supermarkets and restaurants, you will be taxed. Of course the government won’t stay quiet when they see the cash flow that might reach trillion of rupiahs in the business.

On the other hand, it’s the government weakness because the fact is; we haven’t have any regulation on the issue. When the electronic money started to gain popularity through E-toll, we had a viral case when a lawyer sued the government to force cashless payment to the citizen. Legally speaking, the valid paying system is with rupiah, whether it’s paper or coin, if you reject rupiah, it’s like saying rupiah isn’t legitimate. Now, of course the government has prepared the revisions for the regulation in this case.

Almost all of French, Italian, and other hi-end restaurants have wine collection, but not many claim themselves as a true wine house like Vin+. Even though they have other alcoholic drinks such as whisky, beer, and sake, from its name, we can tell that wine is Vin+’s raison d’etre.

In 2003, Vin+ was established in Kemang with wine retail concept, and then they set up the restaurant and café. In 2009, Vin+ opened its new outlet in Arcadia, Senayan specifically with dinein concept, or can we call it wine-in? Because they have many guests come just to enjoy the wine. Of course, Vin+ is not a nightclub with loud music that can distract you from appreciating their wines. Live Music and DJ are there give you music to support the atmosphere to enjoy the night.

Vin+ offers wide array of wine selections, from entry-level wine to vintage wine. One of the reason is  because Vin+ is in the same company group with PT. Jaddi Internasional as the wine distributor. “Around 80% of the wines here are imported by us,” said Joko Budi Manaf, Vin+ Arcadia’s Sommelier.

Wine Collections 

With so many brands, choosing a wine can be a confusing experience for most people. Therefore, we recommend you to ask the sommelier about their wine collection that suit your taste preference. “Wine is personal taste, however, as sommelier, we have to be able to provide wine to the customers based on their taste preference. Usually, we ask few questions: do you want full-body, medium, or light? What sort of notes do they after? Fruity, chocolate, or oak barrel? Knowledge is important, because we also need to be able to explain the history of the wine,” he added.

What happen the most is, customers don’t know what they want, so we’ll give you some tips. Before knowing various brands, you need to understand the most common grape varieties. For the masculine full-bodied red wine, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz are the most common choices. These are the best grapes to pair with red meat. People said Cabernet Sauvignon and steak are soulmate, however, in many occasions, the dry and peppery Shiraz was a better pairing. You’d better try both to know what we really mean.

The lighter body red wine is considered as “feminine”, some of the most common grape varieties in this category are Merlot and Pinot Noir. “Pinot Noir is a unique and sexy grape, usually the notes don’t stray far from red fruit such as cherry or strawberry. Many people are asking for it, but they don’t necessarily like it,” Joko explained. And then, for white wine, the choices usually end up with the lighter Sauvignon Blanc, or the bolder Chardonnay, both are often paired with chicken or seafood dishes.

Old World VS New World

The next thing you should pay attention for is the classic issue of Old World VS New World. Old World refers to wines from European countries such as France, Italy, or Spain. The Old World wines are bound by strict rules to keep the consistency, as opposed to the New World who’s more adventurous in taste and grape varieties combination. Simply said, all of the wines produced outside Europe are New World, such as Australia, Chile, New Zealand, America, and Argentine.

Generally, Old World wines have lighter body, more complex character, and of course, higher price. However, Joko admitted that Old World is not always better than New World. “For Old World’s Pinot Noir, it’s more to mineral notes, meanwhile the New World’s counterpart has the sensation of tropical fruit, especially the one that’s produced in New Zealand. Personally, I prefer New World’s Pinor Noir.”

In addition, when he was asked his favorite wine, Joko didn’t opt for the Old World wine. “I love American wines, especially from Napa Valley. They’re dominant in Cabernet Sauvignon that’s full–body, elegant, and very perfume-like. In the Rp 1 million range, you can have great quality Napa Valley wines.”

The last one is about the price. Vin+ offers wide range of wines from the easy to drink entry level wines, medium, to the vintage ones. The price is ranging from Rp 500.000 for entry level wines, Rp 800.000 for medium level, to Rp 170.000.000 for vintage wine. “Our most expensive wine here is the 1995’s Romanee-Conti, it’s a Burgundy wine, of course it’s 100% Pinot Noir. Even though it wasn’t opened in the outlet, our customer bought it as a gift,” Joko said. We can only wonder who’s that lucky guy to have the wine.

Another popular vintage wine here is the 1982 Chateau Petrus that’s worth Rp 120.000.000. “It’s one of customers’ favorites, not all winehouse has it in store,” he added. Some of the highlights here are 2010’s Colgin Napa Valley, 2000’s Pio Cesare Barolo Alba – Italia, 2012’s Tua Rita Redigaffi, 1994’s Chateau Mouton Rothschild, 2006’s Chateau Angelus, 1999’s Chateau Margaux Grand Vin, and 2008’s Le Pavillon Ermitage.

Since 2009 until today, Vin+ is the answer for the growing obsession from the people on wine. You really need to resist the urge to have more wines as the dine-in venue here is also the display place for the wines, categorized based on the country. If you come to Vin+ in the mood of wine exploration, Joko recommended you to come in 5 people, it’s the ideal number to enjoy a bottle of wine.

As opposed to previous years’ assumption, drinking wine is no longer an intimidating experience. In fact, it has become part of lifestyle and necessity for many people living in Jakarta, be it beginner or true connoisseur. With wide range of choices, Vin+ is the place to go if you want to learn and enjoy the wine to the next step.

Since his arrival in Indonesia circa 2009, Pablo Gonzales has been working to establish Plaga; one of the most recognizable wine brands in the country back in 2011. Now, the Argentinaborn lad, along with his Spanish Catalan assistant in-charge, Jordi Sanvicens Moreno tirelessly put their best effort in making quality wine products for their consumers around the island and beyond. We get the chance to meet them both and discuss the wine-related matters while enjoying a bottle of their brandnew, delightfully refreshing Frizzante.

What is your winemaking style? 

It’s a very interesting question, because Jordi comes from Spain and Pablo comes from Argentina, each of us brings our own distinctive style. But we combine our concept together; from Europe and  South America to make international style-not something specific from some area, especially not copying style. For example our Frizzante, which originally comes from Italy, but we are not doing traditional Italian Frizzante. We’re doing the Frizzante that people would love in Bali and in Indonesia. Our style is international, because when we are choosing our grapes; from Italia, Spain, or Argentina for example, we also controlling all the process in there. We are talking with the winemakers in various countries and we learn some cultural exchanges to make our product.

In the world of wine, who do you admire the most, and why? 

It’s like when you say ‘who is your favorite singer’; it’s hard, because you can’t only take one particular name. As in music,  there are different aspect in wine, there are talented winemakers who make amazing creations from nowhere, and there are also winemakers who inspire you because they are hard workers in winery that are not much popular where you can learn important concept in wine making. There are lots of people that can inspire you in this field. There is no superstar in the world of wine.

What kind of grape you prefer to use for wine-making?  Is it hard to make a good wine from locally grown Indonesian/ Balinese grape?

Commercially, for red wine, we would say Merlot. Many people said it’s just a poor brother of Cabernet variant, but for the common people, who don’t really get into the complexity of taste, Merlot is a perfect grape to make a fine red wine. You don’t need to understand deeply about wine to enjoy it, but in the same time, Merlot will never going to disappoint you. For white wine, Sauvignon Blanc is so interesting. It is a variety that gives many different expressions around the world. We think people will enjoy more of a Sauvignon Blanc; something fresh, easy to drink, not pretentious, and don’t need anyone to be a wine expert to enjoy it.

The second part of the question is easy to answer: very difficult. We really don’t produce with local grapes. It’s possible, but we’re not too satisfied with the result. It is our decision to make our wine with imported grape. But we do really appreciate the wine making in other companies in Indonesia that use locally grown ingredients.

What goals in winemaking that you’re still working to achieve? 

First of all, you always want to make a better wine. So we continuously improving our products. Second, we always like to have more products, but we need to do something that we’re going to like and the market going to approve. We’d like to target very well our drinkers / consumers so we can give the best taste for them. One of our biggest goals also understands who is drinking our wine and how we can satisfy them better, especially to identify which variety of grape from specific region in a specific country that works well for the wine consumer in Indonesia. The wine we make is not for us, but for others to enjoy.

Is there any connection between the rise of U$ dollar rate to wine-making and selling in general? What is the implication?

We’re wine makers; not economist (laugh) so we don’t think there is any correlation between the rise in U$ dollar and our wine-making process. Simply put, the macro-economic situation in the world, related to currency value doesn’t affect us directly. But for example, two years ago, when the global economic problem didn’t occur like nowadays yet, the weather in some area of the world is very bad for harvest. So the price of the ingredients increased significantly. Most quality of wine comes from the grapes, and most of the price of our wine also comes from the grapes, so when we are buying the grape in higher rate than usual that will affect our production cost.

What do you find to be the hardest part of harvest? 

We are controlling the harvest in their origin countries. So for example, we just arrived a week ago from Italy, and we’re working with wineries there, so of course the hardest part of this process is to identify what’s the best region, grape, best moment for harvest. While we were there we were taking samples, we analyze. Since we’re working with third parties, the challenge is to coordinate a lot of things properly, so to make them understand what we want and trying to find the right aspects to get our ingredients.

What is one of the most rewarding things about your job? 

When you go around and people are drinking your wine, enjoying your wine, and they said ‘ah, you’re in Plaga? It’s very good wine, thanks for that, we’re really enjoyed it!’ This is the most rewarding things. Because all the time we’re doing international wines, thinking about international market, but we’re just started with Frizzante, and now all the locals who didn’t like the international style, who like something more sweet and more low alcohol, they come and said ‘now I love wine, because Frizzante is what I like to drink’. People like wine because they enjoy it, and when they do, it’s what makes us really happy.

Let’s admit it, the coffee shop scene has become somewhat predictable: from Scandinavian interior, “compulsory” premium equipments such as La Marzocco espresso machine and Mahlkonig grinder, to the “Es Kopi Susu” fever. However, once in a while, some smarter coffee shops refused to be pigeonholed by offering something specific for niche market. The coffee shop is not too big, and it’s located on the second floor of other restaurant. If there’s anything eye-catching about the place, it’s the Iron Man figures (and a very cool looking Venom) located all over the outlet’s corner.

A Tale of Two Coffee Beans is known among coffee communities as the place specialized in serving geisha coffee. While the coffee shop has only opened since December 2017, the owner, Aang Sunadji is a familiar face in coffee people. In fact, he opened Origin, a coffee shop which only served manual brew coffee with various specialty bean, but one thing for certain, there’s always geisha in the rack. Two Coffee Beans took the baton from Origin but adding espresso-based coffee
to the outlet and move to new location.

The Geisha 

Geisha is a variety of coffee, believed to be originated from Gesha village in Ethiopia. It doesn’t take a coffee expert to tell geisha’s unique aroma. We believe, even some elementary schoolboys can easily tell the difference between geisha and your regular coffee bean. However, we take one step further by asking one of Two Coffee Beans regulars, Jimmy Agus who’s popular with the nickname BGI (Bapak Geisha Indonesia or Father of Indonesian Geisha).

“2-3 years ago, I had a cup of geisha coffee, it was Hacienda La Esmeralda. Honestly, at first, I was confused, why it was so aromatic, very floral, light, tealike? It doesn’t even taste like coffee, weird but tasty!” said Jimmy. In case you’re wondering how he got his unique nickname, here’s the story: “One day a friend took me to Origin. I was surprised to see so many Nordic coffee, I tried everything there, from Ethiopia, Kenya, and of course all of their geisha. Another friend jokingly called me Bapak Geisha  Indonesia, and people kept calling me with the name ever since,” he recalled.

Jimmy is not a regular geisha lover, he has his own way of showing his affection toward geisha. “I make a list of all the coffee I’ve had, I even create a special Instagram account to keep track of the bean and the roaster, @geshapedia. However, I’m not strictly a geisha drinker, for milk-based coffee, I prefer non-geisha. After all, not all geisha are good. I happened to prefer geisha with notes such as jasmine, stone fruits, and especially peach. Some of my favorites geisha in Two Coffee Beans are Santa Maria Natural, Finca Deborah, Elida Estate Green Tip Bop 2018,” said Jimmy.

“Even though I can manually brew the coffee at home, I prefer to drink it at Two Coffee Beans. I can enjoy coffee while sharing with friends, we can learn a lot from it. At the moment, approximately we have 100 geisha lovers in Two Coffee Beans,” said Jimmy.

Fine Coffee Shop 

Like most fine dining restaurants, geisha and Two Coffee Beans are not for everyone. Most geisha have very light body, thus resulting in tea-like experience. When it comes to geisha, it’s either love it or hate it. You can find many reasons for people to love it, but when people hate it, it’s probably because of its steep price. In Two Coffee Beans, regular V60 bean can be sold around Rp 30.000 - 50.000, but for geisha, the price starts from Rp 100.000/cup.

Of course, the bean in Two Coffee Beans is mostly seasonal, but they are the main distributor of Budhas Kafferosteri, a Sweden—based coffee roaster found by an Indonesian named Budha Sutedja who lives there. Two Coffee Beans offers Budhas bean online for homebrewers, but you’d better be quick because it can be sold out within a day. Fortunately, Two Coffee Beans always spare some for the coffee shop.

The unique characteristic of geisha seems like creating a new segment for coffee lover. You can even see many hardcore fans love geisha, but don’t really into other coffee bean. Perhaps they’ve tried many other beans, but they just can’t move on from geisha’s floral, fruity, complex aroma.

To maintain its distinct attribute, Two Coffee Beans prefer to use coarse grind size, relatively short brewing time (2:30 max), and temperature range from 87o-92oC. The brewing method? We recommend you to start with either V60 and Kalita Wave, even though they also have espresso machine. Drinking geisha as milk-based coffee is like eating a wagyu ribeye well done, well you can do it, but what’s the point? It simply defeats the purpose. Two Coffee Beans is very serious when it comes to maintaining the freshness of the bean. They keep the bean per shot in a special tube to prevent oxidation, furthermore, the age of most bean served in Two Coffee Beans never exceed 1 month.

Two Coffee Beans sometime holds interesting coffee events. On July and August 2018, they were having the top three champions of Indonesia Brewers Cup 2018: Hiro Lesmana (Common Grounds), Ryan Wibawa (Starbucks), and Harison Chandra (Ottoman’s) for Lombok earthquake charity event. Hiro Lesmana, the champion of Indonesia Brewers Cup 2018 used Lot 227 Panama Geisha which has the highest cupping score ever: 97, that worths over $ 5.000/kg, making it the world’s most expensive coffee. To sip a bit of the luxurious taste and to donate for Lombok, the cup made by Hiro was priced Rp 500.000/cup, and it was sold like hot cakes.

If you believe geisha is the best coffee bean ever, perhaps you should put Two Coffee Beans in your agenda, just like some coffee lovers from all over Indonesia did. Even if you don’t like coffee, you should give yourself a chance to sip a cup. We warn you, there are many non-coffee lovers converted into geisha lover. It’s quite surprising how a small coffee shop that targets very niche market like this can create such word of mouth, thanks to, of course, social media. Just remember, Two Coffee Beans is a place to appreciate the subtlety and complexity of geisha. If you merely wants some caffeine fix, BSD has loads of more affordable coffee shops out there, but necessarily better, of course.

Mengawali karirnya di lingkungan ‘fine dining’ F&B nan mewah, ketertarikan Menno Verhaar pada dunia wine hadir secara alamiah seiring berjalannya waktu. Kini, menikmati profesinya sebagai Head Sommelier untuk Double Six Hotel, pria kelahiran Belanda ini duduk bersama PASSION dan membagikan beberapa pemikirannya; mulai dari bagaimana ia mengawali karir di bisnis ini hingga apa yang harus dimiliki seseorang untuk menjadi sommelier yang baik. Simak di bawah ini...

Starting his career in an F&B fine dining environment, Menno Verhaar’s attraction to the world of wine comes naturally along the road. Now enjoying his work as Double-Six Luxury Hotel’s Head Sommelier, the Dutch-born gentleman sat with PASSION and ‘uncorked’ some of his insightful thoughts; from how he started in the business to what it takes to become an adept sommelier. Here it goes..

As leaders in the Indonesian Wine Industry, TWO Islands is the first Balinese local company to produce sparkling wine in the traditional method; a lengthy and laborious process made right here in the island, at its Sanur Winery. 

With winemaker James Kalleske at the helm of the now twenty-four year old winery, TWO Islands can let their customers rest assured that the new Sparkling Chardonnay will make a dramatic impact on the local market. The TWO Islands Sparkling Chardonnay is made using grapes from premium cool-climate vineyards in South Australia’s Adelaide Hills and Limestone Coast. Bottle fermented using the traditional French technique and aged sur-lies for minimum 12 months, this brut sparkling Chardonnay displays a fine bead, intense floral aromatics of spring Freesias, generous stone fruits on the palate and a long finish defined by toasted nuts, marmalade and pastry aftertaste.

This vintage product is a beautiful blend between complex classic style and fresh-fruity modern flavor; which should appeal equally to experienced Sparkling Chardonnay wine drinkers and also general wine consumers who like brut sparkling wines.

“This new wine is outstanding in taste and quality” says the owner of Hatten Wines and TWO Islands brands, IB. Rai Budarsa, he adds “To maintain our position as the market leader in Bali and throughout Indonesia, we must keep a close eye on the wine industry. Demand for a quality Sparkling Chardonnay at an affordable price encouraged us to develop this wine and a void in the market here of a Sparkling Chardonnay was something we recognized as leaders in the wine industry. We make it our priority to ensure we outsource the finest grapes from South Australia and to ensure our wine is outstanding in every way.”

TWO Islands is a collection of wines originating from the wine regions of South Australia, designed to offer distinct Australian wine characteristics. Between the Pacific coasts in Queensland to the Indian Ocean coast in South Australia, the Australian continent offers dry riverbeds, rainforest, mountain ranges, endless scrubland, red deserts and eventually the cooler wine-growing valleys of the south coast.  South-Eastern Australia is officially classified as a viticulture 'super zone' covering the entire south-eastern third of Australia. The region is the Australian wine industry’s Powerhouse State, producing most of the nation’s wine and boasting some of the oldest individual vines in the world.

Pada 30 Agustus 2018, Sake+, sebuah restoran Jepang dengan koleksi sake terlengkap di Indonesia, menyajikan 5 course pairing Born Sake dinner dengan menghadirkan kolaborasi Executive Chef Sake+ Kamamura Toshinobu dan Sake Master Atsuhide Kato. Katou-Kichibee Shoten adalah produsen sake dari Sabae, Prefektur Fukui yang didirikan oleh money exchanger dan land lord, Katou Kichibee pada 1860. Atsuhide Kato adalah generasi ke-11 dari perusahaan keluarga ini.

Masakan pertama, Miyazaki Gyu Sushi topped with Caviar, Maguro Sashimi, Goma Tofu membuka makan malam dengan presentasi yang cantik, yang dipadukan dengan Born Gold Muroka Junmai Daiginjo. Miyazaki, salah satu jenis wagyu Jepang terbaik merupakan highlight dari hidangan ala sushi sashimi ini dengan sensasi melt-in-mouth, gurih dan sedikit manis. Untuk menyajikan rasa asli Miyazaki, kami bahkan tidak keberatan untuk mencicipi potongan Miyazaki mentah. Hidangan berikutnya merupakan hidangan yang tidak umum, Mushimono, Chilled Seafood Chawan Mushi, karena chawan mushi biasa dihidangkan hangat. Menu ini dipasangkan dengan Born Hoshi, Junmai Daiginjo, sake dengan body light, dry yang menyegarkan.

Jepang selama ini dikenal sebagai salah satu negara dengan kekayaan kuliner khas yang tersohor hingga ke penjuru dunia. Tentunya pada pembaca sudah tidak asing lagi dengan nama-nama (dan lezatnya citarasa) hidangan seperti sushi, sashimi, ramen, yakiniku dan lain sebagainya. Nah, untuk edisi kali ini, Passion ingin mengajak readers sekalian untuk mendalami perihal ‘Omi Hime’; daging sapi premium khas Negeri Sakura. Yuk, kita simak bersama!

Sebagai satu dari tiga daging sapi kelas tertinggi dari Jepang bersama Kobe dan Matsuzawa, Omi Hime memiliki keunikan tersendiri. Namanya secara harafiah dapat diartikan sebagai ‘Tuan Putri’ dan berasal dari prefektur Shiga di Osaka. Berbeda dengan dua nama di atas yang namanya masing-masing diambil langsung dari prefektur asalnya, Omi Hime bisa dikatakan mendapat perlakuan istimewa karena kekhasan citarasa serta teksturnya yang sangat berkelas.

Pada usianya yang genap 16 tahun, Boga Group memperbarui identitasnya berupa logo baru yang mewakili filosofi bahwa kualitas dan pelayanan disediakan dengan sepenuh hati. Logo baru yang diaplikasikan sejak 27 Agustus 2018 ini merupakan penggabungan dari huruf B dan G menjadi sebuah lambang berbentuk hati yang mewakili semangat kokoh dalam diri setiap karyawan Boga Group: semangat senantiasa menyediakan pelayanan dan kualitas kuliner sepenuh hati.

Pearl Chinese Restaurant di JW Marriott Hotel Jakarta kembali enawarkan kue bulan legendaris dalam rangka merayakan Festival Musim Gugur. Kerap disebut sebagai salah satu yang terbaik di Jakarta, kue bulan ini dibuat dari bahan-bahan terbaik tanpa pengawet, pewarna ataupun pemanis buatan. Cocok sebagai hadiah yang elegan yang dipercaya memberi keberuntungan kepada keluarga atau mitra bisnis, kue bulan ini tersedia mulai tanggal 24 Agustus hingga 24 September 2018.

Salah satu negara yang menjadi kiblat perkembangan bakery di Indonesia adalah Taiwan. Selain mengunjungi Taiwan, salah satu cara terbaik untuk belajar adalah mendatangkan dari chef Taiwan, seperti yang dilakukan Sinar Himalaya pada 6-7 September 2018. Grand Baking Demo ini menghadirkan Chef Paul dari San Neng Bakeware Taiwan, selain memperkenalkan beberapa resep bakery populer di Taiwan, Sinar Himalaya selaku distributor utama San Neng di Indonesia juga bertujuan untuk memperkenalkan ruang baking demo terbarunya ke para pelanggan VIP mereka.

Sebagai salah satu pemimpin pasar dalam 15 tahun terakhir, Ismaya Group kini telah memiliki dan mengoperasikan lebih dari 70 outlet di seluruh Asia. Dengan visinya creating the good life, Ismaya kini ikut memeriahkan social scene di Bali melalui Manarai Beach House, sebuah properti beachfront yang terletak di Nusa Dua.

Pada 8 September 2018, Libra Food Service memperkenalkan La Rustichella, sebuah brand truffle specialties dari Italia di Amuz Gourmet, Jakarta. Pada event kali ini, Libra Food Service menghadirkan Simone Ricci, Executive Chef restoran Love Truffles di Italia yang berkolaborasi dengan Gilles Marx, Chef Founder Amuz Gourmet untuk menonjolkan rasa truffle melalui berbagai hidangan. Salah satunya adalah menu Creamy Truffle Flavored Italian Pasta kreasi Simone Ricci yang menggunakan Black Truffle Pate.

Jika Anda menginginkan Sunday brunch yang terasa seperti sebuah pesta besar, maka Sana Sini Restaurant di Pullman Jakarta yang terletak di Thamrin CBD menawarkan variasi makanan yang begitu luas mulai dari Eropa hingga Asia. Sana Sini menyediakan 4 buffet station mulai dari Indonesia, China, Jepang, dan masakan western yang dilengkapi dengan atraksi live cooking untuk memastikan kesegaran makanan di sini. Dengan kualitas dan begitu beragamnya makanan di Sana Sini, kami tidak ragu untuk berkata bahwa ini merupakan salah satu buffet terbaik hotel bintang 5 di Jakarta. Sana Sini bahkan berhasil mendapatkan TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence berkat keberhasilannya mendapatkan review positif secara konsisten dalam beberapa tahun belakangan ini.

In the 2000s, the concept couverture chocolate is rather new for most of Indonesians who are more accustomed to compound chocolate. In countries with strong food standard regulation, especially European countries, the word “real chocolate” must contain cocoa solid and cocoa butter, the latter has unique properties to melt in body temperature. 

Based on the data for the past 2 years, the growth of chocolate consumption in Europe and USA have been declining or flat, on the contrary, Asian market showed significant progress, especially in China, India, and Indonesia. As a respond to the interesting phenomenon, with its experience of over 25 years producing chocolate, PT. Freyabadi Indotama, along with technology from Fuji Oil, is reintroducing its new range of couverture chocolate brand under the name of Embassy Chocolate in 2018. The presence of Embassy Chocolate indicates that Asian market in general, especially Indonesia, is ready to step to the next level of pastry development by using couverture chocolate.

Consistency & Partnership

At the moment, even though the world is fascinated by the concept of single origin that offers distinctive taste and aroma of a region, Embassy Chocolate chooses to pick different approach. Embassy Chocolate regards the blend concept is far more consistent, from the perspective of product’s quality, supply continuality, to the price stability, which mean good for your business. If you don’t believe us, just ask your local barista or coffee shop owner about the inconsistency of single origin. The consistency issue is a breath of fresh air in the middle of the prediction of cacao tree extinction that will happen in 2050 due to disease and climate change.

With our history of chocolate, the experience and passion have built up a lot of good relationships with our customers. Baring this in mind, we feel this is our strength and we must take it to the next level by introducing this range of couvertures. “The biggest mistake in foodservice business happens when the salesmen just merely taking orders from clients. We prefer to discuss about the latest chocolate trends and introduce them to our clients,” explained Louis Tanuhadi, The Embassy of Chocolate.

Furthermore, Louis is illuminating the meaning behind the name “Embassy Chocolate”. “We have been known for our quality and consistency. The Embassy range still hopes to fulfill this legacy, as we’ve been known in the Indonesian context, we also want to highlight our strength to an international audience”.

At the moment, Embassy Chocolate is offering 6 products, from dark chocolate lines: The Continental Blend (75%), The Oceanic Blend (65%), The Equatorial Blend (56%), dark chocolate chips Torres (51%), to its milk chocolate Azalea (34%), and white chocolate Zen (33%). Of course, not everyone is familiar in working with couverture chocolate, therefore Embassy Chocolate also has its own training facility, Chocolate School that’s located in Altira Business Park, blok F-G 12-15 Utara Kav. 85, Sunter, Jakarta Utara.

Passion Media September Giveaway! #SeptemberlGiveaway

Menangkan (untuk 4 orang pemenang), masing-masing mendapatkan :

1 Night stay at Hotel Santika Premiere Slipi Jakarta inc Breakfast for 2 person


Caranya Mudah!!

1. Follow instagram @passionmediaid & @santikapremiereslipijakarta
2. Repost foto diatas kemudian tag 3 orang temanmu dan @passionmediaid
3. Gunakan hashtag #PassionMediaGiveaway
4. Periode Giveaway: 20 september 2018  - 8 October 2018

5. Pengumuman Pemenang via Instagram tgl 8 October 2018 pukul 12.00 WIB

Bahan- bahan:

Kakul 500 gram
Cabe merah besar 200 gram
Cabe rawit kecil 100 gram
Terasi 50 gram
Jeruk lemo 1buah
Garam secukupnya
Daun salam 4lembar.

Serve:

PrepTime : 30 Minutes
Cook Time : 6 Hours(Include Roasting)

Morrocan Spiced Lamb Shanks
1,5 kg (2 pcs) Marlee South Australian Lamb Shanks
150 gr Red Capsicum, chopped
120gr Onion, chopped
150 gr Carrot, sliced
70 gr Garlic, chopped
250 gr Fresh tomato, peeled and diced
1 piece Lemon, zest grated and squished
30 gr Coriander Leaf, chopped
2 pinches of Cumin powder
2 pinches of Paprika Powder
a pinch of Chilli Powder
60 ml Olive Oil
10gr Unsalted Butter
10gr Cracked blackpepper
15 gr Tejakula Salt

Steamed Vegetables
30 gr carrots
30 gr baby beans
20 gr green peas

Mashed Sweet Potatoes
500gr Sweet potato, boiled and mashed
100ml Cooking cream
30gr Unsalted butter, melted
a pinch of Tejakula Salt
a pinch Cracked black pepper

Tzaziki Sauce
5 tbsp Plain Set Yoghurt
70gr Japanese Cucumber, Chopped
10gr Garlic, finely chopped
10gr Fresh Mint Leaf, finely chopped
1 tbs of Lemon juice
a pinch of Tejakula salt
a pinch of cracked black pepper

Berasal dari kepulauan Maluku (ada juga yang menyebut bahwa benihnya dibawa dari benua Amerika), belimbing wuluh atau yang dikenal luas dengan nama ilmiah Averrhoa bilimbi merupakan salah satu buah yang jamak ditemui di Indonesia. Citarasanya yang sangat asam membuat buah mungil berwarna kehijauan ini lebih sering digunakan sebagai bahan masakan ketimbang dikonsumsi secara langsung. Meski cukup banyak dipakai sebagai penyedap masakan, namun buah yang juga disebut belimbing sayur ini jauh lebih dikenal karena khasiatnya yang melimpah ruah bagi kesehatan. Apa sajakah? Yuk kita simak bersama!

Citarasa belimbing wuluh yang luar biasa asam membuatnya menjadi ‘primadona’ bagi sejumlah masakan berbahan dasar daging dan berkuah, terutama ikan. Karena sifat alami asam yang menghilangkan bau amis dan menyedapkan rasa kuah yang dicampur dengan berbagai bahan lainnya. Hal inilah yang menyebabkan belimbing wuluh sangat fleksibel dan bisa digunakan di berbagai jenis makanan; mulai dari sambal hingga dijadikan sirup dan manisan. Di Bali contohnya, belimbing wuluh bisa digunakan sebagai bumbu pelengkap dalam sajian sambal matah. Sementara di daerah lain seperti Aceh, banyak yang diketahui menggunakan asam sunti yang diperoleh dari belimbing wuluh yang telah dilumuri garam lalu dijemur hingga kering.

Rahasia kelezatan steak daging sebenarnya terletak pada pemilihan kualitas dan potongan daging. Selain itu, cara memasaknya pun perlu diperhatikan sehingga kematangan daging bisa sesuai dengan yang kita harapkan.

Untuk kualitas daging terbaik, daging sapi Australia (Australian Beef) adalah pilihan yang tepat. Australian Beef dikenal dengan kualitasnya yang empuk dan juicy. Produksi Australian Beef dilakukan dengan kontrol yang ketat sehingga menghasilkan daging yang berkualitas baik dan konsisten. Rahasia keempukan daging sapi Australia sebenarnya terdapat pada proses produksinya. Sapi-sapi di Australia diberi pakan berupa rumput-rumputan (grassfed), dan dilanjutkan dengan pemberian pakan berupa biji-bijian (grainfed) selama waktu tertentu sesuai permintaan pasar. Australia pun memiliki sistem yang memastikan food safety, yaitu dengan adanya program-program jaminan mutu dan traceability system atau sistem pelacakan. Sistem-sistem ini diterapkan untuk memastikan bahwa daging yang dihasilkan dari ternak di Australia aman untuk dikonsumsi dan tidak mengandung penyakit hewan. Dan yang pasti, seluruh daging sapi Australia yang dikirim ke Indonesia bersertifikat halal dan disembelih sesuai syariat agama Islam.

Untuk ke-10 kalinya, Krista Exhibitions kembali menyelenggarakan Eastfood & Eastpack 2018 – pameran internasional di bidang makanan minuman, bakery, fishery, horeca/jasa boga, dan teknologi pengemasan yang akan diadakan pada tanggal 26 – 29 Juli 2018 di Grand City Surabaya, Surabaya.

Diikuti lebih dari 100 peserta, baik dari lokal maupun internasional, Eastfood & Eastpack Indonesia 2018 menampilkan berbagai teknologi dan produk-produk unggulan yang dihadirkan diantaranya adalah Bakery & Confectionery (Bakery & Confectionery Machinery, Equipment, Supplies, Ingredients); Food & Hospitality (Wine & Spirits, Equipment, Supplies, Storage, Services & Related Technology for Hotel, Catering, Restaurant, Café); Food Ingredients (Food Additives, Food Chemicals, Food Ingredients, Food Materials); Herbal & Health Food (Herbal & Health Food and Food Supplements); Retail products, serta teknologi proses & pengemasan untuk bidang Makanan Minuman, Bakery, Konfeksioneri, Farmasi, Kosmetik dan lainnya.

In our May’s issue about coffee, BSD, Tangerang was often mentioned as one of the fastest growing region for coffee shop business. However, when Angeline Lauwrence and Joseph Erwin started Turning Point Coffee in 2014, it was the pioneer of coffee shop in the region. “Our initial concept is neighborhood café that aim for local residents. We want to be a part of residents’ activities so we can create our own community, unlike coffee shops in malls that are visited occasionally,” said Angeline.

From Melbourne to Tangerang

The story of Turning Point Coffee began when Angeline and Joseph were living in Melbourne, Australia for 10 years. After graduated, Angeline worked in financial planning, while Joseph was in IT. In 2012, Angeline decided to make a turn in her career by becoming a full time barista and worked in some local coffee shops, the last one was Market Lane Coffee.

“Actually, office life in Melbourne is very nice, (economically) very stable. But, we wanted to build our own business in Indonesia, the one that not only profitable for us, personally, but also to give positive impacts to broader audience,” she explained. After knowing about the promising coffee shop business opportunity in Indonesia, finally on 2014 the couple returned to their homeland to establish Turning Point Coffee in BSD, Tangerang.

Of course, adopting the coffee habit from Melbourne to Tangerang does not happen overnight. “In Melbourne, coffee is necessity. A person may visit a coffee shop 2-3 times a day, and the local coffee shops can, at least, sell 200 cups of coffee per day, that’s the absolute minimum number. Meanwhile, in here, if you can reach 200 cups, it’s already wonderful. We’re talking about coffee here, not including any other drinks,” said Angeline.

“In the beginning, our outlet is not too big, only consist of 1 floor, we didn’t even have wifi, nor main course. At the time, our resources are very limited, we didn’t have proper kitchen, we didn’t even know how to run one. As time goes by, we evolve. After moving to a new location in the beginning of 2018, we have bigger outlet and we can serve various main course,” she said.

In the new outlet that’s located still in the same business complex, Turning Point Coffee has become more artistic (and of course, Instagrammable), thanks to their new partner, Antony Liu, owner of Studio Tonton which was actually run the architecture business. It’s no wonder to know that the 3rd floor of Turning Point Coffee is used as gallery for Antony’s crafts.

Core Identity

To be able to exist for 4 years in the middle of coffee shops’ fierce competition is not an easy task. Turning Point Coffee did it by maintaining its brand’s identity through their product selections. The place’s house blend is a mix of 60% Brazil Rainha bean and 40% Dolok Sanggul, Sumatera. “Personally, I love coffee with acidity, sweetness, and a bit of bitterness with medium body. Once, we switched the bean, but in the end, the customer always prefer to our initial house blend, that’s the one they love,” she explained.

In Turning Point Coffee (and in every coffee shop, actually) to tell the taste preference of the place, it’s best to go with espresso. We ordered their double ristretto that has flavor profile that perfectly match Angeline’s description, plus a very pleasant sweet after taste. It doesn’t take genius to tell that they serve specialty coffee here. Or, if you’re a milk-based type person, have a Magic, basically, a flat white with double ristretto for more pronounced coffee flavor. Prawn Aglio Olio and Cinnamon Bread Puddingis some of the most favorite menus to accompany your coffee experience here. But, they don’t serve the typical Fried Rice nor Oxtail Soup here.

There are numerous ideas form friends and families that the couple reject, solely to keep the identity and concept of Turning Point Coffee. “I don’t enjoy selling something I don’t really like, such as the regular Ice Lychee Tea, Green Tea Latte, Red Velvet Latte, or Taro Latte. Whenever possible, the products that we sell are the natural homemade products, such as Pandan Latte or Earl Grey Latte. Now that we have bigger place and wider range of food, we try not to loose our initial identity,” Angeline added.

The New Roastery

After moving to a new place, the next phase for Turning Point Coffee would be to open a new business in coffee roaster. Of course, the business expansion is not without proper calculation. They might only have 1 outlet, Angeline and Joseph are also involved in Titik Temu Coffee in Seminyak, Bali. The coffee shop is a business with many partners involved in it. Even though the couple is only responsible in running the beverage business in Titik Temu Coffee, we can safely say that they already have their second outlet.

“I’ve talked to many people, and to sum it up, having your own roaster started to make sense when you already have 2-3 outlets. I question new guys in the coffee shop business who already wanting their own roaster for the sake of saving cost, because the investation is very costly, it’s like (the cost of) building a new coffee shop. It’s a small step toward our long journey in controlling the whole supply chain to the coffee farm,” she concluded.

As integral part of Sthala, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Sungai Restaurant offers a completely memorable dining experience in the midst of Ubud’s tranquil serenity. From the open-air venue, you can gaze upon the scenic panorama of undulating trees swaying gently, accompanied by the trickling sound of the flowing river below. 

Start your feast with a portion of Pomelo “Jeruk Bali” and Strawberry Salad. This fresh appetizer with indigenous influence is completed with soya bean cake, sweet potato chips and tamarind dressing, creating a distinctive tasty flavor you wouldn’t find on conventional salad anywhere. The sweet potato chip is actually a brilliant addition that wraps up the whole dish into one fine appetite booster. Then for the main menu, you should try their signature Satay Campur Sthala; assorted selection of Indonesian skewered grilled goodness consisting beef, pork, shrimp, chicken to minced seafood satay, served in a small griller with tender ‘lontong’ rice cake on side. Or, for a more ‘Ubud’ feel, you may opt for Bebek Sthala; a portion of crispy fried half local duck presented with unique ‘Gonda’ vegetables tossed in sambal, steamed rice and peanut crackers. To finish your session in complete satisfaction, Warm Flourless Chocolate Cake is a must-try; apple caramel, chocolate tuile and vanilla ice cream served hot to add some sweetness to your palate.

A good meal has to be complimented with fine drinks. So, at Sungai you can also order some of their refreshment creations such as Mexican Berry; a unique tequila-based cocktail with mixed berries and a brief touch of lemonade or the cheekily named L.O.L, which stands for Lemon, Orange, Lychee, mixed with soda and (also) a hint of lemonade.

You can assume chefs are creative people. The more creative you become, the more you use your right brain, while ignoring the left one. It’s no wonder you see so many great chefs: creative in designing the product and market it, but fail miserably when they run their own business because of overlooking the other side of the F&B business, PPIC (Production Planning Inventory Control). Chances are, if you knew Chef Rahmat Kusnedi (CRK) you’ve heard him saying his word, “business is mathematic, without proper calculation, it’s a charity foundation”. Now, The President of Indonesia Pastry Alliance (IPA) will discuss the importance of PPIC in a business, to the most common mistakes happen in reality.

What is the actual role of PPIC in F&B business?

Structurally, PPIC is a division of its own. You can say that PPIC’s role is similar to a bank. If the finance department has cash money, then PPIC also keep the fund in food ingredients.

Usually, here’s the workflow. When the sales people got the order, they will report to customer service, and then PPIC will estimate the necessary ingredients. PPIC will cross check with the inventory people to ensure the availability of ingredients. If they’re out of stock, PPIC will request the ingredients to purchasing division, and then it’s up to the finance division for approval.

For example, if the sales division has order worth Rp 1 million, and the predetermined food cost is 30%, then the spending for ingredients is around Rp 300.000. Of course, sometimes you’ll spend Rp 5.000 – RP 10.000 more, it’s acceptable because you can never have accurate ingredient purchase. I mean, when we need 800 gr flour, there’s no one produce 800 gr flour, most of the times they sell it in 1 kg packaging.

The role of PPIC doesn’t stop there. After the finance approves and the ingredients are ordered, PPIC has to ensure that they receive the same amount as requested. There’s lot of mistakes in this phase, especially in home industries that rely a lot on feelings, not system. We will know the loss when we do the audit.

Would you give me some miscalculation example?

On the same case, sometimes the food cost would reach Rp 400.000, even to Rp 600.000. When you want 30% margin, I can tell you that you won’t get any profit, simply put, it’s charity. It happens all the time, even I have this some times. It will cause further mistakes in determining the price point, as a result, you’ll set the selling price recklessly.

What’s the biggest issue of this division?

Control. PPIC is how we plan the production. Remember, business is mathematic, there should be proper plannings. Therefore, if the record in finance department is not accurate, you should start the investigation process from the recipe. If you are to make cheese cake, you need to know how much cream cheese, cheese, sugar, egg are needed. Without proper monitoring, your 30% margin can be reduced to 20% or even minus. For example, when there’s mistake in production process and the staff request for more ingredients, PPIC has to ask, “we gave you the ingredients back then, haven’t we?” Without PPIC, most production staffs won’t admit such failures in production process.

About the ingredients calculation, can it be 100% accurate?

There’s always calculation for each ingredient, and almost all of them can be accurate, especially in pastry, because we always measure everything. It’s different to hot kitchen, for instance, 1 kg fish may consist 6 fish, but the weight of each fish won’t be equal. PPIC has to understand the recipe and the production process so they can prevent misconducts, theft, damage, and other possibilities.

What’s the most common mistake you see in professional kitchens?

Miscalculation because of not using measuring unit. For instance, from 1 kg of flour, you’ll get 12 pcs of bread each for 60 gram, PPIC need to know whether it’s the weight before they put the filling, or after?

And then for cakes, you can’t measure the production output in centimeter when the recipe is written in gram. The thing about pastry is, we have more measurable output. However, pastry kitchen also have more ingredients variants, from baking powder, baking soda, improver, the sugar itself comes in different variants such as granulated sugar, icing sugar, or maltodextrin. PPIC must know, which measuring units are used. Sometimes, people use grams in the recipe, but actually, when the ingredient is liquid, will we still be using grams or mililiters?

And then for the number of suppliers, which one is better, less or more?

Of course everyone prefers to use 1 supplier that can provide many items. It will make every division’s job easier, from the production, R&D, inventory, to the finance. However, there’s some disadvantages from it, if you rely solely on a supploer, when they run out of stock, you’ll have trouble. In addition, by using only 1 supplier, you can’t compare the price with other suppliers.

