Aulia Rachmat discovers that the simple glorious red meat can make up a great dining at the Jakarta’s top steak houses.
One of the finest destinations in culinary journey is to visit a steak house. But finding the best steakhouse is impracticable. Each of the greats offers different unique recipe.
Menus such as the classic Western cowboy certified Angus Rib Eye of beef, Japanese’s buttery-rich Kobe beef, the best grade of Australian Wagyu beef, Argentinian prime cuts and even surf and turf are just to name a few to pave the way to the gentry.
In spite of the restaurant’s chef recommendation, a good steak is a matter of individual preference. People have different choices over how they like their steaks to be cooked – be it rare, medium rare, medium, medium well or even unfavorably well done. Likewise, a fine-dining steakhouse should be able to either accommodate to its guest’s request or offer a distinctive style of cuisine.
Among crème de la crème of Jakarta, moreover, the popularity of steak eateries is not only to harmonize the lush life that results from the very best grade of beef, but the ambience and the bounties of the restaurant matter.
THE ARGENTINE FLAVOUR
Argentinian beef is arguably known as one of the best in the world. For Argentinians, beef is their everyday fare even for ladies who have a penchant for smart dresses. Notwithstanding their being crazy about football and erotic tango, Argentinians are among the world’s steak enthusiasts.
The most fastidious palate for the steak is asado, a well-known Argentinian traditional barbeque where the meats (mainly beef, though also apply to others like pork and chicken) are cooked on charcoal and firewood. Chimichurri, the sauce and marinade for grilled meat, has become the traditional flavour for the steak and even for appetizers such as those of bread and toast. Therefore, having asado is a must culinary journey for anyone visiting Argentina.
Nevertheless, you don’t have to fly that far. Situated in one of the most enchanting malls in the southern Jakarta prime area, Brasas Argentinian Steakhouse, a smart casual fine-dining, is designed to transport food aficionados to the beautiful country of Argentina.
The word ‘Brasas’ itself is a Spanish word meaning red-hot coals. “And the word is also a designation for passion,” the Argentinian Executive Chef Nicolas Arriola said with benevolent smile, citing that he also uses charcoal and firewood when cooking asado meats at Brasas. “The way you can taste the authentic flavor of Argentinian grill.”
Enjoying asado de tira (a-480 gram beef ribs) and a glass of Argentinian Malbec red wine while listening to the Latino tunes at the Brasas’s avant-garde eatery allow you to breathe the scrumptious air of Buenos Aires.
Among chef’s recommended menus are Bife Angosto-Black Angus, Beef Belly-Matambre, Spanish Iberico Ham “Pata Negra” and Black Chilean Sea Bass Fillet with Rocket Puree and Tomatoes Walnut Oil. And starters like assorted Empanadas, Grilled Provolone Cheese, Argentinian homemade sausage and Beef Tongue with parsley vinaigrette will get you stirred up.
BRASAS ARGENTINIAN STEAKHOUSE
Pacific Place Mall, 6th Floor
Jakarta12920 Tel (021) 5140-2703
Fax (021) 5140-2785
JAPANESE FINESSE
With the letter ‘Y’ stands for the name of the restaurant owner who created the idea of serving the best Australian Wagyu with the art of Japanese cooking style, Y-Grill offers a ‘best of both worlds’ fine-dining for connoisseurs of gastronomy.
In addition to serving out an array of high quality Japanese traditional foods such as teppanyaki, yakiniku, shabu-shabu, sukiyaki and fresh wild sushi by Kyubey (one of the most famous sushi eateries in Tokyo and all of Japan); the restaurant also dishes out the highest quality of Australian Wagyu beef for the steak foodies.
Located in a Central Jakarta’s strategic business area, Y-Grill delivers top-notch service to its high-end guests who keen on savouring the taste of elite pure-bred wagyu breeding and long grain feeding. “We are the first exclusive eatery in South East Asia that imports pedigree certified fresh pure-bred Wagyu M 9+ from Australia,” Scharon HJ, the restaurant’s Senior General Manager, says.
Hot stone steak Wagyu M 9+ is the most recommended main course where guests can enjoy their ultimate dining experience with koshihikari, high-quality Japanese organic rice.
Having the dining table set with Alessi, Rosenthal, Iittala and Mori’s table wares and Riedel wine glasses, Y-Grill is undoubtedly a great dining place for those who care with a uniquely artistic ambience.
With collection of Asian antiques, Indonesia’s handicrafts and furniture from designer Harry Betoia, M. Breuer, Le Corbusier, E. Saarinen and I. Noguchi neatly displayed in classic modern and elegant style lounge, “Our guests can relax in such soothing and cozy ambience drinking fine selection of wine before savouring the restaurant’s signature dishes,” Scharon adds.
After three years in operation, Y-Grill has since last year opened its restaurant chains, Y&Y at the Pacific Place Mall and recently at the Grand Indonesia.
