Jplus 2016 01 31 lores

Vol. 3 No. 11 I January 31 - February 6 , 2016

FASHIONTASTIC

GALERIES LAFAYETTE has a festive take on Chinese new year BOTTOM’S UP WITH POTATO HEAD’S MIXOLOGIST

FRENCH PHARMACIES A JPLUS BEAUTY GUIDE

RIJSTTAFEL IN STYLE TUGU KUNSTKRING PALEIS

Editor's note

UNEXPECTED PAIRINGS We have a unexpected pairing of travel stories from Kenya and France for our Wanderlust pages (p10-12). Both broach the question of origins, albeit from different angles.

In the first piece, a Straits Times contributor takes us to a remote part of Kenya for a (surprisingly luxurious) vacation at the archeological site near Lake Turkana, where paleontologists have been unearthing the fossilized remains of human ancestors for generations.

Similarly, the second article is set in Lascaux, where the finishing touches are being applied to a simulacra of the famed 18,000-or-so-year-old Lascaux cave paintings. Access to the original cave is restricted, hence the copy.

I remember how underwhelmed I was as a boy when looking at grainy blackand-white pictures of Lascaux in an encyclopedia. Then I saw Werner Herzog’s

mark my words

writer Sebastian Partogi’s article about 2010 documentary titled Cave of Forgotten one mixologist’s guide to Jakarta (At Dreams, about similar paintings in nearby Your Leisure, p9), as well Chauvet. as contributor Kevindra In the film, Seomanttri’s look at Tugu shot in 3D, the Kunstkring Paleis, one of the camera moves over city’s iconic restaurants (p8). the cave's walls.

Meanwhile, we’re still Shadows and figures giving away free one-night undulate. Lions, stays at the EDEN Hotel bison and bears Kuta Bali, managed by appear to move.

Tauzia. Follow our Twitter Herzog calls it the at @SundayJPlus and send birth of cinema.

We're giving away one free night us a Tweet telling us where It inspires me at the EDEN Hotel Kuta Bali! you’d like to eat on your Bali to make it to South vacation. Make sure you use Sulawesi to see the Maros-Pangkep caves, about an hour outside the tag #JPlusGiveaway. We’ll announce the winner next week.

Makassar, where paintings even older than those in France–40,000 years old!–are said to exist.

Chris Razukas Closer to home, temporally and jplus@thejakartapost.com geographically, please take a look at staff

Hometown Glory It wasn’t supposed to be like this

Words Willy Wilson

I was supposed to graduate from junior high school and leave this place forever.

That was the plan. Yet 15 years and four cities later, I found myself living in Bandar Lampung, the town where I grew up.

To be honest, I never liked the place.

As with many eccentric and flamboyant boys growing up in a small town, all I ever wanted to do was to move to the big city.

I left for Jakarta to finish high school.

Over the next 12 years, I lived in a few cities across Asia–Singapore, Shanghai and Kuala Lumpur–to study and work.

Those cities weren’t perfect, but they were at least big enough for me to go unnoticed as I learned to know–and liberate–myself.

I have become a more confident person with a sense of who I am–a far cry from the misunderstood, victim of bullying I once was.

My work as a journalist, too, has taken me to many places and taught me to appreciate new cultures.

I returned to Jakarta in 2011 and spent the next 30 months working as a journalist there, without a single thought to visit Bandar Lampung–a stone’s throw away from Jakarta.

When I finally did visit in April 2014, I was surprised to find myself kind of­–

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suddenly, miraculously, actually–enjoying my hometown.

Somehow, Bandar Lampung and its ingrained familiarity had started to feel, dare I say, right. For the first time ever, I started to feel a gentle inner tug toward this port town, although I was aware that moving back here would be, in many ways, starting over from scratch.

There’s of course a personal factor: my ageing parents, who run a hotel business, seem unable to catch up with the urbanizing, digitalizing market.

That’s not to say I didn’t have doubts.

There was also a vague sense of stigma around moving back to one’s hometown.

A lot of friends and family members­– including my parents­–thought that it was a rushed decision.

I understood their concern. I can’t claim I didn’t worry either. Letting go of my profession wasn’t easy­–I didn’t actually understand the difference between what I did and who I was until recently.

Furthermore, Lampung was a step down from the ostensibly more glamorous cities I’d lived in before.

But was I really going to let an insecuritydriven preoccupation with proving something­–I don’t even know what­– determine where I chose to live?

That’s hard to answer. I mean, the idea of making money out of your passion is a compelling idea.

But Lampung called to me for reasons that felt deeper. I won’t go as far as saying this place feels like home. Sixteen months after

living here, I still feel like an outcast despite the familiarity of my surrounding.

Whether I like it or not­–and no matter how hard I try­–there’s always a feeling of separation whenever I interact with those who knew me back then.

Don’t get me wrong: I love those people.

But I relate more to my guests at the hotel­– those who are on their backpacking trip or motorcycle journey across Sumatra. I live through their wanderlust and hunger for knowledge.

The city of Bandar Lampung, too, has changed a lot since I left at 15. Tucked in the southernmost tip of Sumatra, the Bandar Lampung that I knew was a sleepy port town with crystal-clear skies, a nosy small population and dull shopping.

Today it is a fast growing city with a burgeoning agriculture and tourism industry, which attracts a lot more young people and therefore giving the city a little more pizzazz.

I see more and more comeback kids here.

They bring with them their cosmopolitan attitude, often apologetically toning it down in order to fit in.

Some feel superior over what they consider backward folks, while others take one step at a time.

As for me, I spend my days thinking about new business opportunities in this town.

Yes, I know: that’s the sound of my closet Jack Ma­–scrabbling to get out.

Mark My Words shifts focus between food, fashion, parenting and travel each week.

Check List

10

13

Wanderlust In search of Africa

Tech treats A hijab for headphones

JPlus Team Editor Christian Razukas Art Director Budhi Hartono Graphic Designer Hengky Wijaya Marketing & Advertising Sales & Marketing Director Ady P. Pamungkas

ady.pamungkas@thejakartapost.com

Marketing Executive Faisal Ahmad

faisal@thejakartapost.com

@JPlusSunday jplussunday

SundayJplus jakplus.com

On the cover A montage of models from “Fashiontastic”, the exclusive trunk show of Ghea and Votum launching Galeries Lafayette’s month-long celebration of Chinese New Year, at Pacific Place, SCBD, Jakarta Photographer Arief Suhardiman Digital Imager Hengky Wijaya

where TO GO A jplus curated guide for your week ahead

Melbourne’s CafE Culture Arrives in J-Town

ST. Ali, one of the trendsetters in coffee culture Down Under, is set to open its first Southeast Asian joint venture in Jakarta.

