Chef Nanang Prasetya Aditama of the hotel’s restaurant, Nimitr, joins forces with Tam Chudaree Debhakam, winner of the first Top Chef Thailand, to present a stunning dinner menu this Saturday and Sunday (September 29-30), offering seven courses that celebrate the flavours and ingredients of Indonesian and Thai cuisines.

Created on the philosophy of “Grown sustainably, crafted responsibly, to be eaten mindfully”, the dinner will start with a Salted Duck Egg Relish Bite served with Pickled Shallot and Holland Cucumber” and also include Soto Betawi, a curry soup with beef dumplings and crispy potatoes, and Pan-fried Threadfish with Winter Gourd, Thai Herbs, Clam Sauce, and Cha Plu Oil. The main course is Indonesian Rawon and Thai Wagyu Beef Tenderloin, braised beef with black nut, served with tempeh sambal, grilled greens, and tamarind sauce”.

“We want to bring exciting new tastes and experiences to diners at Nimitr. And it doesn’t get more interesting than refined Thai and Indonesian. Both Tam and I like being challenged as chefs and we can’t wait to showcase to our guests what we have put together for this menu,” says Nanang.

The exciting menu will be paired to specially selected Old and New World wines that are biodynamic, sustainable, natural, or organic.

Chef Nanang, 27, graduated in 2011 and worked all over Asia, including Bali, Bintan, and the Maldives. He joined 137 Pillars Suites & Residences Bangkok and was soon appointed Specialty Sous Chef at Nimitr where he is responsible for designing, overseeing, planning, and creating sensational, cutting-edge Oriental fare.

In 2017, he participated in the Thailand Ultimate Chef Challenge 2017, endorsed by The World Association of Chefs Society (WACS) to promote and recognise the skills and professionalism of both young and talented chefs in Thailand.

The youngest competitor, Tam Chudaree Debhakam, 25, won the first Top Chef Thailand in 2017. After the show she travelled around six different countries showcasing modern Thai cuisine. Before that she graduated from The International Culinary Centre in New York City. She then worked for Dan Barber at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, New York (currently number 11 on the World’s 50 Best restaurant list) for two years. With her background in farm driven cuisine combined with her knowledge in nutrition, Tam’s cooking focuses on organic, local Thai produce, with some traditional Thai flavours and modern American flair.

The Indonesian-Thai pop-up dinner will be held from 7pm and costs Bt3,500-plus (food only) per person and Bt 4,500-plus (with organic wine paring).

Book your table at (02) 079 7000.

Guests can enjoy a range of cocktails inspired both by Bowie’s life and his famous album “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars”, with each drink named after a lyric from the record.

Bars and beverages manager Fabio Spinetti, formerly of The Connaught, has worked collaboratively with the Ziggy’s bar team to create this unique menu. A believer in understated and classic cocktails, Spinetti’s varied menu caters to all tastes, and include carefully considered liqueurs and garnishes, all nodding to Bowie’s life and his eccentric character.

Highlights include Darkness and Disgrace that draws inspiration from several classic cocktails, namely the Rum Flip and Espresso Martini. The combination of dark rum, tawny port, coffee liqueur, sugar syrup and egg yolk creates a light and creamy drink, perfect for finishing off dinner or to start the night ahead.

Animal Grace is blended with leftover orange skins, orange juice and Chardonnay vinegar then mixed with tequila, Ancho Reyes (a spicy liqueur), apricot liqueur, agave syrup, lime juice and soda water. Finished with an orange and chilli crusted rim, this makes a spicy yet refreshing serve.

Inspired by the ’70s classic Pina Colada, Tiger on Vaseline is a mixture of Cachaca, Tanaka spiced rum, roasted pineapple juice and lime juice. The drink is then topped with a home-made coconut and white chocolate foam, finishing on a sweet and tropical note.

Femme Fatale has been created with Bowie’s love of martinis in mind. Linked with the restaurant’s extensive range of sushi, it uses Japanese liqueur sake and French aperitif Byrrh (a sweet vermouth), and is garnished with a delicate rose petal floating on top.

Find out more at http://laurentatcaferoyal.com/ziggys/.

He’ll be in charge of the Sunday brunch at the restaurant Viu on November 4 and 11. It costs Bt3,200.

He’ll also be presenting his “Simply Scandinavian” eight-course degustation menu (Bt3,900) at Viu and a three-course set lunch (Bt2,800) at the restaurant Jojo from November 5 to 10.

And throughout November, he’ll be contributing to the St Regis Afternoon Tea, daily from 2.30 to 5pmin the Lounge and at the St Regis Bar. It costs Bt1,800 for two.

Swedish musicians will be performing while diners enjoy the feasts at Viu and Jojo.

“I’m really honoured and moved by this chance to cook in the country of my birth,” Sayan says. “My wish is to infuse Scandinavian flavours with the very sophisticated and brilliant food culture of Thailand.”

On the dinner menu at Jojo will be lightly grilled prawns in nasturtium leaves; tartar of flash-grilled dry-aged beef, emulsified oysters and seaweed crisps; mushroom and grain porridge with aged butter and yuba; soft-shell crab cooked over glowing embers with organic waste-XO; and celeriac petals and white truffle.

