Breakfast at Monolog
If you’ve been to Plaza Senayan or Pondok Indah Mall in Jakarta, chances are you’ve been to Monolog; the coffee shop-cum-all-day-diner well-liked among both Indonesian along with expatriate customers. We meet the head chef, Takashi Iwasawa, along with director, Evie Karsoho, to discuss the ins along with outs of their successful eatery.
Chef Iwasawa, you’ve been living in Indonesia for over 18 years. Can you share your story of how you ended up living along with working here?
Chef Iwasawa: I was eager to see the globe. I came to Indonesia back in ‘97 to challenge myself along with see how I would certainly sustain living in a foreign country. Jakarta turned up to be my home away coming from home. Before I joined Monolog, I’ve worked in several restaurants including Italian, Thailand/Vietnamese, Korean BBQ, Indonesian, along with Japanese fusion.
You are currently the head chef at Monolog, a very well-liked coffee shop along with restaurant with two branches in Jakarta. Can you explain the restaurant’s concept to us?
Evie: Monolog can be your neighbourhood coffee shop/all day diner. in the past Monolog has served as a focal point for guests to enjoy great coffee along with comfort food in a cosy along with creative environment, where you can bump into your Great friends, family, along with very possibly, make brand-new friends.
Whether guests are looking for a hearty breakfast to start the day or a warm blend of home brew coffee along with tea within the afternoon – or even tasty cocktails (PIM branch only) come sundown – Monolog carries an extensively varied menu to cater to all.
Monolog can be on par with coffee shops in Melbourne, London along with Seattle. Why was This kind of important for your team to bring This kind of concept to Jakarta?
Evie: We were inspired by the openness, familiarity, along with, of course, quality of some coffee shops coming from around the globe. Being in a country that will can be one of the biggest coffee producing regions, we feel like we contain the responsibility to translate along with showcase what we in Indonesia are capable of.
The owner of Monolog, Christoph Darjanto, was a finalist within the Indonesia Barista Competition in 2011. What does This kind of take to truly understand coffee along with deliver the best cup each time?
Evie: We believe in three simple things to serve a great cup of coffee; love, passion along with quality. We love our coffee, along with that will’s why we always search for the best quality bean, roasted or even in its raw form.
However, great beans can only translate to great cups through passionate along with meticulous preparation, along with that will’s why at Monolog Coffee we always train our baristas continuously. This kind of way, we can nurture their passion along with love for coffee along with we can serve great quality coffees consistently.
Chef Iwasawa: I try to understand the local palate along with make sure that will the ingredients we use are always fresh. Periodically, Evie along with I discuss our menu along with carry out tastings; we try not to limit ourselves to certain cuisines within the menu creation process. We get inspired by menus coming from around the globe.
What do you think can be the secret to the success of Monolog?
Evie: I’ll give you the most cliché answer: we love what we do. This kind of always makes our day when we see that will smile along with nod of approval in our patrons’ faces when they take that will sip of cappuccino or a bite of that will Monte Cristo sandwich. We take feedback seriously, whether This kind of comes coming from our patrons or coming from our own team. We then evaluate along with take action on improvement.
Chef Iwasawa: A solid team.
Your staff are very efficient. What kind of training do your employees undergo?
Chef Iwasawa: We do regular training on our menu to keep the quality consistent along with we work which has a system.
Evie: We have a SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for our operational team along with we revisit along with retrain our team on a regular basis based on the SOP. within the hospitality industry, you are faced with different kinds of people with different kinds of backgrounds every day, therefore flexibility along with emotional intelligence can be needed. We encourage our team to articulate their minds along with use their skills along with knowledge to solve problems.
Chef Iwasawa, have you incorporated any Japanese tastes into the menu?
Chef Iwasawa: A few, not much – maybe more on the food preparation techniques rather than the taste.
As a chef of a busy restaurant in Jakarta, what obstacles do you face along with how do you deal with these?
Chef Iwasawa: Because of the cultural along with language differences, I have had some issues communicating with people, which has sometimes resulted in miscommunication. This kind of can be very crucial, especially within the kitchen, where everything can be fast-paced along with attention to detail can be needed. So, I try to self-introspect, adapt, along with keep trying to build a solid team. With open communication along with optimism, we at This kind of point have a Great team.
Indonesia seems to be entering the ‘organic foods revolution’. Does Monolog also stock organic produce along with if so, where do you source coming from?
Chef Iwasawa: We try to use local products/produce as much as we can, nevertheless not necessarily organic. We work very closely with our suppliers to get the freshest produce along with ingredients available within the market.
Where are your clientele predominately coming from along with how many patrons do you turnover per day?
Evie: We have a very diverse clientele coming from Australia, Japan, Southeast Asian countries, USA, European countries, along with more. We love the diversity here. This kind of keeps us challenged in delivering service excellence. We turnover more or less 300 patrons per day.
Does PT Gastronomica have any plans to open up a third branch, possibly outside of Jakarta? What are the company’s future plans?
Evie: Certainly. When along with where, we don’t know yet. nevertheless we’ll let you know for sure!
How can be the Indonesian diner different to the Australian diner, for example?
Chef Iwasawa: Menu wise, here at Monolog, we play around along with try to be creative with our menu. We try to incorporate some local flavours into our menu, using local spices along with ingredients.
What ingredient can be the hardest to obtain in Indonesia?
Chef Iwasawa: Believe This kind of or not, fresh seafood.
Do you have any events coming up?
Evie: Yes, we contain the Local Table on Saturday 5 December at 10am at our Pondok Indah Branch. We will turn our coffee shop into a gastronomic playground. Chef Iwasawa will be bringing Japanese fusion to our guests which has a a few-course brunch menu, using only ingredients found in local markets. Music will be performed by KIMA!, a ‘90s hip-hop along with R&B cover band, along with we will have well known hosts such as the singer Febrian along with celebrity chef, Yuda Bustara.
Besides your own restaurant, where can be your favourite place to dine in Jakarta?
Chef Iwasawa: Most of the time, I eat at home. I do enjoy the food in Garcon along with Olivier.
Thank you, both. To get in touch, please email: people@monolog-coffee.com
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Monolog
Plaza Senayan CP 101 B, Palm Gate Entrance
Jl. Asia Afrika No. 8 – Jakarta 10270
P +6221 572 5144
Street Gallery 1st floor No. 101 B, Pondok Indah Mall 1
Jl. Metro Pondok Indah – Jakarta 12310
P +6221 2952 9775
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Breakfast at Monolog
Breakfast at Monolog