Events, Macau

Gaggan is the Number One of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards 2018

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Gaggan in Bangkok claims the No.1 spot for a fourth consecutive year, retaining the dual titles of The Best Restaurant in Asia, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, and The Best Restaurant in Thailand.  Gaggan Anand’s eponymous Bangkok restaurant debuted on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2014, rising to No.7 last year.

The winning chefs and restaurateurs celebrate at the sixth annual Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards ceremony, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, at Wynn Palace, Macau.

The 2018 edition of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list boasts nine Thailand entries, including newcomer Paste (No.31), headed by Bongkoch ‘Bee’ Satongun, who is also named Best Female Chef 2018. Other returning Bangkok favorites within the top 20 include Sühring (rising nine places to No.4), Nahm (No.10) and Le Du (rising 23 entries to No.14).

The 2018 list includes eight new entries, with Japan claiming 11 restaurants. You can discover the full list here.

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Jakarta

Why You Should Visit Fairmont Jakarta for Sunday Brunch This Weekend

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Jakarta seems can’t get enough of Sunday brunches and there’s no sign of stopping. Jumping into the fray now is Fairmont Jakarta with its self-styled Moonlight Sunday Brunch. Naturally, there are many reasons for you to book your place there and enjoy it this weekend.

Spectrum is perhaps among the most highlighted of many all-day-dining restaurants of five-star hotels in Jakarta. Based on my personal experience, Spectrum has that edge with many inventive cuisines from time to time. Partly perhaps because of the initiatives done at VIEW, the hotel’s premier fine-dining restaurant. But most of all; it’s because of Fairmont Jakarta’s brilliant Indonesian chefs, their free rein of creativity, and for me personally – Spectrum has among the best Indian food in town!

Spectrum is located on the 2nd floor of this extravagant, prestigious hotel in the southern part of Jakarta. For Moonlight Sunday Brunch, Spectrum prepares a wonderful lineup of buffet selections, carving stations, a wide array of cheese selections, blini and caviar, alluring antipasti and fresh seafood, and many more.

The fresh seafood part is among the best in Jakarta as it encompasses wide selections such as the sweet prawns, tiger prawns, Fine de Claire oysters, king crabs, mud crabs, clams, and many others. Spectrum also introduces its so-called halal charcuterie with choices such as the air-dried beef or the bresaola, the turkey ham, lamb salami, lobster terrine, and cured sea bass or smoked salmon.

When I said earlier that the cheese selections are widely arrayed, well, indeed it is. Premium cheese cuts from the usual parmesan wheel to brie and camembert as well as comte and gorgonzola are available with fresh grapes, biscuits, or dried fruits as the accompaniments.

The star of the show however, comes from the carving station. Chef Edi Pancamala initiated an ambitious approach to introduce something special to this station. By not setting aside the usual selections like the ribs or the fish, he instead featured the steamship!

Weighed around 30 kilograms and came from the thigh of the cow, the specifically ordered steamship takes three days just for marination and cooked at optimum temperature using sous-vide method. Furthermore, the herb and seasoning rubs were also applied and the presentation is indeed very eye-catching.

I personally had around a couple of huge slices of this majestic cut and grew very fond of it. It’s a cut unlike others and has a consistency that is less meaty but gives away a brand new experience and appreciation for the blessed beast – if I may say so myself. It’s definitely a must-try for brunch regulars of Jakarta.

Last but not least from the savory section is the a la carte menu that comprises of eight choices from burrata, scallops, lamb pie, eggs Benedict, and more. Ending the whole experience would be the neatly arranged and delightful desserts, influenced by both worlds – Indonesian and abroad.

For those who wish to spend the weekend with their family and loved ones, the Moonlight Sunday Brunch at Spectrum restaurant is available every Sunday from 12pm to 3pm and priced at IDR 625,000++ per person – including coffee, tea, special mocktail and fresh juices.

