Michel Portos' Culinary Tour de Force (Or How I Feast on Michelin Star Goodness)

Who would've thought that I would get the chance to encounter a two-michelin star gastronomic experience here in the heart of Jakarta? It was only a month ago when I tweeted michelin star one-o-one, and voila, here I am. I guess the stars are aligned right this time between me, Mandarin Oriental, and Michel Portos.

Being crowned recently as Gault & Millau chef of the year, Chef Michel has been renowned for his bold, creative and irresistible dishes. And that is exactly what he delivers through all 6-courses in the degustation dinner. 

Starting with Seared Foie Gras in Moroccan Flavor, for me it was a palate teaser that comes with diverse purposes. One is to trigger all five sensory of sweet, sour, salty, spicy, and umami. Two is to make a statement that celebrates Chef Michel's take on cooking philosophy. A theme that I'll eventually find in most of his dishes. 

"For food to be delicious, beautiful and balanced. It's the balance of flavor and texture; not to mix all the ingredients together to have one single blended taste. It's very important to be able to taste every single ingredient you have on the plate." (Michel Portos in SCMP, 2011)

The savory foie gras, blended with the unexpected slices of dates, argon oil, coriander and balsamic vinegar make one complete dish. Not stopping at that, Chef Michel continued to pace along with the main courses. 

Seared Foie Gras in Moroccan Flavor

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Black Truffel that tremendously pleasing to the taste buds, especially the sweet toothed. Al dente even with such a light skin, and did I mention the truffle? Splendid! 

Warm Salad of Squid with Tomato Confites, Serrano Ham & Balsamico Vinaigrette. Expect a major opposing taste from the ravioli. I found the ham was very close to my liking, while not with the squid and balsamico. Those with sour tendency would enjoy this more I suppose. 

Seabass Inspiration of My Way Back from Hongkong was a step down of pace. Very smooth well cooked fish. Not too dry. And surprisingly a beautiful take on Asian especially coming from a french chef. Some Asian tongues might opt for a little more boldness though. 

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Black Truffle

Warm Salad of Squid with Tomato, Ham, & Balsamic Vinaigrette

Seabass Inspiration of My Way Back from Hongkong

The highlight of the night was probably the Lamb Cutlets with Minute of Curried Jus & Coconut Reduction. Back on the pace and my personal favorite. It has everything I look for in a dish. Well seasoned medium meat, and the fact that it was a jus instead of sauce made all the difference. Chef Michel take a detailed proportion on flavor with the addition of coconut & ginton herbs. It awakens my memory of Will Meyrick's Indian cuisine that I had last week. I'm all smileful with this plate. 

Lamb Cutlet with Curried Jus & Coconut Reduction

Coming down to the finale, I knew its gonna be interesting. Why? Because we have two desserts to savor. Made with the courtesy of pastry chef Sebastien Bertin, we had Chocolate and Raspberry with Scrum of Fresh Thyme and Apple Celery with Speculos Biscuit. The first one was very pleasing to the eye. It took a different view on chocolate as they infused it sour. I enjoyed the berry sorbet as a standalone dish, but found it a little too bold when eaten together with the layer of chocolate. The second one was rather playful and experimental. I jump to it right away from the very thought of having apple and celery on the same plate. It turned out as my favorite of the two. Have the ball of apple, dip it in the celery juice, and munch it all together with the biscuit. Intense mix of flavor & texture. 

Chocolate & Raspberry with Scrum of Fresh Thyme

Apple Celery with Speculos Biscuit

At this point, I regret for not taking my bottle of Margaret River and Late Picked Traminer. It would make a good pair to the seabass and the desserts. No worries though, as a great companion made the evening twice as delightful. Conversations goes wild from the real french kiss to the love of potatoes. It dawned on me once again what Raj Abat said that a meal is not just on the tongue, but a whole sum of the experience. 

I thank Mia, Malinda, Jen, Jenifer, & Ellyna for the great company. Four hours of dinner wouldn't be as delightful without you. Plus, it was great being the only male on the table (I just realized that after writing the previous sentence). 

Until our next michelin (or potato tasting), 

Fellexandro Ruby

Food Storyteller & Photographer

Snack on my tweets & instagram @Wanderbites. 