The lunch at Jojo will feature garden salad, buttermilk fromage blanc and a poached pullet egg, followed by black garlic pigeon, Nordic “five spice” potato and herb bundles, and finishing with autumn leaves and frozen sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes) and grilled apple tea.

Advance reservations are recommended at (02) 207 7777, fb.bangkok@stregis.com or http://www.StRegisBangkok.com.

A household name in Sweden, Sayan Isaksson was born in Thailand and adopted at age three months by Swedish parents. He opened Esperanto in Stockholm in 2005 and it earned a Michelin star two years later, retaining it annually until the restaurant closed earlier this year.

MANNING THE KITCHEN of Front Room restaurant at the newly opened Waldorf Astoria Bangkok is Rungthiwa “Fae” Chummongkhon, a female Thai chef with 10 years of Nordic cooking to her credit and a passion for the local ingredients and recipes of her childhood.

The result is a surprising Thai-inspired Nordic approach to a menu with complex flavours that will immediately be familiar to the Thai palate.

Born and raised in the northern province of Chiang Rai and married to a Danish businessman, Fae lived in Denmark for 12 years before returning home to direct her 10 kitchen staff at this new restaurant.

 Chef Rungthiwa “Fae”Chummongkhon

“It’s a challenging job especially as Scandinavian-style dishes are usually prepared by foreign chefs. I want to show that a Thai chef, particularly a woman, can do it too. I believe Thais have the palate to absorb the complex flavours of sour, sweet, salty and spicy and that is an advantage when it comes to being a good chef,” says 36-year-old Fae, whose last post was an executive chef at the upmarket Kokkedal Slot Copenhagen hotel.

Front Room restaurant offers a Nordic take on Thai recipes and ingredients.

Like the food that connects New Nordic and Thai cuisine, the 80-seat restaurant off the ground-floor lobby marries the Scandinavian-style natural wood palette with tropical lime green and mustard accents reminiscent of Thai spices. The open kitchen adds a dynamic vibe.

With their long dark winters and short three-month summer, Nordic countries have a range of food preservation techniques from curing, fermenting, ageing to smoking and pickling that are crucial to both lengthening the shelf life of food and enhancing the flavours. Fae successfully integrates her expertise in these techniques with local and seasonal produce to create foods that are quite simply remarkable.

Despite the lack of any formal culinary training, Fae’s professional career started when she moved to live with her husband in Hadsten, outside Aarhus. Their neighbour, the head chef at a local restaurant, persuaded her to help him in the kitchen and after working for a while, she decided that she too wanted to be a chef.

Thanks to sheer hard work, determination and ambition, Fae went to train at the Michelin-starred Frederikshoj of chef Wassim Hallal before graduating from a three-star restaurant, La Belle Epoque in Germany. She also honed her skills in many top restaurants in Denmark including Noma, Geranium, Skipperly, Varna, Kiin Kiin, Remouladen, and Hotel & Brasserie Ferdinand.

Welcome drink

Diners can enjoy her foods through a 10-course tasting menu for Bt3,200 or its seven-course sibling for Bt2,500 as well as a la carte. The additional cost for wine pairing is Bt2,100, but I would suggest opting instead for the Scandinavian juice pairing, which gives you six very different blends for an additional Bt600.

Riceberry sourdough and garlic soy sauce butter

The welcome drink of gourd juice made from grilled gourd and coconut sugar and infused with pandan leaf is refreshing and not too sweet, making it good for whetting the appetite. Next up is the complimentary warm riceberry sourdough with salty garlic soy sauce butter.

The dough is made from glutinous rice sourced from Fae’s home province of Chiang Rai and the butter is hand-whipped from fresh cream and soy sauce fermented with garlic, ginger, lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves. The soft and slightly chewy texture of the dough goes perfectly with the smooth and creamy butter.

Croustade with pomelo and shrimp fillings and fish cracker

The 10-course dinner starts with amuses-bouche – velkommen in Danish – of five bite-size delicacies. The croustade filled with pomelo and shrimp brings to mind pomelo salad while the fish cracker with dollops of sweet and sour gel hints at tod mun (fish cake). The leaf-like pumpkin chip is naturally sweet and the mini beetroot meringue has a filling of salmon cured with beetroot. A mini sweet potato taco stuffed with green apple and peanut sauce is a nod to satay.

Pressed sea bass fillets with pellets of coconut cream

The first dish – the Asia Pacific – features pressed sea bass fillets cured with black garlic powder that is obtained by heating garlic over two months at 35 degrees Celsius. The dressing is made from fish sauce, soy sauce, honey and fermented rice vinegar and the taste is enhanced by the fresh frissee and basil leaves, sauteed broccoli, riceberry crouton, and pellets of coconut cream.

Baked beetroot with beetroot sauce

Beetroot is the star of next course, aptly dubbed Baking Beetroot. By heating beetroot at a high temperature, the outer layer becomes bitter sweet, the next sweet taste and the centre slightly tangy. It’s garnished with Beluga caviar, pickle papaya, dill oil and beetroot sauce mixed with chicken stock.

The two dishes of sea bass and beetroot are complemented with guava juice infused with rosemary and kaffir lime. Its slightly bitter taste is meant to cleanse the seafood and beetroot flavours before moving to the next serving.