Apakah anda pernah memikirkan tentang apa yang membuat Barbecue bisa dikatakan baik? Atau apa sih arti dari istilah itu secara umum? Chef Arbie bisa memberikan jawaban yang jitu untuk anda. Tidak hanya diberkahi talenta dalam bidang memasak, kepribadian pria kelaihiran Jogja ini yang gemar belajar serta inovatif telah memberinya bekal untuk memastikan The Butchers Club tetap mempertahankan predikatnya sebagai salah satu Steak House paling mumpuni di Pulau Bali. Di sela-sela kesibukan rutinnya, Chef Arbie menyanggupi sebuah sesi tanya jawab santai dan membagikan pemikirannya tentang barbecue dan hal-hal lain. Yuk, kita simak bersama!

Have you ever wonder what makes a good ‘Barbecue’? Or what it’s all about in general? Well, Chef Arbie surely can give you a fine answer. Not only blessed with raw talent in cooking, the Jogjakarta-born resourceful and innovative personality traits has given him the necessary edge to ensure The Butchers Club maintain its finesse as one of the island’s most prominent steak house. During his bustling daily work, Chef Arbie manages to take a brief break and share his thoughts about barbecue and beyond. Check them out!

Untuk edisi kali ini, PASSION memiliki kesempatan untuk berbincang hangat dengan Chef Bloem, Presiden dari Indonesia Culinary Association (ICA) dan sosok di balik dapur Manisan Restaurant, Alaya Resort Ubud. Terlepas dari perawakannya yang gagah, Henry Alexei Bloem memiliki sisi lembut (dan bakat yang solid) di bidang memasak dan kreasi kuliner. Pria yang baru saja diangkat sebagai Chef Eksekutif Manisan Restaurant ini duduk bersama kami dan membagikan pemikirannya mengenai makanan Indonesia dan juga aspek kehidupan pribadinya yang mencengangkan. Berikut...

Despite his stalwart appearance, Henry Alexei Bloem has an utmost fondness (and solid talent) in cooking and culinary creation. The newly-appointed executive chef of Manisan Restaurant sits with us and shed some insight of Indonesian food as well his fascinating personal experiences. Here goes..

Dalam rangka menyambut bulan kemerdekaan Indonesia, sekaligus merayakan ulang tahun keduanya, Nusa Gastronomy menyajikan hidangan set menu makan malam dari berbagai daerah di Indonesia yang menggunakan teknik bakar tradisional pada 15 Agustus – 15 September 2018.

“Kami sengaja mengangkat tema grill tradisional, lebih untuk memberi tahu orang bahwa Indonesia ternyata memiliki bermacam-macam teknik grill yang saat ini hampir dilupakan. Padahal teknik ini jasanya luar biasa, terutama ketika leluhur kita belum mengenal gas atau minyak tanah,” jelas Ragil Imam Wibowo, Chef Founder Nusa Gastronomy.

Ada banyak alasan orang beralih ke gas, mulai dari soal kecepatan masak hingga efisiensi untuk bisnis, namun ada harga yang harus dibayar untuk kenyamanan ini. “Jika boleh jujur, teknik masak tradisional ini rasanya jauh lebih enak karena masih menggunakan sistem slow cooking. Teknik tradisional ini juga dapat memberikan tambahan rasa  signifikan yang tidak bisa didapatkan dari teknik masak modern yang menggunakan gas,” tambahnya. Jika Anda berkunjung ke dapur Nusa Gastronomy, mereka memiliki ruangan khusus yang dilengkapi dengan alat masak tradisional untuk menghadirkan rasa khas yang otentik. Sekarang Anda tahu mengapa banyak pizzeria yang dengan bangga menyematkan kata “wood-fire oven” di menu mereka.

Di luar negeri, gerakan kembali ke teknik masak tradisional ini mulai digaungkan dengan tujuan untuk mengurangi penggunaan energi, namun Chef Ragil memiliki alasan yang lebih sederhana, “Tujuan Nusa Gastronomy adalah membuat masakan Indonesia yang lebih enak dari yang sekarang kita ketahui. Kami juga memperbaiki beberapa kelemahan teknik tradisional. Contohnya, pada proses masak yang terlalu lama, gizinya biasanya sudah hilang”. Selain itu, Nusa Gastronomy juga menggunakan teknik modern seperti sous vide untuk mengatur tingkat kematangan protein secara akurat. Berikut ini adalah 9 teknik grill khas Indonesia yang dihadirkan di Nusa Gastronomy.

In order to celebrate the month of Indonesia’s Independence Day, also its second birthday, Nusa Gastronomy is offering dinner set menu from various regions in Indonesia using the traditional grilling methods in August 15th – September 15th 2018.

“We are deliberately exposing the traditional grill theme, more to inform people that Indonesians have various grilling methods that are almost forgotten. Actually, the technique played big role, especially when our ancestors weren’t familiar with gas or kerosene, yet,” explained Ragil Imam Wibowo, Chef Founder Nusa Gastronomy.

There are many reasons why people convert to gas, from shorter cooking time to business efficiency, but there’s a price to pay for the convenience. “Honestly, traditional cooking methods give better taste because they are using slow cooking method. It also give you the addition of irreplaceable taste that can’t be attained from modern methods using gas,” he added. If you visit Nusa Gastronomy’s kitchen, you’ll see that they have a special area with traditional kitchen equipment to give you authentic taste. Now you know why many pizzerias proudly put the word “wood-fire” in their menus.

In other countries, the movement of going back to traditional method is fueled by the will to reduce energy waste, however, Chef Ragil has much more simple reason,” Nusa Gastronomy’s mission is to make better Indonesian cuisine than we already know now. We also fix some of the weaknesses of traditional methods. For example, in long cooking process, you’ll loose the nutrients in the ingredients”. In addition, Nusa Gastronomy is also using modern technique such as sous vide to adjust the doneness level of the protein accurately. Here are the 9 Indonesian traditional grilling techniques that are presented in Nusa Gastronomy.

In my eighth year as its patron now, the sight and smell of C’s have become a familiar terrain. Upon entering, the open kitchen is where all the attractions are happening. You can smell the fragrant of steaks being seared. You can see huge fish tanks filled with wonders from the sea. You can hear the clashing of the wok and spatula from the Chinese food section. This parade of senses immediately urges me to sit and waiting in anticipation for what will come next on my table.

The warmly lit restaurant evokes a certain degree of intimacy and comfort. While it is not a fine-dining restaurant, one would enjoy the hours passed here while devouring all the goodness from the menu. Building up the excitement to eat here, C’s is also inviting foreign chefs from time to time to share their expertise and create a limited time menu.

The ambiance here is mildly conversational with easy listening music as the background. When you are planning to visit with family or scheduling a meeting with colleagues, then reserving the private rooms overlooking the Bundaran HI would be a major perk for your dining experience.

C’s has become the backbone for the hotel, especially when Grand Café was undergoing a major renovation in much part of 2018. Of what used to be known as an ala carte restaurant for lunch and dinner, C’s was temporarily converted as an all-day
dining that caters esteemed guests of Grand Hyatt Jakarta. When Grand Café was finally unveiled several months ago, C’s has returned to its former self again – serving its guests with their much-loved fresh seafood, steak, and Oriental dishes.

The Executive Sous Chef, Mr Agung Budi went to a length explaining what’s in store at C’s for its patrons. There is a plethora of fresh, quality produce ripe for the taking – especially from the seafood side. Indonesia is now home to many local produce and seafood previously only imported from overseas. Additionally, C’s dedication for farm-to-table concept and sustainability brings good tidings for the environment as well as C’s most discerned diners.

The chef explains that at least 90% of C’s seafood came from local waters. “We have prawns from Aceh, clams from Bali, and crabs from Papua”, he says. Vegetables are always freshly delivered from a farm in West Java. “Take this burrata salad we have here for example. The beetroots are now grown in Puncak and even the burrata are produced by local cheese artisan”, explains the chef.

Every restaurant has its own signature dishes. At C’s, the must-have would be the colorful and delectable steak and seafood platters for sharing. Additionally, don’t skip its famous nasi goreng kambing and the wonderful Chinese cuisine lineup.

From the steak section, a wide range of premium cuts available here are sourced mostly from US and Australia. The star of the show are the platters and the Tomahawk. The seafood platter consists of rock lobster, king prawns, clams, Timika crab, Alaskan king crab, and mussels. Meanwhile, the steak platter has Black Angus beef tenderloin, half baby chicken, lamb chops, and beef sausages. Right on the spotlight, the 1500 gr Tomahawk wagyu steak for sharing with your loved ones.

We have to admit, our first impression when we heard the name of  the place was like, “why does it have such a weird name?” We’re sure we’re not alone in this matter. However, after knowing the story behind it, actually, Ruth’s Chris Steak House has one of the most rock’n roll story in F&B business, and we felt obliged to tell you.

Behind the Name

Ruth Fertel, founder of Ruth’s Chris Steak House, was a recently divorced woman with 2 children. She worked as a lab technician in New Orleans, until one of her son dreamed of going to college. With her current salary, his dream was impossible, until he saw an ad of Chris Steak House on sale for $ 18.000 in 1965. Her banker, lawyer, friends and family were against Ruth’s decision, but Ruth dare to mortgage her house for $ 22.000, even though she didn’t have any backgrounds in F&B business, simply because Chris Steak House was established in February 5th 1927, same with her birthday.

Ruth taught herself to butcher the meat, also to use her knowledge in chemical to build her own patented 982oC broiler. On the first day, she managed to sell 35 pieces of steak worth $5/pcs. Soon, the place became the talk of the town, especially among local politicians and reporters. Within 6 months, Ruth managed to earn twice of her annual salary from her previous workplace, and finally, she was able to send her son to Harvard University.

The name was changed when the restaurant was burnt down 11 years after opening. One of the condition when Ruth bought the place, was that she wasn’t allowed use the name “Chris Steak House” if she decided to move to other location. In merely 10 days, Ruth built her restaurant in other location and decided to put her name in front of the restaurant’s name, and today, we know it as “Ruth’s Chris Steak House”.

Until today, Ruth’s Chris Steak House already has more than 150 outlets around the globe. The Indonesian’s outlet is located in Somerset Apartment, just across the Raffles Hotel, South Jakarta, and opened its door for public in February 13th 2016.

Meat Selection

Ruth’s Chris Steak House is a family style steak house, wrapped in fine dining’s service, environment, and food quality. Ruth’s Chris never compromises when it comes to quality. The USDA (The United States Department of Agriculture) has 3 category for their US beef: Prime, Choice, Select, and another 2 grades below them were Cutter and Canner. Ruth’s Chris Steak House always uses Prime which has more marbling and feature younger beef that resulted in finer texture and lighter
red color.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House also use their trademark, patented broiler, found by Ruth Fertel. The broiler’s internal temperature may reach 982oC, and it resulted in juicier flavor, more tender texture, also maintain the shape of the meat that can’t be attained by any other grilling methods.

One thing to note, never touch the steak’s serving plate as its temperature may reach 260oC to get that sizzling sensation on plate. The hot plate has 2 main functions: to keep the steak warm longer, and also help you to cook the meat, especially helpful for those who dislike rare meat. With the featured hot plate, you are recommended to order your steak one level below your favorite doneness level.

American Portion

As an American restaurant, of course Ruth’s Chris Steak House is offering American portion food (read: tremendous). In addition, what sets the place apart from other steak houses is the family style sharing concept. In other places, you will have individual plate with side dish and sauce, but here, if you order steak, you’ll get big steak, salt, pepper, and melted butter, without any side dish or any other sauce. They believe, it’s the best way to enjoy premium beef cuts. Of course, Ruth’s Chris Steak House also offers regular side dish such as potato, vegetable, to dessert, all served in “American” portion, so you can share them with friends and families.

As a restaurant that originated from New Orleans, it’s not possible to enjoy steak without seafood that became the trademark of the region. Some of the favorite seafood menus here are Sizzlin’ Jumbo Scallops, Sizzlin’ Blue Crab Cakes, Barbecued Shrimp, Ahi-Tuna Stack, and Fresh Lobster.

You might be surprised when you see the price list on the menu, however, after seeing what you’ll have, everything started to make sense. If you are to visit the place, we recommend you to come with 4 people minimum (unless, for romantic dinner), because in the end, you’ll spend less money than what you usually spend in other equivalent steak house.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House is not any ordinary restaurant. You can see it as part of history created by the struggle and strong will of a single mom, but you can also see it as a place to satisfy your carnivorous lust in fine dining setting. One of their most memorable quote for us is: it took a tough lady to make tender steak.

Dengan begitu banyak pilihan restoran baru, agak sulit untuk menentukan kualitas sebuah restoran. Namun mari kita sederhanakan saja, jika Anda tidak keberatan untuk kembali, berarti itu adalah restoran yang lumayan, namun jika itu adalah sebuah restoran yang bagus, Anda akan selalu ingin kembali lagi. Inilah sensasi yang kami rasakan ketika kami makan di El Asador beberapa bulan lalu, kali ini kami memutuskan untuk menggali lebih dalam mengenai resto grill bergaya South American ini.

Eugenio Doldan, pria Uruguay dibelakang El Asador ini menghabiskan 9 tahun bekerja di restoran Argentina di Melbourne, Australia. Di sana, ia bertemu dengan seorang gadis Indonesia, Dhani Isti Tantyo, yang menjadi istrinya. Setelah menyelesaikan studinya, Isti kembali ke Indonesia dan Eugenio memutuskan untuk datang ke Jakarta untuk membuka bisnis mereka bersama. Pasangan ini membuka El Asador (artinya “barbecuer”) pada 2013, kemudian El Machote dan Black Sheep di 2017.

“Awalnya agak sulit, karena kami kesulitan mencari produk (daging) dan supplier. Ketika Anda seorang pemain baru, orang tidak terlalu percaya pada Anda. Saya pernah memesan 5 jenis potongan daging sebanyak 50 kg dari sebuah supplier, dan mereka hanya datang dengan 20-30 kg. Namun, seperti bayi yang belajar jalan, kami mulai mengenal supplier lain dan sekarang kami memiliki kredibilitas yang baik. Mereka juga tahu jika mereka tidak mengirim produk yang saya inginkan, atau kualitasnya tidak sesuai standar kami, saya akan mengembalikannya,” kata Eugenio.

With so many choices of flavor from the new restaurants nowadays, it’s kind of difficult to use standards to tell whether a restaurant is good or bad. To make it simple for you, it’s a decent restaurant when you don’t mind to return there, however, if it’s a good one, you’re craving to come back for more. It’s the sensation we had when we dined in El Asador few months ago, and now we decided to learn more about the South American style grill restaurant.

Meet Eugenio Doldan, an Uruguay man behind El Asador, who spent 9 years working in Argentinian restaurant in Melbourne, Australia. There, he met his Indonesian girlfriend, Dhani Isti Tantyo, who then became his wife. After she finished the study and returned to Indonesia, Eugenio decided to came to Jakarta to open a business together with her. The couple opened El Asador (literally means “the barbecuer”) in 2013, then El Machote and Black Sheep in 2017.

“In the beginning it was tough because it was difficult to find the products (meat) and the suppliers. When you are new, people don’t trust you too much. I ordered 5 different cuts weighed 50 kg from a supplier, and they came up with only 20-30 kgs. But, like a baby learning to walk, we began to know more suppliers and now we have quite good credibility among them. They also know that if they don’t send me what I want, or the quality is not good, I’ll send them back,” said Eugenio.

Just like any other seasoning ingredients, it takes wisdom to apply MSG. Chef Eric told us his experience of working in Chinese kitchen. “Many Chinese chefs have this thinking, ‘no MSG, no Masterchef!’ Chinese chef used a lot of dried seafood such as abalone, dried shrimp, cuttlefish to make good broth. But over the years, the price of these ingredients have increased tremendously. Originally, they make all the soup broth without having to add any MSG, they used certain amount of the ingredients to reach the intensity that they want. You fast forward 10 years later, the price of the ingredients have gone up by double. The price for selling has increased for only 25%, obviously the cost of the ingredient can not justify the increase of the selling price, there must be cost cutting option. What they did was, they cut the ingredients used by half, and they to replicate the intensity with MSG,” explained Eric.

However, this is exactly where thing goes from “flavor enhancer” to the “abuse of substance”. “Why abuse? You must remember, older chefs are not educated with information of what MSG is. When they cut the ingredients, they got lot of improvements with MSG, so if a little bit goes a long way, then, it means the more the merrier, right?” asked Eric.

Eventually all the good ingredients are replaced with MSG. “From there, I can tell you that MSG is like any other seasoning ingredient you use, like sugar, salt, or acid. Too much concentration will make you feel very saturated, just like you can‘t accept anything too salty, sweet, sour. That’s why it’s not the more the merrier, as a chef, it’s how you create the flavor balance. The next point is, it helps you to manage food cost,” said Eric.

So, Is It Safe?

Many people think MSG as some kind of chemicals because they hear so much negative things about MSG from wrong articles. Chef Eric suggested that you should also look at the source of the articles, is it from independent organization or individual, does it involves any endorsement?

In fact, MSG is made of natural ingredients such as corn, sugar cane, sago, or rice starch using bioscience related processes, like fermentation followed by hydrolysis. Chef Eric Low even made a controversial statement, “Actually, MSG is good for you. In addition to being flavor enhancer, help you manage food cost, MSG also acts as blood pressure regulator. People always says that people with high blood pressure should not take any MSG, but actually, people with low blood pressure should consume more MSG,” said Eric.

To support his statement, Chef Eric even added stronger facts. “Let me tell you something, no governmental organization in the world has ever declared that MSG is a food poison or bad for health, and no leading medical institution of school or research center in the world even dare to say that MSG is bad for you. You know why? Because they can not prove that the side effect (thirsty, headache, nauseous, associated with chinese restaurant syndrome) came from MSG. In fact,
the effects came from the food that was also cooked with salt. Why do you want to blame it only on MSG? Do you have any medical studies or science to prove it?” asked Eric.

If you’re still concerned about MSG’s safety, you should listen to the FDA’s (Food and Drug Administration) recommendation. FDA is the leading government controlled department in US, followed by many other countries all around the world, including Singapore. The moment FDA give food alert, our local ministry will take action following what they declare.

“In terms of safety and certification, this is the most powerful safety certification you can get. So far, FDA has given MSG the GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) recommendation. There’s nothing more powerful than FDA’s in safety
certification” said Eric.

Expensive VS Cheap MSG

As other ingredients, MSG came in different price, and the product’s quality varies from brand to brand. What makes the difference? Chef Eric explained it further, ”MSG that’s just based on glutamic alone only consist of very small amount, it needs to be combined with salt as carrier. So for manufacturers, if they want to sell the MSG cheap, they can not give you so much glutamic content. However, it’s very cheap to produce salt,” said Eric.

“You’ll see the difference in the size of the crystal. Generally speaking, the bigger the crystal, the more salt it has. Therefore, good quality MSG can be priced double than the cheaper ones, but it has smaller particle, similar to icing sugar. You will no longer take the salt in cheap MSG for granted, because it has salty effect on the food. At least, now you know that you would taste your food first before you put additional salt after putting some MSG,” explained Eric.

Meski telah menjadi bahan yang kerap digunakan pada perlengkapan dapur, stainless steel ternyata memiliki beberapa jenis yang memiliki tingkat kualitas yang berbeda. 2 jenis stainless steel yang paling sering digunakan adalah 201 dan 304.

Komposisi dari stainless steel SUS201 adalah 17Cr–4,5Ni–6Mn-N. Stainless steel 201 sering digunakan sebagai bahan rel kereta, namun karena tingginya kandungan Mn (manganese) besi ini lebih mudah berkarat, sifat anti korosi dan kekuatannya relatif rendah, sehingga harganya juga lebih rendah. Singkatnya, SUS201 sebetulnya tidak sesuai untuk kebutuhan masak.

Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food menggelar acara baking workshop untuk mengedukasi masyarakat tentang trend produk pastry dan bakery terkini. Dalam dua tahun terakhir, trend kue tradisional kembali ramai dibicarakan. Apalagi jika dikemas dalam kemasan yang cantik, otomatis akan menarik perhatian konsumen untuk membagikan foto produk tersebut melalui sosial media. Di era digital teknologi, hal itu dapat menjadi peluang bisnis yang menggiurkan terutama untuk pengusaha pastry dan bakery untuk tumbuh berkembang.

Pada 29 Agustus 2018, 15 chef dari Jakarta dan Bali berkumpul untuk acara Hatten Wines Tribute to Anthony Bourdain, sebuah acara penggalangan dana yang berfokus pada makanan. Anthony Bourdain wafat di usia 61 pada 8 Juni 2018. Karya-karya Anthony menginspirasi para chef di seluruh dunia melalui masakan internasionalnya yang unik, eksotis, dan pendekatannya untuk mempelajari hal baru.

Untuk menyambut HUT Kemerdekaan RI ke-73, The Dharmawangsa sengaja mengeksplorasi makanan tradisional dengan tema Treasure of Coastal Java. Ide dari kampanye ini adalah menghadirkan masakan Indonesia yang lebih otentik dengan cara mengunjungi tempat-tempat asal makanan tersebut untuk mengetahui rasa, bahan, dan presentasinya secara tepat.

Potato Head Jakarta meluncurkan menu dengan arahan baru dari Executive Chef barunya, Aditya Muskita pada 8 Agustus 2018. Chef Aditya membawa pengaruh comfort food modern kontemporer ke Potato Head melalui beberapa menu baru seperti Prawn Agnolotti, Crispy Brussel Sprouts, Eggplant Flatbread, Roasted Cauliflower, dan Chilli Garlic Prawns. Favorit kami? Slow-Cooked Short Ribs yang dibuat dari iga sapi yang dimasak dengan cara sous vide selama 48 jam sehingga menghasilkan tekstur yang sangat lembut.

Ayo Makan merupakan sebuah kompetisi antara para chef dari berbagai hotel Marriott International di Indonesia untuk menyambut Hari Kemerdekaan Indonesia. Pada 8 Agustus 2018. Ayo Makan dirayakan di The Hermitage, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Jakarta dengan enam hidangan makan malam, dimana para chef pemenang memperlihatkan keahlian dan mempresentasikan kreasi mereka kepada para tamu dan media. Chef Ari Susanto dari The Hermitage, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Jakarta sendiri membuat kreasinya Responsibly Sourced Tuna Acar Kuning, Cassava & Apple Puree.

After commencing their Royal Wedding in May 2018, the Prince of Georgia, Juan (Ioane) Bagrationi and Princess Kristine Dzidziguri decided to spend their sweet honeymoon moment in the island of Bali. From 10th to 15th August, this lovely noble couple makes the best of their trip and explores various tourism areas around the island with friend and families; from Legian, Seminyak, to Ubud. W Seminyak gets the honor to become the couple’s staycation spot during their holiday.

Passion Media welcoming your August 2018 with Instagram Giveaway! #AugustGiveaway Menangkan (untuk 2 orang pemenang):

1st winner :

3 days 2 nights stay, included breakfast at Family Room Bali Dynasty Resort and also Dim Sum All you can eat Lunch Buffet (Sunday only) for 4 pax (2 adults and 2 children) at Golden Lotus Restaurant.

2nd winner :

A one night stay, included breakfast at Deluxe Room Bali Dynasty Resort and also Dim Sum All you can eat Lunch Buffet (Sunday only) for 2 pax at Golden Lotus Restaurant.

It was in the middle of 2015 when I heard the buzz about a trending coffee shop in Pluit that offered premium quality (and price, of course) coffee. However, as an employee with regular working hour, it’s a bit difficult to find the time to visit Ombe Kofie as it was closed on 6.00 pm. 

When I finally had the chance to go there, I was quite surprised because of 2 things. The first one, was the price. Compared to most coffee shops at the time, Ombe’s coffee is quite pricey. Regular cappuccino was around Rp 45.000-50.000, filter V60 was Rp 65.000, and Panama Geisha was Rp 150.000 for a single cup. Then the second one, in only 30 m2 outlet, I saw almost all of the customers talking to each other. “It must be a private event for some sort of office,” I assumed. Later, I found out that it’s just another daily scenario at Ombe Kofie, like a hip version of kopi tiam. The one who’s responsible for the lively scene is definitely the Godfather of Ombe Kofie, Jason Leo, but most people simply call him “Om Jason”, one of the liveliest silver-haired man I’ve ever met.

Long Research

Actually, the idea of opening a coffee shop came from Om Jason’s wife, Tante Wiwid, an avid coffee lover. “Actually, I didn’t really like coffee because it kept me awake, I also don’t like bitterness. If I were to drink a Starbucks coffee, usually I put 6 packs of sugar,” said Om Jason.

In 2011, when the couple took their son for college in San Jose, US, Om Jason and wife also visited San Fransisco and Los Angeles. “There’s so many coffee shops, especially in San Fransisco. My wife said that the coffee shop was also trending in Indonesia. When my father passed away in 2012, I began serious research on coffee shop,” he recalled.

At the time, they went café hopping to almost all coffee shops in Jakarta, from Giyanti One Fifteenth, Crematology, Tanamera, and Anomali to learn everything about coffee. “We’re dead serious on the research. Finally on March 2014, I took 2 days barista course with Aji Darius in Hang Tuah. Since then, I made my own manual brew coffee, because I hadn’t got an espresso machine. Of course, my wife became my object of experiment,” he laughed.

In July 2014, they started to get serious in finding location for their future coffee shop from Senopati to Ampera, before finally landed the decision on 12m2 spot beside Putri Pharmacy in Pluit, which actually just 1 km from Om Jason’s house. After expanding the building into 30m2, Ombe Kofie was officially operating in March 2015. It was slow for the first 2 weeks, but after that, Om Jason and his partner were restless because of the customers who are even willing to stand up because they didn’t get any seats. It happened everyday until the end of 2016.

People of Ombe

There are some contributing factors to Ombe’s success. “Perhaps it was word of mouth. When we were café hopping and said we’d be opening our own coffee shop using La Marzocco Strada, but the barista was already old (laugh), perhaps the coffee people started to talk about it. The second factor was the role of social media, especially Instagram,” Om Jason explained.

However, the one thing that can’t be replicated by any other coffee shop is Om Jason’s ability to build relationship with various communities, from bike, runner, car, to motorcycle communities. “From the beginning, I wanted to make a relaxed coffee shop, intimate where we can talk, scream, and know the customers, because it’s our coffee culture. Strangers became friends, so we have more and more friends. We also quick to know customer, we won’t forget if you’ve been here 2-3 times, we’ll remember your name and your order. We even have a Whatsapp group called People of Ombe,” he said.

Even though Ombe is closed down at night, the place is always filled with customers from morning to afternoon. “Basically, if there’s other coffee shop opens at 7, I’ll open at 6, I want to be the earliest. In Pluit, most of our customers are business owners or top level management who aren’t bound to regular working hours. You’ll see some customers came in the morning, and they’d return in the afternoon,” said Om Jason.

Hi End Segment

Since inception, Om Jason deliberately aim for the hi end market with less competitors. “The price of a cup of coffee is around Rp 30.000-35.000, meanwhile there are only 1-3 coffee shops which offer coffee above the price range. I prefer to fight in the premium class compared to fighting in the saturated market, there are more opportunities Of course, in middle or premium segment, you have to offer quality, but if I sell it in premium price, from the ingredients, I can provide better quality coffee bean, so if there’s a mistake, it won’t be as fatal,” he explained.

It’s the reason why Ombe is widely known as imported bean provider, especially from Africa and South America, in fact, 80% of Ombe’s sales come from imported bean. “I don’t mean to brag, but in the beginning, Ombe is known for providing Panama Geisha Esmeralda (Rp 150.000/cup), which cost you Rp 4.000.000/kg of roasted bean. Perhaps in Indonesia, we sold most Panama Geisha, we managed to sell around 1 kg/month,” he said.

Ombe required around a year to change the coffee habit from sugared coffee to black coffee, from flat white to piccolo or double shot espresso. “From 10 people, perhaps only 1 can naturally detect the notes in the coffee. If someone ask me, ‘Om, what are the notes of this Flores bean?’ Is it blueberry? Black currant? Mango? I don’t know, but I know good coffee after I dialed it, that’s the most important thing!” he stated.

Expansion

Until today, Ombe already has 6 outlets in Jakarta, from Djule Kofi in Melawai (already closed down), Maarkeeze in Grand Indonesia, Ombe Mal Kelapa Gading, Ombe Summarecon Bekasi, Ombe UOB Plaza (exclusive for UOB staffs) and the last one, Ombe Cikajang. We can safely say that Ombe is one of the most aggressive third wave coffee brand to expand, even though Om Jason admitted that he never have the the intention of finding new place. “It (expansion) happened after someone offer their places to us, if I have the feeling and offered a good deal, I’d take it!” he said.

Om Jason has his own considerations in choosing a location. “We already know (the ideal composition) of fixed cost, COGS, rental, salary, etc, that’s all we need to know, if one of them is off, we’ll find out the reason, simple. Perhaps the offered location is slow, but I wouldn’t mind as long as the deal is good and I have ‘the feeling’, because Ombe already has its own market. From the beginning, we even have people from South Jakarta coming all the way here. If we got the deal that we can’t refuse, off we go! One of the good deal is in Ombe Kelapa Gading, where we have our own entrance from outside, it’s a great deal, isn’t it?” he laughed.

If there are some people who think that coffee business is already saturated, Om Jason thinks the other way. According to him, the industry still has immense opportunities. “Did you know that the sales of sachet coffee is ridiculously big? Can those people afford to buy Rp 20.000-25.000 coffee? Definitely, but perhaps occasionally. One day they will have these kinds of coffee and they will know the taste, brewing method, and the proper way to consume coffee. It’s a bit hassle actually, but do you want to drink good or coffee, or any coffee will do? This (habit) should be improved, and actually many are willing to switch," he said.

Grew out of passion, dedication and extensive experience of Indonesian and European cuisine from the founders; husband-and-wife Helmut and Julia, Ixora Cake seems to be on the go-to list of many national celebrities, public figures and couples who want to make the best sweet treat for their wedding celebration. The brand has been known to create astonishing custom-cake by request, with bold approach in using various ingredients and creating a delicious taste that matches the look.

In fact, one of the thing that makes Ixora Cake stands out amongst its competitors is their willingness to explore the ingredients; not just the filling, but on the cake itself. Instead of only two (plain chocolate or vanilla), they currently have extensive list of 18 cake flavors; including red velvet, raspberry, almond, carrot, caramel, lemon, vanilla and chocolate mud just to name a few. All of these are highly customizable with different variety of filling, so the client can create their original cake with a combination that never been used before. I get the chance to taste the flavors mentioned above during my visit to Ixora’s café, which is actually a part of Delicioso Bistro & Restaurant, and yes I was impressed with the full-bodied flavor, not too sweet but creamy and delicious.

Not only the taste, Ixora Cake known for its exquisite shape as well. Every custom cake is wonderfully made to resemble the client’s imagination and request. This especially applies to the Birthday Cake. Ixora seems able to create many kinds of artistic and realistic forms available, from the famous Game of Throne’s ‘Iron Throne’ rendition to the most favorite ‘Beer Bintang Bucket’. They also excel
in re-creating the surrealist marble pattern on the cake. Lead by the talented Chef Andre, Ixora’s pastry kitchen is divided into different division; mainly baking, filling, covering and decorating, each with its own sub-division. This is what makes them can finish such a fine-looking artisanal-grade cake in just 24 hour or less.

Now, 17 years later from their modest start, Ixora is proud to be one of industry leader in Bali. They will continue creating expert pastries for wholesale and retail clientele alike, or anyone who needs a perfectly-shaped tasty cake for their once-in-a-lifetime occasion.

Hampir di setiap pameran F&B besar selalu melibatkan kompetisi yang diselenggarakan oleh berbagai asosiasi kuliner. Kami percaya mereka semua memiliki satu tujuan yang sama, memajukan kuliner Indonesia. Lalu mengapa ada begitu banyak asosiasi kuliner di Indonesia? Kami bertemu dengan Chef Rahmat Kusnedi, Presiden IPA (Indonesia Pastry Alliance) untuk membahas banyak hal dibelakang asosiasi yang tidak banyak diketahui masyarakat umum, mengenai tujuan mereka, alasan perpecahan, meski sebetulnya semua asosiasi tersebut berasal dari sumber yang sama.

Almost every major F&B exhibition involves competition held by culinary associations. We believe, they all have common objective: to develop Indonesian culinary. Then why we have so many culinary associations in Indonesia? We met Chef Rahmat Kusnedi, President of IPA (Indonesia Pastry Alliance) to discuss many things behind the association’s screen that is not widely known for public, about the their objectives, the separation issue, even though they’re all came from the same source.

Black forest

• Basic chocolate sponge 20gr
• Whipping cream 70% 10gr
• Dark Cherry Compote 10gr

Dari segi karir, Adi Juniarto telah memasuki dunia pastry sejak dua dekade silam. Dalam perjalanannya, seiring dengan bertambahnya level kemampuan serta pengalamannya, ia juga menemukan bahwa keindahan sesungguhnya terletak pada kesederhanaan. Berbincang dengan Passion, Executive Chef Pastry dari Movenpick Resort & Spa Jimbaran ini membagikan kenangan manisnya serta harapannya di masa depan.

In term of career, Adi Juniarto has been entering the world of pastry since two decades ago. Somewhere along the journey, as his skill and experience level rises up, he also finds that true beauty lies in simplicity. Speaking with PASSION, the Executive Chef Pastry of Movenpick Resort & Spa Jimbaran shares his pleasant memories and delightful hope.

Ingredients

1 cup Tapioca Flour
3/4 cup Coconut Flour
1 tablespoon Baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 1/4 cups Coconut milk
1/2 cup Coconut cream
1 tablespoon Apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup Aquafaba
3/4 cups Coconut sugar
2 teaspoons Freshlygrated lemon zest
8 tablespoons Pacao butter, softened to room temperature
2 teaspoons Pure lemon extract
2 teaspoons Pure vanilla extract

Jangan biarkan seorang pun menganggap remeh engkau karena engkau muda. Frase ini betul-betul terejawantahkan ketika kita melihat pencapaian seorang Arielle Chenara. Di usia yang baru menginjak 16 tahun, ia telah mentahbiskan diri sebagai salah satu pembuat wedding cake terbaik di Pulau Dewata lewat brandnya sendiri, Thyme and Caramel. PASSION mendapat kesempatan untuk berbincang dengan pemudi inspiratif ini dan menyelami pemikiran briliannya serta kecenderungannya untuk mengeksplorasi kemungkinan.

What have you accomplished when you was 16? Well, Arielle Chenara surely can proudly answer that question. We sat down and talk with the great young cake maker of how she becomes one of biggest player in Bali’s cake industry nowadays.

Don’t let anyone despise you for your youth. This phrase rings true if we see what Arielle Chenara has accomplished. In just her 16th age, she has established herself as one of the island’s prominent wedding cake maker through her own brand, Thyme and Caramel. PASSION has a great chance to chat with the aspiring youngster and gain insight into her brilliant mind and her knacks of exploring the possibilities.

Carpigiani Gelato University menggelar workshop eksklusif untuk persiapan seleksi resmi Asia Gelato Pastry Cup 2020. Workshop yang dipimpin oleh Stefano Tarquino ini diadakan setiap hari mulai dari 18-20 Juli 2018 di booth Lotus Food.

Hotelex Indonesia & Finefood Indonesia diadakan di JIEXPO Kemayoran Jakarta pada 18-20 Juli 2018. Diadakan di lahan seluas 10.000 m2 dan diikuti oleh lebih 200 perusahaan dari 26 negara, acara ini didedikasikan untuk sektor makanan, minuman, hotel, restoran dan kafe khusus kelas atas dan menampilkan merk internasional paling eksklusif.

Halo Readers! Berjumpa kembali di rubrik Spice. Kali ini, kami hendak mengupas serba-serbi tanaman kecombrang, atau yang juga dikenal sebagai kantan, honjeatau Torch Ginger dalam bahasa Inggris. Selain cantik, bunga rempah ini juga sangat berkhasiat dan banyak dipakai sebagai bumbu masakan lho!

Salah satu baking studio yang menarik perhatian kami sejak lama adalah Sugar World Academy. Semuanya berawal ketika kami melihat figurine Master Yoda (Star Wars) yang sangat realistis pada posting Instagram Sugar World Academy untuk kelas Dorothy Klerck pada Maret 2017. Kemudian kami terus scroll down untuk melihat berbagai flower gum paste, painted cookies dan lebih banyak figurine. Kami tidak sabar untuk berkunjung ke Sugar World Academy sambil menunggu momen yang tepat. Sekaranglah momen tepat itu, dengan tema khusus Cake Decoration, kami sengaja menemui Dewi Hasan, pemilik Sugar World Academy di Promenade 20, Kemang. Dewi Hasan bercerita banyak tentang Sugar World Academy, mulai dari alasan pemilihan lokasi, inti dari bisnis baking studio, dan juga kriteria

pemilihan instruktur di sini.

One of baking studio that caught our attention for quite a long time is Sugar World Academy. It began when we saw a very realistic Master Yoda’s (Star Wars) figurine on Sugar World Academy’s post in Instagram to introduce Dorothy Klerck’s class on March 2017. We continued scrolling down to see more flower gum paste, painted cookies, and more figurines. We couldn’t wait to visit Sugar World Academy while waiting for the appropriate moment. Now is the right time, with our monthly theme Cake Decoration, we met Dewi Hasan, owner of Sugar World Academy in Promenade 20, Kemang. Dewi Hasan told us the story of Sugar World, the reason why she chose Kemang, the main point of baking studio business, and also her criteria in choosing an instructor.

Beberapa waktu lalu, Heavenly Sweet pernah mendatangkan maestro pastry Antonio Bachour dan Carles Mampel. Namun ini bukan pertama kalinya Heavenly Sweet mengundang pastry chef  terkemuka dunia. Tercatat beberapa nama chef hebat yang juga pernah datang dan membagikan ilmunya seperti: Cedric Grolet, Julien Alvarez, Eric Perez, Peter Yuen, Eun-chul Jang, Richard Hawke dan masih banyak lagi.

Heavenly Sweet Academy menyediakan pengalaman belajar yang setara dengan mengambil kursus di luar negeri. Akademi ini memiliki murid yang datang tidak hanya dari Indonesia, namun juga dari berbagai negara seperti Singapura, Vietnam, Korea Selatan, Amerika, Kanada, Hong Kong, Filipina, Malaysia, India dan Pakistan. Semuanya berkat inisiatif sang founder, Ignes Pribadi Susilo. Passion menemui Ignes untuk mengetahui soal latar belakangnya, konsep Heavenly Sweet Academy, mengapa ia membangun akademi ini dan alasans mengapa ia mengundang chef internasional ke Indonesia.

Not too long ago, Heavenly Sweet Academy welcomed pastry maestros Antonio Bachour & Carles Mampel. However, it was not the first time for Heavenly Sweet Academy to invite world’s leading pastry chefs. There were many other great chefs who came and shared their knowledge, such as: Cedric Grolet, Julien Alvarez, Eric Perez, Peter Yuen, Eun-chul Jang, Richard Hawke and many more.

Heavenly Sweet Academy provides you a learning experience comparable to taking courses in schools overseas. The academy has students coming from not only Indonesia but also from various countries such as Singapore, Vietnam, South Korea, USA, Canada, Hong Kong, Philippines, Malaysia, India and Pakistan. It is all thanks to the idea of its founder, Ignes Pribadi Susilo. Passion meets Ignes to dig deeper into her background, the concept behind Heavenly Sweet Academy, why she decided to start the academy and why she invited the international Chefs to Indonesia.

Akui saja, style dekorasi cake kadang bisa menjadi sesuatu yang sangat personal, sehingga, cukup sulit untuk menemukan baking studio yang sesuai selera Anda. Namun, itu dulu, berkat Internet (spesifiknya, Instagram) menemukan baking studio yang cocok tidak pernah lebih mudah. Ketika kami menemukan baking studio yang kami suka, seperti Sweet Troops, fakta bahwa bisnis ini dijalankan oleh 2 gadis cantik tentu saja merupakan bonus yang menyenangkan. Nina Bertha dan Livianca Venaessa bercerita tentang bagaimana kisah pertemuan mereka, menjalankan bisnis baking studio, dan visi mereka di industri baking dan dekorasi.

Let’s admit, cake decorating style can sometimes gets very personal, thus, it’s kinda difficult to find a baking studio that teaches style that you really want. However, that was years ago, thanks to the Internet (and Instagram, to be specific), finding a baking studio that suits your liking has never been easier. When we found a baking studio with style that we love like Sweet Troops, knowing that the business is run by two pretty girls is definitely a welcomed bonus. Nina Bertha Chrestela and Livianca Venaessa tells us the story of how they bumped into each other, running a baking studio business, and their visions in baking and decorating industry.

Known for the endless innovations when it comes to various dining concepts, UNION Café in a way differentiates it self with the siblings. Emulating the success of UNION as the group’s flagship restaurant is already a challenge, but to leave its own mark of distinction to curious Jakartan diners would be an admirable feat.

Within just few weeks of their opening since before Eid this year, the establishment has already become the talk of the town. The welcomingatmosphere, the circular shape of the café, and the alluring display of bakerywould entice even UNION’s most seasoned patron. Once inside, it’s all aboutcomfort and privacy - albeit pretty much the whole Senayan City can see thehustle and bustle of the café.

The distinctive features came mostly from the menu and perhaps this is the first time in the history of UNION that we have Indonesian-inspired dishes more than ever. The inspirations for the menu was either creatively driven or derived from personal experiences of chef proprietor Adhika Maxi and his wife Karen Carlotta. The result is an exciting lineup worth every penny to indulge.

From the starters, UNION Café boasts the collection of Indonesian snacks such as the prawn and chicken tahu isi with daun jeruk, singkong fries “soto flavor”, scallop bakwan jagung, and bakwan fishcakes. Alternatively, you can choose international flavors such as the lemongrass tuna tataki with tempeh crumbs or the calamari with San Marzano tomatoes and tartar sauce.

Heading to the pasta section, the Indonesian flavors can be seen right away from the appearance of crispy teri aglio olio spaghetti and the crispy chicken penne with sambal matah. The latter shows UNION Café’s new commitment for bolder taste. It’s not just about the depth of flavors and the sophistication of the dish, but also the level of spiciness. This would be a new height that perhaps only a few internationally-themed restaurants in Jakarta would be brave enough to climb.

Heading to the main course, one certainly must play along with UNION Café’s signatures. For example; the Indo Spiced Steak with cabe rawit confit, colorful vegetables, and rice would be a great substitute for your usual Steak Frites. Other than that, the café offers the appetizing nasi bebek garing on garlic rice and served with 2 kinds of sambal. Not stopping on those, we have all the goodness from slow cooked short ribs with tamarind sauce, nasi goreng kepiting, and seafood mie goreng.