Slated for launch on Feb. 2, the Melbourne-based brand will offer coffee enthusiasts with brews made from its rich beans from an open bar at Setiabudi One. Award-winning baristas Matt Perger and Ben Morrow will specially make espressos evoking Melbourne’s crisp mornings, while head chef Mark Richardson will serve brunch from ST. Ali’s kitchen. stali.com.au

Taste, Texture and Fun

Looking for an alternative for your little ones? The Ganara Art Studio, run by professional painter and educator Saraswati Djumaryo, has been running the Ganara Art School, offering students as young as 18 months a creative and educational introduction to art. Next up are Ganara’s Taste and Texture Adventures for children from one-and-a-half to three years, with intriguingly titled sessions such as “OastsyBitsy”, “Crunchy Cotton” and “Paper Paradise” slated for coming weeks. Classes are held at Sekolah Kembang’s main studio in Kemang and at the Prama Satya Learning Center in Cilandak, both in South Jakarta. ganaraartstudio@gmail.com

An art-themed culinary space

INTERPRETING STRINDBERG The Neo Theater troupe is ready to stage Tritik Segaris Putih (Tritik’s White Line) at the Bentara Budaya Jakarta cultural center on Feb. 3 and 4 at 8 p.m. Adapted from Facing Death, written by Swedish playwright August Strindberg, the play tells of the disharmony between a retired father and his unmarried daughters. The father breaks down after the deaths of his wife and sons, as well as bankruptcy. His personal problem eventually prompts him to attempt suicide by drinking poison, so that his life insurance benefits could be reaped for his family. bentarabudaya.com

Conveniently nestled in the ground floor of Wisma Mulia City Plaza Building, Negev Gastronomy & Art restaurant takes its patrons into a world of culinary excitement in an art themed atmosphere. Seating 250, the establishment features a menu with European, Mediterranean and Asian dishes. More exciting news: The restaurant now presents the South African Jazz Artist Kgomotso Xolisa Mamaila, performing exclusively on a weekly basis. negevgastro.com

DETOXIFY MIND AND SOUL WITH WEEKLY MEDITATION

Living in a fast-paced world, we often feel disconnected with ourselves. To restore your body, mind and soul, every Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m., wellness community Remedy Indonesia conducts a Dharma meditation session for anyone who wants to release their restrictions so as to appreciate what life has to offer. Participation requires no prior registration and is free of charge. Ke:kun cafe, Jl. Bangka Raya 99A, Kemang, South Jakarta

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looking table ofgood FRIENDS

Fantastic French

Pharmacy Finds A trip to your local pharmacy in Paris, France, will prove rewarding for the beauty obsessed WORDS Fedina S. Sundaryani famous of the lot, every pharmacy-identifiable by their bright, inviting green crosses-on the streets of Paris, is filled with shelves of the most luxurious skincare products you will ever find-and at incredibly affordable prices.

Even if your French language skills are a little rusty, the stern, lab-coated sales ladies are incredibly helpful and know their stuff, so don’t be shy!

Here are five of the best products you must look out for on your next trip to the City of Love.

Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré

Skincare and makeup mean nothing without mastering the basics, and that means getting the right moisturizer.

Touting itself as a “nourishing, multitasking moisturizer that primes, hydrates and removes all traces of makeup”, Lait-Crème Concentré is a godsend in a squeeze tube.

It’s paraben-, sulfate- and phthalate-free and sinks into the skin quickly without leaving a greasy film, making it suitable for most skin-types with a little tweaking on when to use. Those with dry skin will benefit from using it twice a day, while oily-skinned women may want to reserve this as a night cream. The moisturizer also makes for an amazing makeup primer, as it eliminates dry patches or flakes so that makeup can go on smoothly.

Boiron Homéoplasmine

Finding the perfect lip balm that won’t ruin your matte lipstick is a struggle. Most leave your lips feeling greasy and looking glossy, which is good on those au naturel days, but not so great when you want your US$50 lipstick to stay in place. This is where Homéoplasmine excels. This cream hydrates your lips while leaving a matte finish. It can also do several other miracles, such as soothing irritated, dry skin, and can even be used to heal burns or acne scars. Though some say that Homéoplasmine can also be used as a makeup primer, proceed with caution, as it does have some slip. You may look a little greasy by the end of the day, if your skin isn’t as dry as the Sahara.

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La Roche-Posay Effaclar DUO[+]

Hands up if you get those pesky cystic acne spots on your chin whenever it’s that time of the month and all you want to do is sit at home and watch YouTube videos, but can’t because you have a job or a social event you’ve committed yourself to. If you raised your hand, then the Effaclar DUO[+] will need to find itself in your purse ASAP. This product contains LHA and linoleic acid, which is meant to eliminate the dead skin cells that are responsible for clogging pores and causing those pesky breakouts. It also contains Niacinamide and Piroone Olamine, which are meant to prevent future breakouts by purifying the skin. This topical blemish cream can be used as an all-over face treatment or can be used only on those annoying pimples that just won’t go away. Do be warned: The product is drying and can cause itchiness and flakiness, so applying a good moisturizer after applying the Effaclar DUO[+] is essential.

Caudalie Polyphenol C15 Overnight Detox Oil

Face oils have been all the range last year and they show no sign of stopping. If you haven’t tried any because you’re not sure where to start, Polyphenol C15 Overnight Detox Oil is for you. This multi-tasker is packed with five essential oils and three vegetable oils and is touted as promoting “cellular renewal and toxin elimination”, leaving you with replenished skin the morning after you use it. Use is also easy: Pour a few drop onto your hands, rub together and then massage it into your face with an upward motion to encourage blood flow. As the name indicates, this product is best used in the evening, as it does not play well with makeup.

Avène Eau Thermale (Thermal Spring Water)

You may look at Eau Thermale and think that it would be much cheaper to buy bottled water at the supermarket, put it in a spray bottle and call it a day. But the experience would not be the same. This magic bottle sprays a fine mist and helps soothe and calm your skin, without disturbing your makeup, so that you won’t be as sweaty and red from the pollution and heat. Once you spray on your face, wait for 20 to 30 seconds before patting it into your skin so that it gets absorbed better.

Photos AFP, courtesy of brands

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oing to the pharmacy–or the chemist, or the drugstore, depending on your preferred vernacular–is usually a drag.

Trips typically are comprised of less-thanglamorous activities, such as buying cold medicine, rummaging shelves for your favorite balsam or comprise emergency period-related trips.

However, a trip to your local pharmacy in Paris, France, might prove rewarding for the beauty obsessed.

Although Citypharma on Rue du Four is the most

MINDFUL EATING

good living

Understanding nutrition labels is key for keeping fit WORDS SEBASTIAN PARTOGI

SERVING SIZE Indicates the number of servings in a package, standardizing the calories and nutrients per portion to make it easier to compare foods. Serving size is provided in units like cups or pieces, which are typically translated into metric amounts, like grams.

CALORIES Calories are the amount of energy you get from a serving of food. A sample label might indicate that there are 110 calories from fat in one serving of macaroni and cheese, which means you would consume two servings or 220 calories from fat, if you ate the whole package.

Serving Size 1 Cup (228g) Serving Per Container 2

Here’s the trick: If one serving of macaroni and cheese-as above, for example, equals one cup, you will eat two cups if you finish the whole package. Remember to double the number of calories, fats and other nutrients, too, when calculating whether or not you should ask for more.

DAILY VALUE PERCENTAGE This is the maximum amount of a nutrient

Nutrient Total Fat

DV 65g

%DV Goal =100%DV Less than

WATCH OUT Watch out for fat, cholesterol and sodium and sugar!

