Introducing Executive Chef Hamish Lindsay of SKYE, Menara BCA, Jakarta

On June 10th, we were invited to Press Lunch in SKYE Bar & Restaurant, which is located on the 56th floor of Menara BCA (BCA Tower). SKYE is another amazing creation from ISMAYA Group, and although it’s quite popular for its outstanding architecture and roof-top bar, little that people know about the food. Many people including my friends and acquaintances prefer SKYE to be merely a place to socialize and drink, because as much as we could remember, the food weren’t far from best and of course, they were quite pricey. To cut things short, people weren’t really impressed by the food and only came here for drink and social purpose.

Before the lunch began, we were allowed to chill out for a while and enjoy the view of Jakarta from the bar, and I chose to have a seat outside, because although it was in the middle of the noon, Jakarta was quite cloudy that time so I had no problem with sunlight whatsoever. Honestly, Jakarta is much better enjoyed during the night as the city lights are much prettier, and another reason is that the daytime sky is actually not blue but a bit gray-ish. Pollution is the culprit, I guess. Nevertheless, we really had fun enjoying the city from such a high level!

We were also offered some canapes but only tried one, the Goat Cheese Flat Bread. Personally, I am not a big fan of cheese but this one took my heart immediately. The bread was very nice and crispy, the cheese was strong enough without being too overwhelming. Loved it! I think there were other 3 canapes offered but they weren’t distributed in the outside seating area so I didn’t get to try them. The canapes were accompanied with Apple Virgin Mojito, and seriously, this version was one of the best I have ever found in Jakarta so far. The sourness of the apple was very strong and it was refreshing mainly because of the apple, not the mint. What I dislike about this drink in many other restaurants is usually they are very minty and overkilling the apple taste. But here, it was seriously good!

Goat Cheese Flat Bread

Apple Virgin Mojito

When the Press Lunch was about to start, we were brought to our tables in the dining area, which is located in the opposite of the lounge. The dining area is very big and spacious, with a big bar area in the middle.

Now, let me tell you the purpose of this lunch. SKYE introduced their new Executive Chef, Hamish Lindsay, who joined since October 2013.

Mr. Lindsay comes from Auckland, New Zealand, and had been working for 19 years in various noteworthy restaurants around Sydney and New Zealand, including the world-renowned Hugo’s Group restaurant, which acclaimed seven Sydney Morning Herald chef’s hats and Best Restaurant in Australia award. Before coming to Jakarta, he also had been working for the luxurious Aman Group Resort in Bali for 8,5 years. Not only that, he also had worked closely together with Australia’s finest celebrity chefs including Pete Evans and Manu Feildel from My Kitchen Rules, as well as “world champion pizza maker”, John Lanzafame, to name a few.

So with all those experiences that he has, I was expecting A LOT and let’s see what the chef had to offer!!

Sesame Chicken Salad IDR 65K
Baby romaine lettuce, crispy soy chicken, sesame mustard dressing.
This was absolutely great start for an exciting lunch, fresh veggie accompanied with my favorite sesame dressing, what else can I say?

Double Baked Cheese Souffle IDR 85K
I think most everyone agreed that this was indeed one of the best dishes in the lunch. Although souffle is more popularly served as dessert here, as a savory dish it was pretty wonderful too. The cheese had this cake-y texture, almost looked and felt like potatoes in the first glance, but taste-wise it was absolutely cheesy. Served with colorful sides like heirloom tomatoes, olive salsa and basil, this dish was a joy to the eyes and mouth. I even dare to say I would come back to SKYE soon for the sake of this!

Beef & Foie Gras Carpaccio IDR 140K
The carpaccio was very fresh and tasty although I think the foie gras wasn’t meant to be the star of the dish, only a compliment. Served with Parmesan mousse, rocket salad, truffle oil, crispy capers, black pepper tuile, this was yet another wonderful dish.

