Sezai Zorlu’s lamb shank (JP/Dylan Amirio)

A comprehensive experience of food — stemming from the classy to the street as a showcase of what chefs and food creators can do — is on offer at Ismaya’s Jakarta Culinary Festival.

The four-day free admission festival, which runs until Sunday, boasts two tents — the Fork Tent and Spoon Tent — at each side of Senayan City mall in Jakarta. Each tent hosts distinctive booths and types of food, from desserts to street fare, to dishes and drinks specially crafted by Michelin-star and celebrity chefs to baristas and mixologists.

The festival acts once more as a celebration for the appreciation of one’s roots and the place that one now calls home through cooking.  

“It is very important to preserve the cooking culture of wherever you’re from,” said Thai chef Thitid “Ton” Tassanakajohn of Le Du Restaurant, which ranked 14th on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2018.

“It is important also to be innovative while keeping the traditional aspects of our cooking intact,” added the judge of MasterChef Thailand.

This mindset is strongly upheld in several programs, especially the masterclasses and cooking demonstrations held by several chefs who originate from abroad but are currently pursuing their careers in Indonesia. Such a unique experience was offered at the Chef’s Table section, which this year also brought in prominent chefs and restaurateurs Sezai Zorlu and Chris Salans.

The Turkish Zorlu is mainly known for his traditional takes on Turkish cuisine and is also the owner of two of Jakarta’s best-known Turkish dining establishments, Turkuaz and Warung Turki.

The American-born Chris Salans — who currently helms the Spice and Mozaic restaurants, both in Bali — is known for his almost molecular gastronomical approach to cooking, inspired by the years he derived inspiration from Indonesian flavors.

Chris Salans’ durian chocolate phyllo (JP/Dylan Amirio)

The two prominent chefs were invited to serve up a three-course meal, each carefully defining their personalities and philosophies, for the festival’s opening night on Thursday.  

Zorlu led the night’s first dish with an appetizer, his famous hummus, served alongside cooked octopus garnished with bell pepper slices covered in olive oil: a classic Turkish appetizer flavoring. The dish was served with some Turkish wood fire-cooked flatbread. The dish screamed authenticity and respect toward the chef’s Turkish roots and was a humbling start to the course.  

Salans provided the first part of the main course, presenting soft, spice-encrusted tuna chunks coupled with several distinct Indonesian herbs on its side. Taking in inspiration from the diverse Indonesian flavors, the dish’s maximum qualities would only be felt when all the flavors on the dish were united.

Salans’ tuna was followed by a grand dish by Zorlu. The man brought out a large, rugged-looking lamb shank, which was reportedly cooked and simmered for 12 hours, in order for his signature family spice blends to really seep into the meat. It was a simple, humble taste, which enhanced the quality of the dish 10-fold.

The shank was served with a sweet chili-tomato paste with a taste that was reminiscent of Turkish condiments and also served alongside a bowl of paprika rice that complements the dish.

Zorlu explained the dish was an old Ottoman-era recipe that had been modified by his grandmother, his main inspiration when it comes to cooking. The blends of spices used were also passed down from her hands, thus creating their unique modified version of the lamb shank.

Chris Salans’ tabia bun-encrusted tuna (JP/Dylan Amirio)

As a believer of keeping things authentic and the way they are, Zorlu feels that by doing so is a chef’s way of showing their appreciation and respect toward the nature and circumstances of where his food comes from.  

“For me, the way I cook has to be strictly traditional. By doing so I am respecting the origins of where the recipes I make come from, as well as how and where the ingredients I use originate,” Zorlu says.

The experience felt like it was an episode of Iron Chef Indonesia, complete with the cooking show’s host, Kevindra Soemantri present at the table. This harkens back to the time in the show when Zorlu and/or Salan competed either with each other or with a challenger in order to impress.

At the Chef’s Table time, it felt like a battle as well as a collaboration, with the dishes served up as turn-based punches to make the table decide who the victor was. But in the end, there was no definitive victor, as both chefs showcased each of their strengths and philosophies behind the way they cook.

But the true champion of the night was definitely the durian-chocolate phyllo dessert prepared by Salans. His unique dessert was exquisite, prepared beautifully with small pools of liquefied black tapai (fermented sticky rice) sauce and a foamy side of coconut puree. The pastry balls holding the phyllo were garnished with a thin slice of jackfruit.

What was amazing about the dessert was that, despite the durian fruit’s infamous strong taste and odor, the chocolate that Salans combined the durian filling with camouflaged it, thereby taming the durian’s strong taste, resulting in a pleasant and classy sweetness. It was a perfect end to the night’s dining experience.