“You need to consume as small amount of saturated- and trans-fats as possible, because they could clog your circulatory system, resulting in various vascular diseases,” Cindiawaty says. “They act as free radicals that destroy your cells. Meanwhile, you should also limit sodium [salt] consumption to maximum 2,400 milligrams a day [less than a teaspoon], as having too much of it will

Healthy cooking

WITH BONDAN WINARNO AND YUDA BUSTARA WORDS Kevindra p. Soemantri Royal Philips recently held a cooking and nutrition seminar at the Hotel Pullman Jakarta Indonesia Thamrin CBD. Two famous figures, culinary expert Bondan Winarno and JPlus cover star and chef Yuda Bustara, shared ideas with parents on how to cook for kids– and how to make them fall in love with food. Here’s what they had to say.

How can we get kids to eat healthily?

BONDAN We can't tell them don’t eat this or don’t eat that, while on the other hand we consume instant

noodles or fatty fried chicken in front of them with a face brimming with pleasure and satisfaction. As parents, we should eat vegetables with them. Show them that you are satisfied with healthy food, then hope that your kids will do the same.

YUDA I don’t have kids, but I often do cooking classes for them. The least thing that we can do is to trick their eyes and taste buds by hiding some nutritious ingredients inside their expectation of tasty food–like putting vegetables inside a burger patty.

How else can we get kids hooked on healthy food?

result in high blood pressure.”

According to Cindiawaty, saturated and trans fats are contained in cooking oil, therefore frying is not a desirable cooking method. (Bad news for gorengan fans).

However, people can also use palm oil, which has lower levels of saturated fat, as an Total Fat 12g Saturated Fat 3g Trans Fat 3g Cholesterol 30mg Sodium 470mg

18 % 15 % 10 % 20 %

alternative.

Remember: One gram of fat equals nine calories. So that low-fat muffin with 10 grams of fat actually has 90 fat calories, which might be a substantial portion of your recommended daily value.

Your body, however, still needs cholesterol as the building block as it containing enzymes essential to process food. “Your cholesterol source needs to be non-saturated fat, such as Omega 3 or 9 [acids], obtainable from fish or nuts,” Cindiawaty said.

Meanwhile, too much sugar might lead to diabetes or obesity. “You need to limit sugar consumption to only 28 grams per day,” she says. The amount is equivalent to about 7 teaspoons.

A single standard can of cola has about 35

BONDAN Let them taste and experience the richness of our culinary culture. Don’t forbid it when they’re curious about new flavors. You as parents have to introduce [flavors] one at a time, slowly, until their palates reach their proper condition. When they have a good knowledge of taste, kids will know what to be eaten and what shouldn’t be eaten.

YUDA One thing that I let them try is cooking, under your supervision of course! Choose basic cooking utensils that suit your kid’s first trial.

grams of sugar, which is several grams over the allowance.

Photo via afp

that you should consume in a single day, typically based on a daily diet of 2,000 calories.

If your recommended daily value of fat is 65 grams, for example, that’s equal to 100 percent of your daily value percentage–and you should avoid consuming any other foods or drinks containing fat that day. Keep counting!

ADD MORE OF THIS STUFF Proteins are an essential macronutrient that comprise enzymes, hormones and other body chemicals. They are also an important building block for bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood.

“There are two types of protein, namely animal protein, which come from chicken and fish, and vegetable, which comes from tofu and tempeh. You need to combine these elements in your menu,” Cindiawaty said.

Experts tout somewhere between 47 grams of protein a day for non-pregnant and non-breast-feeding women a day, and 56 grams for men.

She warned, however, that you needed to be careful so as not to consume too much protein, which might give you kidney or liver problems. “If that’s the case, you need to consult a nutritionist to determine the best amount of daily protein intake for you.”

ingredients. We should know what we cook and how the process achieves its results, like coconut milk, which is naturally healthy, but when you cook it long and release the oil, that’s what makes it high in fat.

YUDA Healthy doesn’t necessarily mean expensive. Choose ingredients that your kids love and start to use your imagination from that point.

How can we cook healthily?

BONDAN Our foods are naturally healthy, but sometimes the cooking process causes the nutrition to be lost from the

Photo royal philips

N

ot knowing how to read the nutrition labels that are on the back of packaged foods, snacks and drinks in Indonesia means that we’re eating too much unhealthy food –often without even knowing it. To help you navigate the maze of label information, we spoke with Medistra Hospital clinical nutritionist Cindiawaty Pudjiad, who offers some advice to those looking to stay healthy.

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cover Story

GALERIES LAFAYETTE'S

FASHIONtastic CHINESE NEW YEAR

U

ntil the beginning of the 21st century, observations of the lunar new year in Jakarta were mostly confined to feasts in Chinese households and occasional paper dragons hanging around Chinatown. Fast forward to 2016 and it's a national holiday that calls for fashionable celebrations.

The number and scale of Chinese New Year promotions and celebrations taking place continue to grow exponentially. The excitement has been a major push for the global fashion industry, but strictly from a style point of view, there have only been a few brands whose Chinese New Year-themed collections are worth checking out.

Coming up with a fresh take on a major cultural theme is no easy task. Trust

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Galeries Lafayette, a legendary department store headquartered in Paris–and with a local outpost in Jakarta–for a tasteful and respectful take on the holiday.

Until the end of February, splashes of red and dashes of blue will dominate its spacious, four-story outlet at the Pacific Place shopping center as part of its Fashiontastic Chinese New Year celebration.

The striking color combination pays homage to chinoiserie style. Just in case you didn’t know, this is the red fire monkey year for the Chinese calendar, and blue is believed to be a most auspicious color.

“Chinoiserie is the European interpretation of Chinese and East Asian artistic traditions,” Melissa Ann Tjahyadikarta, the head of marketing for

Text willy wilson Photos ARIEF SUHARDIMAN

THE YEAR 4714 IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER, ACCORDING TO THE CHINESE CALENDAR–AND GALERIES LAFAYETTE ISN’T MONKEYING AROUND WITH ITS FANTASTIC HOLIDAY OFFERINGS.

cover Story Galeries Lafayette Jakarta, says.

As an important fashion institution, Galeries Lafayette Jakarta makes it a point to adopt a multi-pronged strategy that ensures the collections represented are both on point and respectful.

To that end, Melissa says that her team has partnered with the best homegrown designers–Sebastian Gunawan and Ghea Paggabean, among others–to offer her wellinformed clients clothes that are indicative of Chinese cultural elements.

Sebastian and Ghea presented their holiday creations at an exclusive trunk show on Galeries Lafayette Jakarta on Jan. 21 to launch the department store’s month-long Fashiontastic Chinese New Year celebration.

Fashion lovers worth their salt knows that nobody makes prettier gowns than Sebastian, who has worked for the late fashion and interior designer Egon von Fürstenberg, perhaps best known as the former husband of designer Diane von Fürstenberg.

In conjunction with this year’s holiday, the youthful 49-year-old offered his trunk collection titled La Gytana: A Fusion of Eurasian Style, exclusively sold at Galeries Lafayette Jakarta. The collection was released under his second line, Votum, which offers affordable, ready-to-wear pieces.

The show featured his interpretation of chinoiserie–modified cheongsam dresses in yellow, red, magenta and Oriental floral prints and cut slightly above the knee.

But just when colors and cuts might become repetitive, a white sleeveless number with an exaggerated peplum reminds us why Seba, as he is fondly called, is a designer who best understands sex appeal and romance.

