Rasa Restaurant in AYANA Midplaza JAKARTA offers casual and stylish dining, blending European and Asian influences for some creative dishes. The open kitchen and live cooking stations mean that guests can watch what’s happening as they dine in the elegant venue with its rich hardwoods, gleaming silver and soothing stone finish.
Executive Sous Chef Johan Kusnadi takes full advantage of the available ingredients and the global tastes of his clientele and whips up some tasty fusion dishes to tempt the taste buds, as well as promoting popular national dishes.
The Javanese oxtail soup with carrot, potato and tomato served with steamed rice is an Indonesian favourite and an interesting comparison to oxtail soups served in other countries around the world. The seafood laksa is also a traditional offering of this spicy, coconut milk broth packed with fresh seafood. While the Sudirman gourmet cheese and bacon burger remains a firm favourite.
However, Chef Johan has the most fun with his tasty fusion dishes at Rasa Restaurant, such as the pindang salmon. This meaty northern hemisphere fish is given a traditional Indonesian treatment, being poached in a rich, spicy broth that includes red chilli, turmeric, ginger, fish paste, galangal and tamarind juice. The salmon flavour combines well with the strong spices and the sour belimbing wuluh, tomato and Thai basil that it is served with provide an added contrast that lifts the enjoyment.
Chef Johan has been passionate about cooking since he was young, learning local dishes from his mother, then being exposed to Western cuisines throughout his career.
Fusion food interests me, because it tickles my brain to twist recipes and present dishes in a unique and different way, while still keeping the original taste.
However, it was the beautiful food presentations that really inspired me to elevate Indonesian food to another level, combining the best of both worlds: bursting flavours and colours with a beautiful presentation beyond our guests’ imaginations.
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Executive Sous Chef Johan Kusnadi
Rasa Restaurant
Jalan Jenderal Sudirman,
Jakarta 10220, Indonesia
T: (+62) 212510888