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Degustation lunch & dinner is still available until 3rd of November. For more details and reservation: 

Lyon

Mandarin Hotel Jakarta

Jl. MH. Thamrin No. 1

Ph: 021-2993-8888

Email: mojkt-lyon@mohg.com

Twitter: @mo_jakarta

Two Wills Does Make It Right. (William Wongso & Will Meyrick JCF 2012 Dinner)

For once in my writing years, I finally find it difficult to verbalize a dining experience, let alone having to manifest the wonderful taste into words. As I begins to write now, I wish with every sentence it could bring justice to what the two brilliant chef brought into the table on the opening night of Jakarta Culinary Festival. Wish me luck.

The night started quite lazy as we all get ourselves acquainted with several glasses of Cape Discovery wines and fellow diners. Somewhere among the crowd was Mrs. Mari Elka Pangestu, the current Minister of Tourism & Creative Economy. As for me, it was delightful to meet Will again after I crossed path with his San Choi Boi at the previous JCF two years ago. To add into the excitement was meeting Om William Wongso himself. They both deserve another blogpost each just to story-tell their vast experience and knowledge in the Asian culinary. I consider myself lucky to be one of the few to enjoy their co-creations.

With 5 appetizers, 9 main courses, 4 side dishes, and 6 samples of dessert, you can imagine the amount of work needs to be done before and in the kitchen. No complaints though. The more the happier I am and indeed, as the night unravel the meals in turn, I began to enjoy the slow ride of Asian delicacies.

APPETIZERS

From the line of appetizers, the ones that speak to my tastebuds are first and foremost Will Meyrick's Burung Puyuh Tangkap Aceh. The full flavor of quail meets the play of texture from the leaves are a feast in the mouth that I can overlook the extra hint of saltiness in the end. The following two is William Wongso's Slada Bangka Udang and Mentho Yogya. The earlier matches well with Deetlefts Chenin Blanc. It was my first time having bangka turnip as a cold salad and I'm glad to have Om Wongso's take as my benchmark. The latter is a comfort food for me with all the sweets of coconut and beef. They did well in kickstarting my appetite.

Burung Puyuh Tangkap Aceh (by Will Meyrick)

Aceh crispy quail tangkap with crispy curry leaf, pandan leaf and lime. 

Slada Bangka Udang (by William Wongso)

Bangka turnip shrimp salad with orange. 

Mentho Yogya (by William Wongso)

Steamed minced beef roll with sweet coconut sauce. 

Sop Biji-Biji Ternate (by William Wongso)

Ternate island soup with fish and kenari nut ball. 

MAINS

Heading toward the prime time of the show, I waited expectantly for the arrival of the next mind-blowing meal. Five dishes after, and I concluded that there are three that passed the category as I personally reckon.

Will did great with Udang Asam Pedas. The spicy broth did not overpowered the prawn. Although it gave a surprise in the throat on the first bite, the following was a pleasing sip of well seasoned soup. On par with this meal was Konro Bakar Sulawesi. I'm a fan of beef ribs to start with, and Will's take on this was similar to no other. The black nut peanut sauce is a highlight of its own with one of a kind flavor. That leaves us with one more noteworthy meal, Gulai Kambing Banda Aceh. Thick, savory curry with generous pieces of lamb shank that made me happy.

The only drawback was that some of the table didn't get all of the dishes. My table for instance, we didn't see the presence of Om William's Tumis Paku Bunga Pepaya, Rendang Wagyu, & Oseng Jambal Pancing.

Udang Asam Pedas (by Will Meyrick)

Prawns simmered in hot and sour broth with turmeric leaf and asam kandis. 

Bebek Goreng Tiga Sambal (by Will Meyrick)

Twice cooked cripsy duck with trio of Indonesians sambals. 

Konro Bakar Sulawesi (by Will Meyrick)

Grilled makassar beef ribs simmered in black nut broth with peanut sauce. 

Gulai Kambing Banda Aceh (by Will Meyrick)

Aceh lamb shank curry with lemongrass, ginger flower and curry leaf. 

Tiram Goreng Tepung Pacri Melayu (by William Wongso)

Fried oysters with melayu pineapple chutney. 

SIDE DISHES

Nearing the end of the dinner, I was glad having served with Kering Ubi Ungu. It was almost like a pre-dessert for me. I love sweets and the caramelized sweet potato served its purpose well. Not to mention the fact that it stays crunchy even after all the treatment.

Kering Ubi Ungu (by William Wongso)

Caramelized violet sweet potato

DESSERTS

Good thing that I saved a space for the cherry on top, and may I say, none ... yes, none of the desserts failed me. What you see here is a plateful of tongue-pleasing, saliva-inducing treats.