It is also worth mentioning that despite the expected Seba cut, the fine lace and flower embroideries–using Swarovski crystals, no less–make each of these dresses a truly special creation.

Next up was veteran designer Ghea Panggabean, who made her name for herself over three decades ago for her creative use of tie-dyed fabrics locally known as kain jumputan, offering a wider range of looks in her Chinese New Year collection.

The Chelsea Academy of Fashion graduate drew inspiration from the regal wardrobe worn by China's imperial rulers, hence the name of the collection: The Legend of the Ancient Chinese Emperors.

Staying true to her signature loose silhouettes and roomy cuts, Ghea offered pants, blouses, skirts, gowns and even capes.

Ghea was fearless when it came to colors –using fuchsia, red, gold, orange–even breaking Chinese taboo by sending a number of black pieces down the runway.

Almost every look was made rich by exquisite dragon and phoenix embroideries, which together represent good fortune, happiness and balance.

Shopping Extravaganza

One piece of Ghea's that embodied the opulence of China's imperial past was a wide-legged pantsand-camisole combo, worn over a sheer top with mandarin collar and gold embroideries - a clever take on Emperor Qian's long robe.

“We’re thrilled to welcome people to Galeries Lafayette for the fashion show– and for the month-long ‘Fashiontastic’ celebration,” marketing chief Melissa says.

“There’s something for everyone, from a specially curated pop-up market with exclusive designs to a selection of exquisite hampers and other gifts for the holidays.”

The trunk show launched a pop-up market of carefully curated designers for the celebration. Apart from Seba’s Votum and Ghea Panggabean, other brands that have created a limited-edition Chinese New Year collection for Galeries Lafayette Jakarta include Studio 133 Biyan, JII By Gloria Agatha, Mel Ahyar, Sean and Sheila, Todjo

by Sapto Djojokartiko, VONE, Yosafat Dwi Kurniawan and SISSAE. Clothes aren’t the only New Year-themed items on offer for the holiday.

Those who spend more than Rp 3 million on these are titled will receive delightful red ang pao envelopes from Galeries Lafayette.

What’s inside? A voucher worth Rp 200,000, which you can use to buy more Chinese New Year collections. There’s also Galeries Lafayette’s own exclusively designed golden ang pao.

On the ground floor, there’s a section presenting a range of curated gifts, including locally made Year of the Monkey inspired handicrafts from Alun Alun.

Don’t forget to drop by the Lunar Gourmet section too, where you can find a special hampers from Tea et Al starting at Rp 652,000, exquisitely packaged linen, room sprays and other aromatics from Elantier and a selection of delicious cakes by Nata.

Galeries Lafayette Pacific Place

Telp. (021) 57973471 galerieslafayette.co.id

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at your Leisure

Tugu Kunstkring THIS CITY’S DEAREST ICONIC LANDMARK

WORDS and PICTURES Kevindra P. Soemantri

W

e pause at a huge wooden door, the entrance to a building where the elite of Dutch colonial society–art lovers, plantation tycoons and soldiers– once mingled for fine meals.

Decades later, Tugu Kunsktring Paleis, built in 1914 and still one of the city’s dearest landmarks, stands in majestic grandeur.

Seeking relief from modern dining establishments, I wanted to go back to a time when my daily routine used to be eating good food cooked by my grandmother in her kitchen, which was decked out with traditional cooking apparatus, such as a bamboo tampah, a stone mortar and pestle and a teapot that could hold heat for 24 hours.

I wanted to visit a place I used to drive by with my family, when my grandmother would tell me how she visited the building to get a passport.

An immigration office from the postIndependence era to about 1993, Tugu Kunstkring had its former glory restored as an arts center and dining room by the Tugu Group in 2013.

Prior to the relaunch, the restaurant had been the Buddha Bar, before protests led to its closure.

When I visited, there was no one at the front door. Stunned as I was by the building’s grand ambiance, I wanted to

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Paleis

call for assistance. However, that would have been inappropriate, given the sacred atmosphere within that mesmerized me.

The only thing I could do was whisper to myself how deeply I admired the elegance in front of me.

Eventually, I was escorted to my table with warmth, crossing the Pangeran Diponegoro grand dining room, passing a Babylonian-style golden idol that was perfectly balanced by Javanese reliefs to the left and right. A golden chandelier illuminated the room.

An immense painting fascinated me: A diptych titled The Fall of Java. Crafted by Tugu Group owner Anhar Setjadibrata over 18 months, it depicts the arrest of Diponegoro during the Java War. The grand banquet table in the heart of the dining room reminded me of a place where a king and queen might assemble their courtiers for a grand feast. Yes, Tugu Kunstkring can inspire wishes for that kind of fine service.

Indeed, the restaurant famously serves what it calls a Betawi rijsttafel, a riff on the original rijsttafel, Indonesia’s elaborate, elegant, theatrical way of serving food.

In the case of Tugu Kunstkring, festivities begin with a traditional dancer who is followed by servers bringing more than twelve kinds of dishes.

Rice arrives, crackers arrive, drinks arrive. Before you know it, the seduction

of dining on course after course seduces you.

But that’s not what we ordered today.

We agreed to challenge ourselves by choosing something from the restaurant's Western menu (there's also an Asian and Indonesian menu): A lamb roast and a braised beef short-rib.

Both were pleasant, in terms of how a continental restaurant in a luxury hotel would serve its food.

While the roasted lamb was slightly overcooked, I delighted in the vibrant roasted Provençale vegetables that featured three colors of paprika.

The flavors and comforting aromas reminded me of a home kitchen during the holidays and there was an explosion of fresh bursts of flavor from ruby-red cherry tomatoes roasted to perfection.

Fresh springs of thyme allured me. I pinched them until the leave fell from the stalks and sprinkled the tiny aromatic herb like fairy dust above my lamb.

The roasted beef short-rib was a pleasure, with meat falling off the bone–a mark of perfect braising.

A hint of pleasant bitterness indicated that the ribs had been braised in red wine.

Fat dissolved with a jelly-like texture, penetrating each layer of meat with intense flavor and the moisture it needed.

I was surprised by the chef, who could devise such an amazing Western menu while still maintaining the highest quality for the restaurants traditional dishes.

Diners should not miss a chance to explore the rest of the restaurant.

Opposite the main dining room is the Suzie Wong Bar. Full of antiques from Anhar's collection (as is the entire restaurant), the bar offers an atmospheric end to your evening, with plenty of red satin and Oriental carpets.

It takes its name from the traditional Indonesian hand-painted posters touting the film's original release that hang on the walls.

On the second floor, don't miss the art gallery, which regularly presents exhibitions that are open to all.

Tugu Kunstkring Paleis Jl. Teuku Umar No. 1 Menteng, South Jakarta Telp. +0213900899

pictures courtesy potato head pacific place

at your Leisure

serving it straight up What's your particular specialization?

I do have a special interest in Asian flavors. I was exposed to Asian flavors while working for one-and-a-half years at the Opium Bar, located in London’s Chinatown. They were more complex, maybe due to different ingredients and spices. Currently, I’m really enthusiastic about incorporating endemic Indonesian ingredients into my drinks. For instance, I’ve incorporated kemangi [lemon basil] and pandan leaves into some of the cocktails I’ve created.