Heading straight to the desserts - a specialty that has contributed so much for UNION’s success, is also not short of surprises. Firstly, we have the es teler ice cream bolu roll, and pisang coklat with cinnamon sugar and burnt caramel ice cream. The rich display of cakes and pastry would be great for takeaways as well.

With this, one would be curious enough to see with what UNION Café in particular, would conjure again in the future with its potentials. As they say, UNION made is well made, and certainly we’d be looking forward to more exciting things coming from the group and its other ventures.

Eric Low mengakhiri perdebatan mengenai salah satu bahan paling kontroversial di industri kuliner, MSG. Ketika Anda mendengar istilah “generasi micin” untuk menggambarkan milenial yang bertingkah bodoh, kami merasa harus melakukan investigasi mengenai kebenaran pernyataan tersebut. Untungnya, ACP (Association of Culinary Professionals) Indonesia mengundang Chef Eric Low pada 30 Juni 2018 untuk melakukan seminar food science, dan di salah satu sesi, Eric berbicara mengenai penggunaan MSG.

When we heard the term “generasi micin” (MSG generation) to describe young millenials who act stupid, we felt the urge we need to do some investigation to tell if there’s any truth to the statement. Fortunately, ACP (Association of Culinary Professionals) Indonesia invited Chef Eric Low on June 30th 2018 to do a food science seminar, and in one of his session, Eric discussed about the use of MSG.

Sebelum membahas tentang suhu yang aman untuk memasak daging, selalu ingat untuk menyimpan daging mentah, baik daging sapi, kambing, ayam, dan seafood pada tempat terpisah. Sebagai tambahan, selalu gunakan cutting board terpisah untuk bahan-bahan tersebut untuk menghindari kontaminasi silang.

Rooftop yang memenangkan penghargaan, Sunset On Seminyak (S.O.S) kembali lagi dengan area dining dan area di sekitar kolam yang lebih luas untuk pengalaman beachfront yang lebih baik. Sebelumnya, S.O.S merupakan destinasi favorit party goer Seminyak hingga 2015, yang dikenal sebagai salah satu tempat terbaik untuk menyaksikan sunset dengan pasir di antara jari kaki anda, sambil bersandar di bean bag sambil menikmai kreasi eksotis para mixologist.

Yan Palace Chinese Restaurant telah berdiri di Hotel Santika Premiere Slipi Jakarta sebagai restoran yang memiliki dekorasi otentik nuansa Tionghoa dengan penataan yang nyaman dan elegan. Yan Palace Chinese Restaurant hadir dengan menawarkan sajian Chinese Food yang menarik dengan beragam pilihan set menu dan ala carte. Pada Jumat, 20 Juli 2018, Yan Palace Chinese Restaurant melakukan relaunch dengan memperkenalkan  konsep terbaru “Chinese Halal Food.”

“Exquisite Indonesian Flavour”, kolaborasi terbaru dari Sheraton Bali, Kuta, dan Ben Ungermann, runner-up Masterchef Australia 2017, merupakan perayaan ulang tahun ke-3 hotel sekaligus tur dunia Ben. Event yang berlokasi di The Best Brew, beer garden hotel pada 14 dan 15 Juli 2018. “Kami sangat menantikan kolaborasi dengan Ben Ungermann di acara dinner 2 hari ini. Keahlian Ben telah mengangkat masakan Indonesia dan ulang tahun hotel ke level yang lebih tinggi,” kata Masri, General Manager Sheraton Bali, Kuta.

Sthala Intimate Jazz yang digelar pada 7 dan 8 Juli 2018 berlangsung dengan meriah. Setelah dibuka dengan pertunjukan tari oleh maestro tari Didik Nini Thowok, serangkaian musisi jazz Indonesia memukau para pengunjung. Event yang diadakan di Sthala, A Tribute Portfolio Ubud ini menyemarakkan akhir pekan dengan lantunan musik dan hidangan gala dinner yang memanjakan lidah para tamu VIP. Selain musik, tarian yang kental dengan unsur budaya Indonesia, dan hidangan gala dinner, event ini juga menghadirkan 5 food truck yang berjajar di area parkir hotel. Area ini dibuka untuk umum pada rangkaian acara ini.

Passion Media welcoming your Mid Year 2018 with Instagram Giveaway! #JulyGiveaway

Menangkan (untuk 2 orang pemenang):

1st winner :

 1 voucher untuk menginap di tipe kamar Classic untuk 2 malam termasuk makan pagi untuk 2 orang setiap harinya (Rp 9.670.191,-)
 1 voucher untuk menyantap makan malam di restoran terbaru kami, Salon Bali – Signature Dining (Rp 1.800.000,-)


2nd winner:

 1 voucher untuk spa treatment 60min Balinese massage di Sava Spa untuk 2 orang (Rp 3.509.000,-)
 1 voucher untuk “afternoon tea” di Poterry Café untuk 2 orang (Rp484.000,-)

Untuk menyambut Hari Bastille, nama lain dari Hari Nasional Prancis yang dirayakan setiap 14 Juli, sekaligus untuk menyambut musim panas, Amuz menyajikan 6 menu terbaru. Kebanyakan restoran Indonesia dimanjakan dengan bahan baku yang tersedia sepanjang tahun, namun bagi negara 4 musim seperti Prancis, bahan-bahan seasonal justru memaksa chef untuk terus membuat kreasi baru sepanjang tahun, seperti yang dilakukan Gilles Marx, Chef Founder Amuz Gourmet.

Kantor Komersil Peru, Kedutaan Besar Peru dan JW Marriott mempersembahkan kembali hidangan otentik Peru di Sailendra Restaurant melalui chef bintang tamu yang diterbangkan khusus dari Peru, Natalia Sophia Gonzales Echeverria, aka Chef Natty. Masakan khas Peru ini tersedia mulai 13-29 Juli 2018 setiap hari Jumat dan Sabtu (makan malam), dan Minggu (brunch), dengan harga Rp 475.000 net/orang. Selama festival ini berlangsung, Chef Natty menghadirkan sekitar 35 hidangan khas Peru, mulai dari appetizer, main course, hingga dessert.

Sthala, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Ubud Bali, a member of Marriott International is one of the Bali’s most enchanting and romantic venues for weddings, events, ceremonies and honeymoons.

romantic sanctuary amidst lush tropical gardens,  breathtaking views of the WOS river and Balinese temple, Sthala Ubud Bali offers a remarkable location for couples to celebrate their wedding and honeymoon or spend quality time together. The Hotel offers the ultimate privacy, serenity and tranquility blends of nature meeting luxury. We can offer a romantic chapel settings for your wedding with a dramatic WOS river view or lush manicured gardens at Abing Terrace, or an event with the river view and Balinese Temple on the river deck.

Kawasan Asia Tenggara sudah lama dikenal sebagai penghasil rempah terbaik di dunia; salah satunya turmeric atau yang Indonesia biasa disebut kunyit. Warna kuning serta citarasanya yang khas membuat rempah yang satu ini menjadi primadona khususnya pada masakan nusantara. Penasaran ingin mengenal kunyit lebih dalam? Yuk, simak ulasan PASSION berikut ini!

After Passion discussed about coffee in the last May 2018 issue, the name Kelapa Gading is often mentioned by our sources as the region with the highest growth of coffee shop in Jakarta, perhaps in Indonesia. On the 1.633 ha land, thereare more than 70 coffee shops operating with their own unique selling proposition, one of them is Ideas Awesome.

The trend of thir wave coffee shop in Kelapa Gading began with 2 coffee shops: Six Ounces and Kopium in 2015. “Based on the latest info I had last month, the number has reached 70. Perhaps there are some that has closed down, but we also have the upcoming new ones also, so I assume we have more than 70 now,” said Paul Mordheweyk, the owner of Ideas Awesome. The coffee shop has been operating since 2017, “It was a bit crowded at that time, but there were still only around 40 coffee shops, ini 2017-2018, we have so many new coffee shops,” he added.

Paul is not exactly a new face in coffee scene. Previously, he worked as Sales Manager in Tanamera, one of the third wave pioneers in Jakarta. In 2015, he built his own coffee shop in Rawa Belong, West Jakarta, under the name Coteca (Coffee Tea Cacao). His main consideration of opening a coffee shop in Kelapa Gading? “Simple, I want to have my own business, close to where I live,” said Paul who live near Kelapa Gading.
 

Even though it was located not too far from the main street in Kelapa Gading, Paul has deliberately chosen the location in Rukan Graha Bulevard since long ago because it reminds him of Tanamera’s atmosphere in Thamrin City Office Park. “It’s a bit in the inside, it has office atmosphere but a bit far from the crowded street. Perhaps it’s the only place in Kelapa Gading with similar atmosphere with Tanamera, even though the traffic is not as busy, they got Grand Indonesia, Plaza Indonesia and Thamrin Office over there,” he explained.

One of the biggest challenges faced by most coffee shops in Kelapa Gading is the construction of LRT that has to be finished before 2018’s Asean Games. “Of course, it’s a challenge for us, we have to, some sort of holding our breath. There are other coffee shops in Kelapa Gading who had worse situation, they didn’t even manage to sell a single item for a day. If you say that our location is not ideal, let just count how many coffee shops were closing down even though they’re located at the main street? So, location is not a guarantee,” he added.

However, as the construction will end soon, Ideas Awesome found a new optimism as it is located very closely to the LRT station. Ideas Awesome even doesn’t hesitate to prolong their contract for 3 years even though they haven’t finished the 2 years contract. “Now, I’m thinking of takeaway menus that can be paired with coffee for grab and go concept, because the LRT concept is suitable for those who are always rushing.”

Trend Following.

One of the reason why many people open coffee shops in Kelapa Gading (and in any other regions, of course) is because of the trend following. “We have many rich people in Kelapa Gading, perhaps they had their children return from the study abroad and they give capital to build a business. But actually, the demand on coffee is not as big as the rapid growth of the coffee shops,” he added.

The coffee market in Kelapa Gading can be classified into categories, but according to Paul, they are “coffee lovers” not “freak”, because he deliberately designed his coffee shop to be not too serious about specialty. “I had an acquaintance who opened a coffee shop in Serpong that serves Geisha bean with manual brew, back then, he didn’t even have espresso machine. The customer can order more than 1 cup of coffee, sometimes they even bring their own bean to be brewed. That ’s what I regard as “freak”. In Kelapa Gading, perhaps we have those kinds of customers, but personally, I’ve yet to see one,” said Paul.

The other trend following can be seen through the choice of espresso machine. Paul was once asked by his customer, who happen to own a coffee shop, on the reason why he didn’t use La Marzocco. “La Marzocco is actually good, but when I asked him back why should I using the machine, what makes it different from other brand? He couldn’t answer. Most people buy a brand because they’re just following their friends. Because when you need to make Iced Caramel Latter, I guess regular espresso machines should be sufficient. Perhaps they buy things because of pride,” he explained.

Ideas Awesome’s Concept

From the beginning, Ideas Awesome wasn’t designed for coffee fanatics, because of its location. “I never want to be too specialty because most people in Kelapa Gading prefer sweet taste. And then the coffee people are not that loyal, even though I have to admit, it was caused by us, owners of coffee shop who are opening coffee shops exceeding the actual demand,” he admitted.

Paul was inspired by the soft ice cream concept when he was travelling to Omotesando Street (Shibuya, Japan). “There was this big coffee shop, also a roaster. However, the customers who got out always bring soft ice cream even though it
was cold. It’s interesting to bring the concept with tropical climate like Indonesia. Our customers love it, perhaps because we a completely new flavor at the time, Earl Grey.”

Aside from ice cream, Ideas Awesome also serves unique colorful menus such as Rainbow Pasta, Lego Lemonade (iced drink with colorful lego-shaped ice cube), and Crouching Dragon Hidden Mango. “We exploited grey interior so when you take
photos of our products, they will pop out,” said Paul. Some of the recommended menus here are Bruschetta con Funghi, and favorite desserts such as Shouffle Pancake and Tiramisu. “ We try to serve something different, even though I have to admit that the concept is not entirely new,” he added.

In the midst of huge number of coffee shops in Kelapa Gading, uniqueness is the main thing needed for a coffee shop to maintain its existence. With unique menus and Instagrammable place, Ideas Awesome is continuously offering new things for coffee lovers, in addition to their optimism as the construction of LRT in Kelapa Gading is near completion.

As one of Bali’s most prominent pastry brand, Ruth’s Dessert & Diner has re-emerged to the island’s culinary scene once again with new two-story establishment and good ol’ classic American recipe of creamy sweet treat.

Still located on the main junction of Bypass Sanur road, Ruth’s Dessert & Diner carry along all of their expertise in creating good food-especially pastries and cake, to all of its customers, old and new alike. Their chic little café is a quaint and comfy spot for a full dine-in feast or quality afternoon tea-break.

Even after years of providing utmost satisfaction for their guest, Ruth’s never ceases to innovate with the menus. All of their pastries are made with real dairy products; no trans-fat or chemical additional whatsoever, ensuring the healthiness and freshness of each dishes.  You should try their ample selections of homemade ice cream, created using 100-years old recipe from Coney Island. The latest addition to this particular menu is Es Krim Goreng Durian; which are basically a fried ice cream with aromatic durian flavor. This used to be one of Indonesia’s most favorite street foods in certain regions; which Ruth nailed perfectly with their own amazing recipe and method. Crispy, deep-fried outer ‘skin’ protecting the creamy (and surprisingly intact) cold sweet treats inside, combining the impossible into one delicious dessert.

Then, during your visit, don’t forget to try their cupcakes as well. This is widely considered as Ruth’s staple menu which consist a perfect blends of sweet, creamy and tangible cream cheese or butter-based cupcake, baked to perfection with various delicate flavors; from red velvet, chocolate (writer’s personal favorite), carrot cake, and many more. Or for a more ‘American’ feels, try their crispy, crumbly Apple Pie, which serves with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream.

If you want to have ice cream or cake, better have a good one. You don’t want to waste all those calories consuming sub-par sweet treat, and Ruth’s Dessert & Diner will guarantee satisfaction with what they have to offers; a delightful dessert worth feasting for.

Selalu menyenangkan untuk melinat kompetisi masak atau pastry di berbagai pameran, namun selalu ada konsekuensi dibalik kompetisi yang prestijius. Selain sebagai ajang pembuktian kemampuan, kompetisi bisa dianggap sebagai batu loncatan dalam karir seseorang. Namun, kemenangan dalam sebuah kompetisi sering disertai dengan sebuah konsekuensi logis bagi perusahaan, pembajakan karyawan. Untuk menyikapinya, kami berdiskusi dengan Chef Rahmat Kusnedi, seorang mantan kompetitor pastry yang sekarang menjadi pemilik bisnis Physalis’s, pelaku sekaligus korban dari pembajakan karyawan.

In addition of a display of extraordinary skills, we can see competition as the stepping-stone in someone’s career. However, the victory in a competition usually comes with a logical consequence, hijacking. In order to know how to  deal with the issue, we discuss with Chef Rahmat Kusnedi (CRK), an ex-pastry competitor who becomes a business owner (Physalis’s), the perpetrator and also the victim of hijacking.

Sebagai sosok pendiri Bali-Alm Company, Christoph Kaffanke paham betul bagaimana cara menciptakan produk dairy berkualitas dari nol, karena itulah yang telah ia lakukan melalui pabrik rumahannya selama ini.

Perusahaan penghasil produk dairy di Bali jumlahnya bisa dihitung dengan jari, namun dari angka yang sedikit itu, seluruhnya benar-benar mengerahkan seluruh upaya mereka untuk menciptakan produk yangbaik sekaligus senantiasa berusaha untuk mempertahankan kualitas mereka. Di edisi ini, kami berbincang dengan Cristoph Kaffanke, pria di belakang Bali-Alm Company, untuk mendapatkan sudut pandang orang-dalam tentang bagaimana caranya menghadapi kenaikan permintaan dari bahan makanan ala Barat ini di Bali dengan memaksimalkan pengetahuan Eropa nya dengan sumber daya lokal yang ada.

As the proud founder of Bali-Alm Company, Christoph Kaffanke certainly know a thing or two of how to create a quality dairy products from scratch, as that’s what he has been doing all along through his home factory. 

Dairy company in Bali is few and far between, but those little numbers that exist really push themselves to make a great products and maintaining the quality at the same time. In this edition, we chat with Christoph Kaffanke, the man behind Bali-Alm Company, to get an insider perspective of how to face the increasing demand of Western-bound products by combining his European knowledge and available local resource.

Pandan Pannacotta

500 gr Whipping cream
100 gr Caster sugar
3 pc Gelatin leave
1/2 pack Agar - agar 

Pandan essence as need

Ada pepatah lama yang mengatakan ‘mimpilah yang besar, atau pulang’. Mimin Mintarsih sesungguhnya melakukan itu dengan sedikit berbeda, dengan menggunakan kata ‘dan’ alih-alih ‘atau’. Ribuan mil berkeliling dunia dan sederet pencapaian prestisius kemudian, Head Pastry Chef baru The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali ini kembali ke negara asalnya sebagai seorang wanita pemimpin hebat di balik beberapa dapur internasional di luar negeri.

Di dunia yang (saat ini) didominasi oleh pria, bukanlah tugas yang mudah untuk bekerja di dapur restoran hotel, alih-alih memimpinnya, tapi Mimin Mintarsih berhasil mendobrak halangan tersebut; lebih lagi, wanita asal Sukabumi, Jawa Barat itu mampu melakukannya di luar negaranya sendiri. Ahli pastry berpostur mungil ini menunjukkan pada kita bahwa tidak ada gunung yang terlalu tinggi untuk ditaklukkan jika kita terus berusaha memberikan yang terbaik dan membuktikan para pengkritik kita salah. Kami duduk bersama Chef Mimin di sela kesibukannya sebagai Head Pastry Chef anyar The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali untuk menggali lebih dalam kisah-kisah menarik seputar pencapaiannya dalam kesetaraan gender (sembari mencicipi beberapa kue lezat kreasinya)

There’s an old saying: ‘dream big, or go home’. Well, Mimin Mintarsih actually did it quite differently; by putting ‘and’ instead of ‘or’. Thousand miles across the globe and lines of prestigious achievements later, the new Head Pastry Chef of The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali returns to her beloved country as a great leading female behind some of the greatest international kitchens abroad.

In a world that (currently) dominated by male, it is not a simple task to work in a hotel restaurant’s kitchen, let alone leading it, but Mimin Mintarsih able to break the said boundaries; moreover, the West Javanese natives managed to did it outside of her home country. This amazing, petit lady of pastry shows us that no mountains are too high if we strive to give our best and prove the doubters wrong. We sat down with Chef Mimin in between her bustling activity as the recently-appointed Head Pastry Chef of The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali to dig deeper into her amazing stories of gender-breaking achievement (and tasting some of her delicate pastry creations as well).

Oreo cake base:

Oreo biscuit 100g
Anchor unsalted butter 40g

Cara membuat:

Cairkan butter, tambahkan oreo crumb campur sampai rata , masukan kedalam2 buah cake ring ukuran O 14cm yang sudah di alasi alumunium foil lalu dinginkan dalam frezer.

Kebanyakan orang mungkin tidak terlalu mengenal nama perusahannya, na,un kami yakin Anda mengenal brand-brand seperti Anlene, Anmum, Boneeto dan tentunya, Anchor. Anda tahu produknya, sekarang saatnya bagi Anda untuk mengetahui cerita dibalik brandnya. Kami menemui Klarisa, Marketing Director Fonterra untuk memahami masalah di industri dairy, kebijakan pemerintah yang baru, dan mengenai keberadaan Anchor di Indonesia.

Most people might not probably too familiar with the company name, but we’re sure you know the brands such as Anlene, Anmum, Boneeto, and definitely, Anchor. You know the product, now it’s time for you to know the story behind the brand. We meet Klarisa, Marketing Director of Fonterra to understand the problem in the dairy industry, the new government policy, and about Anchor in Indonesia.

Recipe Roasted ayamkecombrang :

Bahan bahan :

2 pcs dada ayam

Bumbu halus :

Bawang merah
Bawang putih
Kemiri
Lada putih
Garam

Ingredients:

baramundi………....160 gr
king prawn………...40 gr
angel hair………… 80 gr
sauce………………2 spon

Setelah beberapa kali menghadiri Tasty Synergy, sebuah acara dinner persembahan Vin+ yang menghadirkan berbagai hidangan Indonesia yang disajikan secara modern dengan wine pairing, kami semakin yakin bahwa akan semakin banyak orang yang melakukan hal serupa di masa yang akan datang. Tentu, ada banyak orang yang meragukan kecocokkan antara masakan Indonesia dan wine, oleh sebab itu, para chef harus bekerja ekstra keras untuk memodifikasi intensitas rasa untuk menghasilkan padanan yang seimbang dengan  wine. Kami sengaja berbincang dengan Chef Djoko Sarwono (Vin+ Arcadia) dan Chef Deni Sugiarto (Vin+ Kemang) mengenai pandangan, tantangan, hingga eksplorasi mereka dalam membuat menu Indonesia modern.

After attending Tasty Synergy several times, a dinner event by Vin+ which presented various modern local dishes with wine pairing, we believe we’ll have more chefs serving similar style of cuisine in the future. Of course, we’ll have people who doubt the concept, especially about the pairing of Indonesian food and the wine, therefore, the chefs should work extra hard to modify the flavor’s intensity to make balanced pairing with wine. We decided to discuss with Chef Djoko Sarwono (Vin+ Arcadia) and Chef Deni Sugiarto (Vin+ Kemang) about their persepective, challenges, to their exploration in creating modern Indonesian dishes.

Passion meets Yoan Tjahjadi and Ivan Setyawan, co-owners of the rising star pastry shop Namelaka at Shophaus Menteng. They share a story about their humble beginnings and how in just less than two years, they are ready to take the pastry world of Jakarta by storm.

One decade is all that we need to assimilate ourselves within the global culinary culture. It was quiet on all fronts back when I started writing and observing about Jakarta’s food scenes back in 2009. And now, we can see it clearly that everyone is contributing a part to further embolden our local food culture - from a writer and up to restaurant owners, from starting out in a long chain of hospitality industry and up to become an accomplished chef. This also includes the appearance of food start-ups, influencers, and other aspirations.

Everyone is always inspired with something and that’s the drive needed to gain the foothold in this so-called journey of life. That’s the case for both Yoan and Ivan as well.

Pastry has always been a thing for Yoan, who started it all from zero. She did it first by learning about cookery in general from a short course in Jakarta, while also at the same time finishing her graphic design study. Meanwhile Ivan was already on his way studying about cookery and accounting. Long story short, they met at William Angliss Institute back in Melbourne - each in pursue of their aspirations within the food industry.

Graduated, they both returned to Indonesia and promised themselves that they should leave a mark in this world somehow. Namelaka was then established in 2016, starting humbly as an online pastry business and joining food bazaars around Jakarta.

“One time there was an offer from Shophaus to open up our first store here”, Yoan says. Both were excited about the opportunity, but they realized it was all about renewing their own commitments for the business. A decision that they must face sooner or later.

Thus, December 2016 was historical for Namelaka as finally Yoan and Ivan agreed to commit themselves wholeheartedly into the business now. The production flow has been set to full motion now and all their resources were assigned to make that happen.

But what’s the difference between Namelaka and the rest of the competition, I ask them. “Number one, we don’t follow what’s trending out there. Our products are simply based on the flavors that we personally like and we try to be creative with that”, she explains.

Ivan quickly gives example, “Back when I was in college, I used to really love this hazelnut coffee from Starbucks and that inspired us to create the Coffee Caramel Hazelnut cake”. “Or in my instance”, says Yoan cheerfully, “the Honey Lemon Ginger Tart which was based on a flavored beverage I really like!”

Their signature product now is the choux pastry with a wide variety of unique flavors such as the Thai milk tea, salted caramel, mango lassi, and many more. Other than that, Namelaka prides itself with their collection of cakes; namely the Intense Chocolate, Earl Berries, and the Noisette. Each boasts its luscious look and a curious blend of quality ingredients.

Last Ramadan, they paid homage to the holy month with their unique creation of Nastart – a combination of the much loved nastar with homemade pineapple jam, compote, and almond crumble on a pie base. Additionally, they were busy producing the all-time favorite hampers for Eid.

Business may run well for Namelaka so far, but they do not stay idle. I ask them what they are planning after this. “Rather than focusing on opening new shops, we want to focus on increasing our capacity. We are planning to relocate our central kitchen to a bigger place”, explain them both. They hope to increase their efficiency when responding for more online orders specifically.

With their current pace and their commitment to quality from this tender age, it’s safe to assume that we will see more of Namelaka from time to time. It would be exciting to see what other creations they will come up with in the future and how the crowd would react to that. As for me, I have found a new sanctuary within the verdant Menteng area. And that is to sip a good old cup of coffee here and a slice of cake from this patisserie.

Sebagai mantan seorang Pastry Chef yang telah bekerja di banyak hotel bintang 5, Chef Rahmat Kusnedi (CRK) akhirnya mendirikan sendiri Physalis, pabrik produsen produk pastry ke berbagai hotel bintang 5. Meski dimulai secara sederhana pada 2011 dengan 3 orang staf dan sebuah garasi dari rumah kontrakan, sekarang central kitchen Physalis’s berdiri di lahan seluas 800m2 dengan 80 karyawan tetap yang mampu memproduksi 50.000 pcs cake dan 40.000 pcs roti setiap hari. Tentu proses ini tidak terjadi dalam semalam, CRK menceritakan proses panjang dan pengorbanan yang tidak sedikit dalam membentuk Physalis’s hingga menjadi seperti sekarang ini.

As an ex-Pastry Chef who has worked in many 5 star hotels, Chef Rahmat Kusnedi (CRK) built his own brand, Physalis’s, a pastry supplier which supply its products to 5 star hotels. Even though he started humbly in 2011, with only 3 staffs in a house’s garage, now Physalis’s central kithen is standing on 800m2 land with over 80 employees that’s capable of producing 50.000 pcs cake and 40.000 bread per day. Of course it doesn’t happen overnight, CRK tells us the story of the long journey and his big sacrifice in creating Physalis’s as it is now.

Jika Anda mengenal orang kopi, mungkin Anda akan heran melihat kecerewetan mereka untuk hal apa pun soal kopi, mulai dari asal biji kopi, ukuran gilingan, temperatur air, durasi penyeduhan, hingga jumlah partikel dalam air. Pada produk milk based coffee seperti cappuccino dan café latte, kandungan susu malah lebih banyak dari kopi. Fenomena unik terjadi pada tahun lalu dimana mulai banyak coffee shop premium yang beralih menggunakan susu lokal baru yang bernama Hometown. Fakta ini merupakan pembuktian tersendiri untuk Hometown.

Tentu produk ini bukan untuk semua coffee shop. beberapa coffee shop kelas menengah enggan menggunakannya karena 2 hal: harganya yang relatif lebih tinggi, dan shelf life yang singkat, hanya 2 minggu. Dari shelf-life yang singkat ini, kami yakin bahwa Hometown merupakan produk susu pasteurisasi, definisi dari susu segar yang sering dilupakan orang. Kami memutuskan untuk menemui Dayu Ariasintawati, Managing Director Great Giant Livestock untuk mengetahui lebih jauh mengenai kondisi pasar susu dalam negeri, definisi susu segar, dan cerita unik soal penetrasi Hometown ke coffee shop.

If you coffee people, you’ll be amazed of how fussy they are for everything in coffee, from the bean’s origin, grind size, water temperature, brewing duration, to the number of particle in water. On milk-based coffee such as cappuccino and café latte, the milk content is higher than the actual coffee. A unique phenomenon occurred last year when suddenly some premium coffee shops  began using the new local milk brand called Hometown. The fact speaks volume for Hometown’s quality.

Of course, it’s not for all coffee shops. Some middle class coffee shops are reluctant to use it mainly for 2 reasons: the price is relatively higher, and shorter shelf-life, only 2 weeks. From the short shelf-life, we believe Hometown is a pasteurized milk, the very definition of fresh milk that’s been long forgotten. We decided to meet Dayu Ariasintawati, Managing Director of Great Giant Livestock to dig deeper into the local dairy market’s situation, definition of fresh milk, unique story of how they penetrate into coffee shops.

Patogen atau bakteri berbahaya bisa membuat Anda sakit melalui gejala ringan hingga berat. Pada dasarnya patogen adalah kelompok kecil bakteri yang meski jumlahnya kecil, patogen ini menular dan berbahaya. Bakteri patogen dapat melukai tubuh dengan cara memproduksi racun di makanan Anda. Racun ini tahan terhadap panas, artinya, setelah makanan Anda terkontaminasi, proses masak dapat membunuh bakteri, namun tidak menghancurkan racun di dalamnya. Pada akhirnya, Anda mengalami keracunan makan dan jatuh sakit. Salah satu contoh patogen adalah Clostridium botulinum, bakteri yang terdapat pada makanan kalengan yang memproduksi botulin, neuro-toxin yang dapat menyerang sistem saraf dan membuat Anda lumpuh.

Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food melalui perusahaan induknya Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) merilis video pertama dari rangkaian video terbaru yang mengangkat kisah inspiratif dari orang-orang di jantung proses transformasi sawit keberlanjutan yang sedang berlangsung saat ini di Indonesia. Melanjutkan misi untuk berbagi cerita tentang orang-orang luar biasa di balik produksi minyak kelapa sawit, seri pertama video Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food yang berjudul “The Journey” memperkenalkan sosok petani, Yatimin, dan guru Sekolah Dasar (SD), Siti Musyaropah dari Kalimantan Barat, serta ahli teknologi pangan, Punjung Renjani, dari Jakarta.

Alaya Dedaun Kuta melakukan aktivitias CSR & pemeliharaan lingkungan melalui “Mangrove Forest Planting” di Eco Wisata Bali (Kampoeng Kepiting, Tuban), sebuah wilayah konservasi bakau yang terletak di tail gate By Pass Ngurah Rai. Program ini dihadiri oleh staf dan tim manajemen dari Alaya Dedaun Kuta, Dala Spa dan Tans Bakery and Pastry. Acara ini dibuka dengan beberapa patah kata dari Resident Manager Alaya Dedaun Kuta, Dewi Artini, bersama dengan Kadek Agus Diana dari Eco Wisata Bali.

Renaissance Bali Uluwatu Resort and Spa memperkenalkan pembukaan satu-satunya beach club paling family friendly di Pantai Pandawa, Roosterfish Beach Club yang berlokasi 10 menit dari resort dan terbuka untuk para tamu hotel melalui shuttle hotel yang tersedia selama jam operasional. Nama Roosterfish sengaja dipilih untuk memperlihatkan bagaimana beach club ini menggabungkan darat dan laut dari lokasinya, bahan-bahan segar, dan suasana yang playful, quirky, dan fun.

Pelajari rahasia dari gelato melalui workshop eksklusif dari Carpigiani Gelato University dan bersiaplah untuk seleksi resmi Asia Gelato Cup 2020. Stefano Tarquinio, instruktur senior dari sekolah gelato paling terkenal di dunia akan memberikan tips-tips berharga untuk menjadi bagian dari tim Indonesian Gelato 2020 melalui workshop selama 3 hari yang akan diadakan di booth Lotus Food di Hotelex Indonesia pada 18, 19 dan 20 Juli 2018 pada jam 10.00, 13.00 dan 4.30.

Through JW Marriott Jakarta, Mega Kuningan’s event, East Meets West which was held during Ramadhan, we met Heri Purnama, The Executive Sous Chef who was in charge for the food of the event. He served various Indonesian dishes, combined with other international menu with “liwetan” style. Even though we never met the chef personally before, we assume he has wide knowledge acquired through years of working abroad, also high passion for local food. To confirm it, we decided to meet Heri Purnama for an exclusive interview to discuss about his background, his experience of working in England for 10 years, to his passion of his hometown’s dishes, Sumbawa.

Hygiene dan sanitas mungkin bukanlah aspek utama dalam suatu bisnis F&B, namun itu adalah hal pertama yang harus diajarkan pada siapapun yang ingin bergerak di bisnis F&B. Sayangnya aspek ini sering diabaikan oleh para pelaku bisnis F&B di Indonesia. Ada banyak penyebabnya, mulai dari para pemilik yang lebih berorientasi pada keuntungan, menganggapnya sebagai beban, hingga peraturan yang longgar dari pemerintah. Padahal, menurut Chef Rahmat Kusnedi, Presiden Indonesia Pastry Alliance (IPA), pemahaman akan hygiene dan sanitasi justru akan meningkatkan profit Anda.

Ideally, before discussing about other things, hygiene and sanitation are the firstthing taught by any professionals in the industry. Unfortunately, in Indonesia,many people often overlook this aspect. There are many contributing factors, from the money-oriented owners who see them as expense, to the loose regulation from the government. On the contrary, according to Chef Rahmat Kusnedi, The President of Indonesia Pastry Alliance (IPA), the understanding of hygiene and sanitation can help in boosting your profit.

Ingredients :

100 gram High grade rice (from Tegelalang)
25 gram Onion, finely diced
50 ml Brem (rice wine)
15 gram Vegetable oil
0.5 liter Snail stock
50 ml Whipping cream (with until soft peaks) 10 gram Dehydrated sea grapes
10 gram Dehydrated fern tips
50 pieces Rice field snails
10 pieces Wild chili flowers (they grow next to the rice fields)
25 gram Abon (floss) made from frogs (whichswims in the rice fields)
4 pieces Duck egg
25 ml Brown butter infused with garlic

It’s not easy to build a successful business, let alone maintaining its quality, and moreover make it grow so prosperously. But Eelke Plasmeijer and his partner-in-cook Ray Ardiansyah, manage to overcome the apparent odds and achieved the impossible. The gentlemen behind growing Locavore empire (which has since sprawled into Locavore-To-Go, Night Rooster and Nusantara) seems like an unlikely match, but when they meet together, we can see that genuine chemistry oozing from both of them and makes us somehow understand what made them to be such a formidable team. Passion sat down and talk with the dynamic duo in a conversation that graciously evolves into a deeply warm relational topic. Here goes.

As the mastermind of an award-winning restaurant, how hard it is to maintain the quality of your dishes and establishment in general? Please share from both point of view.

Ray: For the dishes, we are super lucky to have a solid team in the kitchen, and also where we are right no (the interview room), is an area called Loca Lab, which is our R & D kitchen. Normally in the weekdays we and our team usually tinker around with dishes and ideas here. When they come up right, they can be placed as the menu in Locavore. Plus, our bunch of young team now consist of people from around the archipelago; Makassar, Manado, even Pulau Anambas. We also have Balinese guys as well, so it’s a good mix of references. We work six days a week and everyone takes turn to have one day off.

Eelke: Yeah, we are so lucky to have people who are actually care. I mean, we works with a lot of people over the years, and a lot of them doesn’t give a damn. But most of people who are working with us are those who care and willing to put the hour. When we first opened Locavore we have just 9 people, including me and Ray, and all those people are still with us until now. I called this our core team. The combination of that people who are here to stay and those who are only with us for two or three years make for a really good mix, they keep each other focused and are so solid. So, to answer your question, this condition makes it easier for us to maintain our quality nowadays.

Ray: I know Eelke from ten years ago so I know him very well, I never take anything personal. I think that’s how it goes.

So what is the main concept of Nusantara that differs it from Locavore and what can we expect from this establishment in near future?

Eelke: Nusantara is an authentic Indonesian restaurant, where we serve dishes from all over Indonesian archipelago. We serve dishes that even most of Indonesian people don’t already know. The menu are made for sharing, so we don’t want people to eat a whole bowl of rendang, or anything alone, here, you sit with your family, or the food sit at the table, and you eat it when you’re hungry, and you can have different combination of each dishes. Lately it has been super good, a lot of people visiting Ubud, but the plan is to find a location in Jakarta. We want to bring Nusantara to the Capital city in near future.

Mr Eelke, what would be your most favorite Indonesian dish, and why?

My wife was born in Jakarta but raised in Bogor, so she’s a bit Sunda. So if we go to Bogor, sometime we arrive kinda late and her mom always cook Sayur Asem with ayam goreng and sambal terasi, and that’s what you want. Like, it’s a bit cold, rainy day in Bogor, you arrived like at eleven or twelve at night, and you are greeted with a nice big bowl of warm sayur asem with rice and fried chicken. I really like Sundanese food, a bit Padang food as well, there’s a lot of Indonesian dishes I enjoyed, especially the one which cooked with traditional technique.

Sayur asem, nice pick! Do you serve that here in Nusantara?

We had it in our first menu, but we changed it all the time so I don’t think it’s still there now. We tried to do one or two new dishes every Monday, so it goes by kinda fast.

Mr Ray, according to you, why nasi goreng could become so famous worldwide, and why? What makes it more accessible than other Indonesian food according to you?

I think fried rice in general is really easy to like. Either in Chinese, Indian cuisine, especially Indonesian. If somebody from oversea come to visit Indonesia, the first thing that they pick would most likely be nasi goreng, particularly nasi goreng ayam (chicken fried rice), because they might think it is the safest choice for them (not too spicy, balanced composition, easy to find), and then they tell all their friends back home. So I think that’s the main reason why nasi goreng become so accessible for foreign tourist.

We would like to know your best traits, so feel free to compliments each other

Eelke: People often ask of course, why you get along, and I always say that because of Ray is super-consistent. That’s what I liked about him professionally. I’m not like this, I might come one morning remembering something and then forgetting to do it along the way, but Ray never did that. He gets angry, but normally when I’m not there (laugh). As a person, not much not to like about him. I don’t think there’s any reason for any people in the world not to like him. He is super-easy to like, he doesn’t give you many reason not to like him, which is kinda unique in a person I think.

Ray: I was applying job before I meet Eelke, and from the first day I worked with him, I was already impressed by him, in everything. Then we started to hang together, go to stadium, drink beer, and then comes the cooking part. Eelke is the type of workmate that always push you in a good way. Before Eelke I was actually planning to apply for another chef, and if I go with that plan, I will be a different me. I think if I go with somebody else, I will only be a normal cook. Eelke always promote me, even when I’m still a sous chef, he always said it is ‘Ray and me’. That wouldn’t happen with anybody else. I have another chef friend as well, and when we hang out they never talk about their sous chef, but Eelke never take any credit for himself.

Ingredients :

160 gr Black Angus Tenderloin 1/2 Oyster Mushroom
50gr Bedugul Pumpkin
30gr Potato Leek
25 ml Cooking Cream 20 gr Unsalted Butter
Salt And Pepper to taste
1 pinch Coriander seed ground 50 ml Olive oil
1 pcs garlic

Method : 

1. Seasoned Tenderloin with salt, pepper and coriander seed ground. Set a side for 5 minute before seared.
2. Heat pan for searing the meat, add olive oil, seared the tenderloin for 3 min every meat surface, add butter and garlic into the pan.
3. Basting the meat. Resting for 5 minute and put in the oven 200c for 5 min for medium. Cut into 2 pcs, set a side.
4. Boil potato and pumpkin until soft, strain and mashed it, add butter and cooking cream, seasoned with salt and pepper, set a side
5. Seasoned Oyster Mushroom with salt and pepper, add a bit olive oil, and seared in pan until cook, set a side

Dalam menilai kesuksesan S.K.A.I Beach Club saat ini, kita tidak bisa melewatkan sosok di balik dapurnya, Theodorus Immanuel Setyo, yang biasa juga dikenal sebagai Chef Theo. Pribadi yang easy-going, brilian dan bersemangat ini sebetulnya sudah cukup lama malang melintang, hingga ke industry televisi dengan ikut membidani seri Master Chef Indonesia untuk season 3 dan 4, serta sendirinya berpartisipasi dalam program Iro Chef. Kini, ia telah kembali focus untuk mengembangkan menu-menu di S.K.A.I Beach Club. Passion memiliki kesempatan untuk bersua dan berbincang dengan pria luar biasa ini di tengah kesibukannya. Berikut beberapa hal menarik yang mampu kami ‘peras’ darinya.

Pandan Sponge

2000gr Tegral Sponge
400gr Water
400gr Sugar
30pcs Eggs
2tsp Pandan Essence

Method :  

1.  Place all the ingredient in the mixing bowl
2. Mix for 3 minutes in medium speed
3. Pour the batter into prepared greased baking pan
4. Bake in deck oven for 45 minuteson 180°C, Check with wooden pick, ensure the pick is come out clean.
5. Remove from the oven and put on perforated tray for cooling down

In valuing the success of S.K.A.I Beach Club, we cannot overlook the man behind its kitchen, Theodorus Immanuel Setyo, also known as Chef Theo. Easy-going, brilliant and passionate, he has actually been around for quite some time before, even to the TV industry by being the creator of Indonesian Master Chef series for season 3 and 4 and also participating himself in Iron Chef program. Nowadays, he is focused back in developing the menu at SKAI Beach Club. Passion has a chance to meet and chat with this amazing lad in-between his excruciating work hours. Here’s some fascinating stuffs that we could extract.

Jika Anda sering mengelilingi hotel-hotel di Jakarta di tahun 80-90an, Anda mungkin menyadari bahwa hampir semua hotel bintang 5 memiliki signature cake masing-masing, seperti Black Forrest, Millefeuille, atau American Chocolate Cake. Namun, pada saat itu menciptakan cake yang terinspirasi dari dessert lokal tidak pernah terpikirkan, bahkan di mimpi terliar para pastry chef lokal. Ketika kami mendengar The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Mega Kuningan, memiliki Cendol Cake sebagai cake signature, kami memutuskan untuk mengadakan sesi interview khusus dengan Pastry Chef yang bertanggungjawab akan produk tersebut, Chef Hendri Dharmawan. Kami ingin tahu, apakah sekarang adalah waktu yang tepat bagi dessert bertema lokal untuk mengambil alih panggung utama, ataukah kita harus menunggu lebih lama.

If you’ve been around hotels in Jakarta since the good old 80’s and 90’s, you might have noticed that almost all 5 star hotels have their own signature cake, such as Black Forrest, Millefeuille, or American Chocolate Cake. However, back then creating a locally inspired concept cake is never on the local pastry chefs’ wildest dream. When we heard The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Mega Kuningan is having Cendol Cake as its signature, we decided to

have an interview session with the Pastry Chef who’s responsible for the product, Chef Hendri Dharmawan. We’d like to find out, whether now is the best time for Indonesian-inspired desserts to take the center stage, or we need to wait further.