SPECTRUM
Not halal-certified (serves alcohol, some dishes contain pork)
Some dishes are suitable for vegetarians

Address:
Fairmont Hotel Jakarta
Jalan Asia-Afrika no. 8, Jakarta – Indonesia
T: +62.21.2970.3333

Interviews

Natasha Victoria Lucas: A Journey of Self-Discovery (Passion, Feb 2018)

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Sebagai food blogger dan food stylist yang berpengalaman, seorang Natasha Victoria Lucas telah semakin mengenal industri F&B bahkan secara profesional. Pada segment Reinvent di edisi ini, Natasha berbagi cerita mengenai perjalanan karirnya serta bagaimana ia jatuh cinta pada salah satu masakan Indonesia yang sangat terkenal – soto ayam Lamongan!

Bisa ceritakan apa yang Natasha jalani dahulu sebelum menekuni yang sekarang?

Sebagai mahasiswa jurnalistik, awalnya saya bercita-cita untuk menjadi penulis di majalah gaya hidup. Setelah magang di sebuah stasiun TV lokal, kesempatan menjadi penulis majalah rupanya belum terbuka. Maka saya harus bekerja dulu akhirnya di industri yang berbeda yaitu sebagai event manager di sebuah perusahaan sepatu dan sebagai guru musik.

Namun saya tumbuh besar bersama keluarga yang gemar mencoba restoran baru dan anak dari ayah yang punya bakat memasak – bahkan masakannya lebih enak dari ibu saya! Terinspirasi dari itu dan sembari menanti lowongan sebagai penulis, akhirnya saya memutuskan saja untuk mendirikan blog The Yummy Traveler di tahun 2010.

Menariknya sebagai seorang blogger, saya jadi mengetahui lebih banyak mengenai industri makanan dan mencoba berbagai masakan menarik. Ini menjadi alasan bagi saya untuk belajar masak lebih serius lagi. Seiring berjalannya waktu, saya menjadi tertarik juga dengan dunia food photography dan styling hingga akhirnya saya memilih untuk berkonsentrasi sebagai seorang stylist.

Bagaimana awalnya Natasha menjadi seorang food stylist?

Beberapa tahun yang lalu, profesi food stylist masih cukup langka di Jakarta dan saya sudah memulai iseng-iseng sebagai hobi. Satu waktu, seorang teman saya mengajak berkolaborasi untuk sebuah proyek food photography untuk sebuah perusahaan frozen yogurt kenamaan. Awalnya saya enggan karena belum percaya diri, namun teman saya tetap menyemangati. Akhirnya saya memutuskan bergabung dan pekerjaan profesional pertama saya masih terkenang sampai sekarang dan terus berlanjut.

Bagaimana dengan pekerjaan sehari-hari Natasha sekarang?

Selain mengerjakan proyek food styling untuk berbagai restoran, baru-baru ini saya menjadi team leader sebuah tim social media untuk klien-klien dari industri F&B. Satu waktu saya pernah juga dipercaya sebagai host untuk sebuah acara TV kuliner yang namanya sama dengan blog saya.

Biasanya di waktu senggang, saya berburu mencari prop baru untuk proyek fotografi makanan. Kini jumlahnya sudah berkoper-koper tanpa saya sadari! Terakhir saya tengah berkolaborasi dengan seorang partner untuk menulis buku kedua kami – Top Tables.

Bisa ceritakan sedikit mengenai bukunya?

Top Tables adalah buku mengenai direktori tempat makan di Jakarta. Namun berbeda dengan versi sebelumnya, kali ini kami mengajak beberapa orang dengan latar belakang yang berbeda untuk berbagi cerita mereka mengenai makanan dan tempat-tempat yang sering mereka kunjungi di Jakarta.

Bisa ceritakan kenapa Natasha begitu suka dengan soto ayam Lamongan?

Saya selalu suka makanan berkuah seperti soto hingga bakso. Bagi saya, soto adalah comfort food favorit saya.

Awalnya saya menyukai soto adalah sejak bertahun-tahun lampau ketika masih sulit menemukan soto ayam enak di Jakarta. Yang ada saat itu umumnya adalah soto Betawi. Sampai satu waktu akhirnya saya menemukan soto ayam kaki lima kesukaan saya yang biasa mangkal di depan RS Hermina Sunter yang dulu.