 Squid strips in chicken broth

A nod to her mother’s regular preparation of three kinds of soup – cucumber, gourd, and squid stuffed with minced pork, Fae’s next course, called Mom’s Soup Memories, features local squid finely sliced into noodle-like strips in a flavourful brown broth.

The squid is well cooked to achieve a soft texture akin to those rice noodles while the soup is made with chicken stock, cucumber, smoked bacon and aromatic thyme and fennel. Diced cucumber and pickled gourd add a little sharpness.

Crabmeat in yellow curry hollandaise sauce

Blue of the Sea, meanwhile, features a crispy pastry cone made from celeriac and flour. Inside is crabmeat and yellow curry hollandaise sauce and celery crudites are served on the side. The taste reminded me of spiced and creamy crab curry.

Both the squid soup and crab curry are paired with star fruit juice infused with lemongrass to enhance the flavour of the seafood.

Lemongrass fibril-smoked chicken wing and riceberry puree

Fae’s mother always liked to cook straw-smoked chicken with boiled rice and the daughter’s modern version offers roasted, deboned organic chicken wing stuffed with minced chicken. It’s smoked with lemongrass fibril under a glass cover that gives off a delicious aroma when opened. It is served with lightly buttered riceberry puree and combu sauce mixed with chicken stock. The dish is complemented with beetroot juice concocted with pineapple and jicama.

Wagyu striploin steak with oxtail sauce

The main dish is a steak of dry-aged, M5 wagyu striploin from Australia’s Rangers Valley topped with thin slices of vinaigrette-marinated koon (elephant ear tree) stalk. It’s served with seared asparagus, pickled morels stuffed with chicken mousse, chestnut puree, braised oxtail meat and oxtail sauce. If you don’t eat beef, the dish will be replaced with Japanese sea bass and corn sauce. Red and green grape juice infused with star anise, cinnamon and clove gives a slightly spiced taste to complement the beef dish.

Asparagus ice cream and dill granita

Grilled asparagus gets a makeover in an ice cream served with caramelised asparagus and dill granita. Another sweet serving is basil ice cream served with mango jelly, white chocolate mousse and topped with a sesame cookie baked in the form of the traditional Thai kanok (flame-like pattern). Ginger soda with vanilla and syrup and infused with pandan leaf is served with the desserts.

Basil ice cream with mango and white chocolate mousse

The meal ends with a selection of eight-item Petit Fours such as caramel poppy seed, ginger truffle, durian flodeboller (a marshmallow sweet), and citrus som-sa jelly coated with Thai-style salt-and-chilli dip.

Vegetarians can enjoy her creations too as all dishes can be cooked without meats and using only acceptable ingredients.

DINNER WITH A DIFFERENCE

Front Room is at Waldorf Astoria Bangkok on Ratchadamri Road (BTS: Chidlom or Ratchadamri).

It’s open daily from 5.30 to 10.30pm. Call (02) 846 8888.

The word “instant” no longer accurately applies in “emergency cases” such as when time or resources are limited.

The easy preparation method and variety of flavors carefully tailored to suit the average Indonesian palate have put instant noodles as a priority product to be packed when traveling, as well for stocking up at home. As noodles are in the carbohydrate family, they are also often used as a rice substitute as they pair well with vegetables and proteins such as eggs, corned beef and meatballs.

Indonesians profess love of instant noodles

Culinary expert and author William Wongso also said certain instant noodle flavors became popular because they were suitable to most people’s preference.

“People love the ‘toasted smoky’ aroma of instant noodles,” he said. William also included economic value and MSG content among the food’s popularity factors, saying, “They are cheap and full of MSG.”

MSG, also known as monosodium glutamate, is naturally found in certain foods such as seaweed, soy sauce, Parmesan cheese and tomatoes, and is associated with the unique savory flavor umami. According to the American Society for Nutrition, MSG has been shown to increase satiety when combined with protein, which also explains why instant noodles have become a choice comfort food.

Exploring options, discovering new local taste

Consumption of instant noodles in Indonesia in 2017 alone reached a staggering number of 12.62 billion servings, following China and Hong Kong, which led the market with 38.97 billion servings. These numbers were revealed by the World Instant Noodles Association (WINA), recognizing Indonesia as the second-biggest consumer of instant noodles, far ahead of Japan, India and Vietnam, in the top five in global demand with 5.66 billion, 5.42 billion and 2.06 billion servings, respectively.

Such huge demand of instant noodles helped the business thrive in Indonesia. The latest report claims that last year’s sales target reached as high as 16 billion packets.

“Instant noodles have become (an important) food alternative for many Indonesian people,” said Indonesian Food and Beverage Producers Association (GAPMI) chairman Adhi S. Lukman regarding the food’s popularity.

At least 20 instant noodle companies, from big to small scale, are currently competing for the public’s attention with their various flavors and creativity, with Indofood, Wings Food, Conscience Food, ABC, PT Jakarana Tama, Nissin and Delifood thriving in the top seven.

Although food giant Indofood still leads the market with 72 percent of the market share, other companies with various instant noodle brands — though some may not be so easy to find in your nearby minimarkets or grocery stores — can be found creatively spoiling Indonesian consumers’ palate with their bold flavors and unique offerings.