Passion meets the man behind the renowned Padang Peranakan restaurant Marco by Chef Marco Lim. The executive chef himself shares us stories behind his love for food and the mission to expand abroad. 

It has been a long time, Chef Marco! What are you currently preparing for your restaurant these days?

This Ramadan we have prepared a new set menu – the Nasi Padang Berjamaah. Inspired by Middle Eastern cuisine, we are serving our own take of nasi kebuli using the rice from Solok, West Sumatra. It has similar characteristics - a bit elongated and not sticky. Much like basmati rice.

We are also pairing the rice with kambing kurma. This dish is very popular in Pandangpanjang, especially during Ramadan. Traditionally, it doesn’t use any dates at all as the name implies, and the green color came from the use of coriander. The dish comes in family portion. It’s something like what we call in West Sumatra as makan bajamba - the time of the year after harvest when people gather and eat to celebrate.


What makes Marco different than the rest of the competitions?

I’d like to think that the restaurant is more of a mixture between authentic Padang cuisine and my Chinese inheritance – or Peranakan. The food is what my family cooks back at my home in Padang for four generations now. For example, we have in the menu – dendeng cah pade, my grandmother’s version of dendeng cah darek from Bukittinggi.
 

Other than the flavors, I also make sure that the colors and aroma are the same as what we have back in Padang. That’s why the ingredients are brought here fresh from the country – starting from the rice, chilies, turmeric, and even the crackers. For Ramadan, we are importing about a ton of ingredients!

As for the cooking process, we are still using traditional wood-fire stoves at the central kitchen. This way, you can even sense that the aroma is different than when cooked using modern stove. The meat itself becomes smoky. That’s how we devoted ourselves for authenticity.


You also have several different concepts within your already established restaurants. Care to elaborate that?

Sure. Based on the demographics study, we decided to open our first coffee shop concept at Gandaria City. There we emphasize more on beverage and snacks. As for the main dishes, they are instead served like
a rice bowl.

We have secret menus as well. For example, our dendeng batokok is using wagyu rather than the usual beef but only at Pacific Place. Additionally, we have our mie goreng rendang only for delivery orders. You really should try the latter. It was our best seller during one of our missions with the Tourism Ministry back in South Korea.


About your collaborations with the ministry, can you tell us a bit about it?

We did several trips with the ministry to promote Indonesian food to South Africa, The States, South Korea, and Spain a while back. Madrid was an exciting opportunity especially. We were given the opportunity to serve a 7-course Padang-style dinner.

We even brought around 125 kilograms of ingredients from here! Only the three of us did the whole cooking and plating for a gala dinner a lot of guests. We also prepared about 600 sticks of sate Padang. After that, I was also given the opportunity to teach about Indonesian food at a local university.


We heard that Marco is planning to expand abroad. Can you tell us about it?

Yes, we have plans to open new restaurants in Bali and Kuala Lumpur. We are still in the middle of planning it properly. My major concern is how to retain the authenticity of our ingredients and transport it abroad. The restaurant’s concept would be similar though. We are still going to serve our dishes in their original form and taste, all freshly cooked. We are planning to open our first restaurant abroad hopefully in 2019.

Ingredients:

Fragrant steamed rice
300 gr beef tripe, boiled until tender
50 ml coconut milk
50 gr shredded coconut
2 tbs cooking oil
50 ml water
2 tbs black sesame, sautéed, grounded
3 tbs black sesame, sautéed
3 tbs fried shallot
3 pcs kaffir lime leaves, sliced thinly

Garnish:

Greentomato
Redtomato
Long bean, blanched
Ruku-ruku / kemangi leaves
3 pcs kaffir lime leaves, sliced thinly

Sambal Gecok:

3 pcs garlic - roasted
9 pcs shallot - roasted
4 pcs candlenut - roasted
3 cm galangal – sliced thinly
2 cm shrimp paste
7 pcs cabai rawit merah, sliced
1 pc lemongrass, take the white part, sliced thinly
1 tsp lime juice
1 tbs cooking oil
Salt

Nasi Gurih :

3 cups rice
3 pcs salam leaves
2 pcs lemongrass
1 tsp salt
50 ml coconutmilk
Water
Fried shallots

Ebatan 

50 g Kangkung - blanched
50 g Kemangi leaves – fresh
30 g Cassava leaves – boiled until cooked
50 g Young jackfruit – boiled until cooked
10 g Long bean – blanched, diced
20 g Banana blossom - boiled
10 g Black soybean - boiled
30 g Pisang raja – boiled, diced.
10 g Beansprout – blanched
50 g Carrot – cut into Juliane - boiled
20 g fried shallot
20 g serundeng

Ebatan sauce:

10 g shrimp paste
50 g red chilli – seedless
50 g shallot
30 g garlic
15 g candlenut
5 g zedoary
100 ml cooking oil
5 g salt
Lime
20 g palm sugar

Putting all efforts to re-embrace their original concept, Manisan Bali dig deeper to explore the flavor of Indonesian vast archipelago. Now with the new (and prominent) patron chef in their rank, the charming restaurant is ready to serve their best taste of the nation’s rich traditional goodness.

Manisan Bali have one noble mission: (re) introducing Indonesian traditional cuisine to the world, and they gathered the right resources to do so. Currently, they has appointed Chef Bloem as their Patron Chef. This talented and charismatic chef will oversee all menus and ensure that each one of them will carry traditional Indonesian roots, and, of course, are made with only the best quality ingredients. Conveniently (and perfectly) tucked on the side yard of Alaya Ubud, Manisan’s charm will greet you from the parking lot, until you walk down on a wooden deck in-between the glowing green paddy field to reach its main dining space.

I feel honored to be accompanied by the man himself, Chef Bloem, during my visit, enjoying the eloquent taste of his creation one plate after another. The first one that really captured my palate is called Cumi. Literally translated to ‘squid’, it consists a plate of baby squid soaked black with squid ink. I thought it would be overdone, but I couldn’t be more wrong. There is no fishy taste nor smell whatsoever, and there was this fine balance between salty and creamy flavor that is so pleasantly good it made me longs for more. Then for meat lovers, you have to try the Babi Kecap. A run-off-the-mill Chinese-influenced menu which obviously made by someone with talent and knowledge. The succulent, juicy braised pork blended so well with sweet soy sauce. I highly recommended Manisan take of this Indonesian classic, especially for those who are looking for its quality version. Another highlight of the day came in form of Nasi Bira; a portion of rice with variety of condiments and dishes, served Balinese-Royal style. I was told that this meal was considered sacred and eaten only as a part of Saraswati ceremony, celebrating the knowledge that has been given to human by gods. It consist yellow rice with six tasty traditional dishes; from tuna, betutu, sate lilit, to kakul (freshwater snail).

Since I was exploring quite various arrays of meticulous dishes, there was no way for me to order just a plain water or ice tea to accompany my journey. So I opted to order a glass of Nyuh Gading; a rejuvenating drink made of coco nectar, pineapple, grenadine and homemade coconut syrup which comes in pleasantly vibrant blends of yellow with red-tint color.

Situated within the dreamy precinct of Alila Villa Uluwatu Resort, The Warung might bears a modest name (pretty much means ‘small hut’ in Indonesian), but it will treat each of its guest with a completely elevated dining experience, both literally and figuratively.

The eclectic open-air dining venue is perfectly perched overlooking the magnificent Ocean, warmly welcoming their guest with immaculate visual spectacle that fully embrace the island’s ultimate tropical wonder. Long wooden-carved table is placed on the middle side of the restaurant, just fronting elegant open-kitchen, surrounded by smaller units of table-and-chair to ensure the convenience of each guests.

Culinary speaking, The Warung explores the diverse selections of traditional cuisine from all across Indonesia’s archipelago. During my visit, I was offered a certain set of menus, but what comes first was a pleasant surprise that’s not even on the said list; Sambal Congklak. It basically an appetizer consists hefty selections of sambal (chili sauce), 12 to be precise, served along two variants of kerupuk (crackers). I was then told that this is one of The Warung’s signature dish for every guest to nibble before they enjoy the main courses. I enjoyed every sambal variant so much, dipping them with the kerupuk crackers as well as get another reminder of how much variety Indonesian food have, even only the sambal.

Then off to the main menu, first, I was treated with Ayam Betutu; a Balinese traditional goodness which consist of steamed whole chicken in rich ‘betutu’ spice made of shallots, turmeric, ginger, galangal, peanuts, and many more. The turmeric particularly stands out as it made the signature yellow color of this dish. The Warung up their level by making the meat so tender it literally fall-off-the-bone. I was personally impressed with their take in this dish. Then I was served with a portion of Sate Lilit, which also memorable not only for its succulent taste, but also the presentation. The minced fish satay comes in a (smoking) little traditional clay griller pot, and lemongrass stick as its skewer. Fancy but still honoring its traditional roots to the fullest. Then comes next is nasi liwet; a dish originally hailing from Solo, Central Java. On this one, The Warung experimenting with modern take, particularly on the coconut milk sauce which are made with soft, feta cheese-like texture. The ‘nasi’ (or rice) is succulent and perfectly blends with juicy coconut milk-wrapped boneless chicken.

To accompany your meal, you should try what they recommended to me; party ice tea, a glass of refreshing thirst quencher made by combining mint leaves, lime, honey, orange juice and topped with green
tea, on the rocks, of course!

ou can see some Balinese restaurants in Jakarta, however, most of them are serving specializd menu with traditional concept. Putu Made, one of the latest Boga Group’s restaurants, presents the “Flavors of Bali” concept, that serves wide range of Balinese cuisine. With modern interior, Putu Made opened its first outlet in Senayan City on December 2017.

To ensure the quality of the food, Putu Made is collaborating with Mandif M. Warokka, one of Indonesian’s best chefs who resides in Bali as its menu creator. It started with the friendship of Kusnadi Rahardja, The President Director of Boga Group, with Chef Mandif who’s always up to exposing local food to the world. After series of success from franchise brands such as Pepper Lunch and Bakerzin, now Boga Group created its own local food brand, that’s more to the hi-end side compared to other restaurants in Boga Group.

The culinary quest in Putu Made is started with Rujak Putu Made dan Jeruk Bali (pomelo and prawn salad served with a combination of kuah pindang and palm sugar tamarind dressing). Then you can proceed to the next menu such as Sup Ikan Tenggiri (Spanish mackerel in Balinese “basa gede” spiced fish broth) and one of your safest best to accommodate everyone, Sate Platter (6 choices of satay: chicken satay lilit, fish satay lilit, ducksatay lilit, red spice chicken satay, lamb satay, and escargot satay). The good thing is, Putu Made has its own live grill room so you can see your food being grilled by the chefs, it’s a rare feature that can be found in restaurant in malls.

Other menu that became favorite among families is Coconut Grilled Ayam Klungkung (smoky and spicy grilled chicken grilled over coconut husks with flavorful chilli shrimp paste marinade, served with lawar, kacang panjang, 2 small komoh soup, sambal klungkung and sambal bongkot). Putu Made understands Indonesian’s obsession with sambal, therefore, they also serve the Sambal Platter where you can pick 3 of 6 sambal choices: matah sambal, coconut sambal, bongkot sambal, green sambal, klungkung sambal, and red sambal.

Of course you can’t call it Balinese food without Nasi Campur Bali. Many people are reluctant to eat nasi campur in Bali because they are concerned about the halal matter, however Putu Made served 3 variants of halal nasi campur: Nasi Campur Bebek, Nasi Campur Bali, and Nasi Campur Ayam.

With the presence of Putu made, you don’t have to go to Bali just to enjoy the Balinese cuisine. Putu Made offers wide range of high quality Balinese food that’s hard to find anywhere else in Jakarta. If you know Chef Mandif personally, you would have known how strict he is when it comes to food quality, it’s no wonder we have growing numbers of hi-end restaurants that involve his name, especially in Bali.

Lewat tema East Meets West yang diadakan selama bulan Ramadhan di JW Marriott Hotel, Jakarta, kami bertemu dengan Heri Purnama, Executive Sous Chef JW Marriott Hotel Jakarta yang bertanggung jawab atas makanan yang disajikan pada event tersebut. Ia menyajikan berbagai hidangan khas Nusantara yang berpadu dengan internasional lain dengan gaya liwetan. Meski belum sempat berkenalan secara langsung, kami berasumsi bahwa ia memiliki pengetahuan luas dari pengalaman bekerja di luar negeri dan juga passion tinggi untuk masakan Indonesia. Untuk memastikannya, akhirnya kami menemui Heri Purnama untuk sebuah interview eksklusif mengenai latar belakangnya, pengalaman bekerja di Inggris selama 10 tahun, hingga passionnya soal masakan dari daerah asalnya, Sumbawa.

Kita harus berterimakasih pada Heavenly Sweet Academy Jakart untuk mengundang 2 orang  pastry chef terbaik dunia untuk mengajar master class di Indonesia. Setelahhampir seminggu penuh memberikan pelajaran dan inspirasi pastry, kami memutuskan untuk menggali lebih dalam ke dalam pikiran Antonio Bachour (Amerika) dan Carles Mampel (Spanyol) mengenai tren pastry sekarang, masa depan, dan pandangan mereka.

We have to thank Heavenly Sweet Academy Jakarta for inviting 2 of the best pastry chefs in the world to teach master class in Indonesia. With almost a full week of pastry lesson and inspiration, we decided to dig deeper into the mind of Antonio Bachour (America) and Carles Mampel (Spain) about the current pastry trend, the future, and their perspective.

Bagi penggemar hidangan Asia Tenggara pada umumnya serta Indonesia pada khususnya, bawang merah merupakan salah satu bahan dasar (rahasia) utama yang harus ada dalam bumbu racikan. Dalam rubric berikut, PASSION MEDIA coba kulik beberapa fakta menarik perihal jenis tanaman yang di pulau Jawa juga dikenal sebagai ‘brambang’ tersebut.

Hygiene dan kebersihan adalah prinsip yang harus dipegang teguh oleh para chef dan cook ketika mempersiapkan makanan untuk tamu. Bisa dibilang, kualitas material dan presentasi menu adalah aspek yang bisa dilihat dari kualitas makanan di sebuah restoran, namun bagaimana jika tamu komplain setelah mereka makan di restoran mewah Anda – mereka jatuh sakit karena keracunan makanan? Semua citra mewah yang dihadirkan dan reputasi Anda rusak hanya karena hal kecil yang tidak bisa dilihat mata telanjang.

Indonesan-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IFCCI) mengadakan gala dinner ketiganya pada Jumat, 4 Mei 2018 di Ballroom Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Jakarta. Gala dinner ini dibuka oleh Presiden IFCCI, Philippe Augier, Duta Besar Perancis untuk Indonesia, H. E Jean-Charles Berthonet, kemudian Gilles Marx (Chef founder Amuz) dan Chris Salans (Mozaic). IFCCI juga mendapat dukungan dari Didi Budiarjo, fashion designer sekaligus alumni dari Atelier Fleuri Delaporte, Perancis, yang dibantu oleh Rinaldy A Yunardi untuk mempersembahkan koleksi mereka yang berjudul “J’ai Deux Amours”.

Mendarat di Bali dan singgah di berbagai destinasi wisata pantai, menjadi hal yang paling dicari oleh para wisatawan. Namun kini, tidak hanya destinasi pantai yang menjadi daya tarik pulau dewata ini. Udara sejuk pedesaan dengan segala macam kerajinan dan kuliner istimewanya, menjadikan Ubud sebagai destinasi andalan setiap wisatawan yang berkunjung ke Bali.

Pemandangan tebing, sawah, dan gemericik air terjun atau aliran sungai memang sangat menenangkan. Sapaan ramah khas Ubud juga menjadi magnet bagi setiap pengunjungnya. Sthala, A Tribute Portfolio Ubud Bali, merupakan destinasi baru di Ubud yang tidak hanya menyuguhkan akomodasi kamar melainkan juga sajian kuliner yang patut dicoba.

Makanan tradisional yang dulu biasa menjadi sajian disaat “pulang kampung”, kini tidak lagi hanya disajikan secara konvensional. Executive Chef, Aris Supriyanto, serius mengolah dan mengintepretasikan makanan tradisional secara lengkap. Daya tarik yang awalnya hanya ada di rumah, kini diolah dan dapat dinikmati, salah satunya di Sungai Restaurant, Sthala, A Tribute Portfolio Ubud Bali.

Sungai Restaurant

Sungai restaurant yang terletak di dalam area hotel menyuguhkan berbagai sajian dan pilihan bersantap untuk para pengunjung Ubud. Hamparan hijau Abing Terrace akan membuat pengunjung leluasa untuk mengeksplorasi indahnya alam Ubud. Berfoto di tepian sungai Wos atau di Gazebo Abing menjadi salah satu agenda yang tidak boleh dilewatkan.

Raffles Jakarta menghadirkan Turksih Festival dalam rangka menyambut bulan Ramadhan dengan konsep “Bridge Over The Bosphorous” di Arts Café, Ramadhan Pop- up restaurant, dan Turkish Bazaar. Event ini menghadirkan 2 chef tamu dari Swissotel Bosphorous, Chef Ismail dan Chef Bayram untuk mempersembahkan hidangan terbaik dari Turki. Konsep “Bridge Over the Bosphorous” sendiri diambil dari sisi barat Turki yang terpengaruh kebudayaan Eropa dan sisi timur dengan budaya Asia. Raffles Jakarta sengaja mengangkat konsep makanan Turki karena penting bagi Raffles untuk menyediakan makanan istimewa yang bisa dibicarakan dan diupload di media sosial.

Traveloka yang telah dikenal sebagai perusahaan internet penyedia jasa travel booking untuk destinasi lokal dan internasional, kali ini mengumumkan peluncuran layanan kuliner yang dapat diakses secara langsung melalui aplikasi Traveloka bernama Kuliner Traveloka. Hadir di 7 kota besar di Indonesia, yaitu Jakarta, Tangerang, Bandung, Bali, Yogyakarta, Surabaya dan Medan, layanan kuliner Traveloka menawarkan paduan lengkap mengenai informasi sajian kuliner favorit, lengkap dengan ulasan dari para pelanggan yang dikurasi oleh Traveloka dalam Food Directory.

Dalam rangka menyambut bulan suci Ramadhan, JW Marriott Hotel Jakarta menawarkan 2 pilihan paket berbuka puasa, yaitu Sailendra Restaurant dengan promosi “East Meets West Ramadhan”, ada pula paket “Buka Puasa Seru Liwetan” di berbagai function rooms hotel yang berjumlah 26 ruangan. Pada”East Meets West”, Sailendra menawarkan paket berbuka puasa dengan berbagai masakan dari Barat dan Timur yang dimulai dari Rp 360.000++ per orang, harga termasuk ta’jil dan free flow iced tea dan lemon tea.

Tasty Synergy kembali diadakan di Bali, tepatnya di VIN+ Seminyak pada 28 April 2018. Kali ini VIN+ menghadirkan 5 orang chef yang bekerja sama untuk memberikan berbagai pilihan menu. Ahli masak VIN+ yaitu Djoko Sarwono dan Deni Sugiarto sengaja diterbangkan dari Jakarta untuk bergabung bersama 3 chef profesional Bali, Imam Fayumi, Daniel Edward, dan Arief Wicaksono.

Pancious Group mempersembahkan Pancious Benefit App untuk semakin memanjakan para pecinta Pancious. Resmi diperkenalkan pada Senin, 14 Mei 2018 di Pancious Grand Indonesia Jakarta, Pancious merayakan sebelas tahun kebersamaan bersama para tamu setianya dengan meluncurkan rewards program berbasiskan mobile application. Pancious Benefit App yang dibuat dengan fokus kepada tamu ini merupakan sebuah privilege spesial bagi para pengunjung Pancious. Pancious Benefit App memberikan kemudahan, keamanan dan kenyamanan bagi setiap pemiliknya; lebih compact tanpa harus repot membawa kartu fisik, bersifat personalized, setiap pengguna dapat mengakses sendiri track record nya di Pancious.

Asian Gelato Cup yang diselenggarakan oleh UBM dan Singapore Pastry Alliance mencatat sukses besar. Event pertama di Asia yang merupakan bagian dari Coppa Del Mondo of Gelateria (Gelato World Cup) ini diikuti oleh 11 negara, mulai dari China, Indonesia, Jepang, Malaysia, Macau, Filipina, Korea Selatan, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, dan Singapura. Kompetisi ini dimenangkan oleh tim Singapore Gelato yang mendapatkan medali emas, diikuti oleh tim Jepang – The Imperial Hotel Tokyo yang meraih medali perak, dan tim Malaysia Professional Culinary Association yang mendapat medali perunggu. Ketiga negara ini akan mewakili Asia untuk berkompetisi di World Gelato Cup 2020 di Rimini, Italia. Tim Indonesia yang diwakili Louis Tanuhadi, Jovita Pranata, dan Pipit Yulianti juga boleh berbangga karena mendapatkan penghargaan Best Team Spirit.

Dengan jumlah pengunjung mencapai 81.896 dari 105 negara, Food Hotel Asia (FHA) 2018 yang diselenggarakan di Singapura pada 23-26 April 2018 mencatat kenaikan jumlah pengunjung sebesar 14% dari FHA 2016 lalu. Pameran food hotel terbesar di Asia yang diadakan 2 tahun sekali ini juga diikuti oleh 3.500 peserta pameran dari 76 negara dan 71 grup pavilion internasional, termasuk pavilion baru seperti Latvia, Tunisia, dan Qatar.

Evoking the same spirit of Hotel Indigo Seminyak Beach to draws inspiration from its surrounding local neighborhood, Pottery Café is a perfect spot to sit, relax

and enjoy the moment with a cup of quality coffee or tea.

Secludedly tucked just underneath the hotel’s main lobby, Pottery Café is an eye-catching, cozy space to hang out with impressive wooden-based interior design that combines industrial touch and modern contemporary local elements. No, I am not talking about Balinese carvings, statue and your run-of-the-mill ‘island decorations’. Instead, here the elements are brilliantly unified in form of colors and unexpected shape; such as the Balinese black-and-white saput poleng checker patterns that becomes the bar table’s main palette. This made them looks deliberately elegant and instaworthy at the same time. Several sides of the venue’s wall are enhanced with displays of ready-to-buy alluring ceramics made by the island’s very own prominent Kevala Pottery; hence the café’s catchy name.

Pottery serves finely curated collection of local specialty coffee, chocolate and tea which is 100% cultivated in Indonesia’s archipelago, along with wide arrays of freshly made pastries; charcuterie, artisan breads, pies and everything in-between. Pottery also offers their unique approach of coffee experience by providing their own roasting machine, especially designed in Japan and assembled in Java, producing their very own ‘Seminyak Blend’ creation. The coffees at Pottery Café are Arabica-based with intricate touch of details. Their cold brew Espresso is a must try; with combination of refreshing sour and bitter taste that really best served cold. They really embrace the indigenous natural products as the main ingredients in their creations, from coconut sugar to raw chocolate for pastries and cake.

One of the menus to be highlighted at Pottery Café is their Afternoon Tea package; which consists nine types of delicious homemade pastries beautifully assorted inside bright-colored wooden ‘birdcage’, accompanied by a pot of tea (or coffee) of your choice. As mentioned above, the cakes and desserts are made using local ingredients, but with a five-star presentation that will easily makes it fit in international-class display. My personal favorite would be the vegetable quiche, which combines the tender, creamy salt and savory of chopped broccoli, cheese and crunchy crust. But there are others that catches my palate as well; such as coconut mango pudding, black charcoal chonx, chocolate macaron, classic scone with cream and jam on side (the cream is cheekily placed in a round ceramic box, resembling a pomade), Japanese-style coconut tear drop jelly, croissant chicken sandwich, to Indonesian staple sweet treat, es cendol.

Seated on the side of Bypass Sunset Road main junction, Black Eye Coffee & Roastery use their combination of passion and knowledge to create a delicious cup

of Joe from curated Indonesian-grown beans.

Nowadays, coffee experience has become somewhat a latest trend for café goers in Bali, and Black Eye Coffee Sunset Road is one of the most sought-out new spot to indulge ourselves with a de-stressing cup of coffee. The quaint café / dining venue is actually the second branch from the successful one up at Bedugul precinct, owned by SecretGarden Village eco-recreation center.

Convenient is one word that pops out in my mind once I set foot inside the cafe. Spacious with lavish industrial touch here and there, the Fully A/C-ed main room (and its smoking area) can easily contains 50 pax simultaneously; with a coffee bar on one side and transparent see-through kitchen area on another.

Black Eye Coffee & Roastery takes their specialty seriously. From my conversation with their baristas, I get the impression that they really understand and passionate about what they’re doing. I was told that the cafe own two main roasteries in Bedugul and Jakarta, and specifically put their effort in embracing the richness of Indonesian archipelago’s coffee bean. Currently, they use at least 9 types of beans all across the island nation; such as Gayo, Mandailing, Peaberry and Lampung’s robusta from Sumatra, Bajawa Flores, to Central Java’s underrated Ciwidey-grown beans.

During my visit, I tried several types of coffees made by various methods; from classic cappuccino to nowadays favorite Vietnam Drip. The coffee in general is mild with bitter aftertaste; not too strong, but just enough to create a pleasant combination on my tongue. One of the menu on their coffee-based beverage list that really catches my attention is called ‘Lone Ranger’; a glass of cold drink which made by boldly combining fresh orange juice, espresso and honey dew syrup, creating an incredibly distinctive flavors of sweet, bitter and sour. A must try for coffee lovers!

Delicious coffees aside, Black Eye Coffee & Roastery also serves wide arrays of Indonesian and pan-Asian meticulous menus. One of their recommendations is called The Luwus Signature Bebek Timbungan; a fine blend of traditional smoked duck cooked in bamboo and served along with white rice, stir-fried vegetables and three types of homemade sambal chili sauce as condiment. For those who prefer seafood or fish-based meal, Nasi Bakar Salmon can be a perfect choice as well. This unique menu is cooked with traditional method by putting all ingredients in banana leaves, creating a succulent mixture of coconut milk, grilled rice and savory shredded salmon; a real taste of Indonesian’s majestic ocean produce.

Dalam banyak kasus, sebuah restoran baru yang sedang naik daun biasanya mempekerjakan satu figur chef terkenal. Seiring berjalannya waktu, chef tersebut keluar dan restoran tersebut gagal untuk mempertahankan kualitas. Ada beberapa penyebab kegagalan menjaga konsistensi, namun kali ini kita akan membahas soal succession plan bersama Chef Rahmat Kusnedi, Presiden Indonesia Pastry Alliance (IPA).

In many cases, a rising restaurant usually employs a famouse figure as a chef. Along the way, the chef resigns and the restaurant fails to maintain its

quality. There are some factors for it, but now, we’ll focus on the succession plan with Chef Rahmat Kusnedi, President of Indonesia Pastry Alliance (IPA).

Setelah proses belajar dan melakukan selama nyaris dua dekade, Fifi Sovia kini telah berada di jajaran pengusaha kopi terbaik di pulau Bali. Passion Media memiliki kesempatan untuk bersua dan berbincang dengan perempuan luar biasa ini, dimana ia membagikan banyak sudut pandang menarik yang hanya bisa keluar dari seseorang dengan pemikiran brilian yang terus mengejar versi terbaik dari diri sendiri tanpa kenal lelah.

Bringing almost two decades of coffee experience, Vivi Sofia established Simply Brew as a part of her pursuit to excellence.

After almost two decades of learning and doing process, Fifi Sofia has now stands among the best coffeepreneur in the island and beyond. Passion Media has a chance to catch up and chat with this amazing Iron Lady of coffee, in which she shared many interesting perspectives that can only come from a brilliant mind with relentless zeal in pursuing the best of herself.

Selalu ada saja hal yang baru dari industri kopi, terlebih lagi saat ini. Kali ini Passion duduk bersama Mira Yudhawati, salah satu tokoh kopi penting di Indonesia. Ia berbagi ceritanya sebagai juri kompetisi kelas dunia dan sebagai seseorang yang punya harapan tinggi untuk kopi Indonesia.

There’s always a lot to learn from the coffee industry, especially nowadays. The one we’re sitting with today is Mira Yudhawati, among the most esteemed personas in Indonesian coffee world. She shares us a story about her life as a world competition judge and as someone who sets her hope high for Indonesian coffee.

Seorang Mira Yudhawati meski tidak memiliki espresso machine di rumahnya, ia tetaplah tipe seseorang yang meracik kopinya sendiri di berbagai kesempatan. Baik ketika di rumahnya saat akhir pekan bersama keluarga dan hari-hari di kantornya. Bahkan juga ketika menjadi penumpang pesawat di sela-sela perjalanannya keliling dunia sebagai juri kompetisi kopi internasional.

Selain menyukai kopi-kopi berjenis single origin, Mira juga melengkapi hobinya dengan berbagai alat yang memungkinkannya meracik kopi kapan
saja. “Kalau aku sehari-hari bawa penggiling kopi biasanya merek Comandante. Masih jadi favorit dan yang terbaik. Permukaan kayunya tidak bikin licin saat
dipegang dan hasil gilingannya presisi”, aku Mira.

Tapi Mira mengakui kalau saat traveling tidak juga selalu harus membawa alat giling. “Minimal aku bawa QBag atau Clever Dripper. Nanti tinggal
seduh di kamar hotel atau bahkan saat di pesawat tinggal minta air panas”,
begitu sahutnya.

Soal ngopi di pesawat menurutnya jadi keharusan tersendiri tertama untuk perjalanan jauh. “Cranky juga bawaannya kalau tidak ngopi misalnya perjalanan jauh ke Eropa atau Amerika. Tapi wangi-wangi kopi yang saya seduh malah bikin orang lain menengok ke saya!”, ujarnya sambil tertawa.

Kopi favoritnya dari Caswell’s adalah Ethiopia Yirgacheffe. Untuk produk lokalnya sendiri ada kopi Aceh dan khususnya Jawa Barat yang sedang naik daun belakangan ini. Intinya bagi Mira, ia suka kopi yang bercitarasa ringan tapi memiliki karakter-karakter unik.

Kali ini ia berbagi preferensi pribadinya dalam meracik kopi dengan menggunakan Clever Dripper.

Bahan:

• Espresso 40 gr
• Susu + Krim 120 gr
• Gula Aren 30 gr
• Es batu 90 gr

Pada awal kemunculan Kopi Tuku di 2015, banyak orang dari komunitas kopi specialty bertanya-tanya, “apakah ada untungnya menjual kopi susu yang dibuat menggunakan mesin espresso seharga Rp 18.000?” Maklum saja, saat itu Tuku hanyalah sebuah kedai kopi kecil sederhana di daerah Cipete yang terkenal dengan produk Es Kopi Susu Tetangga, espresso yang dicampurkan susu, adonan gula aren dan tambahan krim.

Saat kami mengunjungi outlet Kopi Tuku di Jalan Abdul Majid, Jakarta Selatan, kami disambut oleh 2 buah mesin espresso La Marzocco (1 untuk es kopi, 1 lagi untuk kopi panas), masing-masing memiliki 3 group head, pengemudi Gojek yang antri memesan, dan ruangan khusus roasting kopi yang bertugas menyangrai 6 ton biji kopi per bulan untuk kebutuhan 4 outlet Kopi Tuku. Ditambah lagi dengan fakta bahwa semakin banyak coffee shop yang meniru konsep kopi susu ini, bisa bantu kami untuk mengulangi pertanyaan di atas?

Ada banyak gosip-gosip yang beredar tentang tren es kopi susu ini, sehingga kami merasa harus menemui Andanu Prasetyo, biasa dipanggil Tyo, pemilik Kopi Tuku untuk menceritakan tentang latar belakangnya, alasannya menjual kopi dengan harga terjangkau, hingga kunjungan Presiden Jokowi ke Kopi Tuku.

When Kopi Tuku arrived on the coffee scene in 2015, the specialty coffee communities were wandering, “do they make any profit by selling Rp 18.000 milk coffee using espresso machine?” At the time, Tuku was a humble, tiny coffee shop in Cipete who’s famous for its Es Kopi Susu Tetangga: espresso, milk, brown sugar and cream.

When we visit its latest outlet in Jalan Abdul Majid, South Jakarta, we spotted 2 La Marzoccos (one for iced coffee, another for hot coffee), each with 3 group heads, queueing Gojek drivers, and a roasting room responsible in roasting 6 ton of coffee bean per month to supply to 4 of Tuku’s outlets. In addition, the fact that the iced coffee milk concept was copied by many of Tuku’s imitators, we might need your help to repeat the question in the beginning of the article.

There are rumors spreading along in this iced coffee milk trend, thus we felt the urge to meet Andanu Prasetyo, or simply called Tyo, Kopi Tuku’s owner to listen to his background, the reason why he prefers to sell affordable coffee, to the President Jokowi’s visit to his outlet.

Cold Brew dibuat menggunakan kopi yang diseduh dengan air suhu ruang selama 14 jam, cara menyeduh nya cukup kopi dan air diwadahkan menjadi satu ditaruh di suhu ruang selama 14 jam, setelah itu disaring dan siap dinikmati.

Akui saja, beberapa dari kita pernah mengalaminya. Ketika tren kopi 3rd wave datang seketika itu kita akan terlihat lebih keren jika kita “membenci” Starbucks, kita ingin dianggap anti-mainstream. Bahkan hingga kini, banyak komunitas kopi yang masih mempercayainya. Namun ketika Anda cukup lama di komunitas ini, kemudian Anda akan sadar betapa bodohnya pemikiran tersebut. Karena seperti yang dibilang banyak ahli kopi, ujung-ujungnya kopi ini adalah bisnis, tujuannya tentu profit. Harus diakui, hingga saat ini, Starbucks masih menjadi raja di bisnis coffee shop, baik dari sisi profit, maupun manajemen. 

Tidak percaya? Coba sebutkan satu coffee shop 3rd wave terbaik versi Anda, bayangkan jika mereka memiliki 328 outlet di berbagai kota di Indonesia dengan jumlah karyawan lebih dari 3.000 orang. Menurut Anda, apakah coffee shop tersebut bisa menjaga kualitas (dan tentu saja, gengsi) sebaik Starbucks? Kali ini, kami sengaja menemui orang yang bertanggungjawab menjaga konsistensi kualitas pelayanan dan budaya, seseorang yang mempertahankan “Starbucks Experience”, Mirza Luqman Effendy

Let’s admit it, some of us committed the same sin. When 3rd wave came, suddenly it looked cool for us to “hate” Starbucks, we wanted to be seen as anti-maintstream. Even until now, some people in coffee communities still believe it. However, when you’re in the scene for a while, you will then realize how stupid the idea was. Because, as many coffee experts said, in the end, coffee is business, to make profit. We have to admit, until now, Starbucks is still the king in the coffee shop business, whether in terms of profit, or management.

Disagree? Mention one of your favorite 3rd wave coffee shops, imagine they run 328 outlets all over Indonesia and hire more than 3.000 staffs. Honestly, do you really think they can maintain the quality (and of course, pride) as well as Starbucks? This time, we interview a man who’s responsible to keep the consistency of service and culture, some who maintain the “Starbucks Experience”, Mirza Luqman Effendy.

Ingredients :

• Cold brew
• Ginger
• liquid
• Lemon
• Honey
• Ice cube/ice ball

Sejak kemunculan One Fifteenth Coffee di 2012, banyak hal yang telah berubah di industri kopi. Namun, beberapa hal tetap

sama, contohnya sikap rendah hati Doddy Samsura, bahkan sejak pertama kali kami bertemu di 2011. Ketika kami mengirim permintaan interview lewat Whatsapp, ia menjawab, “ada yang bisa saya bantu? Memangnya saya masih populer?”Pertanyannya cukup menarik. Sejak meninggalkan Morph Coffee, anak perusahaan One Fifteenth 2017. Tidak banyak kabar terdengar dari Doddy.

Kami menemuinya di Pantai Indah Kapuk. Ia agak gelisah karena proyek terbarunya, Reirom, sebuah sekolah barista, tertunda karena beberapa hal. Mereka masih
mengerjakan lantai pertama yang akan menjadi coffee shop, lantai dua untuk sekolah barista. Dalam diskusi panjang kami, Doddy berbicara mengenai petualangannya dari Yogyakarta, memenangkan kompetisi, One Fifteenth, hingga kesibukannya saat ini, secara eksklusif untuk Passion.

Since the inception of One Fifteenth Coffee in 2012, a lot of things have changed in coffee industry. However, there are some things remain the same, for example, Doddy Samsura’s humility, even from the first time we met him in 2011. When we texted him to request for an interview, he humbly replied, “how can I help you? Am I still popular?” His answer has some truth in it. Since he left Morph Coffee, a roaster, also a sister company of One Fifteenth in 2017. There’s not much updates has been heard from the champion of IBC (Indonesia Barista Championship) 2011 and 2013.

We met the man in Pantai Indah Kapuk. He’s a bit restless because his new project, Reirom, a barista school, is delayed due to some things. They’re still working on the first floor of the building which will act as coffee shop, the second floor for the barista school. In our long discussion, Doddy talked about his adventure
from Yogyakarta, winning competitions, One Fifteenth, to his current activities, exclusively to Passion.

Salah satu ciri orang Padang adalah membuat minuman dengan menggunakan telur, dari kopi, teh, hingga yang ekstrem buat saya yaitu bir hitam dan minuman effervescent, buat orang Padang sih biasa saja. Orang Padang biasa menggunakan jeruk nipis untuk acidity, namun karena menggunakan double ristretto, sepertinya acidity dari kopi sudah cukup. 

Mengapa menggunakan telur? Demi protein. Salah satu kendala minuman ini adalah aroma amis telur, oleh sebab itu saya hanya menggunakan putih telur. Selain itu, saya juga menggunakan vodka yang mampu memotong bau amis di bagian belakang, aroma amis di depan akan dihapus oleh kopi.

Jujur saja, ide Kopi Talua ini tidaklah orisinil, namun saya sengaja membuat satu minuman kopi yang memiliki cerita historis, mudah dibuat dan bahannya mudah didapat. Saya membayangkan minuman dikonsumsi setelah makan malam, sesuatu yang manis, refreshing, saya rasa ini akan menjadi dessert cocktail yang menarik.

Adi Taroepratjeka bukanlah Q-Grader biasa (orang berlisensi yang mampu memeriksa dan menilai kopi Arabika secara objektif), ia adalah orang pertama di Asia Tenggara yang memiliki lisensi instruktur Q-Grader, ia sering menjadi juri di kompetisi kopi, ia juga pernah menjadi pembawa acara “Coffee Story” Kompas TV yang dimulai pada 2011, tepat sebelum kopi dianggap keren. Kami menemuinya terakhir di Jakarta pada 2013. Ketika kami memutuskan mengangkat tema khusus kopi, kami tahu kami harus menemuinya, meski sekarang ia tinggal di Bandung, menjalankan

laboratorium kopi sekaligus coffee shopnya yang bernama 5758 (baca: Maju Mapan).

Yang kami suka dari Adi, mungkin ia adalah salah satu orang paling kritis di dunia kopi. Faktanya, ia tidak suka diikat oleh aturan atau kepercayaan, terutama pada hal yang ia anggap tidak benar. Contohnya saja, banyak orang 3rd wave yang bilang bahwa robusta itu jelek. Namun, Adi mengaku banyak tamu 5758 yang

kembali pulang jika ia melihat kopi di hopper robustanya kosong. Ketika ia menawarkan double ristretto kopi Robusta dari Banyuwangi, mana mungkin saya
menolak tawarannya? Ternyata, saya mendapatkan rasa asam, gurih, dan notes seperti selai kacang, dengan after taste yang manis. Sejujurnya, ini kali pertama saya mencicipi Robusta seenak ini. Dengan kopi di tangan, akhirnya saya siap untuk diskusi panjang mengenai harga jual ideal kopi, kegiatannya
sekarang, tren kopi, hingga kegemarannya menikmati kopi instan

Adi Taroepratjeka was not your usual Q-Grader (a licensed person who’s capable of examining and scoring Arabica coffee objectively), he was the first person in South East Asia with Q-grader instructor license, he’s the judge for coffee competitions, he was also the host of Kompas TV’s “Coffee Story”, started from 2011, right before coffee was cool. The last time we met him in person was in Jakarta 2013. When we decide to do special coffee issue, we know we have to meet the man, even though now he’s in Bandung, running his own coffee lab, also a coffee shop, 5758 (read: Maju Mapan).

The thing about Adi, is he’s probably one of the most critical person in coffee. In fact, he doesn’t like to be bound by rules or belief, especially if he believes them to be wrong. For example, 3rd wave people believe robusta sucks. However, Adi said that many of 5758 customers would go home if they find that his robusta hopper is empty. When he offered me to try his double ristretto Robusta from Banyuwangi, who am I to turn down his kind offer? To my surprise, I tasted
acidity, some umami, peanut-butter like notes, with sweet after taste. Honestly, it was the first time I taste Robusta this good. With coffee in hand, I finally ready to do a long discussion about “the ideal” selling price for coffee, his current activities in education, coffee trend, to his passion in
enjoying instant coffee sachet.

Jika Anda ingin tahu mengenai perkembangan dunia kopi di Indonesia, Toni Wahid merupakan salah satu nama yanh harus Anda temui.

Penulis blog kopi Cikopi.com menulis tentang kopi sejak 2007, jauh sebelum biji kopi single origin dan manual brew menjadi pemandangan yang biasa. Bagi banyak orang, saat itu Cikopi.com merupakan satu-satunya media di Internet untuk mempelajari kopi. Hingga sekarang, jika Anda mencari segala sesuatu tentang kopi di Google, bukan tidak mungkin link dari Cikopi.com akan muncul paling atas.

Kami menemui Toni Wahid di kantornya, kami cukup terkejut karena ternyata ia adalah seorang Manager Assessment & Remediation Supplier Sustainibility dari perusahaan pakaian Gap Inc, tidak ada hubungannya dengan kopi. Seperti yang bisa diduga, ketika dua orang penikmat kopi membicarakan kopi, tentunya ditemani dengan segelas kopi, waktu terasa berjalan begitu cepat. Simak cuplikan wawancara kami dengan Toni Wahid.

Tampaknya sekarang pandangan masyarakat akan kopi sudah jauh berbeda?

Saya tanya, dulu apa sih kerennya minum kopi? Itu minuman orang tua, orang yang mau ronda malam, atau mahasiswa yang mau ujian. Semua berubah setelah adanya Starbucks (hadir di Indonesia pada 2002), dengan kepiawaian (Howard) Schultz, ia mengubah aktivitas ngopi dan mengadaptasi ke kebudayaan Amerika. Jika tadinya ukuran cappuccino kecil, ia mengupsize semua, kemudian menambahkan gula, siapa yang tidak suka gula? Sejak itulah coffee shop menjadi tempat persinggahan ketiga setelah rumah dan kantor.

