Time to go MAD
Jakarta’s latest import from Singapore, MAD: Modern Asian Diner offers up an eclectic yet winning combination of Eastern and Western comfort foods.
The first thing that will greet you when you approach the recently opened MAD: Modern Asian Diner is the glowing blue and yellow visage of “The Mad Chinaman,” the alter ego of prolific Singaporean entertainer Dick Lee. Singaporeans are already well acquainted with Lee, who has released numerous best-selling albums, written several successful musicals and judged a number of seasons of Singaporean Idol. The flamboyant musician and designer rose to fame by being one of the first to champion the integration of Asian elements into Western pop music.
Given that, It’s no wonder that Lee’s first foray into the culinary world is also a fascinating and crowd-pleasing blend of East and West. The first MAD was opened in Singapore in late 2012 and quickly gained a strong reputation for its winning combination of cool décor, classy cocktails and inventive menu items.
The new Jakarta outlet of MAD, located in Lotte Shopping Avenue, sticks to essentially the same game plan as the Singaporean original. After passing through the deceptively small entranceway, the restaurant opens up with an expansive setting featuring a huge open kitchen, bar, and numerous dining areas. Floor to ceiling windows offer a magnificent view of cars zooming by on the recently opened flyover stretching out over Casablanca. Quirky touches, like flashes of bright neon colours on the walls and furnishing, koi fish models swimming up the walls and even more images of Lee’s iconic Mad Chinaman give a hip, vibrant feel to the space.
The menu is equally vibrant. Made up of an intriguing mix of Asian and Western dishes, some rendered in classic style and others given modern fusion makeovers, MAD should have something to please everybody in your dining party.
The first page of dishes is made up of dim sum selections, almost all standard yum cha classics. Pork lovers will be happy with the choices here and the rest of the menu, with little pink piggie signs serving as both warning and highlighter for multiple dishes. The famous Shanghainese soup dumplings, known as xiao long bao, are done better here than in most Chinese restaurants in Jakarta, mainly because MAD is one of only a handful that serves them using pork, which is essential to the richness of the broth inside.
The starters section is where MAD’s menu really starts to get creative. Some of the more interesting appetisers include cream crab croquettes, lobster and crab tacos, pork belly mini mantau burgers and flower clams stir-fried with yuzu chilli.
With such an unusual array of ingredients and cooking styles, it’s easy to be sceptical that the kitchen can pull it all off. But the small army of chefs at MAD give each dish the attention it deserves. Take, for example, a starter of crispy fried quail we tried. The bird featured shatteringly crisp skin, dusted with an addictive touch of chilli, garlic, ginger and incredibly juicy flesh. Arranged artfully atop a crisp netting of fried dough with a mixed salad, it was both a classier and tastier version of your standard fried chicken.
MAD has several more surprises in store for you in the main courses section of its menu. The first dish that should jump out at you is spicy tiger prawn wanton laksa char siew la mian. It’s quite a mouthful to say but it’s more than worth it. A brilliant combination of the best elements of Chinese noodle soup and Southeast Asian laksa, the springy la mian noodles in this dish do a great job of standing up to the spicy laksa broth, while the rich, fatty char siew helps take away some of the chilli’s bite.
Noodles seems to be something MAD’s kitchen is especially good at producing. Their version of seafood fettuccine, a seemingly standard pasta dish, features noodles that are thicker and broader than your standard Italian fettuccine, with my dining companion remarking that they gave the dish a kway teow like consistency. The large chewy noodles did a great job of holding onto the rich, garlicky cream sauce. The large shavings of parmesan cheese on top of the dish are another example of the attention paid to details here.
If you’re more about rice than noodles, one of MAD’s claypot creations might be what you’re looking for. We tried another East meets West combination, the foie gras and beef claypot rice, and were impressed with how perfectly all of the elements worked together. The cubes of succulent beef are only slightly less tender than the melting bits of creamy foie gras. Served over rice studded with mushrooms, it’s an intense blend of umami flavours, but the sweetness of the house teriyaki sauce ties it all together.
Drinks are given just as much attention as the dishes at MAD, with an extensive wine, spirits and cocktails list rounding out the experience. The cocktail list is especially interesting, with more East-meets-West offerings such as the oriental whiskey sour, which mixes things up with chrysanthemum-goji berry whiskey. The imposingly named Forbidden Games features a refreshing mix of gin, grapefruit and elderberry infused St. Jermaine, with a sprig of rosemary giving it just the right herbal accent.
MAD is located right next to the mall’s cinema, making it a perfect place to grab a bite and some libations before or after a movie. Whether you come for dim sum, dinner or drinks, you’d be crazy not to check out MAD.
(www.modernasiandiner.com)