From innovating a premium instant noodle that comes with real chicken meat and mushroom, introduced by PT Mayora Indah’s Bakmi Mewah in 2016, to the latest from PT Fit Indonesia Tama, Fit Mee, a low-calorie instant noodle that focuses its initial sales through e-commerce, these brands persistently attempt to lure fans of the food away from their preferred brand to discover new tastes that they may actually like even more.

“We always research what kind of flavors Indonesians like, then we develop (our product) from there,” Wings Food marketing manager for noodle and cooking oil, Yolanda Djaja Sastra, recently told The Jakarta Post. Creating an innovative product that has full-bodied flavor is what the company strives for.

“Also, our curry flavor is quite thick,

allowing consumers to have

the experience of eating real curry”

“Indonesians like to eat ayam kremes (fried chicken with crunchy bits) for its kremes, or fried rice with kerupuk (crackers). They really love to have that kind of experience in their mouth, which is exactly what we’re trying to offer.”

Meanwhile, spicy flavors have been one of the focuses of PT ABC President Indonesia with its Mie ABC Selera Pedas (spicy taste) and PT Jakarana Tama to stay afloat in the instant noodle game.

“Some called Mie Gaga Xtra Pedas (extra spicy) the Samyang of Indonesia. The fact is we actually planned to release this product in 2011; however, we felt it was not the right time because of some considerations,” said PT Jakarana Tama director Mulyadi Djaja.

While PT Jakarana Tama postponed the launch of their hot spicy noodles, South Korean-based Samyang Foods released Buldak Spicy Chicken Ramen in 2012, reported the Straits Times.

Buldak refers to grilled chicken marinated in super-spicy red chili paste — its name translates to “fire chicken”. All this super spiciness became widely exposed through YouTube channels, where the YouTubers taped themselves or other people eating Buldak Chicken Ramen. The highlight is simply the noodle eaters’ reaction to the spiciness.

By 2016, Buldak ramen fever had hit the Southeast Asian market, and Samyang forayed into Indonesian market. In order to increase sales, the company also sought halal certification from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), which they finally got in September last year.

And local company PT Jakarana Tama finally launched the hot spicy Mie Gaga Xtra Pedas in April last year. The company’s strategy to compete with the big brands is by innovation.

“That’s why we chose to launch the jalapeno flavor. Because (the big brands) already have soto, kari (curry) and ayam bawang (chicken onion) flavors. We don’t want to release the same products; hence, we offer many unique flavors — which has its plus and minus points, since something new isn’t necessarily welcome.”

Being a small company indeed makes efforts to innovate easier, said Mulyadi, including thinking up healthier options for consumers.

“We always try to think out of the box. One of our most revolutionary products is Healtimie, which is high in fiber and doesn’t undergo a frying process like regular instant noodles,” he said.

“When we launched it around 2003, we didn’t intend to make the product (this good). We know that it has zero transfat, but that’s about it. But later on our customers reached out to us and said they lost weight after eating it. And we’re like, ‘seriously?’ One woman even said she lost up to 5 kilograms in one week.”

Mulyadi himself, along with the other members of his team, later tried consuming the instant noodles every day as a carbohydrate replacement. “I’m a living proof,” he claimed, adding that he lost nearly 10 kg in three months.

“They really love to have that kind of experience in their mouth, which is exactly what we’re trying to offer”

However, being a small company has its disadvantages, such as lack of marketing budget. “We may have this outstanding and innovative product, but we lack the power to let people know about it,” said Mulyadi.

“Indonesian people still care about brand; upon entering a store, they will immediately look for (well-known instant noodle) brands,” he said. “But if you have a blind test, where we put perhaps four instant noodles from different brands and you are asked which one is better, you’ll be amazed with the result,” adding that his product would definitely win over the majority player.

The market has also started to recognize Lemonilo instant noodles with fried noodle flavor, which claims to be the healthier option for instant noodles. According to a statement released by the manufacturer, Lemonilo instant noodles are made of natural ingredients without added preservatives, coloring or additives. With ingredients sourced from local producers classified as small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from across Indonesia, the brand further empowers their SME partners by having the products manufactured at the latter’s facility and conducts several stages of quality control to ensure consumers receive the best products.

Meanwhile, Nissin Food Indonesia offers innovation in terms of flavor by commissioning William Wongso himself to create four cup noodle flavors. Inspired by Indonesia’s culinary wealth, the four flavors are: seafood gurih pedas (spicy and savory seafood), tom yum asam pedas (sour and spicy tom yum), gulai ayam Melayu (Malay chicken stew) and sop buntut klasik (classic oxtail soup).

“I took out the dominant MSG profile, and put the spices in front,” said William regarding the instant noodle flavors he created.

Apart from carrying the Indonesian flavor theme, Nissin Foods Indonesia also joined the spicy food hype with their Gekikara Ramen product line. They launched four different spicy ramen variants that are already halal-certified.

Alongside the ongoing trend, locally sourced ingredients and distinctive flavors are other alternative directions preferred by some culinary entrepreneurs. Santhi Serad, founder of the Aku Cinta Makanan Indonesia (I Love Indonesian Food/ACMI) movement, told the Post that in some SME bazaars she often visits in many Indonesian cities, she finds many home industry instant noodle brands.