Sekarang kita bisa dapat mendapatkan kopi Blue Batak atau Ethiopia di coffee shop dengan mudah, namun 5-7 tahun ke belakang, hampir tidak ada kopi single origin meski café bermunculan. Akhirnya Anomali Coffee (pada 2005) yang memang khusus menyajikan kopi Indonesia. Sejak saat itu, industri ini terus berkembang, terutama dari kelas menengah yang memiliki daya beli semakin kuat dan para lulusan sekolah luar negeri yang baru kembali dari Amerika atau Australia. Jumlah mereka cukup banyak, beberapa dari mereka membuat coffee shop karena mereka menginginkan kopi yang sama dengan yang mereka dapatkan di luar negeri.

Jelaskan tentang cerita legendaris unboxing V60 di rumah Anda, sepertinya itu sangat
berkesan bagi banyak orang kopi.

Sama dengan biji kopi, alat seduh kopi saat itu juga sangat terbatas. Dulu saya sangat bahagia ketika menemukan ada yang
menjual Vietnam drip di Kaskus seharga Rp 75.000-100.000, atau ketika saya beli French press di Starbucks, namun harganya saat itu masih mahal, sekitar Rp
400.000-500.000. Tentu orang berpikir, untuk apa menghabiskan Rp 500.000 demi menyeduh kopi? Itu baru alat seduh, kita belum bicara grinder kopi. Belum ada
grinder manual, sementara grinder espresso harganya mahal.

Ketika Maharaja Coffee menjual V60 yang sedang trend di Amerika dan Jepang, saya langsung memesan dan mengumpulkan semua orang kopi di rumah saya untuk mencoba alat ini. Itu sekitar akhir 2010, hadir juga beberapa orang kopi seperti Adi (Taroepratjeka), Irvan (Helmi),
Mirza (Luqman), ada sekitar 10 orang saat itu. Kami senang karena ada alat yang bisa menyeduh kopi yang sederhana, namun enak, padahal sebetulnya bentuknya hanyalah kerucut dan terbuat dari plastik. Kami mencoba menyeduh kopi dengan V60 hingga malam, bukan norak mungkin, tapi lebih ke excitement.

Lalu boleh dicatat bahwa saya mungkin orang Indonesia pertama yang punya Hario Buono, saya membelinya di Korea pada 2007. Itu teko yang seksi sekali,
Ini langkah awal dan kami berharap akan datang alat-alat lain yang lebih sophisticated.

If you’d like to know about the development of coffee industry in Indonesia, perhaps Toni Wahid is one of the first people you need to see. The author of Cikopi.com has been writing about coffee since 2007, dar before single origin bean or manual brew became common sight. To many, at the time Cikopi.com is the only media in Internet to learn about coffee. Until now, if you’re Googling for nything related to coffee, it’s highly possible to find Cikopi’s link at the

top of the search results.

When we met Toni Wahid in his office, we’re a bit surprised to know that he’s actually a Manager Assessment & Remediation Supplier Sustainibility for a retail clothing company, Gap Inc, not related to coffee at all. As expected, when 2 coffee drinkers talk about coffee, accompanied by a glass of coffee, of
course, time flies. Here’s our interview with Toni Wahid.

It seems like people’s perception for coffee has completely changed?

I ask you, what’s so cool about drinking coffee? It’s a drink for elders, for night patrols, or students who are facing exams. Everything’s changed with the arrival of Starbucks (came to Indonesia in 2002), with Schultz’s proficiency in changing coffee activities and adapted them into American culture. If cappuccino was served in small cups, he upsized everything, then add sugar, who doesn’t love sugar? Ever since, coffee shops have become the third home, asidefor house and office.

We can get Blue Batak or Ethiopian bean in coffee shop easily, but 5-7 years ago, we have very few single origin coffee, even though coffee shops are growing. Finally, we have Anomali Coffee (est. 2005) which focused on single origin Indonesian bean. Since then, we have more middle class with their rising purchasing power and overseas graduates who just returned from America or Australia. There were many of them, some opened their coffee shops because they want the same coffee they had in other countries.


Tell me about the legendary unboxing V60 story at your house, it seems unforgettable for many coffee people.

Same like coffee bean, the brewing tool was very limited back then. I was very happy when I saw someone sold Vietnam drip in Kaskus for Rp 75.000-100.000, or when I bought French press at Starbucks, but it was very expensive back then, around Rp 400.000-500.000. Of course, people would think, why spend over Rp 500.000 just to brew coffee? Not to mention the coffee grinder. We haven’t got any manual grinder, meanwhile espresso grinder was very expensive.

When Maharaja Coffee sold V60, which was very popular in America and Japan, I immediately ordered one and invited all the coffee people to come to my house. It was around the end of 2010, we have some coffee people such as Adi (Taroepratjeka), Irvan (Helmi), Mirza (Luqman), there were around 10 people. We
were so happy to find a brewing tool that can simply brew nice tasting coffee, even though it was just just basically, a plastic cone. We tried to brew coffee using it until midnight, a bit cheesy I know, but we were so excited back then.

Please note that I was probably the first Indonesian to have Hario Buono, which I bought in Korea 2007. It was a very sexy kettle, this was the first step and we
were expecting other more sophisticated brewing equipments to come along.

We already had a coffee community back then?

Coffee community is a bit loose, we’ve been friends for a while. Whenever we have anything new, we’ll contact each other, “care to try this tool?” After that, we
had Gene Café roaster, we never imagine to have portable roasting machine which produce decent roasted coffee. And then we gathered again to roast coffee at the side of the road, because it was smoking. Coffee people have high curiosity, we’re very eager for knowledge, not just as coffee drinker, we’d like to know the story behind everything, from brewing, roasting, to coffee farm.


What’s the idea behind Cikopi.com, there was no such blog in Indonesia which focused on coffee?

We have many coffee blogs now, but perhaps I started earlier, around 2007. I built Cikopi because I love sharing, of course with my simple approach. The topics were very general, after audience had the big picture, they will look for further information elsewhere. Back then, who would read blog about coffee? Moreover, if I had used complicated terms. So I used the blog to share my personal experience of testing equipments, tasting coffee here and there. People started to pay attention, and it continues until now. It’s been 10 years already, almost 11, crazy isn’t it?


The one who starts the 3rd wave movement in Jakarta was One Fifteenth.

Look, coffee shops were mostly conservative, don’t pay much attention to interior, and were not coffee showcase, more to usual hangout places. Then One Fifteenth came and offered something different. It had nice interior, expesinve machines and equipments, and we could see what the baristas were doing, similar to open kitchen concept, but we could talk directly with the baristas. Thus, interaction and engagement between visitors and baristas were created.

One Fifteenth also offered different identity in F&B world, it was not just about lifestyle or passion, we could enjoy the whole coffee drinking experience, using our own selected bean and direct interaction. Drinking coffee was no longer seen as private sphere, it turned into public sphere, moreover, when the guests started to upload the photos to social media.

Are you happy with the current coffee scene?

Both. I’m happy when people got the chance to enjoy the best commodities from Indonesia and the world, we have to appreciate it, and coffee shops offer it.
We can’t boast Indonesian bean’s quality without comparing them to imported bean, can we? Now we can do the cupping easily. Secondly, the business grows
entrepreneurships. Opening a coffee is sufficient with 1-2 million rupiahs, it has been proven.

1-2 millions? What sort of coffee shop?

Let say Kopi Apik in Majalengka. They opened a coffee shop at the house’s patio, initially offering Vietnam drip coffee with only milk, coffee, hot water, and
they earned success. With Rp 5.000-7000 coffee/cup, you can hangout as you like form 4.00 pm-12.00 pm, and people gathered there. However, in Indonesia, we
need main course to accompany the coffee, so it’s a bit difficult for a pure coffee shops, they’re gonna struggle a lot.

Yes, many idealist coffee shops started to offer main course menu.

At the end, it’s more to bistro. I always say it from the beginning, it’s not a coffee shop until you serve fried rice and oxtail soup. Indonesians love social interaction, they can chat for hours, and it makes them hungry. For them, pastry, cakes is not a meal. So there has to be main courses, be it local or western, in addition, there’s big profit behind those menus.

The realistic coffee shop will switch the concept, because, let’s be honest, how many cups of coffee you can drink? A cup? Two cups? More than that, your stomach will be bloating. You have to follow the movement of the industry. Keep your idealism for brewing coffee at home, it’s a different story when you’re
facing the customers.

The thing is, Indonesia is actually a tea drinking nation, not coffee, that’s why sweet ice tea and lychee ice tea sells really well. The one who’s most successful in changing the habit is Kopi Blandongan in Yogyakarta, it’s a 24 hour coffee shop which can be called as pioneer of coffee shop in Yogyakarta.

People are opening coffee shop with small to limitless budget, using very expensive machines. Back then, it was very difficult to sell grinder for 11-12 million
rupiahs. Now, to buy grinders worth over 20 million, people are like closing their eyes. When the products arrived, they were sold out immediately, you even
have to be on the waiting list. The same goes for espresso machine, it’s getting more sophisticated, attractive, and becomes the showcase in a coffee
shop.

Then, what makes you unhappy?

We have many closing down coffee shops, whether they’re too excited or because of poor execution. However, I believe it’s purely mismanagement issue, it’s not
the coffee. Just look at Kelapa Gading, they have so many new coffee shops. The condition is similar to San Fransisco, there’s a joke that said that San
Fransisco have more restaurants and it’s actual residents.

F&B industry has high mortality rate. Who says that? All of the coffee vendors, so I can safely say my data is valid. I don’t know the exact number, but let say
from 10 coffee shops, usually 2-3 will close down within 3 months - 1 year. Sometimes Indonesians are strange, when they have low income, everything is
okay, but when they started to gain success, they started to have conflicts, and in the end, they’re closing down. It’s the most common cause.

Second, many overly excited owners spend too much budget without thinking when to get ROI. They borrow loan from bank, hunted by debt collectors, and it’s the end. Last, it’s mismanagement issue. If a coffee shop has 10 investors doesn’t have any idea of where they’re going, when they had conflicts, one by one started to quit, and then the end.

On the other hand, we have so many success stories, most of them already have commitment to build a business, even though it started from idealism. They have
planning, clear vision of where they’ll be in the next 2-3 years, and they execute the plan well. Koultoura Coffee for example, they didn’t rush to open
new outlets, and then Ismaya Group with its Djournal Coffee that grow so fast, of course, they already have the basic to manage big F&B business properly.

Then we talk about roasters. Do you know how many roasters, or the self-proclaimed coffee roaster in Jakarta? Perhaps it’s over a hundred. We also have micro
roasters. Can you believe that you can start roasting business using roasting machine with only 250 gr capacity? People bought it because it’s all they can
afford, it worths around 7 million rupiah. One of them is my own best friend, Yunus from Roswell Coffee in Bandung. He started with 250 gr machine, then we
have Kopi Pak Wawan, Get Back Coffee. Now they already use bigger capacity machines, do you know Kopi Pak Wawan? Do you know their tagline?

 Chef Mate sekali lagi menyelenggarakan Grand Baking Demo di Harris Hotel Vertu Harmoni Jakarta, dengan menghadirkan Chef ternama di Indonesia untuk mendemokan resep terbaik mereka yaitu; Chef Giat Setyawan; Opera Green Tea de Menthe, Chef Yongki Gunawan; Chocolate Roll Snoep, Australian Mud Cake, Chocolate Coffee Rhum Cake, Amarula Fruit de Crème, Taro Choux Glazing, Chocolate Coffee Cake dan tidak kalah menariknya ada Chef Vindex Tengker dengan Chocolate Baileys & Kahlua Charlotte, acara meriah tersebut di hadiri oleh kurang lebih 300 peserta dari kalangan pelaku industry pastry bakery hingga ibu-ibu rumah tangga.

Heavenly Sweet seolah tidak pernah berhenti untuk mendatangkan pastry chef terbaik dunia. Kali ini, mereka tidak hanya mendatangkan satu, namun dua orang Pastry Chef ternama, Antonio Bachour dan Carles Mampel untuk memberikan Viennoiserie Class pada 2-4 April, dilanjutkan dengan Entremets, Petit Gateaux, Tarts, Chocolate and Sable pada 5-7 April.

Memasuki ulang tahunnya yang ke-5, El Asador merayakannya dengan perayaan ulang tahunnya pada 26 April 2018 dengan cara menghadirkan makanan free flow dan harga spesial untuk minuman, ditemani dengan iringan live music. Pada bulan ini, El Asador juga memperkenalkan 2 potongan daging terbarunya: Chuleton dan Asado. Chuleton merupakan potongan daging sapi yang mengakhiri perdebatan antara sirloin vs tenderloin, sekarang Anda mendapatkan keduanya

pada tulang yang masih menempel. Harap diingat, daging yang paling dekat tulang adalah yang paling enak. Dengan bobot minimal 800 gram, ini merupakan pilihan daging untuk sharing, kecuali Anda benar-benar lapar. Kemudian, Asado merupakan iga sapi yang masih menempel pada tulang dan paling dicari orang Amerika Latin.

The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta,

Mega Kuningan memperkenalkan kembali Asia Restaurant dalam tampilannya yang terbaru setelah beberapa waktu menjalani renovasi. Sebagai salah satu restoran
berkonsep all day dining yang paling prestisius di Jakarta, Asia kini tampil sangat elegan, didesain secara eklektik dan kontemporer, serta hadir
tiga kali sehari dengan konsep makan prasmanannya.

MIE BIKSU

++ minyak
kacang

100 gr kimchi, peras, lalu potong-potong

1 sdm bawang
putih cincang

2 sdt jahe
cincang

2 sdm arak
cina (shaoxing)

2 sdm tobanjiang

1 sdm selai
wijen / tahini

1 sdm kecap
asin (dark)

1 sdm gula
pasir

450 ml kaldu ayam



++ somen, rebus sampai matang

++ kimchi

Menurut International Coffee Organization, pertumbuhan peminum kopi di Indonesia mencapai 8%, lebih tinggi dari pertumbuhan global yang berada di kisaran 6%. Dengan market share mencapai 60%, Kapal Api Global menghadirkan inovasi baru dalam penyajian kopi berupa mesin seduh Unakaffe System melalui Brand Ambassadornya, Hamish Daud pada 3 Mei 2018 di Central Park, Jakarta.

Para pecinta steak tentu mengenal Ruth’s Chris Steak House sudah yang terkenal di seluruh dunia. Sejak ditemukan oleh Ruth Fertel di New Orleans pada 1965, Ruth’s Chris terus berkembang hingga mencapai 150 cabang di sleluruh dunia. Di Indonesia, Ruth’s Chris berlokasi di lantai ground dari Somerset Grand Citra Apartments, tepat di samping Raffles Hotel di tengah kawasan bisnis Kuningan. Para tamu dapat mencoba marbled custom aged US Prime Beef yang dimasak pada broiler bersuhu 982o C yang didesain oleh Ruth Fertel.

Passion Media welcoming April Giveaway! #AprilGiveaway .

Menangkan (untuk 4 orang pemenang), masing-masing mendapatkan :

1 Night stay at Deluxe Room, Golden Tulip Passer Baroe Jakarta, incl. breakfast for 2

Konon menggabungkan hal yang familiar dengan rasa penasaran dari unsur ketidakpastian merupakan kombinasi yang sering terlihat dari sebuah kesuksesan. Namun yang pasti, tidak hal baru yang akan tercipta jika Anda hanya main aman. Inilah yang dilakukan oleh Vin+ melalui proyek ambisiusnya, Tasty Synergy, sebuah Chef Collaboration Dinner pada 21 Maret 2018 di Vin+ Arcadia yang melibatkan 3 orang chef: Deni Sugiarto (Vin+ Kemang), Djoko Sarwono (Vin+ Arcadia) dan seorang chef tamu Ronald Tokilov (Bali Cardamon, Glaze Grill, Chef’s Room – Bali).

Menginterpretasikan makanan tradisional Indonesia menjadi masakan modern bukanlah sebuah hal baru, bahkan, belakangan ini banyak chef lokal maupun ekspatriat yang serius menekuninya. Namun, melihat jumlah masakan Indonesia yang masih “tersembunyi” dengan berbagai macam bumbu khas Indonesia yang belum dijelajahi, penggabungan konsep tradisional dan modern ini akan selalu menarik untuk diikuti.

Tentu Anda akan bingung begitu membaca menu scallop yang dihidangkan dengan salad asinan dan saus laksa, black cod fish yang disajikan dengan saus Padang dan sambal balado, atau chocolate curry mousse yang dihidangkan dengan dodol Singaraja dan lada hijau. Ini adalah konsep yang mengundang Anda keluar dari zona nyaman. Beresiko tinggi sekaligus membuat penasaran.

3 Chefs, 6 set menu with wine pairing, resulting in 1 wild ride of familiar, yet unexpected modern Indonesian dishes.

It is said that mixing familiar things with the excitement of the uncertainty is a combination that’s often spotted in many successes. One thing for sure, you won’t go anywhere if you don’t take any chances. This is what Vin+ do with its ambitious project, Tasty Synergy, a chef collaboration dinner on March 21st 2018, involving 3 chefs: Deni Sugiarto (Vin+ Kemang), Djoko Sarwono (Vin+ Arcadia) and a guest chef Ronald Tokilov (Bali Cardamon, Glaze Grill, Chef’s Room – Bali).

Interpreting Indonesian traditional food into modern dish is nothing new, in fact we have growing number of local and expatriate chef who’s serious in this direction. However, after knowing the vast number of Indonesia’s unexposed traditional dishes, along with undiscovered local spices, this combination of traditional and modern concept will always be interesting.

Of course, you’ll be a bit confused to see scallop served with asinan salad and prawn curry sauce, black cod fish with Padang sauce and sambal balado, or chocolate curry mousse served with dodol Singaraja and green pepper. It’s a concept that grabs you out of your comfort zone. Very risky, yet stimulating your curiosity.

Menjadi kebanggaan bagi Indonesia Sommelier Association (ISA) Bali Chapter diberikan kesempatan oleh PT. Pamerindo Buana Abadi Trade Event bersama dengan Bali Culinary Professionals (BCP) sebagai asosiasi rekanan pada event FHT, The Food, Hotel & Tourism Bali 2018 yang dilaksanakan di Bali International Convention Centre tanggal 1 - 3 Maret 2018. Kali ini, ISA Bali Chapter dan BCP melaksanakan dua kompetisi; Bali Best Junior Sommelier Competition, Bali Best Sommelier Competition 2018.

Convotherm, sebuah brand combi oven dari Jerman kembali menggelar Masterclass berjudul The Taste of Indonesia untuk menunjukkan aplikasi Convotherm 4 Combi Steamer dalam berbagai hidangan khas Indonesia pada 21 Maret 2018 di PT. Mastrada Kitchen di Cideng, Jakarta. Zulkarnaini Dahlan menjadi pembicara pada acara ini sambil mendemokan beberapa hidangan khas Indonesia seperti Sop Buntut, Kari Daging Cincang, Gulai Kakap Merah, Nasi Goreng, Daun Singkong Kukus, Ikan Bawal Bakar, Pepes Kakap Putih, dan masih banyak lagi.

PT. SMART Tbk, untuk kesekian kalinya menyelenggarakan Palmboom Grand Baking Demo pada Kamis, 15 Maret 2018 di Ciputra Hotel Jakarta, yang dihadiri oleh kurang lebih 200 peserta dari seluruh penjuru Indonesia, didemokan oleh Chef Lenny Limiyati dengan tema “Tradition of Great Taste” yang menghadirkan kreasi inovatif resep-resep traditional dari Palmboom, seperti; Nangka Almond Roll O, Lapis Dadar Gulung, Cake Pudding Cendol Gula Merah, Mango Sweet Bread, Salted Caramel Bar dan Whoopies Cookies.

Institut Prancis di Indonesia (IFI) dan Kedutaan Besar Prancis di Indonesia bekerja sama dengan Badan Pariwisata Prancis Atout France menggelar rangkaian acara festival internasional cita rasa Prancis Good France secara serentak pada 21 Maret 2018 di 10 kota besar di Indonesia

Setelah sukses beroperasi setahun lalu, Mövenpick Resort & Spa Jimbaran Bali merayakan ulang tahun pertamanya dengan menetapkan posisi sebagai hotel keluarga dan gaya hidup berkelas internasional di Indonesia. Dimiliki oleh pengembang yang dihormati PT. Summarecon Agung Tbk, resor beserta fasilitas pendukungnya merupakan tambahan dalam menyambut semaraknya bisnis hotel di Bali.

Sejak ditemukan 75 tahun lalu, Las Vergers Boiron telah menjadi pemimpin global di bidang frozen fruit puree, coulis, dan buah IQF (Individually Quick Frozen) yang berhasil menjual lebih dari 15.000 ton produk ke 80 negara. Misi Les Vergers Boiron adalah untuk berkontribusi terhadap kesuksesan para profesional di bidang kuliner, pada aplikasi savory, sweet, dan minuman, oleh sebab itu Les Vergers Boiron secara cermat mengambil buah terbaik dari seluruh dunia. Les Vergers Boiron mengumpulkan buah-buah tersebut, memetiknya pada waktu panen terbaik menggunakan teknik yang diwariskan dari industri champagne sehingga mampu menghasilkan rasa yang otentik, warna dan tekstur yang konsisten sepanjang tahun di lebih dari 70 varian rasa.

Anda bisa saja menghadiri baking demo oleh chef paling terkemuka di dunia yang mampu membuat produk paling canggih. Masalahnya, ketika Anda pulang dan mencoba mengaplikasikan teknik mutakhir tersebut, ternyata Anda menemui banyak kesulitan. Mulai dari ketersediaan bahan, sulit diproduksi dalam jumlah besar, membutuhkan tenaga kerja yang lebih berpengalaman, dan harga jual yang melonjak.

Namun jika Anda membutuhkan produk yang baik untuk bisnis Anda: mudah dibuat dengan skala besar dengan nilai komersil yang tinggi, Koko Hidayat, Technical Service Manager Smart+, adalah nama yang harus Anda ingat. Dengan banyaknya jumlah klien Smart+ yang sukses berjualan menggunakan resep kreasinya, bisa dibilang Koko Hidayat adalah salah satu sosok yang paling berpengaruh dalam menentukan trend bakery di Indonesia. Berikut ini adalah wawancara eksklusif kami dengan sang pembuat trend.

It took a smart person to explain a complicated subject to educated audience, but a smarter person is able to simplify the matter and explain it to wider range of audience.

You can attend baking demos by the most famous chef in the world who’s capable of making the most sophisticated product. The thing is, when you got home and try to apply the fancy techniques, you are faced with some issues. From the availability of the ingredients, difficulties in producing it in large quantities, requiring more skilled worker, not to mention the sky-rocketing selling price.

However, if you need product that’s good for your business: easy to be mass-produced with high commercial value, Koko Hidayat, Smart+’s Technical Service Manager, is the name you should remember. With the vast number of clients and various success stories of clients using his creations, it is safe to say that Koko Hidayat is one of the most influential figures in determining the bakery trend in Indonesia. Here’s our exclusive interview with trend maker

Jika Anda berpikir tentang seorang chef yang ahli soal healthy food, nama Edwin Lau langsung terbayang dalam benak. Ia merupakan kombinasi unik dari seorang chef, nutrisionis, dan tubuh seorang binaragawan. Mungkin Anda melihatnya selalu tersenyum di depan TV, namun kali ini Edwin berbicara mengenai kenyataan-kenyataan yang tidak seindah bayangan Anda, mulai dari rahasia gelap industri makanan, kehidupan celebrity chef, konflik batinnya sebagai seorang chef sekaligus nutrisionis, hingga pandangan hidupnya yang baru. Ini adalah salah satu interview kami yang paling berat dan intens.

The self-proclaimed extremist, Edwin Lau, talks about the things that nobody wants to talk about. If you’re one of those faint-hearted people, please, stop reading.

If you think about a chef who’s also expert in healthy food, the name Edwin Lau comes to mind. He’s a unique combination of a chef, nutritionist, with the body of a bodybuilder. You might see him smiling on TV, but this time, Edwin talks about the ugly truth of the food industry, life of celebrity chefs, to his internal conflict as a chef and nutritionist, and his new point of view. This is certainly one of our heaviest and most intense interview ever.

Ini terjadi setiap saat, terutama bagi para pengusaha baru. Anda mengalami euforia karena usaha Anda mendadak terkenal dan mencetak angka penjualan yang tinggi. Namun ketika melakukan perhitungan di akhir bulan, jumlah keuntungan yang Anda terima meleset jauh di bawah ekspektasi. Chef Rahmat Kusnedi (CRK), pemilik Physalis’s sekaligus Presiden Indonesia Pastry Alliance (IPA) tentu memahami kesalahan yang sering terjadi seperti ini. Pada edisi kali ini, CRK membahas mengenai waste management, definisi, cara mencegah serta memberikan beberapa contoh dari kejadian yang pernah ia alami.

If you’re experiencing high sales record, but at the end of the day, your margin is much less than estimated, this subject is definitely for you.

It happens all the time, especially for new entrepreneurs. You have the euphoria because your business gains sudden popularity and breaks new sales record. However, after calculation, at the end of the month the profit that you have is way below expectation. Chef Rahmat Kusnedi (CRK), owner of Physalis’s also President of Indonesia Pastry Alliance (IPA) understand this common mistake. This time, CRK discusses about waste management, from the definition, how to prevent, also gives some real cases he experienced in the past.

There is nothing cheesy about ‘love’, if you rightfully implement it in the things you do for others, and Watercress captures the essence of the said word perfectly through their Byron Bay-inspired café; where everyone can feel the whole experience of enjoying good food, vibe and companion in utmost abundance.

Situated on the side of small road leading to Batubelig and Canggu area, Watercress resembles an intimate, homey gathering space with comfy open-air setting. The dining space comprises of brick walls and wooden frames to give away the warm, down-to-earth yet classy atmosphere. The restaurant aims to honor the food itself as much as the one who would enjoy it. Every nourishment are carefully crafted so all of its natural nutrients not getting lost in the process, with sincerity and love that start from the kitchen all the way to each guest’s table.

The menu of Watercress covers all kinds of Western and Asian healthy dishes, including for those who prefer non-dairy selections. For lunchtime dines session, I was recommended to try their roast beef bagel; a succulent portion of soft and tasty bagel bread sandwiching perfectly roasted beef slabs. The fine mixture of the pickled horseradish, quality meat and bread filled my taste bud with pleasant combination of flavors. The same could be said to B.L.A.S.T, a generous-sized burger which name act as acronym to its main ingredients; namely bacon, lettuce, avocado, sprout, tomato and tasty homemade mayo. This creative dish combines some elements you wouldn’t have thought fit together, but they really do in a meticulously delicious way!

For those who opt for non-meat meal, fret not, as this is one of the area where Watercress particularly shine. I am pleased to try some selections of their organic goodness; such as Chia Seed Pudding, a blends of delightful sour-meets-sweet taste that comes from the mixture of chia seed jelly-like pudding, coconut cream, lemon sorbet, pomelo and burnt coconut, or Tropical Fruit of Paradise; basically a fine assorted fresh chops of tropical fruit sprinkled with crunchy toasted coconut. The Superfood Smoothie Bowl is also a great pick for a sunny summer noon, which consists of beautifully shaped mixed berries, banana, bee pollen, chia seeds and shaved coconut smeared with honey on top of frozen acai berry smoothies.

The attention to small details and ‘handle with love’ mentality is what makes Watercress really stands out among its competitors. They offer a holistic good food experience not only by the flavor of the dishes itself, but the sincerity of their service as well.

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Defining healthy food is not as easy as determining which junk food is tastier. Sometime, we tend to care less of what kind of nourishment we put inside our body. Luckily, back-to-nature conscious is currently in motion around the globe, and in Bali, there are some restaurant which already aware to the importance of organic sustenance; one of them is Living Well.

At the surface, Living Well serves all-occasion Western and Asian classic favorites as their main menu, but on deeper level, they deliberately emphasis on the elements which created each dishes. The restaurant owner, Joanna, choose to grow all of basic ingredients herself, ensuring every meals free from any chemical preservatives whatsoever. She currently had several farms up in Bedugul area, and also a small garden in her backyard where she grew various vegetables, fruits and crops with advanced all-organic farming method. Vegetables, fruit, eggs, flour, poultry meat, to coffee bean, tea leaves and soda (!) are carefully curated and nurtured with natural, organic materials before they even ends up in the kitchen. 

The restaurant’s dining venue also boldly represents this main concept. Pots of plants, vegetables and flowers greet each guest at the entrance; not just for mere decoration to give a luxuriant feels, but also to show a glimpse of their outstanding benefit for bod’s well-being. 

As mentioned above, there are arrays of delicious healthy menu to choose at Living Well. Try their Vegetable Wrap, for one. Tender homemade whole wheat spinach tortilla skin filled with organic goodness from roasted vegetables; mix salad, mozzarella cheese and tahini sauce to enhance the flavour. Then also the Rainbow Chicken Noodles; which consists of homemade egg noodle which comes in three different colors; all made by natural substances (beetroot for red, pumpkin for yellow, spinach for green), with soup on-side, oriental Chinese style. The texture and flavor of each noodle blends perfectly with the chicken soup and complimented by the tender meatballs. If you prefer rice, their aromatic sweet and spicy Thai Beef Rice Bowl is a great pick; consisting of assorted vegetables, pan-fried black pepper wagyu beef and brown rice. Personally, I would prefer meat than plants, but Living Well’s Gado-Gado is one of the best I ever tasted. The tasty peanut sauce goes really well with mixture of fresh organic vegetables.

At the end of the day, ‘We are what we eat’ is not a mere old saying; it should be the way of our life. Living Well aims to spread this knowledge so everyone could begin to indulge all the good things the earth has naturally provides. Plant the seed, sow the blessing!

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Established on 1999 as a gourmet shop, Café Dijon Bali now has expanded their business into a full-fledge healthy culinary destination to cater local, expats and culinary enthusiast in general. 

If you have live in this island for this past 5 years, Dijon is one of the restaurants which name will repeatedly come out as a recommended to-go place for delicious healthy food. Tucked nicely on an interstate of grand Simpang Siur Square, the dining venue consists of cozy indoor and outdoor areas that you can deliberately choose according to your mood. Sitting just right across their famous gourmet shop during my visit, I am impressed of how much Dijon has progressed from a humble (albeit quality) culinary store to a 60-seat favorite hang-out spot everyone knew and loves right now.

Dijon serves array of tantalizing dairy and non-dairy menus, but focused on gluten free ingredients and homemade-based cooking. They guarantee no additional flavor whatsoever added in their meals, let alone the artificial one. By deciding to go the ‘halal’ way just recently, they wish to break the boundaries and cater a broader-range of audience, especially Indonesian market and other Muslim country, so the religion’s devoted practitioners can conveniently enjoy their dine without any guilt-feeling whatsoever.

For a starter, I was offered Quinoa Chick Pea Salad; a satisfying portion of organic, healthy goodness served with edamame humus, beetroot, baby spinach, to half-split boiled eggs. The salty and savory hummus spread made from Japanese edamame soybean blends perfectly with other ingredients leaves me wanting for more. Then, the Grilled Salmon Steak was up next. This is widely considered as one of Dijon’s staple menu. The fresh vegetables on side blends perfectly with precisely grilled salmon slab, especially the seaweed which gives away a nice touch to satisfyingly wrap the overall taste. But my personal favorite would be the homemade gomae sauce served as a condiment for this menu; it certainly fit with any kinds of food with its sweet, sour and creamy taste. The good news is that the restaurant also sells them separately, so you can go and grab a bottle to savor at home! 

If you prefer to have something light and tasty, order their Baguette Wrap; which comes with rich filling of organic vegetable mixture, or the Coconut Pannacotta with passion fruit sauce as a trusty dessert, with combination of sour, sweet and tangible coconut flavor. 

Maintaining your quality is one thing, but progressively expanding it is a different level of ‘inspiring’ achievement altogether, so kudos Café Dijon, for living up the name and reputation as one of Bali’s pioneer in healthy food and quality gourmet.

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William’s offers various exciting layer of flavor and texture in almost all of its dishes.

Since its inception in September 2017, William’s has become the rising new rising restaurant in one of Jakarta’s most competitive region for food business, Senopati and SCBD. William’s is offering the fusion concept of Western meets Asian, along with the coffee, wine, and bar. Simply said, it’s the hottest hangout place in the block.

The name William’s was inspired by a kid who has a constant curiosity for new food, appreciates a warm, hearty meal and always has room for dessert. It’s not too surprising that the name came from the owner’s son. The place also displays some interesting interior combination of teal American dinner with some touch of copper in many places.

The kitchen is headed by Chef Alpin Reyner, an At-Sunrice, Singapore graduate who also became the Chef de Partie of Nomz Kitchen & Pastry, one of the hottest restaurant in Grand Indonesia, Jakarta. Alpin was originally hired as William’s consultant to design the food menu. When the owner offered him the position as Head Chef, the tattooed chef couldn’t refuse the kind offer.

“We offer Asian-Western fusion concept that’s more about comfort food. Unlike the more refined fine food with smaller portion, we want to provide quick lunch menus for the executives working around SCBD. Our menus are simple, once you read them, you’ll understand what they’re all about,” said Alpin.

The food menu is divided into 2 main sections: Western and Asian. But before the main course, you should definitely try their appetizer, Watermelon Salad (cured watermelon, vanilla mascarpone, balsamic caviar, cashew crumb, dill and lemon fluid). I mean, just look at the photo of the menu in their Instagram. We never expect you can present a slice of cured watermelon so beautifully like this. They also boast interesting cooking method in balsamic caviar and cashew crumb to play with the flavor balance and texture.

The Western menu Grilled Chicken Roll (juicy chicken roll with pomme puree, watercress, mushrooms and egg yolk confit) is a good starting point to know what William’s is all about. It tasted good, yet healthy, what’s more to ask? The menu reminds me of how good the combination of chicken with mushroom really is.

Salmon and Gulai (crispy skin pan-fried salmon served with gulai sauce and corn salsa over chili infused rice) is the highlight of the Asian ,enu. The portion is very generous with its big cut of salmon over lot of chili infused rice, please remember to save some room in your belly for more.

If you want to impress your friend in social media, an Instagrammable menu is a must. William’s has what you’re looking for, the Dragon’s Nest (edible soil and charcoal dust served with chocolate egg-shell, cheesecake, chill frosted meringue, lemon gel and red dragon fruit coulis). Texture-wise, there’s so much going on this plate, from the trending edible soil, soft cheese cake, snapping chocolate dome, and the main attraction would the liquid nitrogen which was poured onto it. Get your Instastory ready, ladies and gentlemen!

As mentioned before, along with the restaurant, William’s also has its own dedicated bar corner. Chlorophyll (fresh blended spinach shaked with apple and lemon juice, green apple and mango flavored) and French Flute (vodka, black raspberry liqueur, with lemon and pineapple juice) are our refreshing choices to end the meal.

William’s got everything you want in a hangout place, whether it’s fusion dishes, Instagrammable dessert, coffee, wine, or cocktail. With its strategic location and interesting layer of flavor and texture in almost all of its dishes, William’s will definitely be trending place in foodie community soon.

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Terkadang makanan sehat tidak selalu soal bahan baku, namun melalui cara masaknya. Jika Anda seorang pecinta hidup sehat, makan di luar terkadang cukup membingungkan, terutama jika Anda sudah memiliki anak. Anda ingin makanan yang rasanya enak dan mudah diterima anak kecil, namun Anda juga ingin makanan yang menyehatkan. Sekarang, Anda tak perlu berkompromi karena Goobne telah hadir di Indonesia, tepatnya di Pantai Indah Kapuk, Jakarta.

Sometimes healthy food is not always about the ingredient, it’s how you cook it

If you’re living a healthy lifestyle, dining out with family can be a bit confusing, especially when you have little children. You want something tasty and easy for children, like fried chicken, but you also want food that’s good for your health. Now, you don’t have to compromise any longer as Goobne has arrived in Indonesia, in Pantai Indah Kapuk, Jakarta, to be specific.

The name came from the Korean word “Goobda” which literally means to roast, and it explains what Goobne mainly do, selling healthy roasted chicken. The brand was established in South Korea, 2005 and is known for endorsing popular Korean artists such as Girl’s Generation, EXO, and Seo Hyun Jin as their ambassador. Until now, Goobne already has over 1.100 outlets in Korea only and managed to become the top 3 Korean chicken restaurant brands. Along with restaurants, Goobne also has its own sauce business, chicken farm, and chicken slaughter machine with the capacity of slaughtering 120.000 per day. In March 17th 2018, the brand was officially introduced to Indonesia through PT. Goobne Indonesia Utama as its master franchiser in the country.

Sebagai salah satu pionir yang memperkenalkan makanan dan gaya hidup sehat di Jakarta, Burgreens telah menjadi sebuah bisnis restoran yang semakin dekat dengan para pelanggannya. Untuk mencapainya, keputusan re-branding menjadi Burgreens Express merupakan langkah yang vital. Namun apa perbedaannya dengan Burgreens yang kita kenal? Mari kita cari tahu bersama.

Berawal dari sebuah visi yang mulia, Burgreens ingin berbagi sebuah pendekatan yang begitu berwarna untuk hidup sehat serta kemudahan mencapainya bagi para pelanggannya. Sebagai sebuah bisnis restoran yang memiliki misi, Burgreens telah menyiapkan menu makanan dengan bahan dasar tumbuhan yang lengkap dan melakukan kolaborasi dengan para petani lokal dan wanita untuk memproduksi makanan sehat yang berkelanjutan serta tetap bertanggungjawab atas rantai suplainya.

Dari segi makanan, chef sekaligus pemilik Max Mandias pernah berbicara dengan saya langsung beberapa tahun yang lalu. Ia ingin menyampaikan bahwa makanan sehat juga bisa terasa lezat. Maka melalui proses panjang, Burgreens kini memiliki sebuah menu yang solid dan terdiri dari makanan-makanan yang unik. Di antara yang menjadi favorit saya pribadi adalah “Greenogiri Platter” yang terdiri dari onigiri beras merah, tempe yang telah dibumbui, ditemani sate jamur kerang yang dimasak dengan saus teriyaki, serta salad dengan wafu dressing.

Makanan unggulan lainnya di sini adalah “Mini Quatro” - empat burger mini dengan empat rasa yang berbeda. Atau mungkin Anda ingin mencoba kesukaan Chef Max yaitu “Tempeh Gomashio” yang merupakan patty tempe yang diselimuti pesto kacang mete dan bumbu gomashio. Tempe kemudian tersaji di atas salad organik dan jamur. “Vegan Hot Dog” juga adalah menu yang sangat menarik. Sosisnya terbuat dari chickpea, tahu, dan seitan (daging dari gandum) dan diselimuti roti gandum, saus BBQ, mayones vegetarian, mustard, serta acar dan bawang.

Mengawali kehadirannya hanya di area perumahan selama beberapa tahun membuat Burgreens menyadari bahwa visi untuk memberikan kemudahan bagi para pelanggannya bisa jadi justru sulit untuk dicapai. Maka langkah yang dilakukan adalah dengan re-branding menjadi Burgreens Express dan mulai membuka outlet baru di shopping mall serta daerah komersial. Konsep baru ini dirancang untuk dapat memenuhi kebutuhan makanan sehat warga Jakarta yang menginginkan kemudahan serta kecepatan. Dari segi makanan sendiri Burgreens masih tetap menggunakan menu lamanya serta tetap berinovasi menciptakan hidangan-hidangan baru.

Sejak Oktober 2016, outlet pertama Burgreens Express berdiri di Dharwangsa - sebuah keputusan strategis untuk mendekatkan diri dengan pasar Jakarta Selatan yang cocok dengan konsep ini. Lebih jauh lagi, Burgreens juga mengadakan berbagai kegiatan seperti clean-eating talkshow, demo masak, acara edukasi di sekolah-sekolah, serta tentunya katering.

Burgreens juga berpartisipasi di acara-acara seperti Namaste Festival, YogFest di Taman Menteng, serta Paw Day di Taman Langsat yang diadakan oleh Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN). Selain itu, Burgreens mengadakan Pasar Semesta - sebuah festival yang merayakan hidup sehat dan produk lokal serta alami. Acara ini berlangsung selama dua hari di Burgreens Express Dharmawangsa dan dikunjungi lebih dari 800 orang.

As one among the pioneers who introduce healthy food and lifestyle in Jakarta, Burgreens has become a business that grows closer than ever with its patrons. One vital move to achieve that was its re-branding into Burgreens Express. So what’s the difference with the Burgreens we used to know? Let’s find out about it. 

With a noble vision to begin with, Burgreens wants to share everyone its colorful approach of healthy living while also provides a degree of convenience and reachability for its customers. Burgreens is indeed a mission-driven restaurant business with an elaborated plant-based menu and collaborates with local farmers and women to produce healthy and sustainable food by also staying responsible with the supply chain.

In terms of food, the chef proprietor Max Mandias himself spoke with me personally a few years back. He wanted all of us to know that healthy food can also be made delicious. It was a grinding process of trial and error which culminates into Burgreens now having a solid lineup of inventive dishes. Among my personal favorite - the “Greenogiri Platter”, comprises of brown rice onigiri filled with spiced tempeh and accompanied with oyster mushroom skewer cooked with fruit-based teriyaki sauce and on the side is salad with wafu dressing.

Another signature dish from Burgreens is the “Mini Quarto” - four mini burgers with four different flavors. Or perhaps you might want to try Chef Max’s favorite - the “Tempeh Gomashio”. This one has the all the goodness of tempeh patties with cashew pesto and covered with homemade gomashio seasonings. It is served on a bed of organic mixed salad with mushrooms. The vegan hot dog is also an interesting choice. The sausage is made from chickpeas, tofu, and seitan (“wheat-meat”) and wrapped in whole wheat bun, homemade BBQ sauce, vegan mayo, mustard, and chopped pickles and onions.

With their restaurants originally located deep in residential areas, Burgreens realized that the vision to provide reachability for everyone might be compromised. It was then decided that Burgreens should be re-branded and start opening up outlets at shopping malls and business areas. They believe that the new concept can cater more demanding, fast-paced Jakartans who are always in the search for something good and healthy. But in terms of menu, Burgreens stays faithful with the old lineup and continuously creating something new and exciting.

