Plant-Powered City

Meet three chefs who are more than happy to challenge Jakartans to eat better.

- Eve Tedja

One can wax poetic about Jakarta’s skyline from the 22nd floor. The twinkling lights on the elongated bodies of skyscrapers, the blanket of night haze and the distant orchestra of car horns form the background of a beautiful evening at this one particular restaurant and bar. With its elegant coppery tones, VIEW Restaurant & Bar at Fairmont Jakarta is charming to say the least. A well-lit ample display of wine bottles captures the attention of its guests, nudging them to sit back, relax and enjoy the sommelier’s recommendations. One quick look at the menu will tell you that the restaurant is ambitious in its gourmet offerings. If you come looking for modern European cuisine with an Asian influence, order the aptly named chef’s point of view, a four-, six- or eight-course tasting menu made of the richest ingredients available. If you are willing to try something different, however, ask the chef de cuisine to share his next plant-based tasting dinner.

Hans Christian, the 26-year-old Indonesian chef de cuisine of VIEW Restaurant & Bar, was the man behind the city’s first ever 18-course plant-based dinner. The special two-night only event was created by Christian and his team to showcase the potential of fruits and vegetables as the heroes on the plate. “We were not targeting vegans or vegetarians. All we wanted to do is to challenge ourselves and our guests to become more adventurous in their gastronomy pursuits,” says Christian who holds a degree in Culinary Nutrition and tenured at Next Restaurant, Chicago under chefs Grant Achatz and Jenner Tomaska.