Young Indonesian chef rekindles Jakarta’s fine-dining scene

JAKARTA – Jakarta, the dynamic traffic-clogged business city, is undergoing a culinary renaissance. The political hub of Indonesia is dotted with casual and chain eateries, but a slate of independent fine-dining restaurants has added pizzazz to the scene in the last four years.

Fuelled by young Indonesian chefs who have honed their craft around the world, their contemporary cuisine is filled with deeply personal storytelling and woven with the city’s diverse cultures, including Chinese, Betawi and Manadonese.

With the growing trend of people travelling for food, the country hopes to attract affluent tourists by positioning itself as a gastronomy destination through the inaugural Wonderful Indonesia Gourmet programme, launched by the country’s tourism ministry in September.

The dining initiative comprised a restaurant week, involving more than 100 restaurants in Jakarta and Bali in October, and the roll-out of a restaurant guidebook. There are plans for culinary tour packages in 2026.

One restaurant making waves in Jakarta’s burgeoning fine-dining scene is Kindling, a contemporary Franco-Asian restaurant, which opened in December 2024.

Singaporeans dining there might notice hints of familiarity.

The beef course, with a green Sichuan peppercorn and coconut sauce, has a smoky caramel glaze and is inspired by black pepper beef at zi char restaurants. Canapes include an umami-packed turnip cake tart with lap cheong and sakura ebi, and there are kaya toast-inspired financiers for petit fours.

Kindling’s chef-owner Vallian Gunawan studied and worked in Singapore for 11 years. The 32-year-old says: “Being in Singapore exposed me to all sorts of cuisine, and the local food culture was amazing. Sometimes, I create dishes based on my food memory bank of what I used to eat.”

He describes his cuisine at Kindling, a 42-seater in the Menteng district, as “Indonesian-Chinese food done with French technique and finesse”.

The crab custard, for example, is an amalgamation of his comfort-food memory and the velvety crab and shark’s fin soup served at Chinese weddings in Medan, where he grew up.

“At home, my mum cooked every day,” he recalls. “Dishes such as steamed egg with pork were always part of our meals.”

Chef Vallian’s take on it has egg custard flecked with crab meat in chicken-based bouillabaisse-like stock. Upping the creaminess are delicate strands of black moss and uni, and drizzles of sesame and chilli oil. 

Pao fan, a comforting dish of rice with broth, should resonate with many. The dish is an ode to his mother’s one-dish meal made with leftover roast meats from celebrations, and preserved mustard greens in fish broth.

“This dish is the cornerstone of our menu,” he says. “In Jakarta, no meal feels complete without rice.” He serves it with prized delicacies such as fish maw, gelatinous bits of sea cucumber and ginkgo nut, drenched in chicken bouillon. 

A Singapore start

“Kindling is very much a reflection of my time training at some of the best restaurants in the region,” chef Vallian says. In 2008, he arrived in Singapore to attend secondary school, where he met his schoolmate Letashia Narendran, who is now Kindling’s restaurant manager. 

He graduated from Republic Polytechnic with a diploma in restaurant and culinary management. While studying, he took up a part-time job at a Western food stall in a foodcourt, preparing salads and sandwiches.

After graduation, he honed his craft at top restaurants in Singapore, such as the now-defunct L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Odette, Saint Pierre, as well as Seasons Restaurant in Hong Kong.

In 2020, he returned to Indonesia and worked at Aperitif Restaurant and Skool Kitchen, both popular wood-fired restaurants in Bali. 

In January 2024, chef Vallian visited Jakarta to check out its nascent fine-dining scene. “I was blown away by the quality of food and dining experience,” he says. “I wanted to contribute to that scene, to make it richer and more colourful.”  

Jakarta’s fine-dining scene, he believes, is entering an exciting new phase. “We’re probably the last capital city in South-east Asia to develop a fine-dining culture,” he says. “But that also means we had time to learn from our neighbours – to see what worked, what didn’t and how far we can go.”