Wine lounges emerged as trendy spots to kick back and relax last year. A new lounge boasting some seriously committed connoisseurs behind it is the latest addition to the scene.
Boyish and bespectacled, Yohan Handoyo has the look of the number cruncher he is by training. His great love, however, is wine, and he is credited with bringing his love of reds, whites and in-betweens to young urbanites in Jakarta through his book Rahasia Wine (The Secrets of Wine), his blog and other writings.
The book was described as "wise, practical and deep in wine culture" when it won the prestigious Gourmand Award for wine education earlier this year, a first for an Indonesian publication.
"I got my undergraduate degree in accounting, my master's in statistics and now I'm living a wine-passionate life," Yohan says with a roar of laughter.
It seems a natural segue for Yohan to go into the wine lounge business, all the rage since the opening of popular Cork & Screw last year. In Bondan Winarno's telling, however, it took a bit of coaxing from friends.
"We told him that he is really the authority on wine here and it would be good to have some place where he can share that knowledge," says the journalist and gastronome, best known for his TV culinary shows.
"And then he said to us, 'as you gave me the idea, are you willing to be the shareholders?'. So we all chipped in for this and have been here to support him."
Bondan, along with entrepreneur Rene Suhardono Canoneo and a host of other partners, has joined Yohan in opening Decanter. The stylishly decorated lounge is on the ground floor of Plaza Kuningan office building, the former premises of a Chinese restaurant and, for longtime Jakarta residents who remember way back when, a onetime Big Boy hamburger joint.
Passion alone cannot drive the success of an establishment in Jakarta's constantly changing F+B scene. Jakartans are notoriously fickle customers, and allegiances can change overnight when the next new spot opens and glitzily overshadows the rest (who remembers the many brief ascensions of mid-1990s flashes in the pan?).
So the group studiously mulled what they wanted from the new venture. Their chosen concept is a place for friends to come and appreciate a good vintage over conversation and fine food.
It's all about loving and learning about wine, without having to get legless in the process.
"We're not about dugem (nightclubbing)," says Bondan, who adds the venture strictly enforces a no-minors policy. "Our view is that the best things in life are shared."
Wine can be an intimidating subject for neophytes. Decanter, the owners emphasize, is about an erudite appreciation of the drink without slipping into snobbery. The wine list has been arranged into self-explanatory categories, and Yohan is on hand to share his knowledge with visitors.
The lounge's long, narrow layout naturally provides corners for patrons to enjoy their evening without intrusion from those around them or the carefully chosen background music, as opposed to the thumping, conversation-obliterating noise found at some other places. Service is good: Attentive without being overly ingratiating or with an attitude.
The food is also outstanding, which is perhaps to be expected from Bondan's involvement. There are appetizers (here called "teasers"), including fresh poached asparagus in Bearnaise sauce and grilled eggplant stuffed with ricotta, garlic and basil, casseroles, grilled meats (including lamb and beef), an assortment of pastas and cheese and meat platters.
Standouts are the salads and cheese platters (there are separate platters for red and white wine, served with squares of walnut bread). It's still difficult to find a truly good fresh salad in Jakarta, but Decanter boasts three on its menu. The Refreshner salad lives up to its name, a clean, almost guilt-free heaping of spinach, oranges and radicchio, sprinkled with avocado, roasted pine nuts, parmesan shavings and almonds with a drizzle of honey. Delicious.
Bondan says while food has not been an afterthought (they hired an Indonesian chef with many years of experience in an international hotel chain), Decanter should never be considered a restaurant. Wine is the main event.
"That's why we are not open for lunch, only for dinner. But good wine does go with good food," says Bondan.
Decanter
Plaza Kuningan, Menara Utara, Ground Floor
Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said Kav. C11-14
Tel. 52963888
www.decanterjakarta.com