“Many small entrepreneurs produce instant noodles made of local natural ingredients. They often use plant-based coloring such as carrots and spinach, and they also develop instant noodle base from sago starch, which comes from local Indonesian plants,” said Santhi.

Eating out: Why cook your own instant noodle?

Once produced as an easy-to-cook food product, instant noodles have gone beyond home kitchens to more commercially inclined cooking spaces. Selling ready-to-eat instant noodles from humble street side warungs (stalls) have long been considered as a lucrative small business for locals.

Apart from said comfort food, street side instant noodle warungs typically offer grilled sandwiches, grilled bananas, as well as beverages. The first two often feature cheese, condensed milk and chocolate sprinkles, making them equally “sinful” as instant noodles. The affordable prices appeal to the majority of low- and middle-income society.

Street side instant noodle warungs are also often humble beginnings of larger establishments. Sartono, the owner of Abang Adek warung, who hails from Kebumen in Central Java, started off as a construction worker and later became a caretaker of a boarding house, cleaning, doing laundry and cooking instant noodles and grilled sandwiches for the tenants.

Sartono officially started his instant noodle warung business around 2002, where it gained popularity via media exposure. Although business has been slower compared to the past two years, Abang Adek is still well known for its super spicy instant noodle dishes. Five levels of spiciness are available, with the spiciest level using 100 chilis. A maximum of 480 portions of instant noodles are served on weekends, while weekday servings may reach up to 280 portions.

Elon Subandi, owner of Café Siang Malam, is another success story among instant noodle warung owners, as he has been in the business for nine years. “I started small at the Pulo Gebang area, East Jakarta. And then I was offered to rent a location near university campuses. Now I’ve been in this place for five years,” said Elon, referring to his warung, located near Binus University, Jakarta, which is adorned by colors, banners and decorations provided by an instant noodle brand. Elon also said the brand offers free mudik (exodus) transportation and lucky draw prizes.

Although prizes and free mudik transportation may be appealing, many other instant noodle warungs choose to only sell the noodles and not bear the branding. Alex’s warung in the Palmerah area, West Jakarta, is a modest street side eatery free of branding. It offers instant noodles with classic choices of toppings such as eggs, teppanyaki-style corned beef and cheese. Like most humble versions of warungs, it also offers grilled sandwiches and beverages.

Indonesians and instant noodles: A love affair

Taking cues from the ubiquitous street side warungs, instant noodle cafés elevate the popular food to previously unknown levels. Long operational hours and dishes that offer a wide variety of comfort foods are added with modern-looking venues, comfortable spaces, free Wi-Fi and Instagram-worthy spots.

Warunk Upnormal, a brand that has come to be synonymous with instant noodle cafés, even seems to be encouraging its customers to stay as long as they can by providing numerous electrical sockets and games such as Uno and Monopoly.

Founded in 2014, the premise’s concept was said to be an upgrade of a coffee shop, whether in variety, quality as well as atmosphere. “As the café’s founders liked to hang out, they started innovating and decided to found Warunk Upnormal as a place where they’d love to spend time,” said Bunga Prima, media relations of PT Cita Rasa Prima Indonesia Berjaya or CPR Group, which holds Warunk Upnormal’s brand.

If humble warungs count on corned beef, egg and cheese as instant noodle garnishes, Warung Upnormal takes things a bit further. With choices of salted egg, wagyu beef chunks, sambal matah (raw chili relish), shrimp paste sambal or beef tendon incorporated in instant noodles, Warunk Upnormal’s menu has managed to attract customers with its trendy approaches.

If the attraction is translated into its outlet numbers, Warunk Upnormal has grown to more than 75 outlets in over 30 cities in Indonesia in under four years. Bunga added, “The number is still increasing.” Its active franchising contributes to the company’s growth. “We aim to build this local brand into an international one. By collaborating with partners, we are building an even more extensive brand,” said Bunga.

The success of Warunk Upnormal has inspired other culinary entrepreneurs to follow in its footsteps and build instant noodle-serving cafés of their own. Akademie in Bendungan Hilir area, Central Jakarta, is one of them.

The restaurant highlights a trio of special dishes featuring Wings Food’s Mie Sedaap, combining the instant noodle flavors with the actual dishes that inspired the flavors. Mie (noodle) laksa Singapore, with its milky soup, served with dough fritters and fish cake, for instance, is the café’s creation based on Mie Sedaap’s white curry-flavored noodles. Meanwhile, the soto mie Lamongan is enhanced with boiled egg, tomato, beansprouts and garlic crackers created from Mie Sedaap’s Sotoflavored noodles.