Pada 28 Februari 2018, Vin+ mengadakan acara Wine Dinner Joseph Drouhin di Vin+ Arcadia. Ini adalah acara yang menghadirkan 5 course menu oleh Chef Djoko Sarwono dan Chef Deni Sugiarto, yang dipairing dengan wine Burgundy premium, Joseph Drouhin. Christophe Thomas, Direktur Ekspor Joseph Drouhin juga turut hadir dan menjadi host pada malam tersebut. Setelah terkesan dengan kualitas wine Burgundy, kami memutuskan untuk mengadakan interview eksklusif dengan Christophe untuk mengetahui rahasia kualitas Joseph Drouhin.

For things like wine, sometimes our ancestors know better ways to express the terroir.

In February 28th 2018, Vin+ was hosting a Joseph Drouhin Wine Dinner in Vin+ Arcadia. It was a 5 course menu by Chef Djoko Sarwono and Chef Deni Sugiarto, paired with premium Burgundy wines, Joseph Drouhin. Christophe Thomas, the Export Director of Joseph Drouhin was also present to host the night. Delighted by the fine Burgundy wine, we decided to have an exclusive interview with Christophe to find out the secret of Joseph Drouhin’s quality.

The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali menyelenggarakan Appreciation Gathering pada Kamis, 1 Februari 2018. Acara ini menghadirkan lebih dari 300 travel agen terkemuka dan perwakilan media untuk sebuah malam sosial yang elegan. The Westin Resort Nusa Dua juga memperkenalkan lobi baru mereka, sebuah ruang design-driven yang menyerupai taman rahasia dengan kumpulan pita gelas yang digantung dari ceiling sehingga menyerupai burung yang sedang bermigrasi.

Indonesia Gelato Competition 2018 at Lotus Food Services, Jimbaran

Lotus Food Services hospitality and culinary center, together with Carpigiani – world leading manufacturer of gelato and ice cream machines, commenced a prestigious Indonesia Gelato Competition 2018 event.
Held on 9-10 February at the headquarter of Lotus Food Services in Jimbaran, Bali, the event gather together 19 aspiring gelato chefs from around the country to showcase their talent in creating the worldwide favorite Italian frozen goodness. Many of the contestants push their creativity out of the box and comes up with unique flavors inspired from traditional Indonesian treats; from klepon, bubur Madura, peyeum, es teler, to semur daging – which made by combining savory beef floss with creamy cinnamon and lime gelato.

The jury panel of the event was composed from expert in various fields of culinary scene; such as Chef Rahmat Kusnedi; President of Indonesia Pastry Alliance (IPA), Chef I Made Kona; the advisor of IPA, Augyawati Joe; Vice Director of Finance and Business Development of Bali International Polytechnic University, Hendra Oktaviano; Director of Passion Media, and Valentina Righi; PR of Gelato World Cup and Academican of Accademia Italiana Della Cucina.
After extensive assessment process by three main parameters; flavor, structure and presentation, the jury panel finally determined the top-three of this first-ever Indonesia Gelato Competition; namely Alvin Tanudjaya from Latteria Jakarta with Moscato Tea Gelato on the 3rd position, Cassandra Mellim from St. Regis Bali with Banana Hazelnut on the 2nd position, and Jovita Rainy Pranata from Francelle Ice Cream Jakarta with her unique take of Peyeum Geulis (fermented cassava) gelato on the 1st place. As the winner, Jovita will go on to represent Indonesia at Asian Gelato Cup in Singapore from 24-27 April 2018, out of which the top-three teams then will get the chance to compete at the highly anticipated World Gelato Cup 2020 in Rimini, Italy.

Salah satu cara terbaik merayakan hidup adalah dengan menikmati matahari terbit di Bali bersama pasangan di atas pantai berpasir putih di Ritz-Carlton Bali. Di sini Anda dapat duduk membenamkan kaki Anda di pasir yang lembut atau membenamkan kaki Anda di air laut hangat ketika Anda berjalan-jalan di sepanjang pantai. Ketika kembali ke gazebo pantai, Anda akan mendapatkan atmosfer intim untuk bersantai sambil menikmati freshly squeezed Fruit Juice dan Mountain Strawberries drizzled with Island Honey and Homemade Yoghurt, diikuti dengan Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon and Toasted Bagel, berbagai pilihan fresh baked pastries, kopi dan teh terbaik.

Mungkin istilah wine pairing sudah tidak asing didengar, namun coffee and chocolate pairing? Keduanya sama-sama berkafein, namun apakah kopi dan cokelat bisa dipairing? Inilah pertanyaan yang ingin dijawab oleh Joe Sentoso, owner KLTR Coffee Roaster dan Sabrina Moestopo, owner Krakakoa. Bertempat di outlet KLTR di daerah Sudirman pada 24 Februari 2018, KLTR dan Krakakoa mengadakan workshop pairing ini bersama beberapa peserta dari kalangan umum.

The Italian Trade Agency – Trade Promotion Office Italian embassy, Federalimentare dan Fiere Di Parma berkolaborasi dengan Gabungan Pengusaha Makanan dan Minuman Indonesia (GAPMMI) dan Indonesian Packaging Federation (IPF) mengadakan seminar “Italy – Indonesia Halal Food Products; Requirements & Regulations” di Hotel Mulia Jakarta, pada 8 Februari 2018.

Indonesia Pastry Alliance (IPA) menggelar Annual Gathering berjudul “Inspiring Pastry Trends 2018” di Hotel Borobudur pada Jumat 23 Februari 2018. Pada kesempatan ini turut hadir anggota IPA, siswa-siswi SMK, para sponsor, hingga para pelaku industri pastry. Selain itu, IPA juga memamerkan beberapa produk kreatif yang diharapkan memberikan inspirasi utuk tahun 2018.

CRK menjelaskan pentingnya memiliki produk signature untuk semua brand F&B. Anda datang ke sebuah resto secara acak, setelah melihat banyaknya menu, Anda memesan, dan waiter hanya mencatat pesanan tanpa memberi rekomendasi. Ketika makanannya datang, Anda tidak suka, dan berjanji tidak akan kembali lagi, hingga seorang teman berkata bahwa Anda melewatkan produk signature resto tersebut. Hal ini kerap terjadi, ironisnya, karena ego dari owner yang percaya bahwa semua makanan di restonya enak, semuanya. Namun, menurut Chef Rahmat Kusnedi (CRK), memiliki produk signature lebih dari sekedar menghindari pelanggan memesan menu yang kurang favorit, produk signature berkontribusi pada identitas brand.

CRK explained why having a signature product is a necessity for any F&B brands

You came to a random restaurant, looking at the wide selection of menus, when you order things, the waiters just write them down without giving any recommendations. When the food arrived, you don’t like it, and promised never to come back there, until a friend told you that you missed their signature product. This happen many times, ironically, due to the owner’s ego who believe that all of the products in the restaurant are good, all of them. However, according to Chef Rahmat Kusnedi (CRK), having a signature product is more than just avoiding the guest to choose the least favorite, it contributes to your brand’s identity.

Combining creative flair and fresh ingredients straight from the ocean, Seasalt restaurant redefines seafood dining experience with classy touch of Japanese infusion.

In the island of Bali, seafood is obviously a kind of easy-to-found delicacy; with lots of traditional restaurants offering their own take of ocean-induced menus, but nothing quite done it as refined and thoughtful as Seasalt. Situated on the lower level of Alila Seminyak, I easily discovered the seaside dining venue just past a set of stairs from their main lobby.

Let’s first admire the quaint interior of Seasalt Seminyak. Lavishly built by wooden and stone materials, the fully air-conned indoor area is designed resembling a stylish beach residence to enact a ‘homey’ feeling while the outdoor area comprises of vibrant open kitchen, convenient chairs and elevated wooden decks where one can freely gaze onto the ocean and feel its gentle tropical ambience. I opted to enjoy my dine indoor during my visit, though; sat conveniently on a plush, elegant sofa with dim light setting that enhance the atmosphere makes me wonder if I can just stay there to relax long after the last plate has been taken off the table.

The menus of Seasalt pay a great tribute to the ocean’s natural produces, but with a fine twist of Japanese infusion. ‘Salt’ of course serves as a main ingredients in their cooking, but also so much more. Starting with the dishes from their ‘Lounge’ menu, the Soft Shell Crab took me by surprise in a very good, delicious way; tender and crunchy deep-fried young crab glazed with salted egg yolk sauce leaves me craving for more on each rich-flavored bite. 

For ‘Lunch’ and ‘Dinner’, I can absolutely recommend their Cured Gindara Beetroot, which brilliantly combines healthy beetroot vegetable with fresh gindara fish meat into one pleasantly buttery, fragrant-flavored dish to satiate the taste bud. I also got the honor to try their new Deep-Fried Octopus menu. The crispy baby octopus blends so perfectly with gomae dressing and dried spinach that I have to resist the urge to ask for another portion. Yes, it is that good, people; you should definitely try this one out. Seasalt also serve arrays of wildly popular Hawaiian ‘poke bowl’ selections. I tried the Seafood one; which composed by blends of ocean goodness from shrimp, mahi-mahi and okonomi dashi sauce on top of hot white rice.

To accompany my satisfying feast, I ordered some of Seasalt’s latest cocktail concoctions; such as the dashingly titled Mr & Ms Alila; a clear mix of gin & tonic with soothing citrus-y flavor that comes from a slice of lime, it represents Alila brand in a classy form of beverage. Another one that I tried, Moscow Mule, is a refreshing blend of homemade spicy ginger beer, served on-the-rock in a vintage signature mug.

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With over 450 stores in Korea, Magal BBQ is definitely one of the most popular BBQ chain restaurants in the Land of the Morning Calm. PASSION visits its new restaurant in Bali to learn more about the joy of galmaegi. 

Since opening its door last November, Magal BBQ has impressed the island’s meat lovers with its Korean delights and signature combo set menu of pork and beef meats. Taking a seat in one of the comfortable booths, I can watch how serious everybody is about their meats. The other guests are intently watching their sizzling meat being grilled on the table. As a treat, we decided to order the Beef Combo – a three tiered beefy treat made of prime beef boneless short ribs, beef rib finger, marinated beef skirt meat, shrimp, sausage, mushroom and an extra sushi with boneless short rib. 

Soon, our helpful server arrives in our table with a tray filled with banchan or condiments. The generous and free-flow small delights are one of my favourite things about eating in a Korean restaurant. One can see how serious the restaurant is based on the banchan alone. Here, we have a delightful tangy seaweed pickles miyeok muchim, perfectly sour and crisp kimchi, sweet macaroni salad, scallion salad, and the savoury thin pancake. Based on the banchan, I can tell that the food is going to be really good. 

We have a delightful time grilling the beefs as we like it – and having a sip of soju in between bites. A circular moat on our griller is poured with beaten egg and soon, we are helping ourselves with a bite of the crusty omelette. The beefs are imported and thinly cut – a truly juicy and satisfying affair, especially when I dip it into the sauce and wrap it in a lettuce leaf. The skirt meat or galmaegi is tender and knowing that it has a high protein but lower content of fat, helps me in feeling less guilty about this midday treat. 

Lead by a Korean chef, Magal BBQ intends to maintain its quality and authenticity. They went to a great length to procure certain spices and sauces from Korea, as well as making their own kimchi. The attention to details can be found in their latest dish, the Bossam. The pork belly was boiled in spices, thinly sliced and served with three different kimchi: the mild baek kimchi, the geotjeori red kimchi and the radish kimchi. Each has a varying degree of spiciness and goes perfectly well with the juicy pork belly. With a delightful attention to service, no wonder Magal has found its loyal following in Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, and soon open another branch in Medan.

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Since its opening in 2015, The Butchers Club Steakhouse has become a destination for discerning carnivores. PASSION revisits this excellent purveyor of dry aged meats and sinks our fangs into their decadent burgers. 

Set in a laid-back industrial style, The Butchers Club Steakhouse way of doing meat is anything but relaxed. As I walk into the restaurant, the long open kitchen with red tiled counter is busy with the business of grilling. In the far corner of the room, a large sized temperature and humidity-controlled dry-ageing fridge facility is showcasing some sexy chops and rumps of 200-day grain-fed stockyards Black Angus from Australia. At the moment, those cuts are in the process of perfecting their fat profiles to acquire more tenderness and flavour for at least 21 days.

The restaurant was intent to serve just burgers in the first two years of its operation. But after learning that the island’s carnivores voraciously demand good steaks, Gareth Moore, the proprietor and the jack-of-all-trades as he cheekily calls himself, decided to satiate their cravings. “We basically want to please our guests by giving them larger menu and more choices. However our priority lies with the beef,” explains Moore. With wood-fired dry-aged steaks such as rib eye, rump, striploin and rib chop, I am torn between going to have burger or steak for my lunch. 

Sipping a glass of what possibly the coldest beer on the island, I eventually commit myself to the Wu Tang Style Burger. Slightly charred and medium rare, the burger arrives on the table in a beautifully stacked meat-to-bun ratio with the company of golden crispy fries. With sriracha sauce, homemade kimchi, cheddar cheese, crispy sweet potato tempura and a generous drizzle of kewpie mayonnaise, the unconventional stack may shock the burger purist – if such person exist. For what is a burger if not a decadent mixture of things in one drippingly tasty bite? Exotically, the flavour works well together in a crescendo of sweet, sour, and savoury. This tantalizing dish is a suitable tribute to Hong Kong and its rich mixture of Asian culture, where the establishment was firstly founded.

Their Double Happiness Burger also deserves a shout out for, well, giving double happiness indeed. How can one not doubly be happy after a large bite of double patty, double cheese, and double bacon between two buttery grilled sandwiches? It is large enough for two – although if one is extremely hungry, one can take it down between sips of the Pink Diamond. The cranberry infused vodka lightens up the taste bud with its slightly sour rosella syrup, lime, apple juice and cherry brandy. “There is no secret to our burger. Just good quality beef and nothing else!” states Moore. We definitely agree. With such a good dry-aged beef, why would we want anything else?

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Korean food invades Indonesia through pop culture, just like what the Japanese did in the 1990’s.

You can’t overlook the role of K-Pop culture in introducing Korean food to Indonesians. In most Korean dramas, you’ll see many scenes of Korean actors and actresses have Korean dishes, it is no wonder the Korean fans started to have some interest on Korean food. Suddenly, you started to notice new Korean restaurants in some regions in Jakarta, especially in the leading malls. Of course, it’s a bit confusing to pick few names from the vast array of Korean restaurants, especially for those who are not familiar with Korean food. We present you, Chung Gi Wa as one of the best Korean BBQ restaurants in its league.

Chung Gi Wa first opened its door to public in 1997 by Mrs. Lee In Jung in Jl. Dharmawangsa III. Of course, the hype of Korean food was not as big as it is now, therefore, Chung Gi Wa was having a hard time back then, until they found Chef Kris Kim, who has led the kitchen department until now. The restaurant opened its second outlet in 2009 to introduce Korean food to wider audience. However, in 2014-2017, Chung Gi Wa already have 10 outlets in Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya, and the last one, the 15th outlet, had just opened in August 2017, located in Makassar.

In Korean, Chung Gi Wa literally means blue roof tile. In Korea, blue roof tile is the symbol of tradition and aristocracy, they use the name to make the customers feel like a nobility with special service from the waiters with Korean traditional interior and atmosphere.

Learning from past experience since it opened for the first time, Chung Gi Wa is continuously evaluating itself to suit the the Korean food to the local taste. Chung Gi Wa is also put special attention to the quality of the meat and vegetable as the main ingredients in the restaurants to provide healthy and nutritious food within affordable price.

The meat handling is the reason that put Chung Gi Wa away from the other Korean restaurants, one of them is by always begin with the aging process. Not many Korean BBQ restaurants are willing to go this far. In addition, Chung Gi Wa also grow its own vegetables in Ciawi, Bogor for better quality control. They also built the central kitchen to produce and keep the ingredients to maintain the taste and the quality consistency in each outlet.

Korean food is always processed with high attention to nutrition and color combination. The Korean also often implements the fermentation system. The technique is used to produce various Korean dishes and spices. Korean restaurants also have their own signature, by presenting various kinds of side dishes to complement your meal.
If you’re a BBQ fan, Korean restaurants will be more attractive for its wider range of meat and specification compared to Japanese BBQ. In addition, you will have more side dishes and sauce to enjoy the BBQ dining experience.

As a starter, Chung Gi Wa Special (premium rib eye) is a wise choice to see the effect of the dry aging to the meat in Chung Gi Wa, meanwhile, to get richer taste and juicier texture, Bul Galbi (marinated short rib) is definitely our favorite. Not everyday you can have this rich, umami, yet very tender short rib.

Chung Gi Wa also has other menus to introduce us the Korean food through menus such as Budae Jjigae (rich tasting spicy sausage & spam stew with kimchi, minced pork, vegetables, rice cake and ramen), Haemul Pajeon (Korean pancake with seafood and green onion), and Japchae Beef (glass noodle with sautéed vegetables, beef). These menu showed us that Korean taste is more than just kimchi

Dining in Korean restaurant is a unique experience that you can’t get anywhere else. If you’re used to eat in Padang restaurants, you’d think that you can pick the side dishes and pay them afterwards, but the good news is, in here, they’re all free. The side dishes that you’ll have will be adjusted to the menu that you’ve ordered. Furthermore, if you want more, you can always ask for refill.

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We know the title’s is very cliché, but we couldn’t better words to describe the experience of dining in Bornga

Since its inception at Jalan Wolter Monginsidi, South Jakarta on August 8th 2011, Bornga (read: Born Ga) has believed that every guest must come home filled and satisfied. Bornga comes from Korean word which means home of the ancestors, If you see many expatriates in Korean restaurant, in here you’ll see the opposite, especially on weekend and holiday.

The Korean franchise brand has conducted some necessary adaptations to suit the local taste bud. One of them is by reducing the use of garlic, as we all know, Koreans really love aroma of garlic. However, Bornga is still setting the high standard by paying attention to every detail. They have their own rule on the cooking duration, the weight of each ingredient to get consistent result. In addition, the main franchisor regularly visits each outlet to ensure every single one meet the standard.

One of Bornga’s strong points is the presence of complete set of side dish, even you’ll get more than what you order. If you order BBQ menus, you’ll have more than 6 side dishes, including their famous seaweed soup. Some customers are even willing to pay for it because the soup is good for health, especially for the elders.

Seeing the amount of the vegetable provided, you’ll stop wondering why Koreans are famous for their healthy lifestyle as they consume loads of vegetable. You can eat it your way, but most people prefer to wrap the BBQ meat using the vegetable and then dip it into the dipping sauce.

Favorite Menus
One of the must try in Bornga is their Woo Samgyeop. As one of the first menu created by Bornga, it stays the most favorite with the thinly sliced beef loin. You can have cuts with less fat to the waiter, but don’t recommend it as the fat in the beef loin gives it more umami to the overall taste.

Bornga also offers Saeng Galbi, ribs with the classic savory and tender flavor served fresh, without freezing, Kkot Sal (bottom sirloin triangle) Daepae Useol: the tender and chewy beef tongue that is good for skin and stamina. One of our favorite is still the marinated ribs, which was executed very well by Bornga in their menu Yangneom Galbi, made of the ribs with the juiciest gravy.

Aside from BBQ menus, Bornga also provides other Korean favorites such as Haemul Tteok-jjim, a combination of seafood such as fresh prawn, crab, mussel, squid, octopus, fish cake and vegetable such as bamboo sprout, mushroom, chinese cabbage, and cabbage mixed with spicy sauce and simmered-dish. If you don’t eat seafood, perhaps you’ll be interested in Chadol Doenjang-jjigae, soybean paste stew with beef brisket, enjoy it better with rice and vegetables all mixed together in a large bowl. Of course, they also have other staple Korean dishes such as Jap Chae, Haemul Pa Jeon, and Bornga Naengmyeon.

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Staying true to the roots while continuously expanding his visionary F&B empire across the globe, the Korean chef Akira Back opened AB Steak just last year and has since garnered rave reviews. As for what makes the steakhouse really special, let’s find out.

Following the huge success of Akira Back Indonesia - the chef’s first restaurant in Jakarta, there’s no way for Chef Akira but to move forward from here. The untapped potentials and endless curiosity of Jakarta’s diners sparked the brave move and at the same time making Jakarta among the few cities in the world with more than one Akira Back’s restaurant. 

Akira Back Indonesia itself has set the bar very high in the competition, thanks to its highly consistent quality as well as service. It is only natural that the crowd would expect the same from AB Steak and our visit there last time exceeded all the expectations.

AB Steak by Chef Akira Back is a revolutionary restaurant that incorporates the American-style of steakhouse imbued with lush Korean flairs. The restaurant offers a new level of dining experience not just for gourmet food seekers but for true steak aficionados as well.

As one can see from menu, already AB Steak has prepared a complete lineup of in-house dry aged beef from 30 days and up to 120 days. The dry aging method is very much preferred nowadays in many steakhouses all over the world. The process itself makes the flavor more concentrated and at times, giving away unique characteristics like for example the taste of aged cheese and the pleasant meaty texture. 

The best part of the dining experience here is when the chef themselves visits your dining table personally and grill the meat in front of the guests. The cut of your choice was previously trimmed to minute details and then brushed with garlic oil to give that glossy good look. After that, it is simply rubbed only with salt and pepper, no marination needed. The steak then grilled to perfection, sliced, and ready to be enjoyed - optionally using six different salts with different flavors from truffles, yuja, yuzu, Sriracha, garlic, and the Himalayan salt.

As for the steaks, diners are encouraged to traverse across different cuts of meat. Choices of the premium cuts are ranging from grass-fed wagyu of NY strip or skirt steak and up to the luxurious Ohmi short ribs or Chateau Uenae’s Hokkaido “Snow” California cut. The must-try came from the lineup of in-house dry aged meat selections such as the 45 days or 90 days old porterhouse, the excellent and juicy 21 days old “Picanha”, and the exquisite Spinalis Dorsi or the crème a la crème of the ribs.

The more pronounced Korean part also appears from the starters and side dishes sections. Among our most memorable was the Chilean blue mussels with wagyu meatballs, and accompanied with crispy tteokbokki - all dressed in gochujang butter sauce. Other than that the Tuna Yukke was presented neatly with cucumber and scallion muchim and decorated with seaweed bugak and sesame sauce. The mind-blowing appetizer goes for the bone marrow, perfectly roasted and paired with beef tartare made from wagyu, served on toasted brioche.

One of the best accompanying dishes for the steaks is the roasted Brussels sprout with garlic confit and the crispy rice puffs. Another interesting choice would be the bibimbap with foie gras, poached egg, mixed vegetables, short ribs, with the always delectable gochujang sauce.

Chef Akira himself is no stranger in the world’s top class fine-dining scene. It all started with years of his upbringing as a professional chef, and even previously as an athlete, in the United States. Not only in Dallas, Las Vegas, and Toronto; Chef Akira Back has already now spread his business across to Asia - from Seoul, Bangkok, Singapore, Hanoi, Jakarta, to as far as New Delhi. DOSA in Seoul is among his highly successful restaurants which was opened just mere two years ago and was already awarded with one Michelin star in 2017.

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Belakangan ini, sulit rasanya menentukan batasan yang jelas antara coffee shop tradisional dan restoran. Untungnya, ini bukan berarti hal buruk. Di tengah British Invasion pada tahun 1960an, musisi blues Inggris dapat dibagi menjadi 2 kategori. Eric Clapton mengaku sebagai blues purist, sementara orang seperti Jeff Beck dan Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) lebih suka menembus batasan blues tradisional dan membuat sesuatu yang kontemporer, sesuatu yang progresif. Tampaknya sejarah kembali terulang, kali ini di industri kopi.

It is getting more and more difficult to draw a clear line between traditional coffee shop and restaurant nowadays. Fortunately, it doesn’t mean a bad thing

In the 1960’s British invasion, the English bluesmen were grouped into 2 categories. Eric Clapton was a self-proclaimed blues purist, while others such as Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin prefer to stretch the traditional blues into……something contemporary, something progressive. It appears that history repeats itself, this time in coffee industry.

Yeu Saigon Café hadir membawakan angin segar untuk para eksekutif, pekerja dan keluarga, yaitu dengan memperkenalkan kuliner Vietnam yang otentik dan sehat. Terletak di Kawasan Epicentrum Kuningan, Jakarta Selatan dengan konsep restoran casual dining, Yeu Saigon Café cocok untuk di jadikan tempat makan siang maupun meting dengan private room dan pelayanan terbaik.

Ketika chef owner dari salah satu resto fine dining terbaik di Indonesia berkolaborasi dengan seorang Michelin Star Guest Chef, tentu saya mengharapkan sesuatu yang megah. Namun, Gilles Marx dan Olivier Oddos justru mengingatkan hal dasar yang sering terlupakan di scene fine dining yang megah.

Seringkali musisi pemula terobsesi dengan teknik-teknik untuk pamer (right hand tapping di gitar atau double pedal pada drum) sehingga mengabaikan alasan keberadaan mereka: untuk melayani lagu. Tentu saja, Ringo Starr dapat memainkan part rumit di “A Day in The Life”, tapi ketika bermain dalam lagu Beatles yang lebih lembut seperti “Here There and Everywhere”, ia tidak main berlebihan, semata karena lagu tersebut memang tidak membutuhkannya.

Hal yang sama terjadi di scene fine dining. Saya tidak menyalahkan jika Anda berpikir bahwa scene ini adalah mengenai makanan dengan porsi yang jauh lebih kecil, yang disajikan secara indah, menggunakan edible flower secara berlebihan dan bahan-bahan mewah seperti foei gras dan caviar. Namun, beberapa chef percaya bahwa tujuan utama mereka adalah untuk melayani bahan baku, terutama bagi chef Jepang dan Perancis. Sashimi adalah contoh sempurna. Meski menyajikan potongan daging ikan mentah terlihat sangat sederhana, tanya saja para chef Jepang berapa lama mereka harus belajar mendalami seni sashimi ini. Selain keahlian menggunakan pisau (beserta kecap asin Jepang dan wasabi tentunya), sashimi tidak membutuhkan proses masak atau alat masak yang terlalu canggih, karena daging ikan segar ini sudah enak apa adanya. Saya rasa, ini adalah pesan yang ingin disampaikan Gilles Marx dan Olivier Oddos di acara kolaborasi Amuz pada 7-9 Februari 2018.

When the chef owner of one of the best fine dining restaurant in Indonesia collaborate with a Michelin Star Guest Chef, naturally I’d expect something extravagant. However, Gilles Marx and Olivier Oddos reminded me the basic thing that is often overlooked in the flashy fine dining scene.

Most of the times, beginner musicians are obssessed by flashy techniques (guitar’s right hand tapping or drum’s double pedal) while ignoring their raison d’etre: to serve the song. Of course, Ringo Starr can play complicated part in “A Day in The Life”, but when he played Beatles’ gentler songs such as “Here There and Everywhere”, he didn’t go over the top, simply because the song didn’t require it.

The same thing happens in fine dining scene. I won’t blame you if you think that this scene is all about beatifully plated food in much smaller portion, decorated with excessive edible flower, and fancy ingredients such as foei gras and caviar. However, some chefs believe that their main goal is to serve ingredients, especially French and Japanese chefs. Sashimi is a perfect example. Even though serving raw sliced fish may looked dead simple, ask any Japanese chefs how much time needed to learn the art of sashimi. Apart from the knife expertise (along with shoyu and wasabi, of course), it involves no fancy cooking method or equipments, simply because the fresh raw fish is good as it is. I guess this is the message that Gilles Marx and Olivier Oddos were trying to convey in Amuz’s collaboration event in February 7th -9th 2018.

Seorang pemuda tampak kesulitan dalam menyalakan api kompor Perancis Lacanche, di Pantry Magic. “Bisa bantu saya? Sepertinya kompor ini terlalu canggih buat saya,” ia tertawa. Tidak membutuhkan waktu lama baginya untuk terbiasa dengan perlengkapan canggih ini untuk membuat tuile untuk resepnya Ayam Base Genep.

Beberapa orang tertarik mendalami dunia medis, beberapa juga tertarik mendalami kuliner, namun sangat sedikit yang mendalami keduanya. Meski masih muda, mahasiswa Kedokteran semester 7, Leonardus Eric atau dikenal juga dengan nama Eric KHM, ternyata juga sibuk merintis Jamuan, bisnis private diningnya. Sebagai tambahan, pemuda berusia 21 tahun ini juga terlibat dalam setiap langkah kreasi menu, mulai dari membuat konsep, memasak, styling, hingga membuat video dan foto dari masakannya. Anda bisa melihat hasil karyanya di Instagram Jamuan, @jamuan. “Aktivitas saya lumayan sibuk, saya pergi kuliah setiap jam 7 pagi hingga 3 sore, setelah itu saya ada meeting, terkadang saya hanya tidur selama 3 jam,” kata Eric.

Melihat passionnya di bidang masak, kami berasumsi bahwa pilihannya untuk kuliah Kedokteran berasal dari orang tuanya. Namun ternyata kami salah. “Ini adalah pilihan saya sendiri, saya tidak bisa memilih salah satunya, mungkin saya tipe orang yang suka banyak hal. Namun saya ingin menjadi wiraswasta, saya bercita-cita untuk memiliki grup yang menggabungkan unsur medis dan F&B, saya sudah menemukan irisan untuk membuat keduanya bisa berjalan beriringan,” katanya.

Jamuan adalah wadah untuk memamerkan kecintaan Eric pada masakan lokal. Eric juga merupakan anggota ACMI (Aku Cinta Masakan Indonesia) muda, komunitas turunan dari ACMI dengan anggota yang lebih muda, lebih tepatnya, di bawah 24. “Generasi muda tidak banyak tahu tentang masakan Indonesia. Sebetulnya masakan Indonesia itu sangat luas, setiap daerah memiliki rasa khasnya sendiri, dan semuany enak. Kita juga punya begitu banyak bahan baku, kita bisa menggunakan semua bagian tanaman mulai dari rimpang, akar, daun, batang, hingga bunganya. Saya berusaha untuk memperkenalkan masakan Indonesia kepada dunia,” tambahnya.

A young boy was struggling to turn on the French stove, Lacanche in Pantry Magic. “Can I get any help? It’s too sophisticated for me,” he laughed. It doesn’t take too long for him to be accustomed to this fancy piece of equipment as he trying to make the tuile for his recipe Ayam Base Genep.

Some people are into medical, some are into culinary, but very few decided to
learn both. Despite of his young age, the 7th semester medical student, Leonardus Eric, also known as Eric KHM, is also busy running Jamuan, his own private dining brand. In addition, the 21 years old boy also involves in every part of the menu creation, from concepting, cooking, styling, to taking pictures and videos of his own creation. You can see his creations in Jamuan’s Instagram @jamuan. “It’s quite busy, I go to college on 7.00 am to 3.00 pm, after that I’ll have meetings, sometimes I only have 3 hours to sleep,” said Eric.

Cooking has become a hobby for Eric from childhood. “I love reading recipe books, watching the cooking reality shows. Most of all, I love to come to places to learn traditional recipes from the local people to get the true authentic taste. For the past 3-4 years, things are getting more serious, now I know what want to do in this industry,” he said.

Seeing his passion in cooking, we assume that his choice of becoming a medical student came from his parents. Apparently, we are wrong. “Its my own choice, I can’t choose only one, perhaps because I love many things. However, I love being an entrepreneur, I have a dream of having my own group that combines medical and F&B one day, I’ve found a way to make synergy for both of them,” said Eric.

Jamuan is the showcase of Eric’s love to local produce. In fact, Eric is a member of young ACMI (Aku Cinta Masakan Indonesia), a sub community under the actual ACMI, which has younger member, under 24 to be specific. “The younger generations don’t understand much about Indonesian food. Actually, Indonesian food is very big, each region has different local taste, and they are all good. We also have so many ingredients, we can use everything from the plants, from the rhizome, root, leaf, trunk, to the flower. I’m trying to bring the local cuisine to the world,” he said.

ACP (Association of Culinary Professionals) Indonesia kembali mengadakan acara di Modena Experience Center pada Sabtu 20 Januari 2018. Kali ini, ACP Indonesia bekerja sama dengan Tulip Chocolate untuk memberikan seminar berjudul “From Cocoa Beans to Chocolate” yang dibawakan oleh Louis Tanuhadi, The Embassy of Chocolate dan Chef Benty Diwansyah, Corporate Pastry Chef PT. Nirwana Lestari.

Interfood, sebuah perusahaan yang bergerak di bisnis dairy akhirnya resmi mengadakan acara Grand Launching bertema “United For Greatness” pada Rabu 17 Januari 2018, di Merak Room Jakarta Convention Center. Interfood sekarang secara resmi telah memiliki 16 kantor yang tersebar di seluruh dunia. Pembukaan kantor di Indonesia merupakan langkah yang diambil Interfood untuk lebih dekat dengan para pelanggan.

Hotel Santika Premiere Slipi Jakarta menawarkan pilihan untuk merayakan paket Valentine dinner menu pilihan chef profesional.Salah satunya adalah King Prawn yang disajikan dengan campuran selada dan thousand island, kemudian Grilled Wagyu Tenderloin Beef yang disajikan dengan asparagus segar dan berbagai pilihan dessert. Untuk pengalaman romantic dinner yang tidak terlupakan, tim kuliner The Harmony Restaurant akan memanjakan para tamu dengen sebotol red atau white wine yang termasuk ke dalam dinner package di Hotel Santika Premiere Slipi Jakarta dengan harga mulai dari Rp 1.000.000/ pasangan.

AWkitchen, sebuah restoran Italia dengan pengaruh Jepang yang dikepalai oleh Chef Akira Watanabe, mempersembahkan sajian terbaiknya pada 19 Januari 2018 di AWKitchen Plaza Senayan. “Di AWkitchen, kami yakin bahwa pentingnya makanan berkualitas lebih dari sekedar marketing gimmick. Oleh sebab itu kami memberikan dedikasi penuh untuk detail sejak awal,” kata Lowrenz Tanuwidjaja, Director of Operation AWkitchen.

Edisi ketiga dari Asia Best Sommelier Competition in French Wines yang diselenggarakan oleh SOPEXA bertempat di Taiwan tahun ini. Kompetisi ini berlangsung selama 3 hari ini terdiri dari 4 seminar wine dan 14 tantangan. Kandidat datang dari 10 negara, termasuk Taiwan, Singapura, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Korea, Cina, Hong Kong dan Makau.

#EatDrinkHilton merupakan promo F&B yang dliuncurkan pada Oktober 2017, hingga September 2018. Setiap bulan, chef dari restoran di hotel Hilton baik di Jakarta, Bali dan Bandung akan menciptakan inovasi kuliner yang terinspirasi dari produk seasonal lokal dari Sabang sampai Merauke. “Selama 9 bulan ke depan, kami akan terus menyambut para tamu dari seluruh Indonesia dan dunia untuk mengapresiasi warisan kuliner nusantara melalui kreasi para chef yang terinspirasi dari rasa dan teknik masak tradisional,” kata Nils-Arne Schroeder, Regional General Manager, Hilton Indonesia.

Sebagai negara penghasil kakao terbesar ketiga dunia, ternyata menemukan chocolatier di Indonesia merupakan tugas yang cukup menantang, hingga akhirnya kami menemukan Pipit Yulianti. Edisi khusus cokelat ini berawal dengan sebuah pembicaraan dengan Benty Diwansyah, Corporate Pastry Chef PT. Nirwana Lestari (distributor Tulip Chocolate) di acara Chocotober. Ketika kami bertanya mengenai rekomendasi chocolatier untuk liputan, ia berpikir keras. “Di Indonesia patissier memang banyak, namun chocolatier sangat sedikit”, katanya. Di antara sekian banyak kandidat, kami percaya Pipit Yulianti, Chocolatier Tulip Chocolate memenuhi kriteria seorang chocolatier muda terbaik Indonesia.

Indonesia is the third largest cacao producer in the world, however, finding a proper chocolatier is surprisingly challenging, until we find Pipit Yulianti.

The Chocolate Issue started with a discussion with Benty Diwansyah, PT. Nirwana Lestari’s (Tulip Chocolate distributor) Corporate Pastry Chef in the past event Chocotober. When we asked about the recommendation for young chocolatiers in Indonesia, he wondered for quite a while, “In Indonesia we have many patissiers, but there’s so few chocolatier,” he said. Among all of the candidates, we believe Pipit Yulianti, Tulip Chocolate’s Chocolatier, is one of Indonesia’s best young chocolatiers.

Anda akan kesulitan untuk menemukan orang yang berpengalaman dan memahami industri cokelat Indonesia lebih baik dari Louis Tanuhadi, The Embassy of Chocolate dari Tulip. Sebagai salah satu orang yang paling gencar mengkampanyekan penggunaan real chocolate di Indonesia melalui lini produk cokelat couverture The Embassy of Chocolate dan Chocolate School by Tulip, Louis juga pernah menulis buku khusus tentang cokelat, Chocology di 2012. 

Di sela-sela jadwal padatnya, Passion Media berkesempatan untuk untuk berdiskusi panjang lebar dengan Louis mengenai keresahannya akan masa depan industri cokelat, pilihan Tulip, definisi chocolatier, cita-cita pribadinya, hingga maksud dibalik jabatan uniknya “The Embassy of Chocolate”.

You know it’s a serious situation when Louis Tanuhadi said that the chocolate industry has no future.

You’ll be hard pressed to find other person with vast experience and the understanding of Indonesian chocolate industry better than Louis Tanuhadi, Tulip’s Embassy of Chocolate. As one of the most vocal person in campaigning the use of real chocolate in Indonesia through the couverture product line, The Embassy of Chocolate, and Chocolate School by Tulip, Louis wrote a book specifically about chocolate, Chocology in 2012.

In the middle of his tight schedule, Passion Media had the chance to discuss deeply with the man about his concern on the future of chocolate industry, Tulip’s choice, definition of chocolatier, his personal dream, and the meaning behind his unique position “The Embassy of Chocolate”.

We talk with Pastry Chef I Nyoman Rinanta of Cau Chocolate about his long abiding devotion for chocolate and his distinguished career in the world of pastry.

It is hard to pinpoint the age of I Nyoman Rinanta by watching him at work in the kitchen. Energetically moving from the kitchen to the production area and back to the adjoining garden, the man in charge of developing pastry and sweet delights at Cau Chocolate is a prime example of golden age. With an agro tourism program and a cafe, Rinanta’s days are fully occupied with chocolate.

Based in Tabanan, the chocolate factory is producing high quality and sustainably sourced products from local organic farming practices in the surrounding area. Founded in 2014, Cau Chocolate is proudly owned and managed by a local cacao farming family. It aims to introduce and educate the public about cacao farming as well as the importance of consuming the right kind of chocolate for one’s health and well-being. For that purpose, visitors are welcome to come and learn about the bean-to-bar process in the factory, as well as getting their hands dirty in their village program such as the learning about the water irrigation system or subak tour.

Kami berbincang dengan Pastry Chef I Nyoman Rinanta dari Cau Chocolate tentang kecintaannya kepada cokelat dan karir panjangnya di dunia pastry.

Cukup sulit untuk bisa menebak usia I Nyoman Rinanta hanya dari mengamatinya bekerja di dapur. Bergerak secara energik dari dapur ke area produksi dan kembali ke kebun di sampingnya, lelaki berusia 65 tahun yang tengah sibuk mengembangkan menu pastry dan hidangan manis untuk Cau Chocolate adalah contoh baik usia lanjut yang produktif. Dengan program agroturisme dan cafe yang aktif, hari-hari Rinanta dipenuhi oleh cokelat.

Berbasis di Tabanan, pabrik cokelat ini memproduksi produk-produk berkualitas tinggi serta dihasilkan dari praktik pertanian organic di sekeliling areanya. Didirikan pada tahun 2014, Cau Chocolate dimiliki dan dikelola secara membanggakan oleh keluarga petani cacao setempat. Mereka bertujuan untuk mengenalkan dan mengedukasi public tentang pertanian cacao serta pentingnya mengkonsumsi jenis cokelat yang tepat untuk kesehatan. Untuk itu, pengunjung dipersilakan dating untuk belajar mengenai proses bean-to-bar secara langsung di pabriknya, serta memiliki kesempatan untuk mengotori tangan mereka dengan ikut dalam program-program desa seperti belajar bertani di tur mengenai sistem pengairan atau subak.

Passion catches up with the award-winning Four Seasons Resorts Bali’s executive pastry chef, Yusuke Aoki, and learns about his love for chocolate and perfection.

One year after his arrival in Bali, Yusuke Aoki still admits of being constantly inspired by the island. “Even the mountain is inspiring! There’s a tribute to Mount Agung on our dinner menu, a valrhona caraibe chilli lava cake with salty caramel strawberry sauce and vanilla ice cream,” states Aoki in good-humored. He is responsible for the pastry creations on both of Four Seasons Resorts Bali properties as well as catering for events, banquets and Sundara’s increasingly popular cakes offer.

The 35-year-old chef began his career in his hometown, Kyoto, 13 years ago. After graduating from Kyoto Pastry Art College, he went to France to learn about everything that needs to be learned under the tutelage of an experienced pastry chef. Aoki returned to Japan and immediately began his career in the country’s top hotel and then started his international journey working at five-star hotels in Toronto, Paris, Doha, and last but not least, Bali. Aoki has won numerous competitions such as the Global Pastry Chef Challenge Competition in Qatar 2015 - Gold Medal and Global Pastry Chef Challenge International in Greece 2016 as The Best Use of Dilmah Tea.

Passion berbincang dengan Yusuke Aoki, executive pastry chef dari Four Seasons Resorts Bali yang kerap meraih penghargaan, tentang kecintaannya terhadap cokelat dan kesempurnaan. 

Satu tahun setelah kedatangannya di Bali, Yusuke Aoki mengaku masih selalu terinspirasi oleh pulau yang ia huni. “Bahkan gunungnya pun sungguh menginspirasi! Ada sebuah penghormatan untuk Gunung Agung di menu makan malam kami, sebuah kue cokelat dari valrhona caraibe chilli lava dengan saus caramel strawberry dan eskrim vanilla,” jelas Aoki dengan riang. Ia bertanggung jawab terhadap kreasi-kreasi pastry di kedua properti Four Seasons Resorts Bali sekaligus juga katering untuk acara-acara khusus, banquet serta pesanan cakes di Sundara yang semakin dikenal.