What is your favorite drink to make?

An “Aviation” is my favorite cocktail.

It is a simple drink from the early 20th century created in New York. To make it perfectly, you need the right balance between the sweet from the violet liquor and the sour of fresh lemon juice. This drink is so refreshing.

JULIAN DECRAENE FROM POTATO HEAD PACIFIC PLACE TALKS ABOUT NIGHTS OUT IN JAKARTA

J

akarta’s nightlife scene is currently thriving, with a host of bars offering good drinks, good music and good socialization.

One such place of note is Potato Head, recently identified by Business Traveler magazine as one of the city’s standout watering holes.

JPlus talked to Potato Head Pacific Place’s mixologist Julian Decraene to explore what’s out there in Jakarta.

The 28-year-old French mixologist worked for over eight years in saloons in London, including the Hide Bar, the Grosvernor Hotel, the Lab Bar and the Opium Bar, before coming to Indonesia.

Here’s an excerpt from our interview:

Although I go there almost every day to work, I love to hang out and chill at the venue because of its vibe.

For dinner, either a good steak at the Bengkel cafe in the Sudirman Central Business District [recently closeded.] or some dim sum at Dynasty Paradise in Plaza Senayan.

When party time comes, I love going to Dragonfly on Jl. Gatot Subroto for some good tunes. A good house party with some friends is always wicked.

How do you describe Jakarta’s nightlife?

When I first came here, my impression was this city was big and some areas were a bit dirty–which was very good, because I liked it. When you work in the city’s bars, it’s very much a small circle of people comprising the bartenders and the customers. This is great, because I was a foreigner who had just arrived here and I didn’t have lots of friends. But when I came here, some of my customers became my friends and they introduced me to lots of other people.

The ambience here is great: There are lots of interactions in bars. People are very friendly. There is so much enthusiasm. You can hear bartenders yelling and laughing with the customers.

From Monday to Sunday, the nightlife is always active.

Singapore and Thailand are the hot centers of nightlife in Southeast Asia. How does Indonesia match up?

How do you like to spend a night out?

Before dinner, I like meeting with friends at Potato Head Pacific Place for some gin and tonics or a Negroni.

In terms of cocktails, I put Singapore on top of the list. Furthermore, two Singaporean bars [namely, 28 Hong Kong Street and the Manhattan Bar – ed.] have recently made it to the 50 best bars in the world [list], which is a great milestone for an Asian country.

In Thailand, we have a different atmosphere: There are those places where everything is clean, but you have places that are really dirty. But both are really good places to go party. In terms of cocktails, they’re still learning.

In Jakarta, cocktails are also still a bit behind other Asian cities. Cocktails, however, are always improving. But in terms of music, Jakarta’s really better than the two other cities. You have these great DJs coming in.

What’s your approach to mixology?

You have to ask customers a few

Aviation recipe

• 50ml Gin • 10ml Luxardo maraschino • 5ml creme de violet • 20ml lemon juice

questions: what do you drink usually? Is it whiskey or bourbon? Then you ask: Do you like it sweet or bitter? If bitter, is it coffee bitter or more of an herbal bitter?

Are you allergic to anything like hazelnuts, for instance.

When a particular customer doesn’t usually drink, I start with food. What do you eat usually? For instance, if you like tomato mozzarella, it means you like sweet and sour. I’ll create a classic margarita, because it has similar sourness profile to Italian food.

Another example: What’s your favorite dessert? Ice cream. What type of ice cream? Chocolate. It means you like the sweet and milky texture–then a chocolate martini might be good for you.

Basically, every cocktail can be broken down into four basics: Strong, which is the liquor; sour; sweet and weak, which is the water. Once I know your favorite flavors, I can play on the ratio of those four elements.

Shake everything together, double strain and serve straight up in a martini glass, garnish with a maraschino cherry.

JPlus

January 31, 2016

9

wander Lust

Visit Kenya’s Jade Sea THE CRADLE OF HUMANITY

words Martin Fletcher, Straits times (ANN)

T

he arid scrubland of remotest north-western Kenya is not an obvious destination for any tourist, let alone those for whom price is no object. It is bordered by Ethiopia and war-torn South Sudan. There are few roads and even fewer hotels.

The sun and heat are scorching.

But it boasts two attractions found nowhere else in the world. The first is Lake Turkana, a sublime expanse of turquoise-green water known as the “Jade Sea” which is about 290km long and forms the world’s largest desert lake.

The second is the fossil beds of the lake’s 18,130 square kilometers basin - layers of ancient sediment forced to the surface by the tectonic movements of the Great Rift Valley.

They are so rich in evidence of human evolution that the basin has been dubbed “the cradle of humanity”.

From this year, Louise Leakey, one of the world’s top paleontologists, will be hosting wealthy visitors to this archaeological treasure trove. She is doing this for the money, she readily admits, but the proceeds will not go to her.

They will go to the Turkana Basin Institute (TBI) which her celebrated father, paleoanthropologist, conservationist and politician Richard Leakey, established a decade ago to support scientists searching the basin for answers to the most fundamental questions about humanity - “who are we, where did we come from and how did that happen?”.

To join Leakey’s journey back to pre-history, however, it is necessary first to reach one of the TBI’s two field centers– Turkwel near the lake’s west shore or Ileret the other side, and that is the pampered, luxurious part of the trip.

Rates for a five-day privately guided tour organized by The Safari Collection (including one night at Giraffe Manor in Nairobi, one at Solio Lodge, two at the Turkana Basin Institute and one at Sasaab Lodge, inclusive of all charges) start from S$56,750 based on four people travelling with a private guide. The rate also includes a $15,000 donation to the Turkana Basin Institute.

A chartered helicopter will fly parties of four from Nairobi up over the highland moors and forests of the Aberdare National Park, down into the Great Rift Valley and past old volcanic craters to the luxurious Solio Lodge for an evening game drive around the private conservancy of the same name.

In three memorable hours, we saw more rhinos than we could count, a pride of lions, giraffes, zebras and much else before returning for drinks, dinner and then the blazing log

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JPlus January 31, 2016

Photo via straits times (ANN), AFP

wander Lust

fires of our own exceedingly comfortable cottages.

We stopped and enjoyed the perfect stillness of a pristine sea of undulating yellow sand dunes ringed by towers of black volcanic rock. We flew, with the helicopter’s doors wide open, low over endless miles of lifeless lava fields, then an expanse of marshy lakes where panicked crocodiles slithered into the water. Tens of thousands of pink flamingoes took wing as we approached Lake Logipe.

Beyond that, over a final ridge of volcanic mountains draped with rivers of petrified lava, the shimmering waters of Lake Turkana stretched away to the horizon like a mirage in this parched and unforgiving land.

Leakey is the third generation of the First Family of Paleontology. In 1959, her grandparents, Louis and Mary, unearthed the skull of a 1.8 millionyear-old hominin in a Tanzanian gorge that they named Zinjanthropus boisei, thus persuading their sceptical peers that man originated in Africa.

In 1967, their younger son Richard discovered the Turkana basin’s fossil beds by accident after his plane was diverted by a thunderstorm while he was flying to Ethiopia. One sensational find followed another–the skull of the oldest known Homo erectus (1.9 million years), the almost complete skeleton of the Turkana Boy (1.6 million years), and the oldest known Homo sapiens (195,000 years).