Eric Widyan Susanto, owner of Akademie, said through the café, he aims to present a good-food restaurant in a less expensive version, instead of a more expensive version of warung. That is why although instant noodles remain the base of the menu, in Akademie it is completed with good sources of protein such as dory fish and black pepper beef, vegetables and other fresh ingredients. Similar to Warunk Upnormal, Akademie also has long operational hours, provides electrical sockets, free Wi-fi and catchy interior decoration.

thehajartapost

Cafe Siang Malam 14

Jl. Salam III No. 7, Anggrek Cakra, Kebon Jeruk, Jakarta Barat

Open 24 hours +62 81314697788

Akademie Benhil

Jl. Bendungan Hilir No.118, Bendungan Hilir, Tanah Abang, Jakarta Pusat

Open 10 AM – 12 AM +62 21 22958359

Abang Adek

Jl. Mandala Utara No. 8, Tomang, Jakarta Pusat

Open 7 AM – 2 AM +62 21 5657988

warunk upnormal

Jl. Cikini Raya No 75 Unit GF

07-08, CIkini, Menteng Jakarta Pusat

Open 8 AM – 12 AM +62 21-22393701

KakaKuku

Jl. Pluit Utara Raya No.62, Pluit, Penjaringan, Jakarta Utara

Open 5 AM – 1 AM +62 813 1977 3653

Waroeng Mee Tebet

Jl. Tebet Utara Dalam No. 4, Tebet Timur, Tebet, Jakarta Selatan

Open 3.45 PM – 12 AM +62 21 2854 1621

Eatsomnia

Jl. RS Fatmawati No.3C, Gandaria Selatan, Cilandak, Jakarta Selatan

Open 8 AM – 12 AM +62 21 7590 7745

Roti Bakar Wiwied

Jl. RS Fatmawati No. 4D Cilandak Barat, Cilandak, Kota Jakarta Selatan

Open 24 hours +62 878 7794 9188

Another notable café that has joined the instant noodle bandwagon is Hommie Café. Based in Bumi Serpong Damai, South Tangerang, Hommie looks like a typical trendy third-wave coffee shop. But more than just offering baked goods to accompany espresso-based drinks, Hommie also features a shelf containing instant noodle packs from various brands. Customers can choose the noodles they like and order the toppings.

New stars of ‘mukbang’ culture: Indonesian instant noodle brands

While we have already mentioned that Indonesia’s instant noodle consumption is the second-highest in the world, the country is also recognized as a global instant noodles manufacturer whose products are available in foreign markets such as the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The popularity of Indonesian flavors brought by the instant noodles is also evident in eating shows, popularly known as mukbang, scattered across YouTube. The craze that started in South Korea features many types of instant noodles, Indonesian brands included.

‘Mukbang’ stars obsessed with instant noodles

One of the most popular mukbang hosts, Hyunee, who at the time of writing has 814,569 subscribers and has featured Indonesian instant noodles, has uploaded three videos where she sampled and plowed through five varieties of fried noodles.

In an e-mail interview with the Post, Hyunee, who resides in the US, said she found out about a particular Indonesian instant noodle brand through one of her Indonesian viewers, who sent different flavored of Indonesian noodles for her to try.

Hyunee, who calls herself a full-time mukbang content creator, said the taste was unique. “They are more dry and full of flavor compared to other noodles. I think the best combination is topping the noodle with an egg,” she added.

Flavor is still the main factor of every instant noodle type produced. Flavors that are targeted for the Indonesian palate have been well received by the international community. While Indonesia strives for the world to shine brighter lights on its culinary wealth, instant noodles bring more than just hope: They put Indonesia in the global spotlight.

The two Gozen lunch platters encompass traditionally prepared soup, sashimi, tempura and grilled and simmered dishes featuring premium seafood and autumnal ingredients.

The first platter includes grilled horse mackerel, shrimp dumpling with shimeji mushroom, and a succulent sashimi course of tuna, surf clam and yellowtail.

The second platter is a simmered dish of minced sardine ball and yuba roll with royal fern, pumpkin, eggplant and carrot with starchy ginger sauce.

In the Kaiseki dinner is a delicious starter of octopus, shrimp and surf clam with maitake mushroom and ginko nuts, a dish of crabmeat dumpling and mushrooms and a wonderful tempura course of snow crab, shrimp, sea eel and vegetables.

The dinner menu also has a hearty grilled offering of Hobayaki-style sea bass and beef garnished with eringi mushroom, ginko nuts and chestnuts, a simmered dish of minced salmon ball, turnip, grilled leek, shiitake mushroom, carrot, yuba, and garland chrysanthemum in soup. There are also hot vermicelli noodles with seasonal pike eel served with a gourd-shavings sushi roll.

The Gozen lunch will cost Bt1,300-plus, the Kaiseki dinner Bt4,700-plus.

Find out more at (02) 687 9000 or http://www.OkuraBangkok.com.

 And he’s not only bringing along the lustre of three Michelin stars – he’s accompanied Marcel Skibba, the head chef at his own restaurant, Igniv, located in Badrutt’s Palace in St Moritz.

Caminada and Skibba will be working at Jojo from October 30 to November 2, sharing three non-traditional courses. Guests will be able to sample up to 16 plates in a single evening sitting.

“Our aim with ‘Igniv on tour’ is to create a sophisticated social experience,” Caminada says. “We want to bring people together around the table, to get them eating together, speaking to each other, sharing ideas, memories and moments, while sharing and enjoying our food.”

The starters will be Hamachi-Radish-Avocado, Duck Liver-Yoghurt-Physalis, and Lettuce-Egg Yolk-Truffle, along with other tempting combinations.

Main courses include a range of fish, chicken, beef and pork-belly dishes, while dessert is Egg Surprise-Caramel, Swiss Chocolate-Coffee and Passionfruit-Rice-Shiso.

