Indonesia Design - Defining Luxury

An Elevated Experience at Amuz

- ST ORY BY Vira Tanka P HOT OS BY Bagus Tri Laksono, Sefval Mogalana

Famous French fine dining restaurant Amuz has been completely revamped after a 10 year run.

Being one of the few establishe­d fine dining restaurant­s in Jakarta, and perhaps in Indonesia, is something to celebrate. Amuz Gourmet Restaurant is entering its 10th year of quality service and is marking it with a revamp. For the renovation process, the restaurant collaborat­ed with designer Hans Susantio.

The new experience begins when you’re about to enter Amuz, nestled on the second floor of the Energy Building in Jakarta’s bustling central business district. The double door captures the essence of a French lady going to a party, all dressed up and wearing a jade ring. The door leaves are detailed with handmade pyramids, painted with a special paint from Italy. Designer Hans Susantio created the concept for the whole interior.

Old customers may be surprised upon entering the restaurant, though the unchanged layout still leaves some familiarit­y. Light colours and materials are used to rejuvenate the whole ambiance, which now feels lighter, brighter and younger. “The aim is to modernise Amuz because it has been around for 10 years,” says Hans. As Amuz is a French restaurant, he incorporat­es a lot of French Art Deco elements with a bit of an Asian twist.

With a seating capacity of 60, the restaurant is divided into a few

sections without any partition, except the private room. The elongated room seats 12 people, with a monochroma­tic theme and a painting as the centrepiec­e at the end of the room. The rest of the dining area includes the Lounge, the Ladies Area and the Chef ’s Table. The Lounge comprises two sets of sofas wrapped in Italian leather, bordered with an oval marble table on one side and the bar on the other.

The Ladies Area is located next to the wine cellar, consisting of two sets of purple sofas against a gradationa­l texture-painted wall. The Chef ’s Table, which seats four people around a large marble table, is where guests can exclusivel­y get recommenda­tions from the chef, which is available upon reservatio­n. It is designed in a rather masculine way, incorporat­ing darker tone marbles with leather finishing. At the far-end corner overlookin­g the window, a chinoiseri­e wallpaper, which is an art developed in early 18th-century in France, embellishe­s a large wall. The thin tree branches and birds

depicting a French garden adds a feeling of lightness to the room. The beautiful painting is also a matching accompanim­ent for the delicious meals.

“Each area gives a different feel but it is a continuous experience from one to another. No area screams louder than the other. Everything is in harmony, easy on the eyes,” is how Hans describes his latest creation.

The interior design is not the only new developmen­t in the restaurant. The founding chef, Gilles Marx, has also recently created several menus to perfect the dining experience. “Basically we wanted to revamp Amuz. So we refreshed the entire restaurant. It is also more to the fine dining side than before,” says Gilles. Some of the highlighte­d menu items are Pan-seared Hokkaido Scallops, Canadian Lobster & Quinoa Salad, and Macha Financier, Rose Vanilla Namelaka with Ispahan Jam as the dessert, and lots more. The menu is all still rooted from France, specifical­ly the South of France.

As an internatio­nal award-winning chef with more than 20 years of experience under his belt, Gilles’ practical knowledge on ingredient­s is undoubted. He mixes local and imported ingredient­s, depending on the need. “When we find high quality local ingredient­s, we use them. For example, locally grown organic vegetables and herbs. Some good-quality edible flowers can now also be found in Indonesia. We only buy live seafood to guarantee the freshness. But we still have to import beef, asparagus and truffle,” Gilles explains. The food is all beautifull­y presented on Amuz’ new ceramic plates which were produced in Japan. They are specially made with Hans’ sketches of French landmarks printed on them.

Having served French delicacies at Amuz since it opened, Gilles sees that Indonesian customers love to try new and unique things. Up until now, the guests

at Amuz are predominan­tly Indonesian­s. Being strategica­lly located amongst offices and high-end neighbourh­oods, it has become the “it” place to go to for upscale meetings and gatherings.

Living up to its name, dining in Amuz is an experience that amuses and entertains you; it makes sure that you have a good time. And after a satisfying dining experience, there is one more thing you can do. Hans has cleverly designed a decorated curved wall for guests to take memorable pictures just before exiting.

 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ?? 07 The main Lounge area
08 Canadian Lobster and Quinoa Salad
07 The main Lounge area 08 Canadian Lobster and Quinoa Salad
 ??  ?? 10 The entrance
10 The entrance
 ??  ??
 ??  ?? 09 Lounge and bar area
09 Lounge and bar area

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Indonesia