Jakartans who take their love of food seriously, rarely settle for a meal in a mall. Restaurants located in shopping centers offer convenience, but nothing more. The service is horrible, and the food is bland at best. But ask someone in the know to charge their five best restaurants in Jakarta and chances are none of the names you hear will always spitting distance of 21.
Which restaurant-goers are seeking is a personal experience, something they can share with the Chef. They are tired of trends and fashions. They expect fantastic food flanked by a packed extraordinary service in a dining room naturally sophisticated and welcoming. They want a table at Xin Hwa in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
The Mandarin, located on the southern lip of the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, is known around town for accommodation Lyon, one of the most famous French restaurants, but the newly acquired chief Jeff Lee Xin Hwa help to get out of the shadow of Lyon serving signature dishes that without compromising the traditional Chinese elements, showcase raw ingredients and offer rich flavors and instant.
"Every leader in this industry has strengths and I feel like mine is in the balancing tradition and innovation," said Lee, who fell in love with there is the food for decades in a traditional Chinese restaurant before working his way up the ranks and restaurant racking up over 15 years of experience in five star international restaurants of the hotel chain. "My philosophy is not to abandon the traditional Chinese food, but to create new and innovative ways to experience flat. Innovation and tradition are not opposed. The key is to understand at once, and by appropriate changes are more interesting dishes, and readily accepted by a large number of people. "
Lee quickly provides advanced reinterpretations of traditional dishes without losing the soul of the flat in translation. This, along with a fantastic and friendly service, inviting lighting that attracts customers put Xin Hwa outside Jakarta long line of traditional Chinese restaurants.
"I think that all Chinese food is amazing, and offers many combination of herbs and cooking methods, "said Lee, who believes that it is only after understanding the most basic elements of a dish and a variety of raw materials should a new interpretation of a dish considered. "My favorite signature dish would be cooked oven tiger shrimp with cheese and spicy XO sauce. This dish tastes strong and pleasant.
"in the restaurant scene Jakarta, Xin Hwa is as an ambassador of Chinese cuisine," says the Quéau. "The restaurant itself is revolutionary considering that most see as going against the typical colors and table arrangements you would find in a traditional Chinese restaurant."
The Quéau believes that the strength of Lee lies in its ability to embrace authentic cuisine that values health and sends a custom kitchen without losing sight of tradition.
"The chef Jeff talks about authenticity in every bite but with a modern presentation," said Le Quéau. "Lee is proud to a luxurious but loyal Chinese cuisine with a modern twist in Jakarta. It supplies the finest local and imported ingredients to reinvent right on the flavors of the world."
But not everyone is convinced that Xin Hwa deserves a place at the top of a list of the best Chinese restaurants in town.
"The recommendations of the new chef a more modern Cantonese cuisine. But the old menu is still available with many Szechuan dishes," says Petty Elliot, the famous food writer based in Jakarta, who recently visited Xin Hwa. "Chef Jeff Lee combines European ingredients like cheese and goose liver, with Chinese traditional ingredients, for example, baked with cheese tiger shrimp with spicy sauce XO, Wok fried goose liver and cabbage Chinese Cauliflower been yellow sauce.
"I also tried the fried rice with salmon and asparagus," said Petty, who agreed that the service was impeccable and the atmosphere proved impressive. "the salmon and asparagus are so fresh, it is a pity that the whole dish lacked taste of garlic or ginger and lacked overall flavor. "
Petty, the author of" Papaya Flower, Food Manadonese , Indonesian provincial food, "also sampled the fried beef strips, shredded ginger with honey sauce and toasted sesame seeds, which she said provide a texture similar to crackling pork meat and was good, but one bite enough.
and at the end, which is of Jakarta, it is best to go out and make your own opinion if daring rotation Chef Jeff on established cuisine is innovative or tasteless. Anyway, remember, if you choose the refrigerated drunken chicken topped with ice wine "Shao Xing" or shaved black sesame flavored fried rice with crab meat and asparagus sprinkled with fish eggs, one thing is certain, you are not in a mall.