The price is Bt4,500-plus and an additional Bt2,800-plus for paired wines.

Caminada achieved three-Michelin-star status by age 33. His career began at the Hotel Signina in Laax, followed by notable Michelin-recognised restaurants such as Hotel Walserhof, the Bareiss and the Wiesengrund Inn.

His other restaurants are Schloss Schauenstein and Remisa-La Tavlada, all in Switzerland. The Schloss Schauenstein is in a 12th-century castle.

German-born Skibba was raised and trained in the Black Forest. After gaining experience in different Michelin-star kitchens, he joined Caminada’s team in Switzerland in 2015.

Skibba soon became his sous-chef at the Schloss Schauenstein. When Caminada opened Igniv in St Moritz, Skibba was his first choice for the kitchen lead.

For reservations in Bangkok, call (02) 207 7777, e-mail fb.bangkok@stregis.com or visit http://www.StRegisBangkok.com.

“Flashback,” as the promotion is called, offers The Dean Pancake, Crab Louis Salad, Nicoise Salad, Meatloaf, Piri Piri Chicken, Chicken Enchilada, and Fish Taco and will be exclusively available at Mahanakhon Cube, Central Embassy, The EmQuartier, and The Crystal branches. The eighth blast from the past, the New York Sundae, comes in three flavours, namely Chocolate Rocky Road Sundae, Strawberry Crumble Sundae, and Banana Nutty Caramel Sundae, and will be available at every branch except Khao Yai and Suvannabhumi Airport.
Dean and Deluca is also offering Surprise boxes worth Bt3,000 to the eight lucky winners of the “Snap and Share” campaign. To enter simply take a photo of any food, drinks, or products from Dean and Deluca with Chocolate Lollipop 8th Anniversary, and post on your instagram with hashtag #8yrsdeandelucath. A winner will be drawn every week.
Dean and Deluca, an American chain of upscale restaurant and cafe, was established in Soho, New York in 1977 by Joel Dean, Giorgio DeLuca, and Jack Ceglic, who are passionate about cooking as much as exploring good sources of ingredients around the world. The brand was so successful that it expanded its business to many cities in and outside the US ranging from Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Kuwait, Singapore, and Philippines. Dean and Deluca is on the favourite dining list of many Hollywood celebrities including Emma Watson, Sarah Jessica Parker and Dakota Fanning.

THERE’S ARE rows of high-rise office buildings on Bangkok’s busy Sathorn Road out front, but Mihara Tofuten – the city’s first fine-dining restaurant dedicated in tofu – occupies a three-storey townhouse. Its name is on the bare concrete facade in Japanese and English.

Inside is an appetising helping of Zen-like serenity – a small rock garden and stone pathway leading to the dining area. The extraordinariness that’s possible in simplicity extends to the way such a basic ingredient as tofu can be elevated for luxurious omakase-style dining, in which the chefs decide what to serve rather than filling guests’ orders.

The minimalist interior features a 15-seat dining counter encircling the open kitchen. Upstairs are 12 regular seats at tables and a private room that can accommodate up to eight people.

Bangkok’s branch of Mihara Tofuten is the result of pooled efforts by celebrated chef Gaggan Anand – whose “progressive Indian” food restaurant Gaggan has No 1 on the Asia’s Best Restaurants list for four consecutive years – and his long-time friend Takeshi Fukushima. He’s also a chef, at La Maison de la Nature Goh in Fukuoka, Japan.

Fukushima took Gaggan to the Mihara Tofuten in Fukuoka three years ago and they came away so impressed that they decided to make tofu the star of their new restaurant in Bangkok, albeit among fancier fare on the menu.

There’s an enjoyably subtle diversity in the tofu-based dishes on offer. You get the natural taste of soymilk, espuma cream, chilled noodles in dashi broth and the remarkably soft chunks of tofu complemented by posh wagyu beef, abalone and zuwai crabmeat.

The original Mihara Tofuten began as a tofu factory in the small rural town of Kashima in Saga Prefecture in 1961. Kuzumi Mihara would churn out 10 large blocks of tofu each day.

In 2005 a restaurant specialising in tofu dishes, called Iccho Isshin – which means “one tofu, one spirit” – was opened near the factory. The Mihara Tofuten in Fukuoka opened in 2015.

The man who owns the Japanese operation, Hiroki Mihara, actually closed the branch in Saga so he could focus on getting the show rolling in Bangkok and brought along his executive chefs.

One of them, Masataka Nakashima, says they use the soybean variety called Fukuyutaka at the Saga plant to make tofu, as well as water flowing down Mount Tara in Kashima.

“That’s what you need to produce really delicate tofu – good soybeans and water and skill,” he says.

The soybeans soaked overnight, then steamed, run through a blender and squeezed by hand through fine cotton to separate the milk and from the pulp (okara). Magnesium chloride extracted from seawater (nigari) is added to coagulate the mix once its poured into a mould.

“It takes great expertise to adjust the nigari so that the tofu emerges delicate, because it changes according to the temperature and the season,” Nakashima says.

This is the same tofu that’s imported for use in Bangkok, and the factory supplies all the other ingredients and kitchen equipment and dinnerware as well.

Food critic Kittidech Vimolratana, who is known as @itan in Instagram, verifies that 100 per cent of the items found at the restaurant come from Japan, right down to the frying oil and broth.

