A MICHELIN STAR LANDS IN JAKARTA
Michelin stars are considered the Oscars of the culinary world, coveted as one of the highest honours a restaurant can receive. Previously, Jakarta food lovers who wanted to sample the cuisine of a Michelin-starred chef had to travel abroad or wait for one to come through the capital for a special dinner event. Now, any day of the week, they can simply head to Cassis, one of the capital’s finest French restaurants, to try out the dishes of newly-appointed Executive Chef Jerome Laurent. Chef Laurent has the distinction of being the only chef working in Jakarta to have been awarded a prestigious Michelin Star, which he earned as the chef-owner of Le Cilantro restaurant in Arles, France. Laurent, who trained under French culinary titans such as Alain Ducasse and Bernard Loiseau, has been praised by reviewers for his unique take on contemporary French dining that eschews the use of heavy sauces and cream in favour of lighter fare that uses herbs, broths and the freshest vegetables to achieve explosive flavours without the amount of fat often found in Gallic cuisine. Influenced by his mother’s Mediterranean cuisine, Laurent’s dishes reflect a thoroughly modern approach to French food unlike anything else available in Jakarta. (www.cassis-gourmand.com)