Louise, Richard’s daughter, knows the basin well. As a baby, she sat in a tub of water to keep cool while her parents excavated its fossil beds.

By 12, she was driving their Land Rover around the parched terrain. At 21, she took charge of their research programme when her father lost his legs in a plane crash and her mother, Meave, accompanied him to London for protracted medical treatment.

From the Turkwel research center, she drives us several miles to a patch of barren, gravelly hillocks.

She shows us the casts of ancients reeds. This was once the marshy edge of a lake or river, she says, and fossils show that elephants, hippopotamuses and crocodiles once lived here. So, rather dangerously, did at least two species of hominins.

She knows that because her field workers have found their teeth. At the foot of one hillock they spotted “four socking great molars” –each nearly 2.5cm across. On another they found some smaller, more pointed teeth. They were unlike any teeth found before, Leakey says with some excitement, and could conceivably belong to previously unknown species.

Back at the field centre, Leakey introduces us to the TBI’s “rock star”–Sonia Harmand, a French

archaeologist from Stony Brook University in New York. In 2011, she found the oldest stone tools in the world when she and her paleontologist husband, Jason Lewis, got lost in the Turkana basin.

Harmand places some of them on the table. They look like ordinary rocks until she points to the fracture marks where our distant ancestors chipped off sharpedged flakes. That was a turning point, her husband explains. With those flakes, hominins could cut meat off carcasses killed by other carnivores.

Suddenly, they had a ready supply of meat. They grew bigger and stronger and came to dominate other animals.

Leakey shows us some skulls of our forebears and how dramatically they have evolved. She shows us how TBI workers clean and piece together tiny fragments of priceless fossils. Towards evening, she leads us down to the Turkwel river which, being the rainy season, has water in it. We cool off with sundowners on a sandbank in the middle, then head back to the field centre for a dinner of fresh tilapia from the lake. There is no air-conditioning, so we sleep outside on a verandah beneath mosquito nets and wake to a gorgeous dawn.

Somehow, people eke a living from this land.

They live in thatched mud huts and own practically nothing except goats. By the lake, men of the Turkana, Dassanech and El Molo tribes fish from rudimentary rafts for tilapia, tiger fish and Nile perch. Their womenfolk - festooned in layers of colored beads –gut, salt and dry the fish, some using sharp stones to remove the innards.

Leakey recalls the utter bemusement of some tribal elders when she used a drone to photograph fossil beds so she could put the pictures online for anyone to scour.

But she warns us against arrogance and complacency. Homo sapiens will go extinct, she insists, as surely as all the half dozen other species of the genus Homo have.

We are already sowing the seeds of our own extinction, Leakey contends. In the 80 years since her grandparents started searching for the origins of

man, the global population has soared from two to seven billion.

We are destroying the environment to sustain ourselves, and even in the Turkana basin, the consequences are everywhere apparent. The wildlife has largely been killed.

Overgrazing has turned the land to desert.

Overfishing has depleted the lake. Ethiopia has just completed a huge new dam on the Omo river which provides 90 per cent of the lake’s water, threatening to turn it into a toxic dust bowl.

“Here in the so-called ‘Birthplace of Humanity’, you can already see how humanity is destroying itself,” she says.

Homo sapiens could well be extinct within a few hundred years and “the planet would be a better place without us”.

JPlus

January 31, 2016 11

wanderLUST

Of

Forgotten

Dreams

A

n army of artisans have laid down their paintbrushes, chisels and pigments after three years of painstaking work to create a true-to-life replica of renowned Stone Age cave paintings long hidden away in southwestern France.

“Absolutely all the work you see on the wall has been engraved, worked and sculpted, chiseled by hand, with little paintbrushes and sometimes even tools used in dentistry,” said Francis Ringenbach, the artistic director of the project to replicate the 18,000-year-old Lascaux cave paintings.

The meticulously faithful copy of what has been dubbed the “Sistine Chapel of prehistoric art” is now ready to be transported one segment at a time–46 all together–and installed just down the road from the original at a site semi-buried in a hillside in Montignac, in the Dordogne region.

The International Center of Parital (rock wall) Art, 150 meters long and nine meters high, designed by Norwegian architectural firm Snohetta, will open by the end of the year.

The nearly 2,000 Upper Paleolithic wall paintings depicting rhinos, horses, bison, deer and panthers make up Europe’s most important collection of prehistoric art and were inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list in 1979.

The caves, discovered in 1940 by four teenagers, quickly became a massive tourist draw, with around a million people flocking to see the work of the oldest

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JPlus January 31, 2016

known modern humans, who came to Europe from Africa via Asia.

Authorities closed them to the public in 1963 out of concern over the danger posed by humans to the delicate micro-climate.

A limited set of reproductions have been on display in Montignac since 1983, while Chicago’s Field Museum hosted the first exhibit outside France of copies of the paintings last year titled “Scenes from the Stone Age”.

The 57-million-euro (US$65 million) project to replicate the entire set has married cutting-edge technology with a desire for the utmost authenticity in the reproduction.

Ringenbach, himself a sculptor, says the need to be as faithful as possible to the original slowed the team down.

“Sometimes one has to spend hours reproducing just 10 square centimeters,” he says.

A ‘magical’ feeling The artists benefitted from 3D digital scans of the original paintings that were projected onto the walls, creating a task akin to using tracing paper as they applied layer upon layer of natural pigments.

Chief painter Gilles Lafleur said of the original works: “We try to understand them really, to understand how and why they were painted this way.”

But he admits that “time has taken its toll and these animals don’t look the way they would have when they were painted. Time has had a visible impact,

so we must also recreate that.”

Ringenbach says he doffs his cap to the talent of our ancient forebears who only had rudimentary tools to create their masterpieces.

“They were extraordinary technicians, reproducing animal likenesses from memory with their highly vivid movements,” he marvels.

Reproducing the originals is, he says, a “magical” feeling.

Whereas the smaller-scale original museum could give only “limited insight” into the site’s significance, “here, we reach a whole new level in terms of helping people to understand what Lascaux represents for science, the history of art, prehistory.”

FRENCH ARTISTS FINISH REPLICA OF ‘MAGICAL’ CAVE PAINTINGS WORDS Laurent BANGUET, AFP

tech treats

Earphone-friendly hijab PERFECT FOR WOMEN WHO LIKE TO LISTEN TO MUSIC WHILE WORKING OUT WORDS Omar Amir, Straits Times (ANN)

M

ost Muslim women wearing hijabs have a problem using earphones as they do not want to expose their ears.

They will have to pull back part of their hijab to put on earphones, before covering their ears again with the hijab.

Or, they may even slide the earphone wires underneath the scarf, which is uncomfortable and troublesome.

A new earphone-friendly Ninja Echo hijab, designed by Singapore hijab brand Adlina Anis, resolves the dilemma.

The Ninja Echo hijab features special flaps on the side of the hijab that allows the wearer to conveniently plug in her earphones without compromising on style, comfort or accidental exposure of her ears.

Made of a breathable jersey and rayon material, the hijab is also perfect for

women who like to listen to music while working out.

