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| traditional Indonesia batik to welcome you here |
Situated on the third floor of recently opened Fairmont
Hotel, 1945 restaurant had its grand opening on the same day as Indonesia
celebrated its 70th Independence Day on Aug 17th. 1945
restaurant was conceived, by the founder of “Sate Khas Senayan”, on the idea of
paying tribute to its country-Indonesia. With the intention to elevate local traditional
cuisine to an international class level.
The restaurant has a fine dining concept with the promise of
impeccable and welcoming service. Guests are indulged in the minimalistic
interior and welcoming ambience and exquisite ceramic plates, Batik wearing
servers to complete the look. 1945 restaurant is divided into three main areas;
the first area would be the lounge area for light snacks and alcoholic
beverages, second area is the meeting room with a la carte menus and the last
area would be the fine dining area that serves main courses.
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| the a la carte area |
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| the a la carte area in another view |
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| seating in fine dining area |
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| fine dining area |
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| eye catchy carpet design |
Before proceeding to full course meal, we were accompanied
by a flowing of addictive finger food that we, as local, call it ‘Jajanan’. The
finger food consisted of prawn fritters, sweet potato fries, bakwan and rempeyek
crackers. Locals found them as snacks that could easily be found in streets
vendors, it was surprising enough from the presentation which it was served and
accompanied by a glass of wine that it had became a high class food. A perfect
little delights before a full course meal.
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| the uniqueness of our "jajanan" in a modern way |
APPETIZER
SKEWERS
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| three different kind of meats skewers |
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| the elegant looked of the skewers platting |
Satay is considered as an internationally known dish, skewered
meat that are served in peanut sauce and drizzled with sweet soy sauce with
optional chilly sauce on the side. The smell of charred meat and juice oozing
out from the skewers can easily make anyone drool with anticipation. The
skewered meat comes in selections of chicken, beef, lamb and gindara fish.
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| dish plate matched your own red plate |
Pecel Kembang SALAD
An elevated version of a traditional salad dish that is
called ‘Gado-gado’, instead of a local dish that typically consisted of fresh
vegetables, it is topped off with edible flowers of Begonia and Marigold
flower. A delicate and refreshing salad dish that should not be missed.
Oxtail consomme
what to say about this dish is the balance of the crunchiness of the oxtail beef then the sweetness from the sauteed carrot and of course the saltiness from the super clear consomme soup. It is so out of the box
Main Course
Plain white rice has always been the staple food in
Indonesia, here in 1945 restaurant, the rice they serves are varied to cater
individual need; white, black ( red for some people) and yellow. Another staple
food for the locals seemed to be the fried rice- ‘The Nasi Goreng’. The fried
rice comes in three different versions; Nasi Goreng Kampong, Nasi Goreng Wagyu
and Nasi Goreng Lobster.
Nasi Goreng Kampung
Nasi Goreng Kampong has a distinct taste of the traditional
than the other two fried rice; it relies heavily on its local spices which
gives its umami taste. The dish is then completed with tender and moist chicken
meat, scrambled egg and fresh vegetables.
Nasi goreng Lobster
The hero of this dish is the fresh lobster that its serving
size almost filled the entire dish. The rice almost felt like a garnish compare
to the lobster. There is almost no room to be disappointed by the taste or the
portion of this dish. The overall taste is balanced and satisfaction is most
guaranteed.
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| elevated nasi goreng kampung |
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| nasi goreng lobster (yum) |
Ayam Bumbu Rojak
This dish is
known to be eaten with bare fingers and tend to be messy to eat. The restaurant
found a solution to serve the chicken boneless to avoid messiness. The chicken
was tender and juicy, and accompanied by a plain white rice completed the dish.
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| Its BONELESS!! |
Tongseng Lamb Chop
‘Tongseng’ is an Indonesian meat stew in curry-like soup
mixed with sweet soy sauce and fresh vegetables. This dish is usually
classified as a street food, meat that comes in shredded or small dices of lamb
meat, however the dish they serve at this restaurant comes in two massive bones
of fried lamb chop. The meat is tender that cuts with a fork easily like butter
and the taste is just exquisite and it has no prengus smell that is commonly
found in lamb meat. To me, personally, this is the winner dish of the day.
Wagyu di Rendang
Rendang is cooked on low heat temperature for about five
hours or so until the meat is tender. Rendang is known for its prolonged
expiration period due to the process and the spices that are used.
This restaurant has its way of elevating the local dish by
using Wagyu meat, the meat that is known for its tender and juicy meat.
Gindara
Gindara fish steak infused with sweet terasi is an option
for those that are looking for a lighter meal instead of all the meat this
restaurant offers and its punch of flavors is not to be taken lightly.
Lobster Thermidor Pesmol
Cooked perfectly fresh lobster mixed with smoked coconut and sweet sour yet spicy presmol sauce. Everything just blended nicely together; get a bite by deep the lobster in the sauce then add more sauce to your mouth after the first bite will definitely give you a bombastic taste of flavor explosion
DESSERT
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| the all three desserts those are recommended |
Tape Cheesecake
The spectacular courses of meal ended with a beautiful
selection of traditional desserts that are elevated to meet the international
class standard both in presentations and tastes.
Tape cheese cake is a creative twist on my favorite local
dessert. It was hard to picture a taste that combines tape, a very bold taste
in my opinion, with cheesecake flavor which is also has a bold taste. With a
little magic touch from the chef and great palate on balancing the taste, it
was almost magical to taste and I became a believer.
Frozen Srikaya Souffle
Frozen srikaya soufflé was another creative twist of a local
dish. The cold and creamy srikaya paste with a bite of fragranted pandan
glutinous rice was exquisite to taste. It deserves a recognition on its own
Nastar Cake
Last but not least is the Nastar cake, a pineapple tasting
cake that usually comes in small tarts. With another creative twist, the tarts
are turned into a slice of soft cake These traditional nastar tarts are
commonly found during the festive season. The restaurant had turned it into a
modern looking dessert and enable patrons to enjoy it year round.
I immensely enjoyed the full course meal 1945 restaurant
offered. Its top notched service and creative delicious dishes easily placed
this restaurant on my top list. Not only the restaurant serves outstanding
dishes, it provoke my nationalism, proud of of my roots where these dishes were
based from. It reminded me of my love for traditional dishes I have feasted on
almost all my life and yet presented in a modern way. My hat off to the creator
of the restaurant and hope their intention to propel Indonesian food to an
international level class would be achieved.
a bit of teaser; this is how they serve your food :)
Do make your way into this restaurant and who knows we bump
into one another, as I can assure you after this dining experience it would not
be my last visit.
1945 Restaurant
Telp :
021-29039179
Location
: Fairmont Hotel 3rd floor
Jalan
Asia Afrika No. 8 Jakarta
Opening hour :
Lunch 11.00 AM- 03.30 PM
Dinner 06.30 PM – 11.00 PM