“The ingredients are shipped here three times a week. The dishes are the collaborative creations of Gaggan, Takeshi and Mihara, while I and Bic [co-owner of the Southern-cuisine restaurant Khua Kling Pak Sod] help run the restaurant.”

Fresh Tofu Milk

There’s a 12-course degustation dinner menu with 16 items in total for Bt4,900 and a six-course sampler for lunch at Bt1,750. The dishes change with the seasons, but the attention to detail in preparation and presentation is always clearly meticulous.

To begin, you get to “taste” the origin of Mihara Tofuten as a shot of chilled soymilk that’s served with a dab of yuzu jam in a spoon.

Yuba Mille Feuille, Yuki Tofu, and Goma Tofu

Then comes a three-tier bento box wrapped in your napkin. Start by trying the mild and creamy Yuki tofu, maybe with a slash of Okinawa snow salt and Sardinian lemon oil.

On the middle tier is Yuba Mille Feuille – six thin layers of tofu skin dressed with ponzu jelly, ume (plum) and wasabi. Finally there’s Goma tofu, a brownish sesame-based mochi curd with a distinctive glutinous texture.

Kino Tofu and Fish Ball in Zuwai Crab Soup

Hot soup with zuwai crabmeat is rendered more flavourful with a cube of smooth, soft Kinu tofu and an edamame (young soybean) fish ball.

Cold gazpacho is reinterpreted with a tofu-centric presentation that’s pleasing to both eyes and palate. The Tofu Miso is topped with jelly made with shrimp broth, diced tomato and zucchini and a morsel of Kuruma shrimp.

Gazpacho with Tofu Miso 

Tofu in espuma cream goes nicely with black cod marinated in koji, dabs of ume miso (plum-infused soybean paste), all capped with deep-fried rice noodles.

Donburi has steamed rice in a small cup with dashi – a clear soup made from kombu (dried kelp) and dried, smoked bonito so you get that natural savoury umami flavour. Also mixed in are tofu skin and thin slices of slow-cooked black abalone.

Donburi in Dashi Soup with Yuba Tofu and Abalone

Deep-fried Zara tofu, aged in a bamboo basket, is served in large pieces at the Japanese branch, but here it’s bite-sized and presented with salmon roe, finely sliced ginger and okra and soy sauce.

Deep-fried Zaru Tofu

Chawanmushi, the Japanese egg custard, comes with tofu mochi, Hamaguri clam and shiitake mushroom puree. You can even make your own maki sushi by wrapping seaweed with uni (sea-urchin roe), creamy yuki tofu, wasabi and soy sauce.

Chawanmushi of Tofu Mochi, Hamaguri Clam and Shiitake Mushroom Puree

An individual hot pot of sukiyaki features Hokkaido A5-grade wagyu with hard Momen tofu in French onion soup. If beef isn’t your thing, the chefs will use crabmeat sukiyaki in soymilk and combu soup.

Sukiyaki in French Onion Soup, Wagyu and Momen Tofu

Chilled somen noodles is the dish that convinced Kittidech and his partners to open a Mihara Tofuten in Bangkok when they samples it in Fukuoka.

“We were fascinated by the well-balanced combination of somen noodles in tofu milk and dashi soup, which we’ve never found anywhere else,” he says.

Chilled Somen Noodles in Tofu Milk Dashi

They’ve made no changes to the dish but have additional side dishes – Sakura shrimp tempura, inari sushi and thinly chopped green pepper mixed with sesame for a slightly spicier flavouring.

Tofu Ice Cream, Tofu Blancmange and Tofu Chocolates

The two-hour culinary journey ends with tofu ice cream, tofu blancmange with a shot of espresso and four chilled tofu chocolates in four flavours – pistachio, rum raison, cacao and matcha.

THE SOI FOR THE BEST SOY

Mihara Tofuten is on Narathiwas Ratchanakharin Soi 5 off Sathorn Road in Bangkok and open daily except Tuesday.

Prices of beverage pairing range from Bt1,200 to Bt4,900.

Book a table at (083) 655 4245 or “Mihara Tofuten Bangkok” on Facebook.

This latest addition to the Hong Kong-based restaurant chain, which is known for traditional comfort food like Tacos, Enchiladas, Burritos, Quesadillas, Nachos and zesty Saladas, Cali-Mex Taqueria serves a Mexican breakfast and all-day Taqueria style favourites. Many dishes are gluten-free and there are plenty of options for vegetarians and vegans.

The shop occupies a 60-sqm indoor-outdoor dining area, with a takeout counter for convenient walk-up service. It aims to draw clientele from among Holiday Inn hotel guests including foreign tourists, business travellers and cabin crew.

With 20 outlets opening across Hong Kong during the past three years attesting to its popularity, Cali-Mex Bar & Grill, a casual American-style Mexican food restaurant, operated in Thailand by franchisee King Mega International, is aiming to open 20 local outlets within the next three years.

The yet-to-be built branch set to rise later this year will be in Sukhumvit Soi 11 and has already been designated as the fast-growing chain’s Thailand flagship restaurant. Construction is scheduled to begin in early October and the official opening is tentatively slated for early December.

For details, call (084) 901 9669.