Anis, 32, a former fashion stylist and founder of the self-named e-commerce store that stocks a wide collection of hijabs, was inspired by female Muslim doctors who wore hijabs and found it difficult to use stethoscopes.

Sensing a bigger opportunity, Anis, a graduate of Temasek Polytechnic’s School of Design, decided to cater to the needs of Muslim women who wish to lead an active lifestyle while wearing a hijab.

Says Anis: “I exercise three times a week and understand the struggle and hassle that comes with trying to plug in to music while working out.

“Though it was inspired by my doctor friends, it did resolve a personal need that many other Muslim women face as well.”

She often runs at a park near her home and does CrossFit strength and conditioning exercises at a gym.

The Ninja Echo hijab is available at adlinaanis.com and retails at S$35.90. For now, it comes only in black and in two sizes, normal and small.

Apart from the Ninja Echo hijab, Anis, who is married with no children, stocks 15 styles that she conceptualized and designed herself. Her designs include one-way maxi snoods (tubular scarves) that provide more chest coverage. There are also I.C.E (In Case Of Emergencies) Onesies–shawls that can be slipped on easily with minimal adjustments, for times when the wearer has to rush out on a quick errand.

Anis founded Adlina Anis after seven years as a fashion stylist. She has styled for the Singapore version of Italian magazine

Amica and worked as a fashion assistant at August Man and Prestige magazines.

When she took on more freelance jobs as a fashion stylist, she started to help sell hijabs for her husband’s aunt, who would import them from Indonesia.

The success of this small online business prompted her to start her own brand and the Adlina Anis label was born in 2012.

While her main customers are Singaporeans and Malaysians, her hijabs have reached different corners of the world. Customers include those from the UK, US, France and Uzbekistan.

Elly Sabrina, 45, a family physician, says she had difficulty using a stethoscope when she began wearing the hijab three years ago.

She says: “The Ninja Echo is very useful and intuitive for my line of work as it eliminates the hassle of having to tuck in any loose wires.”

Sleep like an astronaut The Genesis Lamp is a new hope for better sleep right down here on earth

Photos via brands

O

ur bodies evolved to rise with the sun and rest with the moon, and then the light bulb ruined it all. Artificial light–emitted by everything from office fluorescents to phones–contains sunreplicating blue wavelengths that keep us up into the wee hours, which can potentially lead to obesity, depression, and other diseases, as well as what a doctor might describe as general crankiness.

To remedy this, you could crawl into a hole every night at sundown, a not altogether unappealing way to avoid WiFi and work e-mail; or invest in a smarter light source.

Like the Lighting Science Group’s new Genesis LED lamp, which emits different

tones at different times of day to mimic the effect of natural sunshine and twilight.

“It allows us to have light at night, to do things we think are useful—and maybe still go to sleep,” says Fred Maxik, the company’s founder.

The Genesis works best when other light sources aren’t interfering, but stick it on your desk or bedside table and you’ll still reap the benefits. In our test, it was bright enough to light a room on its own and had us wide awake at 6 a.m.

During waking hours, Genesis gives off a high concentration of cool blue tones—even more than therapy lights for seasonal affective disorder—that trigger the alertness hormone cortisol.

The lamp’s warmer evening glow

causes the brain to release sleep-inducing melatonin.

A companion app lets you set the lamp to flick on at a preset time.

An air-quality sensor measures volatile organic compounds, cuing you to open a window or turn on a fan when the concentration gets too high.

NASA says the technology is so effective at regulating our rhythms that it’s installing a customized version on the International Space Station, where astronauts experience a possibly crazymaking 16 sunrises and sunsets every 24 hours. + Corinne Iozzio, Bloomberg $300; available for presale starting Feb. 1 at lsgc.com

JPlus

January 31, 2016 13

Just don’t THE WORLD’S BEST RESTAURANTS HAVE GIVEN UP THE FIGHT AGAINST PHONES WORDS Richard Vines, Bloomberg

talk

Nuno Mendes

photo: bloomberg/Eightyfour

good Living

Mobile phones are such a huge part of life. It would be silly to start imposing restrictions.”

– Nuno Mendes, executive chef Nuno Mendes.

I

f you’d like to see mobile phones disappear from restaurants, prepare to be disappointed. Like rock ‘n’ roll, they are here to stay.

This is bad news for me: I hate phones in restaurants. The worst thing about the modern mobile era is the absence of a cord with which to strangle their inconsiderate users. I once inquired into buying a jamming device because I was tired of listening to the inconsequential conversations of people I don’t know and don’t want to know. It turns out they are illegal (phone jammers, that is, not inconsequential conversations.)

Anyway, while my views are hardly unique, they do seem to put me on the wrong side of a trend. As mobile phones spread throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s it became ever more common to find diners interrupting their meals to make or receive calls. Today, with fewer of us using our phones to talk and a sharp increase in photo and social media usage, attitudes among restaurateurs are changing with the times.

A Bloomberg survey of 20 of the world’s leading chefs and restaurateurs –from New York to Sydney, London to Lima– shows that many now welcome the use of the cameras to show off dishes on social media.

Others fret that phones get more attention than food. But the majority seem to echo the view of Gaston Acurio, chefpatron of Astrid & Gaston in Lima, Peru: We don’t like much the idea of everybody using their phones in the restaurant, either for talking or photos, but we like the idea of telling customers what to do even less.

Here’s the view from some of the world’s finest restaurants, whose owners hold about 50 Michelin stars between them:

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JPlus January 31, 2016

“Cuisine is a feast for the eyes, and I understand that our guests wish to share these instants of emotion through social media - Instagram for instance.

– Alain Ducasse, chef Gramercy Tavern, New York “Anytime one guest’s phone invades the space of of another guest it’s too much. But when guests use their phones for discreet texting or emailing, or better still, as a camera to photograph something they loved and promote our restaurant via social media, who are we to complain?”

– Danny Meyer, owner Fat Duck, Bray, UK “I’d say 80 percent or more of guests take pictures of the food. If it makes people happy, why not?”

– Jonny Lake, head chef Jean-Georges, New York “The whole world is guilty of using phones but smart people know how to handle it: You barely notice when they photograph the food.

But if guests want a picture with the chef, we take them into the kitchen.”

– Daniel Boulud, chef-patron Le Gavroche, London “Phones are part of going to a restaurant today: Most people are texting or taking photos, which doesn’t bother anyone. Look at all the food pictures on Instagram. I do the same thing myself.”

– Jean-Georges Vongerichten, chefpatron The Ivy, London “We used to say on the menu no mobile phones or cameras, but things have changed: We have ended up being more tolerant. I even see very famous people taking selfies with their guests. But if anyone starts a

conversation on their mobile phone, we give them a little card asking them to move to the lobby.”

– Fernando Peire, restaurant director Nobu, New York and London “We’re fine with phones. No rules, no worries.”

– Drew Nieporent, co-owner Daniel, New York “It’s written on the menu that we ask guests not to use mobile phones. And if somebody’s phone goes off, we look at them as if to say: ‘Switch that off or it goes in the ice bucket.’ Most people look embarrassed, which is natural. It is called manners. I don’t mind people taking pictures. I’ve been known to do it myself.”

– Michel Roux Jr., chef-patron Chiltern Firehouse, London “In general, if someone’s on the phone more than five minutes, we kindly ask them to continue the call outside.”

