What does “Molecular Gastronomy” mean? It is a cooking technique that uses physics and chemistry to transform the taste and texture of an ingredient. The end result being a type of modern style of cooking that bases itself on many technical innovations. Putting in simply,  ”Molecular Gastronomy” is anytime when the food that you see on the plate is totally different with its actual taste.

Around the world, molecular gastronomy has intrigued many foodies in search of a unique gastronomical experience, brought to you by chefs daring enough to explore out-of-the-box cooking methods.

Many of metropolitan cities like Hong Kong and London have their own long-standing restaurants offering this unique cooking technique; such as  Bo Innovation and the famous Fat Duck.

Proudly to say, Jakarta too has a Molecular Gastronomy restaurant of its own. Namaaz is the first molecular gastronomy restaurant in Indonesia and maybe the only Molecular Gastronomy restaurant in the world which serves Indonesian food.

Namaaz serves a total of 17 courses in one set menu. The menu changes during special events like Christmas and Valentine’s Day but also changes around every 8 months. It takes around 3 hours to complete the meal and I really do suggest to bring a few of your friends along just to make the experience more fun.

I will try to run through the 17 different courses. But since I absolutely have no idea on the exact technique the chef uses and what kind of raw materials each dish entails, I will (unashamedly) only post the pictures and the name of the dishes.

I have to say that 90% of the dishes are both extremely unique in presentation and has bold, tasty flavors. Just like how I expect my Indonesian food to be.

First Dish:

What it looks like: a slice of raw meat.

What it tastes like: Rujak – Indonesia’s traditional fruit and vegetable salad dish with peanut sauce.

Second Dish:

What it looks like: a creamy dessert.

What it tastes like: Pempek Kapal Selam – chicken egg wrapped in a chewy fish-flavored dough and then deep-fried.

Third Dish:

What it looks like: fish cake on a slice of bread.

What it tastes like: Sum Sum Sambel Dabu – Bone marrow.

Fourth Course:

What it looks like: Udang di Balik Batu – Literal meaning: a prawn under the rock. Figurative meaning: a suspicious situation.

What it tastes like: Prawn with potato.

Fifth Course:

What it looks like: Dry ice.

What it tastes like: Liquid nitrogen ice cream.

Sixth Course:

What it looks like: A chunk of charcoal, served alongside my meat.

What it tastes like: Sate Klopo – Satay dish with a piece of cassava (resembling a charcoal). This dish is enclosed with a glass cup to trap the injected charcoal smoke.

Seventh Course:

What it looks like: Japanese style appetizer.

What it tastes like: Mie Kangkung.

Eight Course:

What it looks like: Chicken broth.

What it tastes like: Sop Ikan – Fish Soup. An actual de-boned chicken covered with fish meat and wrapped with skin.

Ninth Course:

What it looks like: Roast beef with potato and gravy.

What it tastes like: Garang Asam with Nasi Goreng ala Namaaz – Fried rice (resembling a potato) with roast beef.

Tenth Course:

What it looks like: Round jelly.

What it tastes like: Cold Lychee mocktail.

Eleventh Course:

What it looks like: A lighted candle.

What it tastes like: Pisang Bakar – Grilled Banana

Twelfth Course:

What it looks like: Grape halves.

What it tastes like: Rose champagne with mascarpone cheese.

Thirteenth Course:

What it looks like: Pencuci Mulut – Literal meaning: mouthwash (hence the soap-like appearance). Figurative meaning: dessert.

What it tastes like: Mint mojito.

Fourteenth Course:

What it looks like: Noodle soup.

What it tastes like: Wedang Jahe – A sweet ginger soup typically eaten with tapioca, represented by the white solidifying dough.

Fifteenth Course:

What it looks like: Your normal cup of tea.

What it tastes like: Es Teh Panas – Hot & Cold Tea (left of part of the cup is cold and the right part of the cup is hot)

Sixteenth Course:

What it looks like: The room lights were turned off, leaving only UV lights.

What it tastes like: Liquid nitrogen glow-in-the-dark sorbet.

Seventeenth Course:

What it looks like: Dragon breath – eating the ice cream while breathing normally would release a stream of smoke through your nose and mouth, resembling a dragon.  (Sorry I did not manage to take a photo of the actual dish/me as a dragon, only the process of making it).

What it tastes like: Chocolate.

Kudos to the chef, Andrian Ishak, (above) a pioneer of Indonesian molecular gastronomy. Don’t be fooled by the portions, the whole 17 courses will make you very full.

The Rp1.2 million price tag per person was worth the experience, in my opinion.

I will definitely re-visit soon to try out his other creations since we were one of the last batches of customers for this season’s menu.

Food: |**** |          Ambience: |***   |         Price: |$$$$   |

Opening hours: Mon – Sun dinners.

Location: Jl. Gunawarman No. 42, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta.

Telephone: They don’t provide a phone number. Reservation by website only: http://www.namaazdining.com/

Posted by FidoDido