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 common among both Indonesian as well as expatriate customers. We meet the head chef, Takashi Iwasawa, as well as director, Evie Karsoho, to discuss the ins as well as 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 as well as working here?
Chef Iwasawa: I was eager to see the globe. I came to Indonesia back in ‘97 to challenge myself as well as see how I might sustain living in a foreign country. Jakarta turned up to be my home away via home. Before I joined Monolog, I’ve worked in several restaurants including Italian, Thailand/Vietnamese, Korean BBQ, Indonesian, as well as Japanese fusion.
You are currently the head chef at Monolog, a very common coffee shop as well as restaurant with two branches in Jakarta. Can you explain the restaurant’s concept to us?
Evie: Monolog is actually your neighbourhood coffee shop/all day diner. through the years Monolog has served as a focal point for guests to enjoy great coffee as well as comfort food in a cosy as well as creative environment, where you can bump into your Great friends, family, as well as very possibly, make fresh friends.
Whether guests are looking for a hearty breakfast to start the day or a warm blend of home brew coffee as well as tea within the afternoon – or even tasty cocktails (PIM branch only) come sundown – Monolog carries an extensively varied menu to cater to all.
Monolog is actually on par with coffee shops in Melbourne, London as well as Seattle. Why was which important for your team to bring This specific concept to Jakarta?
Evie: We were inspired by the openness, familiarity, as well as, of course, quality of some coffee shops via around the globe. Being in a country which is actually one of the biggest coffee producing regions, we feel like we contain the responsibility to translate as well as 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 which take to truly understand coffee as well as deliver the best cup each time?
Evie: We believe in three simple things to serve a great cup of coffee; love, passion as well as quality. We love our coffee, as well as which’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 as well as meticulous preparation, as well as which’s why at Monolog Coffee we always train our baristas continuously. This specific way, we can nurture their passion as well as love for coffee as well as we can serve great quality coffees consistently.
Chef Iwasawa: I try to understand the local palate as well as make sure which the ingredients we use are always fresh. Periodically, Evie as well as I discuss our menu as well as carry out tastings; we try not to limit ourselves to certain cuisines within the menu creation process. We get inspired by menus via around the globe.
What do you think is actually the secret to the success of Monolog?
Evie: I’ll give you the most cliché answer: we love what we do. which always makes our day when we see which smile as well as nod of approval in our patrons’ faces when they take which sip of cappuccino or a bite of which Monte Cristo sandwich. We take feedback seriously, whether which comes via our patrons or via our own team. We then evaluate as well as 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 as well as we work having a system.
Evie: We have a SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for our operational team as well as we revisit as well as 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 as well as emotional intelligence is actually needed. We encourage our team to articulate their minds as well as use their skills as well as 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 as well as how do you deal with these?
Chef Iwasawa: Because of the cultural as well as language differences, I have had some issues communicating with people, which has sometimes resulted in miscommunication. This specific is actually very crucial, especially within the kitchen, where everything is actually fast-paced as well as attention to detail is actually needed. So, I try to self-introspect, adapt, as well as keep trying to build a solid team. With open communication as well as optimism, we right now have a Great team.
Indonesia seems to be entering the ‘organic foods revolution’. Does Monolog also stock organic produce as well as if so, where do you source via?
Chef Iwasawa: We try to use local products/produce as much as we can, yet not necessarily organic. We work very closely with our suppliers to get the freshest produce as well as ingredients available within the market.
Where are your clientele predominately via as well as how many patrons do you turnover per day?
Evie: We have a very diverse clientele via Australia, Japan, Southeast Asian countries, USA, European countries, as well as more. We love the diversity here. which 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 as well as where, we don’t know yet. yet we’ll let you know for sure!
How is actually the Indonesian diner different to the Australian diner, for example?
Chef Iwasawa: Menu wise, here at Monolog, we play around as well as try to be creative with our menu. We try to incorporate some local flavours into our menu, using local spices as well as ingredients.
What ingredient is actually the hardest to obtain in Indonesia?
Chef Iwasawa: Believe which 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 having a a few-course brunch menu, using only ingredients found in local markets. Music will be performed by KIMA!, a ‘90s hip-hop as well as R&B cover band, as well as we will have well known hosts such as the singer Febrian as well as celebrity chef, Yuda Bustara.
Besides your own restaurant, where is actually your favourite place to dine in Jakarta?
Chef Iwasawa: Most of the time, I eat at home. I do enjoy the food in Garcon as well as 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