Brunch | THE GASTRONOMY AFICIONADO

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

Not more than a decade ago, several restaurants ruled the skies of Jakarta but probably only less than a handful of them survived. Even I would call that an overstatement provided perhaps only one or two survivors left remaining, but safe to say, certainly there’s a time when Jakartans were probably not into sky dining anymore.

However, things started to change and sky dining becomes a trend anymore. One of the pioneers is of course, Altitude with its four star-studded restaurants located on the 46th floor of The Plaza, right in the heart of the city.

Fate brought me at last to Australian celebrity chef Luke Mangan’s Salt Grill to experience Altitude’s initiative of a weekend brunch that features some of the finest dishes for you to choose to your heart’s content and topped with fresh additions from the buffet.

Highlighting the ala carte dishes, one must surely know where to start and that goes for the eggs benedict – done marvelously with good crumpets and hollandaise sauce. My wife was the one who chose it and certainly she opted for that good salmon gravlax. Interestingly for the substitute, you can choose for the avocado.

A fellow blogger friend of mine, Verdi a.k.a The Hungry Doctor picked the Sydney crab omelette, which was an interesting subject because of the Asiatic and of course, the crab, but we agreed that other choices we made that day were better.

Take it for example – the baked barramundi or the chicken roast, starred as the roast of the day. Both of these exemplify how Australian cuisine can incorporate well with its neighboring continent’s influences but deliver a degree of finesse only found in five-star establishments.

On a lighter note, you can also opt for buttermilk pancakes or pappardelle pasta alternatively, but please do make room for desserts as Salt Grill offers an interesting poached peaches, mascarpone sorbet, with berry consomme, which I failed to try, as well as commendable mocktails and iced teas.

This delightful opportunity of having a solid brunch from 46th floor overseeing the skyscrapers and the blue skies are for only IDR 350,000++. It’s a real bargain I must say and many places do offer brunches as well, but certainly not with this kind of ambiance and atmosphere.

So, next stop would be another great brunches at Salt Grill’s neighbors – Enmaru and Gaia. Hop on with me, lads!

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SALT GRILL BY LUKE MANGAN
Halal-friendly (some of the menu items contain alcohol and pork)
Suitable for vegetarians

Address:
Altitude at The Plaza, 46th fl, Jalan MH Thamrin Kav. 28-30, Jakarta – Indonesia
T: +62.21.2992.2448

Opening hours:
Everyday, TBA
Weekend brunch is only available on weekend and public holiday, 11am – 3pm

Website (ALTITUDE) | Website (Salt Grill) | Facebook | Twitter (ALTITUDE) | Instagram

Spend: IDR 350,000++ (Weekend Brunch only)