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Sugar & Spice and everything nice for Mahamangsa at InterContinental in Pondok Indah
The land of the spices is famous for the variety of culture and traditional food. From Sabang to Merauke, each plate tells a different story and heritage.
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he land of the spices is famous for the variety of culture and traditional food. From Sabang to Merauke, each plate tells a different story and heritage. These glorious food rituals started long before the first known ancient kingdoms in Indonesia began their first dynasty. Food feasts for Indonesian peoples’ ancestors had many names, among them “Mahamangsa.”
Mahamangsa is loosely translated to “the food of kings,” traced back to the Ancient Mataram Kingdom. To pay homage to Indonesia’s cultural past, InterContinental Jakarta Pondok Indah is holding a culinary celebration for the upcoming three months, tailored to bring Indonesian cuisine to the world stage. Before the rollout, their loyal customers were invited to the gathering to get a first-look at the mouth-watering dishes on Monday (19/06) at its prestigious Presidential Suite on the 26th floor.
“When you look at it, Indonesian food can be brought to the next level. It’s about time that it happens, because Indonesian food can be very nice and can compete with the world, if we cook it well,” said Chef Degan Septoadji. “[This event] is very important because we can be proud of what we have. We have a big culture, diversity and every part of Indonesia has different flavors.”
Chef Degan is one of the three chefs who will get the opportunity to present their culinary innovation at the Sugar & Spice restaurant inside the luxurious hotel. Along with Chef Marinka and Chef Yuda Bustara, the three world-class chefs will serve food fit for royalty in July, August and September, respectively.
First up is Chef Marinka for July. Also known as RinRin, she was a judge for MasterChef Indonesia, Junior MasterChef Indonesia, Iron Chef Indonesia and many other highly popular food shows in the region.
For the event, she regarded her sapi masak merah as her signature dish for the event. Drawing inspiration from the traditional Aceh region, she added a twist and made it look like “puff pastry.” Moreover, the chef paired her plate with the non-alcoholic bir jawa, once a favorite beverage of Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono VIII.
“This is Mahawangsa, which is majestic Indonesian. The beer is actually from Keraton, the Javanese kingdom. Sapi masak merah is actually a very expensive food. Beef is expensive in Indonesia, so not everybody can actually enjoy that, so I want to make something that’s still authentic, but a bit different from the puff pastry thing. And I want [my dishes] from many places in Indonesia, with five dishes and one drink,” she said.
August brings a new kind of authentic Indonesian food with a hint of Western influence, courtesy of Chef Yuda. Similar to RinRin, the chef used to grace television as the host of Iron Chef Indonesia. Regarded as a young kitchen wizard, he is now making magic behind the scenes at the hotel.
Drawing inspiration from the hotel’s Sunday Brunch menu, his specialty is the BLT, which stands for bakso, lidah and tunjang. The Jimbaran-style grilled seafood and an exotic, Riau-origin clear soup is expected to steal the show all month long.
However, that is not all he is serving. “The new kind of BLT, I’m going to revamp it fancier and also top it with rendang truffle, so make it like a steak, and it has truffle on it, so it’s special,” he said.
To finish strong, the hotel is inviting Chef Degan for September. Chef Degan Septoadji is one of the leading authorities on Indonesian cuisine who was also a Best Asian Chef nominee at the 2012 World Gourmet Summit in Singapore, and a judge on the popular reality TV show MasterChef Indonesia.
For this event, he has planned to wow the crowd with Crispy-Skinned Salmon served with colo-colo sambal from Makassar, potato fritter and lemon basil, to be paired with es jahe angkringan.
“I’m doing a dish, which is actually very famous. It’s the sambal that is very famous, sambal colo-colo. And that dish is usually served with barbecue fish, or with fish. […] So, it’s very refreshing. It’s actually a beach dish, from the sea,” he said, hinting at the archipelagic nature.
The “Mahamangsa: A Celebration of Indonesian Cuisine” food festival will take place every Saturday evening (6 p.m. to 10 p.m.) at Sugar & Spice, starting from July 1, 2023. Prices start from Rp 528,000 per person. For more information or reservations, please call +6221 3950 7355, email sugarspice.icjakarta@ihg.com, or WhatsApp +62 811-1037-355.