Chef berusia 35 tahun ini memulai karirnya 13 belas tahun yang lalu di kota asalnya, Kyoto. Setelah lulus dari Kyoto Pastry Art College, ia hijrah ke Perancis untuk mempelajari segala macam yang bisa dipelajari tentang pastry dari chef ahli. Saat Aoki kembali ke Jepang, ia memulai karirnya dengan bekerja di hotel bintang lima di sana hingga memulai pengalaman internasionalnya bekerja di hotel-hotel bintang lima di Toronto, Paris, Doha, hingga akhirnya tiba di Bali. Aoki juga telah memenangkan beberapa penghargaan seperti Global Pastry Chef Challenge Competition di Qatar tahun 2015 - Gold Medal dan Global Pastry Chef Challenge International di Yunani tahun 2016 untuk The Best Use of Dilmah Tea.

Tidak ada resep pasti untuk sebuah kesuksesan, namun mencoba menjadi “semuanya untuk semua orang” terdengar seperti jalan tol menuju kegagalan. Artinya, Anda tidak bisa serakah dengan menjadikan semua segmen market sebagai target. Dalam sesi ini, Chef Rahmat Kusnedi (CRK) memberikan ilustrasi untuk melakukan costing sebenarnya dengan berfokus pada pasar kelas menengah atas.

Ayo kita membuat costing sesungguhnya!
Pada dasarnya ada 3 variable cost yang harus Anda perhatikan: food cost, labor cost, dan utility cost (overhead), semuany berkontribusi pada harga jual akhir produk. Ini adalah struktur costing di segmen market menengah atas: (klik untuk melihat presentasi tabelnya)

Untuk restoran dan bakery di segmen ini, idealnya food cost adalah sekitar 30-35%. Ketika Anda menjumlahkan dan mendapatkan total 70%, artinya Anda memiliki 30% margin (tidak termasuk pajak). Ini adalah angka margin ideal, lebih baik jika lebih besar, namun cukup berbahaya jika di bawah itu. Saya akan jelaskan alasannya nanti.

Ketika bisnis berjalan, staf Anda akan semakin berpengalaman dan mereka akan menjadi semakin efisien, sehingga labor dan utility cost akan menjadi semakin rendah, hasilnya, margin Anda akan meningkat. Untuk menjadi efisien, Anda memerlukan rencana produksi yang lebih baik, sebagai contoh: jika Anda memiliki oven berkapasitas 4 loyang, memanggang 1 atau 4 loyang mengkonsumsi energi yang sama. Jadi, kenapa tidak menunggu hingga ada 4 loyang sebelum memulai proses pemanggangan?

Begitu halnya dengan mengatur staf. Ketika musim penjualan tinggi, daripada mempekerjakan karyawan lebih banyak, mengapa tidak mengambil daily worker? Ketika masanya sudah lewat, Anda tidak perlu menggunakan mereka lagi. Setelah Lebaran, biasanya sebuah bakery tidak memiliki kegiatan apa-apa: mungkin ini saatnya bersih-bersih. Anda boleh saja menghabiskan 2 hari hanya untuk membersihkan peralatan dan perlengkapan, sesudah itu Anda juga bisa memberikan liburan tambahan untuk menghemat listrik. Poin saya adalah, ketiga variable cost tersebut bisa kita kendalikan.

After doing some research on your market segments, it’s time to do the actual costing

There’s no exact way for success, but trying to be “everything for everybody” sounds like a highway to failure. Therefore, you can’t be greedy by targeting all market segments. In this session, Chef Rahmat Kusnedi (CRK) gives some illustration to do the actual costing with the focus in the middle up market segment

Let’s do the actual costing!
Basically there are 3 variable costs you need to watch closely: the food cost, the labor cost, and utility cost (overhead), these contribute to the final selling price. Here’s the typical structure of the cost in the middle up segment: (click this to view the presentation)

For restaurant and bakery in this segment, ideally the food cost is around 30-35%. When you have the total of 70%, it means that you have 30% margin (tax excluded). It’s the ideal number of margin, it’s better if it’s bigger, but it’s dangerous to go below 30%, I’ll explain the reasons later.

As the business runs, your staffs will get experience and they become more efficient, the labor and utility cost might be lower, as a result, you’ll have bigger margin. To be efficient, you need better production planning, for example: if you have a 4 tray oven, baking 1 tray of dough or full 4 trays will consume the same amount of energy. Therefore, why don’t you wait until you have full 4 trays before you start the baking process?

It’s the same thing with managing the labor. When you have high season, instead of hiring more employees, why don’t you hire daily workers? When you pass the high season, you may cut the daily workers out. After Eid, practically the bakery has nothing to do; perhaps it’s cleaning time. You can spend 2 whole days just to clean the tools and equipment, and after that you can give extra holidays to conserve the electricity. The point is, each one of these 3 variable costs is manageable.

PASSION berbincang dengan pendiri Pod Bali ,Toby Garritt, tentang pabrik cokelat barunya serta pendapatnya tentang industry cokelat di Indonesia.

Banyak hal telah berubah sejak Pod Origin membuka pintunya sebagai pabrik cokelat dan cafe di Desa Carang Sari, sebelah barat Sangeh Monkey Forest, lima tahun silam. Kini, ia telah menjadi salah satu destinasi utama di area tersebut, menarik banyak pengunjung dari seluruh dunia yang tertarik untuk memelajari cara pembuatan cokelat. Hutan tropis hijau yang mengelilingi pabrik tetap lestari. Begitu juga dengan dedikasi Pod dengan melibatkan pengadaan yang melibatkan petani cacao Bali dari daerah Badung dan Negara.

PASSION talks with Toby Garritt, the founder of Pod Bali about his new chocolate factory and his insight regarding Indonesia’s chocolate industry.

A lot has changed when Pod Origin opened its door as a chocolate factory and café in Carang Sari Village, north of Sangeh Monkey Forest, five years ago. For once, it is now becoming the number one destination in the area, attracting visitors from all around the world to learn about chocolate making. Happily, the lush tropical landscape that surrounds the factory remains. And so does Pod’s dedication in sustainable sourcing that involve Bali’s local cacao farmers from Badung and Negara.

Find out why Bakerzin, one of the first dessert cafés in Indonesia, is still one of the best.

In 2000, the concept of dessert café may not sound familiar to us. Most of the restaurants in Indonesia was mostly owned by family and have one outlet for one brand. Boga Group is one of the first players in the food service industry that introduced the dessert café concept through Bakerzin in 2002. After that, the success story was followed by brands we all know and love, such as Sushi Tei, Pepper Lunch, Paradise Dynasty, Paradise Inn, Shaburi, Kintan, Onokabe, Master Wok, and the latest one, Putu Made.

Since the opening of the first Bakerzin, a franchise brand from Singapore, in Cilandak Town Square, the brand managed to maintain its position as one of the leader in the dessert café category. Of course, it’s not an easy task, Bakerzin do it by continuously challenging itself through new menus that come every 3 months.
The most interesting one is their collaboration with Valrhona, The Tales of Valrhona Schokolade in the last season. It’s widely known that Valrhona is very selective in selecting partners for collaboration. The fact that Bakerzin is one of them speaks volume.

When you want real taste of chocolate, the classic cake such as Chocolate Amer is an all time favorite. It has the gentle, soft and spongy texture with that melt-in-mouth sensation, but makes no mistake, it packs intense, punchy chocolate flavor with just the right amount of bitterness to please chocolate lovers.

Since its inception in 2002, Bakerzin introduced us to Warm Chocolate Cake that is often imitated by other dessert cafes, but never quite replicated. With only one bite, you can tell Boga Group’s commitment of using the finest ingredients, in this case, the chocolate. It made us believe that the fanciest baking technique in the world can never replace quality ingredients.

Make no mistake, Bakerzin also offers Chocolate Souffle, the kind of dessert that requires meticulous preparation in order for to make the soufflé rise. Again, the chocolate is the main star in these 3 dessert dishes. If you crave for chocolate, but you also want something fruity, Framboise Lactee is for you.

If slice cake is not enough, Bakerzin also offers 2 of the most favorite chocolate drink: Hot Chocolate and Café Mocha. Both drink features Malongo cocoa powder with 50% cocoa content from France. Café Mocha is the perfect example of Jamie Oliver’s word, “coffee and chocolate are best friend”. It’s the mature kind of chocolate drink, there’s no turning back to your regular chocolate after a cup.

What’s Next?
As mentioned before, Bakerzin always offers something new every 3 months. However, after introducing The Tales of Valrhona Schokolade in November 2017, it’s quite difficult to imagine anything bigger. People know Bakerzin as dessert café that also serves western cuisine, however in February 2018, Bakerzin will also introduce local and Thai cuisines into the regular menu.

2018 will also become a busy year for Boga Group. After having over 100 outlets in Indonesia through various brands, Boga will add a new Bakerzin outlet in South Jakarta, and a new brand of restaurant that will feature katsu dishes.

For most F&B brands, the past few years have been quite tough, but they can’t stop Boga Group from having positive growth. Actually it’s not too surprising, if you know how to maintain your standard quality, just like what Boga do.

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Even though he’s an Indonesian Man in New York, Richie Budiharto Pratadaja is not a legal alien (Sting, anyone?), in fact the Indonesian chocolatier is the runner up for 2017’s Pastry Chef of the Year, USA.

It’s been numerous times we cover expatriate chefs in Indonesia, this time we do the other way around. However, with relatively low culture of producing and consuming real chocolate, finding a brilliant Indonesian chocolatier abroad is quite a challenge, until we found Richie Budiharto Pratadaja, Indonesian chocolatier who works in FIKA, New York.

What was your childhood dream job? Was it chocolatier?
No, actually I wanted to be a painter.

What made you interested in chocolate, compared to other pastry products?
The aroma, the taste, the silky texture and everything about chocolate, I love it! I think chocolate is a versatile ingredient. We can use chocolate in both solid or fluid forms to create things like cake, cream, and ,also showpieces or sculptures.

What’s your favorite chocolate product?
My favorite is making bonbons. From designing the molds, making the chocolate shell, filling, to sealing the bonbon, trained skills are required. The surface of the bonbon has to be glossy after it was unmolded, the thickness of the shell and sealing has to be appropriate, and most importantly, the taste of the filling, or we usually call it ganache.

If you’re serious into chocolate, why did you choose USA? Any plans to return to Indonesia?
Well, it doesn’t have to be USA, other countries in Europe were just as good. I picked USA, specifically New York because in this city, I was trained both in the workplace and outside of it. The competition of food industry here is really tough. Outside workplace, art is part of our daily life, it’s everywhere. I have a plan to return to Indonesia in the next few years.

Please tell us your daily activities in Fika.
I’m a chocolatier in FIKA, New York. I run the production line all day, also supervising other staffs to ensure that every product meets the company’s standard. I’m also in charge of ordering the ingredients, product inventory, quality control, and food safety training.

Can you explain the market situation in USA? Is the bean to bar movement start to gain popularity there?
The market of chocolate in America is growing every year because many consumers are giving high appreciation to the history, origin and the production technique of chocolate. Bean to bar is becoming more popular in the past few years. Many confectioners also started to produce their own cacao from bean to bar in small scale, including myself.

In Indonesia, it’s easy to find a patissier, however, a different story with chocolatier. It’s a rare occupation here. According to you, how far is the difference of chocolate industry in Indonesia and USA?
The difference would be on the number of customers who give high appreciation to artisan chocolate in Indonesia is not as many as in USA. Pastry is a basic thing learned in culinary schools, but chocolate is specialization, just like sugar, bread and cake. In New York, chocolate is an old tradition that is already developed; many people all around the world stay here, especially Europeans, who are in fact the highest chocolate consumers of the world. However, recently I saw many highly talented Indonesia chocolatiers or pastry chefs in Instagram.

Regarding the issue of compound vs couverture, how do you see it?
As a chocolatier, I definitely opt for couverture because of the higher quality ingredients involved in it, from the cacao bean, sugar, soy lecithin, and sometimes vanilla, compared to compound which use vegetable fat. The melting point of cocoa butter is different to vegetable fat, the melting behavior in mouth is very different.

In any chocolate competitions, praline is mandatory, however, in Indonesia, praline is not popular, and if you see someone offer it, usually the quality is not very good. What do you say?
To produce praline, you need advanced skills. I would say that in our country, we don’t have too many people learn about chocolate. However, from my observation in Instagram, it seems that the number is escalating.

Would you share your experience in chocolate competition?
In 2017, I was the runner up of Pastry Chef of the year USA. The theme of the competition is based on 4 world’s famous painters: Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Marc Chagall, and Salvador Dali. Each contestant may choose one of those four. I had to make 1 showpiece, 6 kinds of petit gateaux (3 chocolate and 3 fruit based), and a plated dessert. For the showpiece, I opted for Dali (surrealism), 3 chocolate-based gateaux inspired from Picasso (shape), 3 fruit-based gateaux from Marc Chagall (color), and plated dessert from Van Gogh (texture).
Some components might be prepared in advance; the rest should be assembled on the competition day in only 3 hours. The critics from world’s leading chefs and judges were important lessons for me to prepare for the next competition.

What’s the signature characteristic of your products?
Flavor is essential. Presentation is also important, like people always say you eat with your eyes first. I love using ingredients such as nuts, fruits, and whiskey.

Last one, any message to young chocolatiers?
Determination and focus!

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As a seasoned food blogger-cum-food stylist, Natasha Victoria Lucas has completely delved into the industry passionately and professionally. In our Reinvent segment this issue, Natasha shared Passion about her journey of discovery and why she fell in love with one of our country’s most renown dishes - Soto Ayam Lamongan!

Can you tell us a bit about yourself before you finally found your real passion?
I studied journalism during college and my dream was to actually become a writer for a lifestyle magazine. After a brief spell at a local TV station for internship, apparently there was no opening yet around that time. I had to work for a totally different industry as an event manager for a shoe company and also as a music teacher.
However, born in a foodie family, for years we often go out to try new restaurants around Jakarta and my dad also apparently has a knack with cooking - which quite surprisingly, better than my mom! Partly inspired by that and while waiting for the long-awaited opportunity, I decided to start my blog anyway - The Yummy Traveler in 2010.
Being a blogger enables me to know more about the F&B industry and I became curious about the innovative dishes that restaurants came up with. That drives me to learn more about cooking. I also became fascinated with photography and styling at the same time, which I decided to choose the latter as you can see today.

How was it for you in your early days as a food stylist?
Several years ago, food stylists were still scarce in Jakarta and I was already pursuing it as a hobby. A friend of mine one time asked me to collaborate for this food photography project with a renowned frozen yogurt company - seeing that I am fond with food styling. I almost had cold feet but my friend encouraged me to try anyway. Long story short, it was my most memorable first-time ever doing a professional food styling!

How would you describe your day-to-day?
My work is ranging from food styling for restaurants to managing a social media team for several clients from mostly F&B industry. One time I was also appointed as the TV host for a culinary show named after my own blog. During my leisure time traveling, I always find time to collect more props for my food photography projects. Now I have suitcases of them! Finally I’m doing a collaboration with a partner for our second book project - Top Tables.

Can you tell us a bit about the book?
Sure. It’s basically a directory about where to eat in Jakarta. On contrast with the previous Top Tables, this one will feature people from different backgrounds telling their stories about food and sharing their most favorite haunts around Jakarta.

Now that you have shared your recipe of Soto Ayam Lamongan. How did you come to like it in the beginning by the way?
I have always been a fan of soup dishes from soto to even bakso. I considered those two as my most favorite comfort food!
I started to like soto since years ago when not many good soto ayam joints can be found in Jakarta other than soto Betawi. Until one day I discovered a really good hawker that sells soto Lamongan which I’d visit from time to time and it’s located in front of the previous site of Hermina hospital around Sunter area, north of Jakarta.

What’s the best thing about your favorite soto there when compared with others?
I think it’s because of my personal preferences. I like their version of clearer and lighter soup. I have been a patron of their soto ayam for years and usually frequented it with my sister. The owner knows us really well and keeps on speaking in Javanese despite us not actually understand what he says.
Anyway, whenever we came, he knew by heart that we prefer thigh’s meat, added with chicken livers and the most important part of Soto Lamongan - a lot of koya. Finally, no kecap manis added. It was unfortunate however that I had moved to another part of Jakarta since quite some time now and Hermina hospital had also moved to a new location as well. I do really hope they’re still around.

Care to tell us about your version of soto ayam here?
I cooked it with more or less having similar profiles compared with my favorite soto ayam Lamongan. As you can see, I tried to present it in a modern way as well.
I became more passionate about food presentations than ever since Indonesian food really deserves to be more well-known on international level. I knew it by heart our cuisine has many advantages even when compared with the already-established Western or Japanese food. I really hope that one day my expertise could contribute for that.

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Tahukah Anda bahwa kebahagiaan sebetulnya bisa diproduksi? Christophe Morel mengetahuinya. Morel adalah seorang master chocolatier asal Perancis yang memutuskan untuk pindah dan memulai bisnis di Montreal, Kanada. Di samping reputasi dan pencapaiannya yang luar biasa sebagai pemenang pertama kategori cokelat di Coupe du monde de la patisserie di Lyon, Perancis pada 2005, Morel ternyata memiliki keinginan sederhana melalui karyanya: memberi kebahagiaan pada semua orang di sekitarnya. Di tengah jadwalnya yang padat, Christophe Morel menyisihkan waktu untuk membagikan pengetahuannya mengenai cokelat secara eksklusif pada Passion Media.

Do you know that happiness can be manufactured? Well, Christophe Morel do.

Christophe Morel, is a French master chocolatier who decided to open his business in Montreal, Canada. Despite of his reputation and crowning achievement as the first prize winner for chocolate at the Coupe du monde de la patisserie in Lyon, France 2005, Morel has simple objective through his craft: to give pleasure to everyone around him. In the middle of his tight schedule, Christophe Morel managed to spare some time to share his knowledge about chocolate, exclusively for Passion Media.

Ulu Cliffhouse yang berdiri pada ketinggian 50.000 kaki di Uluwatu, telah melakukan launching pada 23 September 2017. Dengan akses langsung menuju pantai, Ulu playground yang terletak di puncak tebing ini memiliki infinity pool sepanjang 25 meter, studio rekaman musik, artspace dan tentunya makanan dan minuman – mulai dari restoran di tempat terbuka hingga bar di tepi tebing yang berada di atas ombak. Dengan pemandangan yang spektakuler, Ulu Cliffhouse merupakan rumah bagi orang-orang kreatif dan petualang untuk bersantai. Didesain oleh Shed London dan Bali’s Design Assembly, beach club ini terinspirasi dari Palm Spring tahun 1950an, yang menunjang lingkungan alaminya dengan sentuhan modern.

Dalam rangka menghadapi era digital yang semakin maju, Tulip Chocolate menggelar Tulip Chocolate Workshop di APREZ CAFÉ pada hari Rabu, 13 Desember 2017 dengan menghadirkan pembicara-pembicara terbaik di kelasnya, untuk sesi pertama dengan tema “How to Start an Online Business” dengan pembicara Kevin Osmond selaku founder dan CEO @printerous, dan sesi kedua dengan tema “How to Effectively Use Your Smartphone” dengan mentor dari komunitas Darwis Triady. Acara yang meriah dan informatif ini dihadiri oleh para pemilik toko bakery, pemilik toko bahan kue, online shop, home baker, pecinta bakery yang merupakan pelanggan setia Tulip Chocolate.

Dengan lebih dari 800 perusahaan dari 32 negara dan 50.000 pengunjung, pameran F&B terbesar di Indonesia ini menjadi semakin besar dan baik.

Dengan lebih dari 286 eksibitior dari 32 negara dan 20.000 pengunjung, pameran F&B terbesar di Indonesia ini menjadi semakin besar dan baik. Entah Anda memiliki profesi atau usaha di bidang F&B atau hanya sekedar memiliki hobi makan, SIAL Interfood yang diadakan di JIEXPO pada 22-25 November 2017 merupakan event yang wajib Anda kunjungi. Dengan banyaknya peserta dan pengunjung pameran dari berbagai negara, SIAL Interfood bagaikan pengalaman wisata kuliner mengelilingi dunia di satu lokasi. Berikut ini adalah beberapa perusahaan baha baku yang ikut serta dalam SIAL Interfood 2017

Pada tahun ini, Raffles merayakan ulang tahun ke-130 melalui. Semenjak Raffles Singapore berdiri pada 1887, Raffles telah menjadi ikon yang melambangkan romansa Far East – gabungan antara kemewahan, sejarah, dan keramahan Asia. Raffles merayakan ulang tahun ini melalui beberapa acara menarik seperti The Annual Raffles Garden Lighting Ceremony, 130 Years of Christmas Traditions, 130 Years of High Tea Traditions, Traditional Festive Hampers, dan puncaknya pada perayaan tahun baru “130 Years of Celebrations”.

Untuk meningkatkan profesionalitas dan memajukan nama Indonesia di komunitas pastry internasional, IPA kembali menyelenggarakan kompetisi di SIAL Interfood 2017

Indonesia Pastry Alliance (IPA), asosiasi yang menaungi berbagai praktisi pastry dan bakery di seluruh Indonesia, membuat salah satu program yaitu IPA Championship SIAL Interfood yang telah diadakan kembali pada tahun 2017 ini, pada tanggal 22-25 November kemarin.

BEKASI, 21 DESEMBER 2017 – Amaroossa Grande Hotel menghadirkan kembali “Friday BBQ Night” salah satu paket BBQ All You Can Eat yang hadir pada setiap hari jum’at, hanya dengan Rp. 175.000/nett para tamu dapat merasakan BBQ lengkap dengan sajian buffet, appetizer dan juga dessert.

served with Different Type of Tomatoes

• Burrata cheese 500rm
• Cherry tomatoes 100grm
• Plum tomatoes 200grm
• Green tomatoes 100grm
• Heirloom tomatoes 100grm
• Basil leaves 50grm
• Balsamic vinegar 30ml
• Sugar 100grm
• Orange zest from 1 orange
• Olive oil 100ml
• Sea salt 20grm

INGREDIENTS: 

- Half free range chicken (around 200 gr). Cut chicken into 3 parts: chicken suprême, thigh with feet still attached, and head.
- 5 pandanus leaves, cleansed, pat dry with kitchen paper, cut into long julienne, deep fried, creating the “grass”
- 2 twigs curry leaves, dried using dehydrator. If use microwave, seal a bowl with cling wrap, put the twigs of curry leaves on top of the sealed bowl, thinly rub curry leaves with vegetable oil, heat for 4 - 5 minutes. Voilà the “tree”
- 1 lemongrass, cut in round shapes
- 3 shallots, pickled
- 3 chilli padi, pickled
- Vegetable oil for frying

Mengembalikan kejayaan restoran Ambiente yang legendaris bukanlah sebuah tugas yang mudah. Sebagai sang executive chef, Matteo Meacci berbagi pendapatnya mengenai dunia F&B yang semakin kompetitif serta kecintaannya terhadap masakan negerinya Italia.

Reviving Ambiente of Aryaduta Jakarta as one of the oldest Italian restaurants in Jakarta is no easy task. As its executive chef, Mr Matteo Meacci shared us his thoughts about the highly competitive F&B industry and his profound love for food from his Italian roots.

Chef Matias Ayala lahir dan dibesarkan di Argentina, namun darah Italia mengalir di dalam tubuhnya. Tentu saja, Anda tidak bisa memilih dilahirkan dari keluarga mana dan di negara mana, namun tanpa disadari, darah Anda dapat membimbing Anda. Temui Matias Ayala, Executive Chef Raffles Jakarta baru, seorang chef asal Argentina yang mencintai masakan Italia. Inilah interview eksklusif kami dengan sang chef.

Chef Matias Ayala was born and raised in Argentina, but he has Italian blood that runs deep in his vein.

You can’t choose the family and the country where you were born, but somehow the blood in your vein can guide you. Meet Matias Ayala, the new Executive Chef of Raffles Jakarta, an Argentinean chef who’s in love with Italian food. Here’s our exclusive interview with the man himself.

PASSION talks to Nicolas Lazzaroni and finds out about his recipe of success as the executive chef of Settimo Cielo.

Nicolas Lazzaroni is not a new figure on Bali’s culinary scene. In fact, he has contributed to the progress of the island’s dining scene with his signature modern take on traditional cuisine. Be it Asian or Italian, as he expertly done for Settimo Cielo, his creation always offers an interesting experience, flavour, and presentation. 

The Sydneysider has called Bali home since 2011. He was in charge of the new menu of Bridges Bali and later, also led Uma Cucina at Uma by Como, Ubud. We finally get the time to catch up with this busy chef and ask him about his current occupation and how he thinks about the local Italian food scene.

PASSION berbincang dengan Nicolas Lazzaroni dan menemukan rahasia kesuksesannya sebagai executive chef Settimo Cielo.

Nicolas Lazzaroni bukanlah sosok baru di panggung kuliner Bali. Malah bisa dikatakan, ia berkontribusi terhadap kemajuan kreasi kuliner di pufv lau ini dengan ciri khasnya dalam menyajikan masakan bercita rasa tradisional dengan tampilan modern. Meski itu masakan Asia atau Italia, seperti yang ia terapkan di Settimo Cielo, kreasinya selalu menawarkan pengalaman, rasa, dan presentasi yang menarik.

Chef yang berasal dari Sydney ini telah menjadikan Bali sebagai rumahnya sejak 2011. Berawal dari Bridges Bali, ia juga sempat memimpin Uma Cucina at Uma by Como, Ubud. Kami akhirnya bisa menemui chef yang sibuk ini dan bertanya tentang kesibukannya serta pendapatnya tentang masakan Italia di Bali.

SIAL Interfood 2017 menandai pertama kalinya La Cuisine diadakan di Indonesia oleh ACP (Association of Culinary Professionals). Rudy Takarianta, Executive Chef dari hotel JS Luwansa sekaligus juri yang tergabung dalam anggota ACP ini menyayangkan beberapa kesalahan umum yang menurutnya tidak perlu terjadi jika para peserta jeli. Sebagai juri, Rudy menjelaskan banyak hal mengenai apa yang ia ingin lihat, sekaligus tidak inginkan di atas sebuah piring yang akan disajikan di hadapan para juri.

If you want to enter a cooking competition, Rudy Takarianta suggests some tips to make everything much easier and simpler.

SIAL Interfood 2017 marked the first ever La Cuisine in Indonesia, held by ACP (Association of Culinary Professionals). Rudy Takarianta, Executive Chef of JS Luwansa Hotel, also a judge who’s also in ACP, regrets that some competitors had made some unnecessary mistakes if they’re more careful. As a judge, Rudy explained many things he wished to see, also what he didn’t on a plate that was served in front of the judges.

Costing mungkin merupakan salah satu hal terpenting di industri F&B, namun sebelum kita membahasnya, terlebih dahulu kita harus memilih segmen pasar yang tepat. Dilihat dari catatan penjualan, Anda tahu persis berapa banyak keuntungan yang akan Anda peroleh bulan ini. Namun ternyata jumlah uang yang Anda terima tidak sesuai prediksi. Skenario ini selalu terjadi, tidak hanya pada pengusaha baru, namun juga pada pemilik bisnis yang sudah mapan. Kami berbicara dengan Chef Rahmat Kusnedi (CRK), pemilik Physalis’s dan Presiden Indonesia Pastry Alliance (IPA) untuk memahami costing dan cara membuat strategi finansial untuk menjalankan bisnis F&B. Namun pertama-tama, ia menyarankan para pemilik bisnis sudah memilih segmen pasarnya secara benar.

Costing is probably one of the most important things in F&B industry, but before we get to the subject, it’s crucial to pick the right market segment.

Judging from the sales record, you know exactly how much profit you’ll get this month. However, the amount of cash you received is not much as you’ve predicted. This scenario happens all the time, not only to new entrepreneurs, but also to established business owners. We talked to Chef Rahmat Kusnedi (CRK), owner of Physalis’s and President of Indonesia Pastry Alliance (IPA) to understand the costing and how to make financial strategy to run F&B business. But first, he suggested that the owners have already targeted their market segment correctly.

Prego’s FunDay Family Brunch is offering tasty Italian cuisine and a whole lot of fun for the whole family. 

Bright colorful balloons are floating from the chairs when I arrive at Prego on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Young families with their excited children are at ease in the spacious restaurant. A magician is hard at work and constantly being surrounded by children who make all sort of requests, from poodle balloons to a little show of magic.

Prego’s FunDay Family Brunch menawarkan sajian masakan Italia yang lezat sekaligus waktu yang menyenangkan untuk seluruh anggota keluarga.

Balon-balon berwarna cerita mengambang dari tempatnya diikat di kursi saat saya tiba di Prego pada hari Minggu yang cerah. Keluarga-keluarga muda dengan anak-anak mereka yang kegirangan tengah bersantai di restauran yang luas. Seorang pesulap tengah bekerja keras dan senantiasa dikelilingi oleh anak-anak yang membuat berbagai macam permintaan kepadanya, dari balon berbentuk anjing pudel hingga pertunjukkan sulap.

Tasting the flavour of authentic Italian cuisine at Bene Italian Kitchen. 

Pasta is the backbone of Italian cuisine. That sort of thinking prompted executive chef Rossano Renzelli to dedicate his time in making sure that only the freshest pasta is served at Bene. “We make 14 different kind of pasta,” says the Roman native who has worked his magic in the kitchen since Bene opened five years ago. Bucatini, rigatoni, fettuccine, spaghetti, linguini, and many more are produced every day in the industrious kitchen.

Mencicipi cita rasa otentik Italia di Bene Italian Kitchen.

Pasta adalah tulang punggung masakan Italia. Pemikiran itu yang mendorong executive chef Rossano Renzelli untuk mendedikasikan waktunya agar hanya pasta terbaiklah yang disajikan di Bene. “Kami membuat 14 jenis pasta yang berbeda,” ungkap pria Roma yang telah meracik makanan dengan sentuhan ajaibnya di Bene sejak restauran itu buka lima tahun yang lalu. Bucatini, rigatoni, fettuccine, spaghetti, linguini, dan masih banyak lagi kini diproduksi tiap hari di dapur yang maha sibuk.

Sebelas tahun dan terus berlanjut, restoran ini senantiasa berdiri kokoh sejak awal berdirinya. Inilah Rosso, wakil terhormat dari Jakarta untuk kuliner papan atas negeri Italia. 

Kita hidup pada sebuah zaman dimana masakan modern diciptakan dari sebuah kreativitas, bahan-bahan berkualitas, serta presentasi rumit telah begitu memesona masyarakat. Bagian yang juga menarik adalah di zaman ini ternyata gerakan-gerakan yang mempromosikan kuliner tradisional juga semakin mendapatkan ruang berekspresi.

Eleven years and counting, still standing tall as ever. Meet Rosso, the envoy of high-end Italian dining from Jakarta. 

We live in an era when contemporary cuisine based on creativity, quality ingredients, and delicate presentations has taken the society by storm. The interesting part is at the same time, the movement to promote local values from traditional cuisines are also gaining prominence.

Passion Media welcoming your New Year 2018 with Instagram Giveaway! #JanuaryGiveaway

Menangkan (untuk 3 orang pemenang):

Pemenang I: • 1 Night stay at Grand Deluxe Room, grandkemang Jakarta, incl. breakfast for 2 • Spa treatment for 2 • Valentine's dinner on February 14th, 2018 for 2 • 1 slice lovely cake (4 gift vouchers)

Pemenang II: • 1 Night stay at Deluxe Room, grandkemang Jakarta, incl. breakfast for 2 • Valentine's dinner on February 14th, 2018 for 2 • 1 slice lovely cake (3 gift vouchers)

Pemenang III: • Valentine's dinner on February 14th, 2018 for 2 • 1 Whole lovely cake (2 gift vouchers)

Thomas Pellegrini dari CFF mengundang para chef dari hotel¬-hotel berbintang, restoran dan distributor, untuk memperkenalkan cokelatValrhona dari Jembrana, Bali kepada para wisatawan pada acara “Cuvee Bali” di Bali Culinary Pastry School, Kabupaten Tabanan. “Kegiatan `Cuvee Bali` dilakukan dalam upaya memperkenalkan keunggulan produk cokelat yang dihasilkan dari petani kakao fermentasi di bawah naungan Koperasi Kerta Semaya Samaniya, Jembrana, Bali,” kata Thomas.

Astrid Enricka Ditha, atau lebih dikenal dengan nama Acil, keluar dari pekerjannya sebagai jurnalis untuk mengejar mimpinya menjadi pengusaha. Dari sekian banyak varian masakan Indonesia dan garis keturunannya, ia memilih daerah yang tidak berhubungan dengan dirinya, semata-mata karena kecintaannya. Ketika ia membuka Ayam Tangkap AR di Ciranjang, Jakarta (2012) dan bertemu orang Aceh, biasanya ada 2 macam reaksi: senang karena ada orang yang menghargai makanan daerah khasnya, atau skeptis dan berpikir, “Anda bukan orang Aceh, terus Anda mau apakan masakan khas kami?!” Respon terakhir mirip sekali seperti reaksi orang Italia kan? Inilah hasil interview kami dengan wanita yang juga anggota ACMI (Aku Cinta Masakan Indonesia).

Thanks to Astrid Enricka Dhita, the daring, in-your-face Ayam Tangkap from Aceh is becoming more playful

Astrid Enricka Dhita, also known as Acil, quitted her job as journalist to pursue her dream to become an entrepreneur. Among many of Indonesian vast cuisine and her heritage, she chose a region that’s not related to her, solely because of love. When she opened Ayam Tangkap AR in Ciranjang, Jakarta (2012) and met the Aceh people, there are 2 kind of reaction: happy because they find a person who appreciate their cultural heritage, or skeptical and think, “you don’t come from Aceh, what the hell did you do with my cuisine!?” The last one sounds very much like some Italians, right? Here’s our interview with the woman who’s also a member of ACMI (Aku Cinta Masakan Indonesia).

After 40 years of success story and multiple awards, Convotherm is offering new level of energy efficiency.

In the beginning there was an idea: Professional chefs in commercial kitchens need specialized technology! With this in mind, Frank Dittmann and Werner Schwarzbäcker founded the Convotherm company on 1 July 1976. Now, chefs the world over know and appreciate Convotherm’s highly specialized combi steamers, which make it possible to prepare virtually any type of food quickly, gently and in first-class quality.

There are many culinary classes out there, but not all of them teaching the basic of professional cooking technique that is used everywhere all around the world.

Most of the cooking classes in Indonesia is targeted for hobbyist. However, when you’re serious to build career in this industry, you have to master the proper basic so you can communicate with any chefs all around the world. Maison Bleu in Kelapa Gading has 3 programs of Professional Cooking: Basic, Intermediate, and Advance. They also have Professional Baking & Pastry, Junior Course, and Short Course.

Maison Bleu was found by Hendry Ramaly Hutama (Chef Hendry), a gradute of Le Cordon Bleu Pasadena, Caliornia USA, with over 15 years experience in US, Indonesia, and Malaysia culinary industry. Chef Hendry had also worked in some Michelin star restaurants, one of them is Spago, where he worked under the famous celebrity Chef Wolfgang Puck. Aside from teaching, Chef Hendry is also known as an F&B consultant for various restaurants. One of the reason why he started his own culinary school, is his idealism the proper way of handling the food.

“Even in 5 star hotels, we still have many who use chicken powder that contains MSG. My idealism is, when the guest pay more for food, we need to do it the proper way. What’s the point for guest to pay big amount if they are served with MSG? Perhaps the use of MSG is tolerable for Indonesian food, but in European culinary, there’s no place for it or any chicken powder,” explained Chef Hendry.

The Basic Professional Cooking Program consists of 30 classes. On the first day, the students are learning about the food safety, how to ignite the gas stove, how to clean kitchen equipments and tools, the use of various cutting boards. On the second to 15th day, they are introduced to 5 mother sauces, thickening agent, cooking technique and method, introduction to carbohydrate and herbs such as rosemary, oregano, thyme, sage, etc.

On the 16th to 30th day, Maison Bleu focuses on 6 components in presentation: protein, carbohydrate, vegetable, sauce, garnish, and negative space. Most of the curriculum in Maison Bleu are adopted from Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena.

The Intermediate Class consist of 30 meetings. This time, the students are invited to learn 15 style of the most influential culinary countries, such as French, Portugal, South Africa, Japan, China etc. On the Advance Class, the students is challenged to do fusion, for example to combine the concept of Mediterranean and French Classic on poultry product. “They are assigned to make recipe using Rp 250.000, how many portion can they produce? How the the percentage of food cost? The Advance Class is more into the practical directions,” said Chef Hendry.

Most of Maison Bleu’s students want to build career in the industry, however there are some who prepare themselves before taking culinary courses abroad. We also see many restaurant owners here who want to expand their culinary knowledge.

With state of the art equipment and facilities, the students are expected to master the basic of professional cookin, an international standard so whenever they are placed all around the world, they can speak the common “language”.

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Alessandro Liberatori mendiskusikan hubungan ekonomi Indonesia dan Italia, rencana untuk memperkenalkan kembali citra Italia, dan bahasan favoritnya, makanan! Ketika Anda mendengar nama “Italia”, ada beberapa hal yang terbayang, seperti: fashion, produk kulit, sepakbola, dan tentu saja, makanan, terutama pizza dan pasta. Namun, setelah berbincang dengan Alessandro Liberatori, Komisioner Italian Trade Agency’s (ITA), kami sadar bahwa kita baru saja mengenal permukaan luar Italia. Kami bahkan melihatnya sebagai pencerahan, sebagaimana Indonesia yang tidak hanya sebatas batik, Rendang, Nasi Goreng dan Bali.

When you heard the name “Italy”, there are some things come to mind, such as: fashion, leather, football, and of course, food, especially pizza and pasta. However, after talking to Alessandro Liberatori, the Italian Trade Agency’s (ITA) Commissioner, we found out that we barely scratch the surface of what Italy is all about. Actually, it’s a revelation, just as Indonesian is not just about batik, Rendang, Nasi Goreng, and Bali.

Desember ini, Pacific Restaurant and Lounge di The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Pacific Place telah bertransformasi menjadi restoran yang menawarkan pengalaman bersantap yang baru. Terletak di lantai 6, PASOLA adalah restoran all-day dining yang menyajikan masakan internasional dengan menggunakan bahan baku lokal dari Indonesia. Nama Pasola sendiri merupakan serangkaian upacara tradisional dari Sumba untuk mengungkapkan rasa terima kasih terhadap panen yang berlimpah. Logo PASOLA terdiri dari lima elemen yaitu teratai, ikan koi, padi, sinar matahari dan tombak yang mencerminkan semangat, kegigihan, kemakmuran dan kemenangan.

Potato Head Family mempersembahkan menu dessert baru melalui Attarine Jakarta. Restoran yang dikenal dengan keunikannya sebagai tempat yang menyajikan comfort food secara modern dan homestyle ini secara konstan menyelenggarakan dining event dan kolaborasi kreatif. Attarine menampilkan produk dessert terbarunya melalui kreasi Chef Aditya Muskita dan timnya mengikuti sukses dari peluncuran grand new menu Attarine yang sukses pada Juli 2017.

Jakarta – Sudahkah anda memiliki rencana di akhir pekan ini? Bagi anda yang ingin menghabiskan akhir pekan di Jakarta bersama keluarga, kini terdapat sebuah penginapan berbintang 4 yang memberikan tiket masuk ke Jakarta Aquarium secara cuma-cuma.

Jakarta Aquarium merupakan sebuah aquarium kelas dunia yang terpilih sebagai Indonesia Leading Conservation Destination pada tahun 2017. Dengan kerjasama yang telah dibangun bersama Hotel Santika Premiere Slipi Jakarta, kini anda dapat menikmati suasana menginap yang nyaman disertai pengalaman yang menakjubkan.

Mulai dari Rp. 1.000.000 nett / room anda dapat memilki tiket premium serta fasilitas 5D sea explorer di Jakarta Aquarium secara cuma-cuma dengan rangkaian paket menginap di Hotel Santika Premiere Slipi Jakarta.

(Raspberry jelly & Earl grey tea Pannacota , Milk chocolate cremeux with Almond Dacquoise,Crunchy rice crispy)

Bahan Almond Dacquoise :
150 g Almond powder
50 g Terigu protein rendah
420 g Putih telur
300 g Gula pasir
50 g Unsalted butter
5 g Cream of tar-tar

Cara Membuat:

1. Kocok putih telur, gula pasir dan cream of tar-tar hingga kaku campurkan semua bahan kering dan tambahkan juga kedalamnya unsalted butter yang telah dilelehkan
2. Ratakan dalam Loyang ukuran 60x40 cm yang telah dialasi dengan silpat atau kertas silicon, panggang 200ºC, selama 15 menit

Bahan Crunchy Rice Crispy :
200 g TULIP Easimelt Aura 65%
50 g TULIP Cocoa Butter
250 g Kellogs Rice Crispy

Cara membuat :
1.Lelehkan TULIP Easimelt Aura 65%&TULIP Cocoa Butter, campurkanKellogs Rice Crispy kedalamnya
2. Cetak crunchy base, sesuaikan dengan bentuk cetakan

[Pistachio cremeux, Cherry chocolate insertion and Pistachio tart]

Pistachio tart :
260 g Butter unsalted
150 g Gula halus
150 g Pistachio powder
50 g Pistachio paste
1 Btr Telur

1 Btr Kuning telur
400 g Tergu protein rendah

Cara membuat :
1. Kocok unsalted butter, gula halus pistachio powder, pistachio paste.
2. Tambahkan telur.
3. Masukan kedalamnya terigu protein rendah, lalu dinginkan.
4. Giling dg ketebalan 1 cm , potong dengan cookie cutter lalu panggang dengan suhu 180 C selama 15 menit.

Pistachio cremeux :
90 g Susu UHT
225 g Whipping Cream
2 g Vanilla pods
25 g Pistachio paste
90 g Kuning Telur
75 g Gula pasir
11 g Gelatine bubuk [rendam dalam air dingin]

Cara membuat :
Masak hingga mendidih , Vanilla pod , Pistachio paste,Krim kental Whipping cream dan Susu UHT hingga mendidih , kocok lepas kuning telur dan gula pasir tuangkan rebuasan diatas kedalam kuning telur , masak kembali hingga suhu 80 C , Tambahkan gelatine kedalamnya , Tuangkan dalam cetakan silicone lalu bekukan .