Apa keistimewaan soto ayam ini dengan yang lain?

Lebih karena preferensi pribadi saya. Pada dasarnya saya menyukai soto ayam yang lebih bening dengan kuah yang lebih ringan. Saya dan kakak sudah menjadi langganan selama bertahun-tahun sampai kenal dengan pemiliknya ini. Lucunya ia selalu berbicara dalam bahasa Jawa padahal tahu kami sebetulnya tidak mengerti.

Setiap kami berkunjung, pemiliknya tahu komposisi soto ayam kesukaan kami. Biasanya ia menyiapkan hanya daging paha, ada tambahan ati ayam, bubuk koya yang lebih banyak supaya lebih kental, dan tanpa kecap manis. Sayangnya sejak setahun yang lalu saya pindah tempat tinggal ke bagian lain Jakarta dan begitupun RS Hermina ke lokasi baru. Mudah-mudahan soto ayam kesukaan saya masih tetap berada di sana.

Bagaimana dengan resep soto ayam yang Natasha buat kali ini?

Kurang lebih profilnya mirip dengan soto ayam kesukaan saya di Sunter. Namun saya mencoba bereksperimen dengan tampilan yang lebih modern. Mempresentasikan makanan dengan cantik menjadi sangat penting karena makanan Indonesia layak lebih dikenal di level internasional apalagi makanan kita sebetulnya memiliki banyak kelebihan dibandingkan makanan Barat ataupun Jepang.
Mudah-mudahan pengetahuan saya di bidang styling bisa memberikan kontribusi lebih untuk kemajuan masakan Indonesia.

Original link: 
http://www.passionmedia.co.id/b/natasha-victoria-lucas-a-journey-of-self-discovery

Jakarta

Peacock Lounge, Redefining the High Tea Time Culture (mise en place, Vol 21 – 2017)

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As a country among the world’s biggest tea producers, Indonesia has assimilated tea drinking culture into the daily lives of its citizens. For many, tea is a beverage that does not require specific preparations – unlike the Japanese with their tea ceremonies, and often served as an accompaniment for breakfast and snacks.

The high availability of mass tea products from abroad within the past two decades can only mean one thing: Indonesians have been exposed to a world of different flavors aside from their regular tea dated from the colonial era. At this point, many Indonesians are already accustomed to blended black tea products such as Earl Grey, Darjeeling, or tea infused with herbs and fruits.

However, higher appreciation for tea was only shown rather recently, especially with the appearances of tea houses that introduce lineups of imported tea leaves and the high tea time culture. While this haute trend is yet to reach the peak like the third-wave coffee movement in comparison, these establishments have managed to sustain their businesses for quite some time now. The movement is also reinforced by tea experts and aficionados, introducing the deeper meaning of this lifestyle.

Especially for high tea time culture, more success found at Jakarta’s five-star hotels. From the hustle and bustle behind the business district of Senayan came the Fairmont Jakarta. After its foundation in 2015, Fairmont Jakarta introduced Peacock Lounge to complement its vast and opulent main lobby. The lounge itself can seat up to 40 people and offers an intimate ambiance that is suitable for conversational tea time and lunchtime meals. Thanks to its chic persona, Peacock Lounge has also become famous among socialites and social media influencers.

The afternoon tea set here is presented unlike anywhere else. Instead of the usual trays, Peacock Lounge uses jewelry drawers, all clad in white leather. Inside one will find the seasonal changing petit fours, tea sandwiches, canapes, and traditional scones with jam and clotted cream. Accompanying the treats, Fairmont Jakarta offers an extensive range of teas from black tea, blue tea, green tea, rooibos, and even the rare white and smoky tea.

Competing with other five-star hotels prompts Peacock Lounge to devise certain advantages. While these hotels may be equally efficient when it comes to creativity, manpower, or logistics; Fairmont Jakarta instead employs collaborations as its main advantage.

In 2016, Peacock Lounge launched the Show Your True Colours campaign that featured the color-changing theme of the confectioneries from red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, and especially pink for the support of breast cancer awareness month.

