August in Jakarta Could of Been “DEADLY”!; Don’t Sit at the Chef’s Counter

August in Jakarta is a modern Indonesian restaurant which was recently ranked #46 in Asia on the World’s 50 Best List. The kitchen is open and there is the choice of sitting at the chef’s table or in the dining room. We chose the chef’s table, which I usually prefer, but in this case the chef’s table is actually where they plate the desserts. Its cool to see also, but don’t expect a view of the kitchen or plating of the entire meal. Because of this, I would of preferred to sit at a more traditional table in the dining room.

Once you sit, you will have to make a choice between a 12 or 16 course tasting menu, and ad ons. Usually, I go for the full package, but in this case, it was Halloween and I wanted to party in Jakarta after dinner. The longer the dinner, the more tired I get. Therefore, I went with the 12 with no ad ons.

To start, they brought us a welcome drink:

The first dish was a delicious glazed mantau (like a Chinese bread):

Then various amuse. Presentation was beautiful, and flavors were good. One thing I learned about food Indonesia was that tempe is a long time traditional food there. I always thought it was a recently invented processed Vegan protein substitute (like Beyond Meat). Its basically made with fermented soybeans (note that in the pics that follow, the raw ingredients were sometimes presented on straw plates so that we could learn more about what we were eating).

Next, a hashbrown rendang and asinan Jakarta (a salad). Both very well executed interpretations of the traditional version of the dish.

Next, something really interesting. Crunchy greens with “keluwak nut” and hollandaise. Upon reading more about keluwak (which you can see in the woven plate in the pic below) nuts, I realized that if it is prepared wrong, it can be deadly! This reminds me of Fugu fish in Japan! Here is a paragraph from Wikipedia:

“The fresh fruit and seeds contain hydrogen cyanide, thus are deadly poisonous if consumed without prior preparation. The seeds are first boiled and then buried in ash, banana leaves and earth for forty days, during which time they turn from a creamy white colour to dark brown or black. The method relies on the fact that the hydrogen cyanide released by the boiling and fermentation is water-soluble and easily washed out.”

Following this, was a smoked fish:

Scallop with curry:

Another fish:

For the meat course, they served an ox tongue:

Then palate cleanser, dessert, and petit fours:

Overall, I was very happy with this meal. I love going to a place and experiencing the local food in its traditional form, but I also like to see fine dining and modern interpretations of that same cuisine. This place checked all the boxes. Good food, good, service, nice atmosphere. I would return when the menu changes and recommend.