Located in the chic Senopati area, Monty’s exterior is inconspicuously minimalistic, reflecting the understated charm of the Klabo Group. Similar to its counterparts, the philosophy of Monty’s is one that offers top-notch dishes prepared with refined culinary techniques that come from the heart – no shenanigans and no over-the-top presentations, just straight-up, honest-to-goodness delicacies.
Entering the first floor, you will immediately notice Monty’s main dining and bar area, laden with soft ambient lighting that compliments the dining area’s main features of marble, sophisticated seats, sofas and tables and impeccable wine glasses and silverware. Moving up to the second floor you’ll find Monty’s secondary dining area and two separate VIP rooms, fronted by clear floor-to-ceiling windows to let in ample natural light during the day and allow for a lovely view in the evenings. As the hour grows late, sit back and relax with glasses of wine or fresh cocktails at the third floor bar, accompanied by a DJ or live music on the weekends.
With well over a decade of experience leading five-star hotels and international restaurants, Head Chef Christer Foldnes is at the helm of Monty’s culinary team and is responsible for the chic restaurant’s ingenious dishes. Chris sat down with Asia Dreams to share how things are done at Monty’s.
Q: I understand Monty’s is doing something special this Ramadhan?
A: That’s correct. We’re stepping out of our familiar panache to introduce more Asian-Indonesian-style comfort food. This is very exciting because we are a modern European restaurant at heart and it’s good to try something new every once in a while.
Q: You’ve been here for about a year since the opening. What has changed since then?
A: Quite a lot has changed. Of course we rotate our menu every now and then depending on feedback from customers and other things. You learn as you go, right? So there are always a few tweaks as we go along. All in all, in terms of the dishes, we have several signatures that have stayed since the opening and we changed around other dishes that didn’t move much.
Q: Tell me a bit about Monty’s crowd.
A: We have a good mix of people. I think we have a fairly mature crowd of both expats and locals: in essence, people who enjoy good food and good atmosphere. Our guests are also very knowledgeable. They know what they want and this is a good challenge for us to keep them happy.
Q: Which three top dishes would you recommend to those visiting Monty’s for the first time?
A: It would have to be the truffle cheese soufflé, champagne sea scallop angel hair and, of course, our Norwegian salmon and the melt chocolate dome dessert. Most of our other dishes constantly change, but these are some favourites that have stayed since the start because they are very popular
Q: Could you tell us your philosophy both in cooking and in leading your team in the kitchen?
A: My food philosophy is all about simplicity – simple food with no cover-ups or fancy distractions. I like to let the ingredients shine and speak for themselves. Leadership philosophy: I believe in letting my people express themselves. I’m not a micro-manager.
Chef Christer’s wild Norwegian salmon crusted with roasted nuts, brocolini and lemon is truly the best salmon dish I’ve had in a while. The plate remarkably rings the chef’s philosophy of presenting a clean taste and fully highlights the raw goodness of the salmon balanced by the freshness of the seared lemon and vegetables.
The sea scallop on angel hair pasta topped with caviar presents a tantalising interplay of taste between the scallop’s delicious, tangy meat and the richness of the pasta sauce, which is quite rich but not overpowering.
If you’re looking for a sophisticated European restaurant offering delicious food that is both humble and enjoyable, Monty’s would be the perfect place to get what you want: a range of modern European dishes cooked honestly from the heart with understated elegance.
Monty’s
Jalan Senopati Raya No. 84, Kebayoran Baru Jakarta 12110, Indonesia
T: (+62) 21 7279 2323
E: eatandtreatsindo@gmail.com