Klepon (by Will Meyrick)

Black sticky rice ball with liquid palm sugar in the centre. 

Carang Gesing Pisang Raja (by William Wongso)

Steamed banana curd in banana leaf. 

Kue Deto (by Will Meyrick)

Steamed coconut cake with jackfruit in pandan leaf. 

Looking at the depth of Indonesian culinary from the creations of both Wills surely opens my eyes again. I think I owe it to myself to do more of Indonesian culinary heritage review.

All in all, it is safe to say that I went home with a happy belly. And you know what they say, after a full belly, all is poetry. It was a night to be remembered. Not only for the food but also for the wonderful people I met. Cheers to Indra & Muthi, to Ria, an old friend whom I met in the event after so long and finally to Jed and Amanda for being a great company with the stories and jokes.

To top it, Will also happened to have his first cookbook, Sarong Inspirations, launched on the night. How grateful I am for receiving one of the signed copy. Am still reading his adventures throughout Cambodia, Thailand, and probably gonna move me to start investing in those kitchen utensils. Or maybe I'll just visit Will to make it easier.

Thank you Ismaya, Dimatique, Martha Stewart Living, Dreams Magazine for making it happen. I wish to experience more of these celebration annually.

For the love of food,

Fellexandro Ruby
Food Storyteller & Photographer

Xin Hwa & Chef Lee's Definition of Chinese Culinary

Its been a few days since I visited Xin Hwa, but the thought of Chef Lee's cooking still invoke my appetite every time I looked through the photos in my iPhone. The last time I had this similar insatiable craving was when I dined at Otellobby. For a beautiful experience that only comes every once in a while, I'm always packed with excitement to share. Allow me to take you to last Thursday night.

These are first five that speaks to my tastebud. Why five? Because three is not enough and four is not a good number in Chinese.

Old fashion Shanghai smoked fish fillet. 
Served as an appetizer, I didn't think this particular dish would stand out, but half of the patrons that night might have heard my "mmhhmm.." as I munched on the crisp sweet skin and savored the smooth fish fillet. I'm glad I was the first one to acknowledge this. According to Chef Lee most people would be turned off by its appearance.

Oven baked tiger prawns with cheese and spicy XO sauce. 
Chef Lee surely knows how to give a surprise. It is the only one among the dishes that night that brings a kick of spicy-hotness, and it did just that at the right amount with the right flavor on the prawn.

Chilled drunken chicken topped with "Shao Xing" wine shaved ice.

This was another surprise among the appetizers. Here's where I see the playful side of Chef Lee and his attempt to give his dose of modernism in the meal. Its not your usual drunken chicken when the feel of alcohol came from a chunk of wine-shaved-ice on top of the meat.

Steamed black cod fish with homemade green ginger puree
Served warm, with fish that's flawless and a good balance of flavor. What more to ask?

Chilled lemongrass Jelly with Aloe Vera flavored in Lime Citrus Juice.

Grand opening. Grand closing. That's all it takes for Chef Lee. He did just that with this perfect closure. Thick chunk of sweet Aloe Vera and Lemongrass jelly was a pleasing play of texture. Another "mmmhmm.." to sum it up.

I'd expect nothing less from Chef Jeff Lee. Having traveled 14 years in culinary industry from Malaysia, to Singapore and Shanghai, his take of Chinese and particularly Cantonese is something commendable and I'd definitely come back to. The only part of me that still curious is to taste his take on pork. Born and raised in a traditional Chinese family, it has been an indispensable part of our meal. It is almost a must-have in every family occasion. And I suppose it is only natural that one of the most look forward menu in a Chinese restaurant is none other than the pork.

Until the day that my personal request come to happen, I guess I'd be happy to pay another visit for its set menu. At the price of 388k / person or 138k / person for the dimsum, I suppose it is a good treat every once in a while.

Thank you Xin Hwa for having me. Thank you Melinda & team from Mandarin Oriental, I enjoyed the company.

Cheers,

Fellexandro Ruby
Food Storyteller & Photographer

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Xin Hwa 
Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Level 2
Jl. MH Thamrin
Ph: 021 - 2993-8888
Email: mojkt-xinhwa@mohg.com

Opening Hours:
Lunch
Monday - Saturday (11.30 - 14.30)
Dinner
Monday - Saturday (18.30 - 22.30)
Dimsum
Sunday (10.00 - 14.30)