– Keith McNally, owner Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Oxford, UK “Telephone conversations put you in a business environment and stress other guests.

But we are fine when people take pictures.”

– Raymond Blanc, chef-patron Eleven Madison Park, New York

“Social media changed everything. It’s acceptable now to pull out your phone and start taking pictures. Ten years ago that just wasn’t OK.” – Simon Rogan, chef-patron Marque, Sydney “We don’t have any rules but I am finding it increasingly intrusive. Couples are dining without engaging with each other, let alone the restaurant.”

– Mark Best, chef & owner Fäviken, Järpen, Sweden “Sometimes, I remind people to actually have their experience of eating their food if they spend too much time photographing it.”

– Magnus Nilsson, chef-patron Lyle’s, London “Most people nowadays understand basic phone etiquette. We rarely have an issue.”

– Claude Bosi, chef-patron Kitty Fisher’s, London

It’s weird when people sit looking at their phones during meals. But we’ve benefited from pictures on Instagram and Twitter, so I am biting the hand that feeds me if I criticize mobile phones.”

– Oliver Milburn, co-owner

“We have a couple of places in the restaurant where we encourage people to take calls if need be, but it almost never happens.”

– Will Guidara, co-owner Sushi Samba, New York, London “It’s sad that so many people are on their phones messaging and hardly talking to each other, but it’s not my business. We just want

Oliver Milburn, right.

Photo Richard Vines/Bloomberg

photo bloomberg

people to be happy.”

– Shimon Bokovza, owner Fera, London

Think different

tasteBUD

A recipe for grilled mackerel with chermoula sauce Words and photos Theodora Hurustiati

I

think we should include more mackerel in our meals! They’re good and inexpensive sources of Omega-3 fatty acids and are rich in Vitamin B-12 and iron. Yet it’s better not to eat them too often, as they do have a high fat content. Nevertheless, they’re still one of my favorite fish. Serve me a plate of steaming rice, a couple of grilled mackerel, sambal with some raw vegetables on the side, and I’d be the happiest eater!

This time I decided to try something else for a change.

I thought chermoula–a Moroccan spicy herb sauce for grilled fish and meat–could be a valid (and quick!) alternative to sambal.

To go with the North African vibe, I paired the chermoula mackerels with cooked bulgur (a dried cracked wheat) and a simple cucumber and tomato salad. Substitute bulgur with rice or couscous if you can’t find it in your regular supermarkets.

Serves 4 8 mackerel (100-150 grams each) 1 (or more, to taste) red chili 1 clove garlic 40g fresh coriander 20g parsley ½ lemon, zest and juice ½ teaspoon cumin seeds 1 teaspoon coriander seeds 1 teaspoon paprika powder 100 ml extra virgin olive oil Salt Side dishes 150g whole grain bulgur 300 ml water 2 cucumbers 200g cherry tomatoes 5g fresh coriander, chopped 1/2 lemon, zest and juice Extra virgin olive oil Salt

• Clean mackerel from guts and gills. Create diagonal slits along the sides of the fish, without cutting through the bones.

• Dry roast cumin and coriander seeds over low flame until fragrant. Reduce to a powder with pestle and mortar.

• De-seed and slice chili into rounds.

Roughly chop fresh coriander, parsley and garlic.

• Place ground spices, paprika, herbs, chili, garlic and lemon zest in a food processor or spice grinder. Add oil and salt. Pulse for a few seconds to obtain a smooth chermoula paste.

• Add lemon juice and spread half of chermoula over mackerel. Rest to marinate for about 30 minutes.

• Transfer remaining half of the sauce into a bowl to be served on the side and added over the cooked fish.

• Grill mackerel over barbeque or on

• •

• •

•

griddle, 5 to 7 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Flesh will turn whitish and opaque when done.

In the meantime, prepare the side dishes. Place bulgur and water in pan.

Add about a level teaspoon of salt.

Cover with lid and cook over medium-low heat until liquid has been absorbed. The process usually takes 15 to 20 minutes. Rest for 15 minutes, still with lid on, before serving.

Alternatively, cook bulgur in an electric rice cooker, as you would rice.

While bulgur and mackerel are cooking, prepare the salad. Divide tomatoes in halves and dice cucumber into about 1.5-cm chunks. Place in a salad bowl.

Add lemon juice and salt to your taste. Include olive oil, chopped coriander and grated lemon zest. Mix to combine.

Jakarta-born chef Theodora Hurustiati, a 13-year resident of Udine, Italy, was the runner-up in the TV cooking program La Scuola – Cucina di Classe (The School: Classy Cooking).

JPlus

January 31, 2016 15

trend DIAL AUDEMARS PIGUET’S DIAMOND FURY

Audemars Piguet has just rocked the fashion world with its new collection of watches titled Diamond Fury. As suggested by the name, the line features watches with gem carapaces and shields of brilliant-cut diamonds. The timepieces feature airtight 40-milimeter-wide 18-carat white-gold cases with glare-proof sapphire crystals.

Case and bracelet are made from 4,635 brilliant-cut 25.6-carat diamonds, while the dial comprises 206 brilliant-cut and 0.54-carat diamonds. It has diamond-paved 18-carat white gold dial and blackened gold hands. Mechanical excellence coupled with quartz ensures superior accuracy.

VALEXTRA POLYHEDRAL TRAVEL BAG

Milan-based luxury leather goods brand Valextra – whose fans have included Gianni Agnelli, Jackie and Aristotle Onassis as well as Grace Kelly – launches a new Polyhedral bag which, thanks to its geometrically measured design, easily collapses and reforms as its indented folds, making it an ideal spare travel sack. Crafted in soft calfskin leather, the uniquely shaped bag is available in various colors: taupe, navy, black and burgundy.

electric or

eclectic?

HERMES Spring/Summer 2016

As part of its Spring/Summer 2016 collection, Hermes has launched three variants of its Musardine bags in Epsom calfskin and silk twill exhibiting bright colors. A new interpretation of Aline Hermés’ 1953 creation, the bags combine an outer structure in leather and a removable, interchangeable silk pouch held in place by press studs. Also on offer are beautiful scarf designs: Les Léopards

by Christiane Vauzelles, Manufacture de boucleries by Gianpaolo Pagni and Modernisme tropical by Filipe Jardim.

From Hermes to hoodies LOUNGE WITH VUITTON

Designer Marcel Wanders has designed a multifunctional lounge chair that coverts from a pouffe into a chaise lounge or armchair. The piece is the latest addition to the brand’s Objets Nomades collection comprising an ongoing series of portable furniture and accessories made in collaboration with influential artists and designers, which will soon be exhibited at the brand’s Design District store in Miami. In a nod to the Magic City, the chair’s leather and suede upholstery is also offered in ocean drive turquoise color.

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ELECTRIC STYLES LIGHT UP HOODIES

Electric Styles has just launched its “Light Up Hoodies”.

During the daytime, the hoodies do not appear to be distinctive– but they glow in the dark at nighttime. El Wire Hoodies are machine washable and come in all sizes and are available in five colors: Blue, red, green, pink and white. “EL” wire is short for electroluminescent wire, which the hoodie conjures up once the lights are out. Another cool thing: The hoodie also blinks to the beat of the music! +Sebastian Partogi