While Y-Grill has set the high standard of maintaining its upscale patrons; Y&Y is a family oriented restaurant targeting customers from middle to upper class segment.
YGRILL
Wisma Nusantara, 3rd Floor
Jl. M.H. Thamrin No.59
Jakarta 10350
Tel (021) 3193-6026 Fax (021) 3193-0788
SAVOUR OF BEEF
The Mezzanine setting of The Steak House at Four Seasons Hotel is really suitable for a business lunch or dinner. Rather casual, but the restaurant’s stylish cozy lounge gives a classy touch to its high-end guests.
Floored with mahogany wood and equipped with comfy chair and sofa, The Steak House, with up to 84 seating capacity, has evolved from a rustic with cowboy hats to a fine-dining ambience yet it maintains the classic Western juicy taste of slabs of beef.
The Executive Chef Vindex Tengker is the man behind the Steak House. Being the only Indonesian executive chef at a five-star hotel in Jakarta, Vindex and his team recommend a variety of highest quality of beef steaks such as Canadian Black Angus Prime Beef Grade AAA, Certified Angus Australian Beef, 300 days Old Black Angus Beef; and Maracaibo Chocolate Dome with Caramelized walnut and Berries Coulis for the dessert.
“The restaurant’s slogan is Savour Beef at Its Best,” Yudith Nurwulan, director of public relations at Four Season, says referring to the restaurant’s grill imported meats where they are cooked over rambutan, jackfruit and mango woods to preserve the aroma and the juices from the fresh meat.
While the 8 oz tenderloin of Australian Wagyu Beef Grade 9+ can cost you Rp 700,000 (around US$77), the restaurant (back by popular demand) has added the million rupiah (US$110) burger delight as a part of the à la carte menu since February this year.
Comes with complimentary glass of wine, the 7 oz Kobe Beef burger is served with Foie Gras Skewer, cooked asparagus and Portobello mushroom; and topped with homemade onion wheat bun.
Yudith says that the 5 out of 5 grade rib eye Kobe beef is directly air flown in from Japan to maintain the quality of the meat. “The standard cooking of this exquisite burger is medium. Due to the level of marbling in the beef, it is not recommended for the burger to be cooked rare. Otherwise, the taste will be too heavy.”
THE STEAK HOUSE
Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta
Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said 12920
Tel (021) 252-3456 Fax (021) 252-4480
THE OPEN CONCEPT DELIGHT
At C’s of Grand Hyatt Jakarta, prime meat cooked on a firewood grill in an open kitchen gives a source of delight for the restaurant’s exclusive guests to enjoy live food preparation as the chefs take centre stage at close range.
Most items that adorn the spacious dining room have their own use. The food ingredients like onions, eggplants and potatoes as well as various fruits placed around the dining room function as ornaments yet edible.
Among the chef’s recommended main courses are 250gr Sirloin Prime beef, 180gr Tenderloin Prime beef and 300gr Wagyu rib eye grade 9 with the prices ranged from Rp 350,000 to Rp 1,000,000, respectively.
The main courses are best served with side dishes such as potatoes mashed with herbs; and spinach with cream, butter and parmesan cheese.
And paired with one of the restaurant’s large collection of finest red wines such as ‘Two Hands Brave Face Shiraz/Grenache Barossa Valley Australia 2005’, a guest will accentuate the harmony between steak and wine.
““A wide range of exquisite pairings are listed in the restaurant’s menu as their great delicacy not only limited to steak alone,” Gina Desmeralda, the hotel’s marketing communication manager, says.
“The pairing of steak and wine is also symbolic of a distinctively traditional steak dining that creates an ultimate delight for every connoisseur,” Gina Desmeralda, the hotel’s marketing communication manager, says.
With seating capacity for 206, C’s is also well-known for its surf and turf, a combination of both steak and seafood served as a single course. For food aficionados craving a selection of grilled steak and seafood, King Prawns with crushed black pepper and tenderloin or lamb with steamed asparagus in hollandaise sauce paired with the hors d’oeuvre of pan-fried Foie Gras or buffalo mozzarella can really satisfy their palate.
C’s really goes beyond the food. “It represents a delight for the eyes,” Gina asserts.
With around three thousands bottles of selected white and red wines neatly arranged inside glass cellars, C’s has the art of making collages of sights, sounds and smells that stimulate all your senses.
The restaurant’s panel floor gives a sense of exclusivity and warmth; while the glass partitions create such spacious rooms as guests can see the city sight from the restaurant while enjoying their meals.
C’S STEAK & SEAFOOD
RESTAURANT Grand Hyatt Jakarta Jl. M.H. Thamrin, Kav. 28-30 Jakarta 10350
Tel (021) 390-1234
Fax (021) 310-7300
Published in The Peak Magazine Indonesia, November 2008.