Bahan-bahan dasar

500 grm Daging sapi hash dalam
500 ml Air kelapa
1 sdm Jahe (dihaluskan)
1 sdm Ketumbar (dihaluskan)

Bahan-Bahan untuk bumbu halus
1 sdm Ketumbar
½ sdm Jintan
½ sdm Merica
1 sdm Lengkuas
1 sdm Jahe
1 sdm Serai
5 siung Bawang Putih
6 siung Bawang Merah
2 sdm Air larutan dari asam kandis
2 sdm Sangrai kelapa
Garam dan gula secukupnya
2 sdm Minyak Kelapa untuk sangrai/goreng bumbu

Bahan-bahan untuk sambal hijau
2 kemiri (sangrai)
5 buah Cabe hijau keriting
7 buah Cabe hijau besar
3 siung Bawang Merah
5 siung Bawah Putih
1 sdk teh Ketumbar (halus)
½ sdk teh Lada
Garam & gula secukupnya
Minyak kelapa (untuk sangrai/goreng sambal)

Bahan-bahan Spices Kenari Puree
50 grm Kenari (disangrai)
2 buah Bawang putih
2 cabe besar (tanpa Biji)
1 cabe keriting
2 sdm kelapa
½ sdk the Lada hitam
½ gelas air bersih
garam secukup nya

Lime leaf, beetroot cured, salmon caviar and warm “Tuturuga“ sauce

For 4 portions

Ingredients:
160 gr salmon fillet, skin off
150 gr yellowfin tuna, fillet
Optional caviar and tobiko

For Salmon:
1 pcs fresh beetroot, peeled, put in juice extractor and make jus, strained
200 gr white sugar
75 gr salt
10 gr lime leaf, finely chopped
20 gr fresh ginger, sliced
2 pcs lemongrass

Ingredients

220 grams 200+ days grain fed stockyard Angus tenderloin
20 grams spring onion potatoes
5 grams crispy dried beef “Dendeng”
2 grams baby carrot
2 grams asparagus
1 teaspoon black rice crunchy for garnish

For Rendang Paste
100 ml thick coconut milk
2 kaffir lime leaves
1 bay leaf (Salam leave)
2 lemon grass, crushed
1 inch galangal, peeled and crushed
1 pcs ‘asam kandis’

Dalam rangka meningkatkan pemahaman masyarakat umum mengenai Kelapa sawit dan produk-produk turunannya, pada tanggal 8 November 2017 yang lalu PT SMART Tbk, produsen dari merek-merek Filma dan Palmboom, mengadakan kegiatan Media Baking Workshop di fasilitas PT SMART Tbk Global Research & Development Center (GRDC) yang terletak di Kawasan Industri Marunda.

Plaza Indonesia menggelar Flavors of The World pada bulan November 2017. Program ini bertujuan untuk memperkenalkan keunikan dan kelezatan dari puluhan F&B outlet dalam Plaza Indonesia serta kemeriahan program kuliner lainnya seperti 50 menu terbaru disajikan oleh 33 F&B outlet, Special Package Rp 50,000++, Cooking Masterclass, Special menu persembahan 5 Celebrity Chefs, Charity Dinner ‘From Farm to Table’, dan Food Styling & Photo Contest. Beberapa dari 33 F&B outlet yang berpartisipasi pada program Flavors Of The World adalah: Bakerzin, Bistro Baron, Imperial Shanghai, Khung, Lamoda, Kitchenette, Seven Friday, dan masih banyak lagi.

Beredar legenda di kalangan pastry chef bahwa segala sesuatu yang menggunakan cokelat Valrhona merupakan jaminan kualitas. Tidak heran, banyak restoran yang mencantumkan nama Valrhona sebagai tambahan nama menu di segala makanan atau minuman yang menggunakan cokelat premium tersebut. Kali ini, Bakerzin untuk bekerja sama dengan Valrhona untuk menciptakan “The Tales of Schokolade” di akhir November 2017 untuk menyambut Natal. Peluncuran kampanye ini dilakukan di Bakerzin Plaza Senayan pada 20 November 2017.

Setelah proses renovasi, kini Aprez tampil dengan interior bernuansa neo art deco dengan pendekatan modern. Seringkali perubahan interior menjadi salah satu alasan bagi sebuah resto untuk menaikkan harga, namun pada kasus Aprez, yang terjadi adalah sebaliknya. Dengan kapasitas tempat duduk hingga 90 orang, Aprez berfungsi sebagai showcase dari Aprez Catering, catering sekelas hotel bintang 5 yang menyajikan berbagai variasi makanan dan minuman berkonsep all you can eat dengan 1 harga.

Pada tanggal 30 oktober 2017, memasuki usianya yang ke-8 tahun. Tentunya 8 tahun bukan angka yang mudah dilalui. Setelah mengalami dinamika bisnis perhotelan, Amaroossa Hotel Indonesia terus bermetamorfosa untuk mencari dan mewujud kebentuk yang semakin baik. Oleh karena itu sudah saatnya bagi Amaroossa Hotel Indonesia untuk me-rejuvenate diri agar tetap eksis dan mumpuni seiring usianya yang semakin dewasa. Dalam rejuvenation brand ini sosok ‘White Rose’ dipilih menjadi ikon dari AMAROOSSA Anniversary ke 8. White Rose merupakan perlambang Amaroossa sebagai sosok hotel yang sophisticated dan artsy, hotel yang memiliki ketulusan dan passion dalam servicenya.

Jakarta, Ambhara Hotel kini menghadirkan “Sunday Brunch with Kids Corner “setiap hari Minggu mulai pukul 11.00 hingga 15.00. Dengan harga Rp 299.000nett/pax, selain mendapatkan segelas mocktail/cocktail pengunjung dapat menikmati berbagai hidangan lengkap dari makanan pembuka hingga penutup dan juga bagi keluarga yang memiliki anak usia 5 – 12 dapat mengikuti kids corner dengan berbagai aktivitas menarik untuk anak anak.

All Sedayu Kelapa Gading Hotel menggelar corporate & media gathering bertema “Cowboy’s Night Party & Hiking” pada 21 Oktober 2017 untuk merayakan ulang tahunnya yang ke-4 di Pesona Alam Resort & Spa, Puncak, Bogor. Acara yang setiap tahunnya rutin digelar dengan tema berbeda ini dihadiri oleh kurang lebih 100 peserta yang terdiri dari para bookers, sekretaris, manager, klien setia dan media yang telah memberikan dukungan selama ini.

America might has popular fastfood chains such as McD, KFC and Pizza Hut, but Indonesia has its own fastfood: Padang restaurant. Food trends may come and go, but Padang food is here to stay. Among all of the leading Padang restaurant names, Marco Padang might be the only one that focuses in serving home style Padang cuisine in a modern way in malls. Since its inception in Setiabudi One on 2009, Marco Padang already has 6 outlets in leading malls in Jakarta.

PT. Bungasari Flour Mills menggelar kunjungan pabrik yang berlokasi di Kawasan Industri Krakatau, Cilegon, Banten. Pada kesempatan ini para peserta dapat melihat langsung pabrik terigu dengan fasilitas paling modern yang memiliki teknologi flour blending, sistem yang menjadi unggulan Bungasari sejak berdiri pada ahun 2012.

Di tengah daya beli yang menurun dan sulitnya impor, Sababay Winery justru meraih keuntungan besar. Ronald Prasanto, pemilik Kopi Pak Wawan, pernah bergurau menjuluki pria ini sebagai “pemabuk berserifikat”. Namun, hingga hari ini, belum ada orang Indonesia yang memiliki pengalaman kerja di industri wine dari hulu hingga hilir selengkap Yohan Handoyo, COO Sababay Winery. Passion Media menemui Yohan di tempat kerja lamanya Decanter, Kuningan dan berbicara panjang lebar mengenai kondisi industri wine lokal.

In the midst of the declining buying power and import difficulties, Sababay Winery rises sky high.

Ronald Prasanto, the owner of Kopi Pak Wawan jokingly called the man as “certified drunkard”. However, until today, there has been no one in Indonesia that has worked in the wine industry from upstream to downstream like Yohan Handoyo, the COO of Sababay Winery. Passion met Yohan in his old working place Decanter, Kuningan and talked about the current situation for local wine industry.

Rubrik Reinvent kali ini menampilkan Jon Priadi Barajo, seorang pria kelahiran Kerinci, Jambi yang sempat kuliah dan bekerja di Canberra, Australia, dan sekarang sibuk sebagai konsultan F&B di Jakarta. Pada berbagai kesempatan, ia sering menyajikan menu favorit dari tanah kelahirannya Kerinci yaitu Dendeng Batokok.

Jon Priadi Barajo exhibits the traditional Kerinci’s dish through Dendeng Batokok

The Reinvent Section features Jon Priadi Barajo, a Kerinci, Jambi man who studied and worked in Canberra, Australia, and now acts as F&B consultant in Jakarta. In many occasions, Jon served the favorite menu from his birthplace, Dendeng Batokok.

Francesco Boccia dikenal sebagai konsultan pastry internasional dengan konsep pastry modern yang bisa langsung dikenali lewat karyanya. Lahir dan dibesarkan di keluarga pastry chef, tentu saja perkembangan Boccia lebih cepat dari teman seusianya. Ia mulai bekerja di perusahaan keluarga pada usia 13 sebelum memutuskan untuk sekolah pariwisata dimana ia bertemu dengan pastry chef Italia paling terkemuka. Pada usia 20, ia memenangkan Pastry Cup National pertamanya. Setelah itu, ia memenangkan beragam kompetisi dan penghargaan lain seperti National and World Pastry Team Champion, Pastry Chef of the Year, dan seleksi World Chocolate Masters.

Di 2015, Francesco Boccia dan timnya, Italia, berhasilkan memenangkan “Coupe du Monde de la Pattisserie” dan meraih skor tertinggi yang pernah tercatat di semua cabang kompetisi, meski sempat mengalami kecelakaan fatal. Di tahun yang sama, ia menjadi member kehormatan AMPI (Accademia Maestri Pascticceri Italiani), sebuah asosiasi pastry chef paling terkemuka di Italia. Chocolate Showpiece selalu menjadi passionnya, namun ia juga menaruh minat khusus pada praline, plated dessert, chocolate dessert, tart, dan semua kreasi pastry. Berikut ini interview eksklusif Passion Media dengan Francesco:

Francesco Boccia and the Italy team won the 2015 “Coupe du Monde de la Pattisserie” even though part of the chocolate sculpture fell apart, 30 minutes before the competition ended.

Francesco Boccia is known as international pastry consultant with modern concept of pastry that is instantly recognizable through his creations. Born and raised in the family of pastry chefs, of course Boccia is way ahead compared to his peers. He started working in the family business when he was merely 13 and then moved to vocational training with the most important Italian pastry chefs. And at the age of 20, he won the National Pastry Cup. After that, he won numerous awards such as National and World Pastry Team Champion, Pastry Chef of the Year, the selection of World Chocolate Masters.

In 2015, Francesco Boccia and his team, Italy, won the “Coupe du Monde de la Pattisserie” and obtained the highest score ever recorded in all the trials of the competition, despite of a fatal accident. In the same year, he became the honorary member of the AMPI (Accademia Maestri Pasticceri Italiani), the most important Italian association of pastry chefs. Chocolate showpieces are his passion but he also put special interest on pralines, plated dessert, chocolate desserts, tarts and all pastry creations. Here’s our exclusive interview with the man:

Belakangan ini bermunculan banyak sekali jasa konsultan di bidang F&B. Ini agak sedikit membingungkan bagi mereka yang ingin menggunakan jasanya, oleh sebab itu, kami bertemu dengan Chef Rahmat Kusnedi (CRK), untuk membicarakan tentang seluk beluk profesi ini. Meski dikenal sebagai Presiden Indonesia Pastry Alliance (IPA) dan pemilik dari supplier produk bakery & pastry Physalis’s, CRK juga kerap terlibat di berbagai brand sebagai konsultan. Berikut diskusi kami dengan CRK:

Consultant’s presence might greatly help you in building your business. The question is, what sort of consultant?

Lately, we have many consultant services in F&B industry. It might confuse those who want to use their services, therefore, we met Chef Rahmat Kusnedi (CRK) to discuss about the rising profession. Although he’s been known as the President of Indonesia Pastry Alliance (IPA) and owner of Physalis’s, supplier of bakery & pastry products, CRK is also involved in various brands as consultant. Here’s our interview with CRK:

Bali is in the perfect position to introduce the flavour of Indonesia internationally. PASSION talks to the Executive Chef and Executive Sous Chef of The Laguna, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Nusa Dua to learn about their dedication for Indonesian gastronomy.

Bali berada di posisi yang tepat untuk mengenalkan cita rasa Indonesia ke dunia internasional. PASSION berbincang dengan Executive Chef dan Executive Sous Chef of The Laguna, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Nusa Dua untuk menemukan dedikasi mereka terhadap dunia gastronomi Indonesia.

Ditempa dengan pengalaman bertahun-tahun di dapur hotel-hotel berbintang lima dari Indonesia hingga Uni Emirat Arab, Executive Sous Chef Emmanuel Julio dari The Dharmawangsa berbagi cerita mengenai kecintaannya terhadap masakan Indonesia dan usaha mempromosikannya secara modern di kancah internasional.

Seasoned in rigorous kitchens of five-star hotels from Indonesia to as far as UAE, the Executive Sous Chef Emmanuel Julio from The Dharmawangsa shared us a story about his passion with Indonesian cuisine and his modernist effort to promote it internationally. 

PASSION heads to Kunyit Restaurant at The Anvaya Beach Resort to taste its Balinese classic signature dishes. 

I can’t think of a better place to dine, relax, and people watching in Tuban than the elegantly furnished Kunyit Restaurant. Elevated from the street, the Balinese and Indonesian restaurant provides a nice al fresco experience despite being in the heart of the hustle and bustle of Kuta. The Bali Aga inspired contemporary decor is a delight to the eyes, while the seating arrangements provide enough intimate space for romantic or group dinner.

PASSION berkunjung ke Kunyit Restaurant di The Anvaya Beach Resort untuk merasakan hidangan klasik khas Bali.

Saya tidak dapat memikirkan tempat yang lebih sesuai untuk makan, bersantai, dan mengamati orang berjalan lewat di daerah Tuban selain di Kunyit Restaurant yang didesain dengan elegan. Terletak sedikit lebih tinggi dari jalan, restauran yang menyajikan masakan Bali dan Indonesia ini memberikan pengalaman al fresco yang menyenangkan meskipun berada tepat di tengah Kuta yang padat. Dekorasi kontemporer yang terinspirasi dari budaya Bali Aga sungguh indah dipandang, sementara pengaturan area duduknya memberikan privasi ruang yang bersahabat untuk acara makan romantis maupun berkelompok.

PASSION mengunjungi BLANCO par Mandif di Ubud dan mencicipi usahanya dalam membawa makanan Indonesia ke perbatasan yang baru.

Sejak buka pada tahun 2015 sebagai tujuan destinasi fine dining, BLANCO par Mandif baru saja selesai menambah kapasitas restaurannya. Berlalu sudah masa dimana BLANCO par Mandif adalah sebuah pengalaman intim yang hanya bisa memuat 10 orang di dapur terbukanya yang terkenal. Sebagai gantinya adalah restaurant yang lebih elegan serta dapat mengakomodasi 20 orang. Berlokasi di dalam Blanco Renaissance Museum, saya langsung merasa memasuki dunia yang berbeda saat tiba di area bar sekaligus pintu masuk yang gelap dan dramatis.

PASSION revisits BLANCO par Mandif in Ubud and discover its attempt in bringing Indonesian cuisine into a new frontier.

Firmly establishing itself as a fine dining destination since opening its door in 2015, BLANCO par Mandif recently upgraded the restaurant. Gone were the days when BLANCO par Mandif was an intimate experience where only ten people could sit and dine at its famous open kitchen. In its place, an elegant and refined sibling for twenty is taking over. Located on the ground of Blanco Renaissance Museum , I immediately feel transported into another realm as soon as I enter the dark dramatic bar which is also the entrance.

I am glad to report that impeccable service remains at the heart of the restaurant. Sitting at one of the restaurant’s best spot overlooking the Campuhan bridge, I am enjoying the serenity that engulfs me. Created by Indonesia’s leading gastronomic chef and restaurateur, Mandif Warokka, the restaurant is a tribute to Indonesian flavour and heritage. Warokka’s perfectionist approach and deep love gives birth to an intense reinterpretation of Indonesian flavours and creative innovation which despite being audaciously modern in presentation, remains rooted in traditional cooking technique.

Pengalaman dining di Nusa Gastronomy mirip dengan menonton film Christopher Nolan: Anda menikmatinya dan merasa lebih pandai meski tidak terlalu memahami apa yang sebenarnya terjadi. Akui sajalah, meski Anda dapat menikmati Inception (2010), Anda tidak mungkin bisa memahami keseluruhan konsep mengenai pencurian rahasia dari alam bawah sadar yang dibahas di film itu dalam sekali tonton. Kemudian setelah beberapa kali menonton ulang, banyak hal mulai menjadi masuk akal dan menjadi momen, “Aha!” Ini terjadi juga di banyak film Nolan yang lain seperti Interstellar (2014) dan Dunkirk (2017). 

Jika Anda pernah menonton film-film tersebut, kira-kira seperti itulah perasaan kami setelah dining di Nusa Gastronomy. Ada begitu banyak nama-nama makanan Indonesia yang terdengar aneh seperti sambal tempoyak, kambing nilomang, jamur pelawan. Nusa menunjukkan bahwa kekayaan kuliner Indonesia tidak hanya sebatas rendang dan nasi goreng. Ada banyak makanan legendaris daerah yang belum pernah mendapat panggung, bahkan untuk skala nasional. Nusa mengangkat makanan-makanan tersebut beserta cerita dibaliknya. Di sini mereka menyebutnya sebagai “an edible story of Indonesia.”

Setidaknya ada dua hal umum yang kerap kami temui ketika sebuah restoran mengusung konsep masakan Indonesia. Pertama adalah terlalu berpaku pada tradisi sehingga terasa sekaligus terlihat membosankan dan sulit diterima oleh palate internasional, sementara yang kedua adalah melangkah terlalu jauh ke depan dengan penggunaan teknik masak modern sehingga mengabaikan rasa asli masakan tersebut. Satu hal yang kami kagumi dari Nusa Gastronomy adalah kemampuan Chef Ragil Imam Wibowo, sang chef owner, untuk mengaplikasikan teknik masak dan presentasi kontemporer tanpa mengabaikan rasa asli dari masakan tradisional tersebut.

Dining experience in Nusa Gastronomy is similar to watching Christopher Nolan’s movie: you enjoy the ride and feel smarter, even though you don’ really understand what’s going on.

Admit it, although you enjoyed Inception (2010), you can’t really understand the concept of stealing secrets from people’s sub consciousness as discussed in the movie in screening. And then after watching it for the next time, things started to make sense and would give you the, “Aha!” moment It also happened in Nolan’s movies such as Interstellar (2014) and Dunkirk (2017).

Passion Media welcoming your christmas with Giveaway! 🎄 #DecemberGiveaway

Menangkan:
3D2N at Alaya Resort Ubud (Deluxe Room)
Inc. breakfast for 2person

Ingrediets:

Thick brioche 1 slice
Poach egg 2 pcs
Prosciutto (thin slice) 35 gr
Micro greens for garnish
Black pepper for garnish

Hollandaise sauce
clarified butter 200 ml
egg yolk 60 gr (3 pcs)
lemon juice 20 gr
salt and pepper to taste

Dough: 

250g flour
125g butter
100g sugar
50ml water
2pcs egg yolks
5g salt

Custard:
100ml lemon juice
50ml passion fruit puree
4 eggs
250g sugar
1 lemon zest
200g butter

For a 26-year-old chef, perhaps only Putri Mumpuni who has seen a lot of actions introducing Indonesian cuisine around the globe through food diplomatic missions. Recently, Putri shared us her adventures and the relentless pursuit of knowledge, now within the world of pastry.

Untuk seorang chef berumur 26 tahun, Putri Mumpuni telah berkelana keliling dunia mempromosikan masakan Indonesia melalui berbagai misi diplomasi kuliner. Baru-baru ini Putri berbagi kisah petualangannya serta keinginan besarnya untuk belajar di bidang pastry.

Meet Jeremy Blanchet. The executive chef of Pearl, Legian’s best kept French fine dining restaurant secret, divulges his passion for authenticity and immaculate plating.

Half hidden in the touristic Jalan Arjuna is a culinary pearl that will take one by surprise. Just like its namesake, the restaurant is a gem especially made for lingering dinner and intimate conversation. Dishes after dishes of beautifully plated French classics such as lobster bisque, magret de canard and braised beef with red wine sauces are giving solid reason for its ardent patrons to continue coming back since the restaurant opened 8 years ago.

Jeremy Blanchet is the power behind this culinary pursuit. Hailed from the south of France, the thirty years old chef found his knack for cooking during his teenage years living in the Carribean Islands. He completed his training under the renowned chef, Thierry Maffre-Bogé who had a one Michelin-starred credential at his restaurant, Le Petite France in Maussane. “I learned about the backbone of French cooking there, from mixing ingredients to making sauces. Sauce is very important for a French dish. It took hours to make them, making stocks and reducing until you have the exact texture and taste that you want,” says Blanchet. 

That long hours of practice are being put down to good use in the kitchen. Despite the challenges, Blanchet is adamant in creating authentic French flavour in Bali. His deep love for the long tradition can be savoured in every bite while his understanding for the importance of good presentation created a feast for the eye. “Before deconstructing a cuisine, turning them into molecular gastronomy or fusion, I think it is also important for people to taste the original. That’s what I want to achieve here. Traditional recipe with a modern presentation,” claims Blanchet before checking on his sourdough bread in the oven. 

Pastry and bakery are his other passion. As evident in his current menu, dessert plays a significant role. From the classic chocolate moelleux to a stunning composition of chocolate sphere with raspberry sorbet, caramel sauce and white chocolate emulsion; the desserts are carefully made to complement and create the final lasting impression. Take the Passion Lemon Tart, a refreshingly lighter take than the classic French version. “It is less sweet than the original recipe, fresh with a light filling and a crispy, buttery crust. It is also slightly acidic, a good way to end a rich and flavourful meal,” claims the chef. 

Despite his strong Provençal root with its signature sun-kissed fresh produces and light seasoning, Blanchet admits to derive his creations from various Gallic regional cuisines. Typically, he would go back to original recipes and choose the one which ingredients are available in Bali and ended up with a new reinterpretation of a dish. Do take note of his name because there will be more exciting creation to come from this talented chef in the future.

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Keraton at the Plaza, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Jakarta, menunjuk seorang General Manager baru. Tentunya, sebagai majalah F&B, biasanya Passion tidak akan meliput General Manager. Namun kami berubah pikiran ketika kami mendengar kabar mengenai Cora Stuart, General Manager baru Keraton, satu dari sedikit General Manager wanita di industri ini, ia juga berhasil mendapat gelar “The Best General Manager” oleh majalah Hotelier Middle East di 2009. Berikut interview kami dengan wanita Singapura pecinta olahraga dan pola hidup sehat.

After years of living in a man’s world, Cora Stuart tells us how it feels to be one of the few General Managers in hotel industry and her addiction.

Keraton at the Plaza, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Jakarta has just appointed a new General Manager. And of course, as an F&B magazine, normally Passion wouldn’t cover General Managers. But we changed our mind when we heard about Cora Stuart, Keraton’s new General Manager, one of the few female General Managers in the industry who managed to get the title of “The Best General Manager” by Hotelier Middle East Magazine in 2009. The curiousity to get to know more on her personality led us to an up close and personal session of interview with the Singaporean woman who also is a very sportsperson and healthy living enthusiast.

Bekerja di dapur merupakan hal yang cukup berat, baik secara mental maupun secara fisik (ini sebabnya lebih banyak pria di industri ini). Konon bidang kuliner dan pastry menjadi pilihan favorit dibandingkan jurusan lain di SMK. Tentu saja persaingan di dapur merupakan hal yang tidak bisa dihindari lagi. Sebagai seseorang yang pernah menjalaninya dari bawah, Chef Rahmat Kusnedi (CRK), Presiden dari Indonesia Pastry Alliance (IPA), memberikan 6 tips agar Anda bisa memenangkan kompetisi di tempat kerja hingga Anda mencapai posisi tertinggi sebagai Executive Pastry Chef:

The road to become an Executive Pastry Chef is full of competition; Chef Rahmat Kusnedi showed us some tips to be steps ahead.

Working in the kitchen is tough, both mentally and physicaly (this is why you see more male worker in the industry). It is said that culinary and patisserie are the favorite among other majors in Vocational High Schools. Of course the competition in the kitchen is inevitable. As someone who has walked down the road from scratch, Chef Rahmat Kusnedi (CRK), President of Indonesia pastry Alliance (IPA), gave us 6 tips to win the competition in the workplace so you can be The Executive Pastry that you’ve always dreamed of:

Experiencing the rustic charm of French and Mediterranean cuisine at Kebun Bistro.

The long and busy street of Hanoman is renowned for being the location of several impressive eateries. Kebun Bistro is one of them. Since opening its door five years ago, the casual restaurant continues to flourish and expand. The space gets wider, accommodating its growing and loyal customers’ needs. As we arrive at the bistro, the sun was just recently set and Ubud is getting slowly back to being the village it once was. Visiting Kebun Bistro requires an empty schedule because the ambience will seduces its visitors to sit back and linger. No visit here should ever be rushed. 

There are the green potted plants and hanging vines, earth coloured walls and curvaceous iron lattice on the window. The feeling of being in an open-air veranda of somebody’s house in a small town of France is made even more real with the mismatched chairs made of wood and rattan as well as the square white marble table tops. 

The menu is taking its inspiration from Provençal cuisine which relies heavily on the use of olive oil, fresh herbs, sun-kissed vegetables, and influenced by the light Mediterranean cuisine. I am glad to report that its wine cellar is stocked with fine wine collections from France, South America, Australia, and beyond. My starter arrives right after I finished my first glass of a fruity Shiraz. A bowlful of escargot submerged in a luxurious bath of butter, oil and the fragrant chopped parsley is a morsel of good life. The snails are plump and juicy while the accompanying baguette is crusty. In no time at all, what remains on the plate is just crumbs. 

Sharing the grilled sesame tuna salad with my friend turns out to be a good idea since the portion is quite generous. The tuna is medium rare and goes very well with the citrus dressing, sun-kissed tomatoes, avocado, black olives, rucola, and asparagus. It makes a nice change after the flavourful escargot.

As the quintessential French dish, the duck confit also meets my expectation. It is meltingly tender and can be easily pulled from the bone as a result of slowly being cooked in the oven for three hours. The accompanying green peppercorn sauce adds a depth and soft heat into the dish. 

We close the meal with the mille-feuille. The sweet vanilla custard cream and layers of crispy pastry is served with a slightly sour strawberry coulis. All in all, it was a balanced and beautifully presented dessert. A romantic French chanson is playing in the background and we finally agree on another glass of Chilean Chardonnay before slowly making our way home. An evening well spent is one with good wine and good food. Fortunately, tonight we have both.

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PASSION revisits CasCades Restaurant and talks to the man behind the exciting culinary endeavour which constantly raising the bar.

I am following Nic Vanderbeeken into the large green house at the garden of Viceroy Bali. For the last one year, the Belgian executive chef has been working intensively with a team of gardeners in growing various vegetables and herbs for the menu at CasCades Restaurant. Brussel sprouts, kolhrabi, fennel, watercress, tarragon, and cheerful edible flowers are growing exuberantly on white aquaponic pipes. Heirloom seeds from Indonesia and other countries are making their way to this particular green house where constant experimentations and trials are conducted to get the best possible produce.

“The way I see it, when our garden improves so does our kitchen and ultimately, our menu,” claims Vanderbeeken who is reinventing a new degustation menu based on the locally grown produce and his flavour database of European upbringing. The last time I saw and tasted his creation, Vanderbeeken was intent on combining French cooking technique with Indonesian flavours. And he was remarkably apt at it, undoubtedly influenced by his vast experiences in several Michelin starred restaurants in France, Netherlands and Belgium. Never the one who shies away from challenges, he has pioneered and actively involved in Cascades’ legendary Four Hand Chef Collaboration where internationally acclaimed chefs are invited to cook and co-hosted exclusive dining events at the restaurant.

Today, I signed up for the new six course degustation menu. While sipping my Cosmopolitan and enjoying the romantic view of the green valley, my first dish is served on the table. True to its name, the fit for royalty Royal Tartar is a magnificent study of flavours. The raw cubed wagyu beef is delicately plated in the form of a ring and on the top is the precariously perched garden made of thinly sliced celery, quail egg, pickled cucumber, fresh onion, crispy baby potato, and delightfully crunchy pumpkin ginger meringue. It pleasantly bursts in my mouth, a rounded aria of acidulous sweetness and a rich taste of black garlic mayonnaise in the raw beef. It is a truly solid start.

A dramatically plated marinated seared octopus on a bed of fennel is next. Dotted with sweet potato sauce and lemon basil sauce, the dish is also visually enhanced with squid ink coral tuile and artfully placed fennel flower. The octopus is perfectly cooked and when I dip it into the mixture of sauces, a flood of new flavour is born. Vanderbeeken sneakily adds curry into the sauce and the result of this savoury and fragrant affair is nothing short of extraordinary.

The Beef Cheek Rendang is a nod to Indonesian flavour and a clever take on the traditional French braised version. The chubby cheeks are delightful and mixing it in a spoonful of its accompanying pickled vegetable, aromatic Thai inspired tom kha soup emulsion, and Padang’s green chili sambal is the most exquisite treat I have given myself in a while. At this point, Vanderbeeken’s creation has completely blown me away. Then, he comes with the Quail Wellington. Aesthetically, it is the simplest from the others but a bite of perfectly rolled foie gras, morel mushroom and quail dipped in the truffle sauce later, I come to the conclusion that it is nothing but simple. This ravishing dish cemented my absolute faith in CasCades and its worldly refined direction.

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Kami paham, sulit sekali menemukan roti Eropa otentik di Jakarta, namun kabar baiknya, Eric Kayser hadir di Jakarta. Eric memiliki DNA roti sejak ia lahir di keluarga baker. Ia bergabung dengan The Compagnons du Devoir (perkumpulan seniman tradisional) sejak usia muda, dengan bertujuan untuk membantu mengabadikan metode tradisional dan menumbuhkan passionnya sendiri untuk membagi pengetahuan dan keahliannya. Setelah terlatih sebagai pendidik, Eric Kayser akhirnya memutuskan untuk membangun perusahaan sendiri sehingga ia memiliki tempat untuk mengkomunikasikan visi uniknya, Perusahaan ini kemudian hadir di banyak negara

Sebuah momen kunci dalam karirnya tiba pada tahun 1994 lewat penemuan Fermentolevain, sebuah mesin revolusioner yang mampu menjaga cairan leavening di temperature yang tepat, sehingga memudahkan dalam aplikasi. Ini memungkinkan Eric untuk memenuhi ambisinya membuat roti dengan bagian tengah yang creamy, serat yang khas, memiliki aroma buah kering, dan shelf life yang luar biasa.

Yang membedakan Eric Kayser dari yang lain adalah komitmennya untuk menggunakan agen leavening alami di produk roti dan pastrynya. Agen fermentasi ini terhubung langsung dengan sejarah roti. Ini adalah campuran air, terigu, dan gula (dalam kasus Eric Kayser, madu) yang kemudian didinginkan dan diberi waktu resting. Ini adalah agen fermentasi pertama yang digunakan dalam produksi roti, sehingga tidak mengejutkan jika agen ini hanya berisikan bahan alami.

Namun teknik ini tidak digunakan lagi di abad ke-20 dan digantikan oleh ragi, yang aplikasinya lebih mudah dan mampu membuat roti mengembang lebih cepat dan besar. Namun, penggunaan ragi memiliki kekurangan, shelf lifenya lebih singkat dan rasanya tidak memiliki aroma khas roti yang dibuat dengan agen leavening.

Ini adalah alasan mengapa Eric Kayser bersikukuh untuk menghidupkan kembali proses yang telah teruji waktu ini, dan ini alasan agen leavening tersebut digunakan di semua produk roti, croissant, brioche dan produk lainnya. Teknik fermentasi ini terutama berguna untuk meningkatan kesadaran akan hidup sehat dan mampu membuat produk yang lebih gampang dicerna oleh tubuh manusia, dan rasanya juga enak.

Eric Kayser was born into a family of bakers. He has bread in his DNA. He joined the Compagnons du Devoir (a traditional craftsmen’s guild) at a young age, helping to perpetuate traditional methods and cultivating his own passion for passing on his knowledge and skills. Having plied his trade as an educator, Eric Kayser decided set up his own company, giving him an outlet to communicate his unique vision. The company now boasts an extensive international presence.

A key moment came in 1994 with the invention of the Fermentolevain, a revolutionary machine that keeps liquid leavening agent at just the right temperature, making it easier to work with. This enabled Eric Kayser to pursue his ambition of creating bread with a creamy center, distinctive grain, dried fruit flavors and an excellent shelf-life. 

What sets Eric Kayser apart from the rest is his commitment to using natural leavening agent in his breads and pastries. This fermentation agent is inextricably linked with the history of bread. It is a mixture of water, flour and sugars (honey, in the case of Eric Kayser) which is then chilled and allowed to rest. It was the first such agent to be used in bread production, so it comes as no surprise that it contains only natural ingredients.

Yet it fell largely out of favor in the 20th century and was replaced by yeast, which is easier to manage and produces fast-rising, high-volume bread. However, the use of yeast results in bread that has a shorter shelf-life and a less distinctive flavor than bread made with a leavening agent.

This is the main reason why Eric Kayser set about reviving this time-honored process, and why a leavening agent is now used in all our breads, croissants, brioches and other products. This fermentation technique is particularly beneficial at a time of increasing health-consciousness, delivering products that the human body is better able to digest and tolerate, and they taste great, too.

Berbeda dengan restoran sejenis yang mengubah konsep menjadi fusion, Emilie tetap teguh pada masakan Perancis. Tentu saja, ini bukan jalan yang mudah, atau populer. “Sejujurnya, bisnis fine dining itu sangat sulit. Lihat saja; apakah ada restoran fine dining baru? Jika mudah dan sukses, tentu Anda akan melihat banyak pemain baru,” kata Wahjudi Rahardja, Chef Owner Emilie French Restaurant. Kata-katanya menjawab pertanyaan kami mengenai mengapa hanya ada sedikit resto yang masuk dalam genre ini. Di sisi lain, resto fine dining lain malah mengubah konsepnya menjadi casual atau fusion. Apa yang terjadi di scene fine dining ini?

Sejak berdiri pada 2005, restoran milik keluarga ini telah berhasil mendapatkan banyak penghargaan; The Award of Excellence (2007) oleh majalah Wine Spectator (USA), kemudian diupgrade menjadi “Best of Award of Excellence” sejak 2013, masuk dalam jajaran salah satu restoran terbaik Asia Miele Guide 2009/2010, 2011/2012, dan penghargaan “Best French/Fine Dining Restaurant” dari banyak sekali majalah.

Bertempat di Jalan Senopati yang tenar, cukup mudah untuk melewatkan kehadiran Emlie, selain dari signage dan light box kecil. “Saya lebih suka begini, tidak terlalu menonjol karena target market kami, kurang lebih bukan mass customer,” kata Wahjudi yang biasa dikenal dengan panggilan singkat, Yen. Meski dari luar tampak seperti rumah biasa di Jalan Senopati, bangunan sengaja dibangun ulang dan diperuntukkan untuk restoran oleh Jaya Ibrahim and Associates.

Unlike many of its colleagues who went fusion, Emilie sticks to its French roots. And of course it’s not an easy path, nor a popular one.

“Realistically speaking, fine dining business is very difficult. Take a look around; do we have any new fine dining restaurants? If it’s easy and successful, you’ll see many new ones coming up,” said Wahjudi Rahardja, Chef Owner of Emilie French Restaurant. His words clearly answered our question of why there’s so few restaurants belongs in this genre. On the other hand, we have some fine dining restaurants went casual or fusion. What actually happened in this fine dining scene?

Since established in 2005, the family owned restaurant has won many awards; such as The Award of Excellence (2007) by Wine Spectator Magazine (USA), upgraded to “Best of Award of Excellence” since 2013, listed as one of Asia’s Finest Restaurants by the Miele Guide 2009/2010, 2011/2012, and numerous “Best French/Fine Dining Restaurant” from various magazines. 

Located in the famous Jalan Senopati, it’s quite easy to miss Emilie’s presence, apart from the signage and small light box. “I prefer it this way, not too flashy because our target market, more or less, is not mass customers,” said Wahjudi who is also known as, simply, Yen. Even though it looks just like regular houses in Senopati, the building was actually designed by Jaya Ibrahim and Associates, specifically for restaurant purpose.

Baik klasik atau kontemporer, Amuz merupakan tempat pilihan saat Anda menginginkan resto fine dining Perancis. Sudah lebih dari 6 tahun sejak kunjungan terakhir saya ke Amuz, salah satu resto fine dining terbaik di Jakarta. Amuz telah memenangkan berbagai penghargaan bergengsi, seperti Hospitality Platinum Award Indonesia di berbagai seri dan tahun dan Award of Excellence dari majalah Wine Spectator selama 5 tahun berturut-turut. Selain sedikit perubahan di interior, tempat, konsep dan atmosfir di Amuz tetap sama seperti tahun-tahun sebelumnya. Perbedaan paling mencolok justru tampak di menu seasonal terbaru dan penampilan Gilles Marx (Chef Founder Amuz) yang memutuskan untuk menumbuhkan jenggot, Passion mungkin salah satu media pertama yang menampilkan foto terbaru Gilles.

It’s been over 6 years since my last visit to Amuz, one of the best French fine dining restaurants in Jakarta, if not the best. The facts that Amuz has won numerous prestigious awards, such as Hospitality Platinum Award Indonesia with variants of series and years and Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for 5 years in a row, speak volume. Apart from some minor interior changes (and some new international awards), the place, the concept, and the atmosphere don’t show any differences from years ago. The most notable changes actually comes from the new seasonal menu and Gilles Marx’s (Amuz’s Chef Founder) appearance who decided to grew some beard, and Passion is probably the first media to feature Gilles’ new look.

You’ve heard this saying somewhere, “stop trying to make everybody happy, you aren’t chocolate.”

Even though it’s hard to deny that fact, we found it weird to know that there are so few chocolate cafes even though Indonesia is widely known as the third cacao producer and exporter in the world. The truth is, chocolate café is not as popular as coffee shop. It’s even surprisingly rare to have chocolate café that serves proper hot chocolate.

We can’t blame you if you assume hot chocolate is chocolate drink made of instant chocolate powder like you’ve had in many of the coffee shops. However, a true hot chocolate that is made out of melted chocolate with steamed fresh milk is surprisingly rare. Fortunately, it took no chocolate expert to tell the difference between the instant powder and the real stuff. From the texture, the intensity and the complexity of the flavor, you’d probably wondering why we don’t have more places serving this kind of goodness? Thank God, we found Kakolait in BSD, Tangerang, one of the fastest developing regions in Jabodetabek.

Kakolait actually has 8 owners, and 6 of them went to college in Sydney, Australia. “We missed Sydney’s atmosphere and we haven’t found a good hot chocolate drink in Jakarta. Finally, we decided to open up a café with proper hot chocolate. We have wider target audience, kids to the elders are enjoying Kakolait,” said Pricillia Pranata, one of Kakolait’s owners.

Classic Hot Chocolate is probably Kakolait’s most iconic drink, and as always, opt for the dark one instead of milk. It’s some sort of an unwritten rule for any chocolate lovers, in case you’re wondering. If you enjoy it, you might want to take a step further by ordering the Thick Hot Chocolate. It’s probably the most intense hot chocolate we’ve had with very heavy texture that you can’t find in any other places.

When it’s hot outside, you can always pick Ice Chocolate. Although not as intense as the hot counterpart due to the ice cube, the menu still packs some serious intensity. Apart from any chocolate-based drinks, the place also serves other drinks such as milk shake, coffee, and tea. Kakolait also has some waffle menu to accompany their drinks.

If you’ve tried the Classic Hot Chocolate, most probably you won’t see hot chocolate the same way as you were before. Kakolait has set the new standard of hot chocolate and we predict that sooner or later, more people will demand such quality hot chocolate in their favorite coffee shops. The good news is, we’ll see Kakolait’s new outlet coming up in Jakarta in near future.

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Menangkan:

Hadiah Pertama: 1 Voucher menginap3 hari 2 malam di Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort di deluxe room, termasuk breakfast untuk 2 (Dua) orang di Feast Restaurant.
Hadiah Kedua: 1 FnB Voucherdi Seafood Martini Friday untuk2 (dua) orang di by the pool with breath-taking view over the Indian Ocean.

Red paste

Ingredients :

60 gr shallot
20 gr garlic
10 gr ginger
10 gr candlenut
100 gr curly red chilly
50 gr oil

Method :
Blend into fine paste

Ingredients

Saury fish (SANAM) 1 pce/280 gr
Shiso leaf 1 pce
Ume Japanese plum 1 pce
Flour As Needed
Carrot 15 grm x 3 pcs
Pumpkin 15 grm x 2 pcs
Lutos root 2 gr x 2pcs
Sweet corn 60 gr
Fresh ginkgo nuts 3 pcs
Chestnut Japan:
   Grilled 3 pcs
   Deep fry 2 pcs

Istana Negara mengundang sekumpulan pecinta kopi dengan berbagai macam latar belakang untuk menyajikan kopi di Istana Negara dalam rangka merayakan HUT RI ke-72 pada 15-17Agustus 2017. Pecinta kopi ini terdiri dari profesor kopi, petani kopi, barista, bahkan ada Monica Tjandra yang berprofesi sebagai People Development dan Quality Assurance Manager at The Seminyak Beach Resort & Spa. Mereka semua diundang ke istana atas nama Kopi Mengani Bali. 

ACP (Association of Culinary Professionals) dan Bungasari Flour Mills Indonesia berkolaborasi untuk menghadirkan workshop edukasi berjudul “From Wheat to Flour” pada Sabtu 26 Agustus 2017 di Modena Experience Center. Acara yang pesertanya didominasi dari kalangan murid SMK ini membahas tentang perjalanan panjang gandum menjadi terigu hingga menjadi produk akhir seperti roti, mie, dan berbagai produk gorengan.

Jika Anda termasuk orang yang suka gratisan (memangnya ada yang tidak suka?), kini ada aplikasi untuk Anda: Gratiser. “Terdapat lebih dari 300 restoran, coffee shop, bengkel, salon, gym yang telah bergabung dengan kami. Semuanya gratis, ini bukan diskon, Anda tidak diwajibkan untuk membeli apa-apa terlebih dahulu,” jelas Candri, CEO dan Co-Founder Gratiser.