How Potato Head’s Farm-to-Table Food Concept Works
For years, a casual mention of foraging in the backyard — possibly belonging to a grandparent — for tomatoes or herbs, maybe even a chicken, may have elicited remarks bordering on the patronizing. But with prices soaring and waves of political change worldwide come new pathways in food sourcing. Suddenly having a forage in one’s backyard — albeit transformed into a community garden– is elevated from a romanticized lazy weekend to a righteous act of environmental sustainability.
Restaurants eager to please the discerning customer have responded with aplomb. From San Francisco to Tokyo, chefs have been rushing to cater to this new fascination, one that many hope won’t be relegated to a trend — the farm-to-table concept.
Potato Head in Sudirman Central Business District has recently introduced its own rendition of the international obsession and certainly delivers across the board. Under the auspices of executive chef Noguchi Haruhisa, classic dishes are recreated with locally sourced ingredients and have, thankfully, kept up the quality the restaurant’s regulars have enjoyed in recent years.
Inspired by the pioneering efforts of New York-based chef Jean Georges Vongerichten (of ABC Kitchen) and northern California-based Alice Waters (of Chez Panisse), chef Harushisa provides a menu that is solid yet uncomplicated, one that is at once uncompromising on flavor and unpretentious in presentation. The conscientious diner can indulge in a light beef consomme flavored with local vegetables or a homemade ricotta salad sprinkled over with herbs sourced from the outskirts of the capital.
While some ingredients are imported from elsewhere — the restaurant keeps it to a minimum — the reduction in food miles also means each local ingredient adds a complexity that is immediately recognizable and highlights the main focus uniquely.
There’s lamb cooked with a crust made of kenari nuts harvested in Pulau Makian and spaghetti tossed along with local kale and the aforementioned house-made ricotta laced with lemon, in addition to a plethora of salads all from local sources. Then there’s a Tokusen Wagyu ribeye steak from cattle raised in Lampung, sourced from a farm that promises a lower carbon footprint than its industrial counterparts. With its robust flavors, these may be simple additions but the local touches do much more than support domestic agriculture. While traditional definitions dictate that menus be sourced completely from the vicinity, Potato Head’s rendition is not off, given Jakarta’s recent focus on high-end dining.
Fusion dining is de rigueur in the city’s top eateries and this concept melds well and corrects some of other establishments’ versions, which tend to run off-course hideously.
Over the years Potato Head has delivered a consistent menu that has stayed true to the origins of each dish that help keep it grounded. Its latest refresh features ingredients sourced from farms in Java and neighboring islands. A chocolate and cream dessert on offer is incredibly decadent and though a wicked indulgent, its just as comforting to know this stick-to-your-ribs finish is made with organic chocolate and cacao beans sourced from the Tabanan region of Bali.
A solid block of chocolate laced with a rich ganache is presented for you to fork through, but each richly indulgent bite, best savored with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, hits high notes throughout for a thoroughly satisfying finale. If you’re of the fruit-focused pudding ethos, there is the double chocolate brownie with a marquisa fruit (commonly known as golden passion fruit) sauce is an option.
Chef Noguchi, who once presided over the kitchens at New York’s L’Oasis, and the InterContinental and Shangri-La hotel chains in Tokyo, drives home his interest in Asian cuisine with solid continental touches effortlessly.
His passion for new ingredients and flavor combinations are obvious and when served in the warm and cosy confines of this Jakarta staple, in many ways bolsters Alice Walker’s idea that food should be good, clean, and fair. So as you ponder the menu while sipping a drink of Indonesian pineapple infused with cardamom and Javanese peppercorn (which can include a shot of vodka), it’s clear this is one forage that will certainly be met with much appreciation — and respect.
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