Following next was the collaboration with Indonesia’s legendary fashion designer Iwan Tirta for an exclusive batik-themed afternoon tea for the whole two months from April to May 2017. This particular collaboration was also to support Iwan Tirta’s upcoming fashion show which was held also at Fairmont Jakarta later that April.

The most recent collaboration was held between the hotel and Kate Spade New York. Launched in conjunction with the Fall 2017 collections, the theme was inspired by 1920s Parisian color palettes which was predominantly red and black with striking motifs such as leopard prints, red poppies, and cherries.

During these promotions, Peacock Lounge’s interiors are usually redesigned lightly to match the theme with the collaborator’s products are put on display. Operation-wise, the pastry kitchen also create a lineup of products that represent the whole mood. Patrons are encouraged to share their experience through social media channels and compete for interesting prizes.

Through this strategy, Peacock Lounge has been successfully maintaining its tea time culture by keeping it fresh, exciting, and already further collaborations are planned quarterly with other premium brands. With all the values given for the hotel itself, the brands, as well as the patrons; Peacock Lounge ultimately remains faithful to its original concept as a tea lounge that is open for everyone.

The lounge opens daily from 10am to 5pm and the afternoon high tea set is available from 2pm to 5pm.

FAIRMONT JAKARTA – PEACOCK LOUNGE | Jalan Asia Afrika no. 8, Jakarta – Indonesia | +62 21 2970 3333 | www.fairmont.com/jakarta

Images by: Fairmont Jakarta

This is the unedited version of the article

Jakarta

Peacock Lounge Presents The Afternoon Tea Time with BVLGARI

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A tradition as old as high tea time from the British colonial era is still considered as a haute lifestyle even today. However, making it fresh and relevant may still be a tough job in Jakarta since tea houses had their ups and downs for the past few years.

However at Peacock Lounge – it’s all about great ideas and collaborations. Previously successful by partnering with Iwan Tirta and Kate Spade, Peacock Lounge is currently on collaboration with BVLGARI until the end of March 2018.

A few months ago precisely I spent some time enjoying the hospitality of Peacock Lounge at Fairmont Jakarta and witnessing how the tea time culture was again rejuvenated. This kind of lifestyle, arguably, may not really in the cup of tea of everyone as mostly people would rather eat heartily at new restaurants or hanging out casually at third-wave coffee shops.

But for Peacock Lounge, it’s always exciting to see businessmen, socialites, and even Japanese ladies sitting at one corner to take a break from their worldly affairs just to reconnect themselves with each other over a good cup of tea or coffee.

At this time around, the tea house is again already decorated with everything BVLGARI. What’s exciting of course is the tea set highly customized with accents depicting the brand – which makes it even more value adding.

Priced at IDR 588,000++, the BVLGARI tea set consists of delectable choices from the classics such as scones and madeleines, and both sweet and savory accompaniments. Naturally I’d go for the madeleine for the light entry and then head straight for the savories before finishing it all up with the sweets.

Among my most favorites from the starters are the beef and asparagus mille feuille, the salmon bouche with saffron toast, and the egg salad florentine on dill brioche. Separately a serving of prawn tempura in a cone and smoked mackerel doughnut with aioli and crispy salmon skin were also highly pleasant.

Heading next to the sweets, the BVLGARI tea set has a wide variety of choices such as the eclair, pralines, pot de creme, panna cotta, macaron, lemon butter cake, and lychee chiboust. The package also includes two types of coffee or tea which you can share with your tea time partner. We opted the pai mu tan (white tea) and the royal orchid (blue tea). Both are provided by TWG.

It’s interesting to see Peacock Lounge running this initiative from time to time, collaborating with renowned brands, and making the venue fresh with new decorations and different menus. It’s admirable to see that Peacock Lounge is among few in Jakarta’s five-star hotels that reserved a place specifically for a tea house and is thriving. Would be excited to see what happens next this 2018 and beyond!

FAIRMONT JAKARTA – PEACOCK LOUNGE | Jalan Asia Afrika no. 8, Jakarta – Indonesia | +62 21 2970 3333 | www.fairmont.com/jakarta

The exciting gastronomic escapades of a foodie journo!

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