Tagliolini Nero Al Frutti Di Mare IDR 150K
This squid ink pasta (explains the black color) was served with assorted seafood and spicy garlic tomato sauce, a deadly combination for red sauce lover. Personally, I am more into white sauce for pasta, but this one managed to bring a big smile on my face. The pasta was chewy and al dente, sauce was very tasty thanks to the generous cuts of seafood although I felt there was no spiciness nor taste of garlic at all. However, this dish was still very much enjoyable.

Thai Stir Fried Seafood IDR 145K
Thai cuisine is one of the most popular, if not, the easiest adapted Asian cuisine in the world, so having a Thai inspired menu in our lunch list was a refreshing idea, at least to me. The stir-fried seafood was indeed a delightful dish with colorful presentation as well as taste that was memorable. Served with chili jam, cherry tomatoes, long beans and Thai basil, it easily hit my taste buds and I believe it could be enjoyed by even Thai people. Oh yes, it was served with a plate of white rice, and if that means this was a serving for a person, the portion is quite generous with that amount of seafood!

200 gm Black Angus Tenderloin IDR 390K
Hands down, this was the BEST dish of the day and probably the BEST beef tenderloin I have ever had in my life so far. And if you ask me to repeat, yes, it was THAT GOOD. I heard so many people gushing about how good it was during the lunch, and I bet if you try this, most likely you’ll also feel that way. The meat was literally thick yet very tender and juicy inside, it immediately melted in the mouth! Served with truffle potato puree, green peppercorn sauce, and crispy fries with truffle salt, everything in the plate was in balance altogether.

Sea Bass Polonaise IDR 160K
Always a fan of fishes, I was very excited to see the sea bass in the menu. It turned out to be super, duper delicious, fresh sea bass served with broccoli, cauliflower, bread crumbs, almonds, cherry tomatoes and lemon. First of all, sea bass is actually not my preferred fish because of the annoying bones but this one was surprisingly almost boneless and I could enjoy it without having to worry about them. The fish was well cooked so it wasn’t fishy or smelly at all, and well-seasoned. The sides were pretty helpful in adding colors and enhancing the taste, without disturbing the fish as the star of the dish. Brilliant creation of Chef Lindsay.

Oh, haven’t I told you that they poured us infused water and our glasses were never let empty even for a while? I think they put cuts of lemon, lime, watermelon and probably other fruits in there because the water had so much citrusy taste that was very refreshing. And kudos to the attentive waiters who took care of our glasses during the lunch, thank you!

Mango Cheesecake
This dessert was totally FABULOUS! From its presentation to the flavor, it totally won my heart. Unlike usual sweet dessert, this one was a good combination between sweet and sour, with the stronger sourness. The mango cheesecake was pretty solid and sweet, the passion fruit sauce was sour yet addictive, complimented with coconut whipped cream and coconut tuile on top. I had never tried combination of mango and coconut in one plate, but they are actually pretty well-matched together. The coconut tuile was probably seen more as garnish, but it actually helped adding the flavor and sweetness. I actually couldn’t stop dipping that stick into the passion fruit sauce because I loved the massive sourness of the sauce mixed with the tasty coconut! Yet another brilliant creation of Chef Lindsay, I must say I was impressed!!

Peanut Butter Panna Cotta
According to Ms. Soraya, one of PR staff of Ismaya Group who happened to share the lunch with us *waves*, Chef Lindsay created this dessert based on one of his childhood favorite, peanut butter. The peanut butter panna cotta was an excellent dessert to begin with, not mentioning its considerably large portion for a dessert. Not only that, the panna cotta was served on a tall glass and topped with strawberry & thyme granita and additional pistachio tuile. Now please tell me who can’t love this crazily-creative, brilliant chef? The texture was soft yet solid with distinctive flavor of peanut butter, it was already good eaten that way. And if you eat with the “topping”, the taste will be even better and much more colorful, heavenly good.

White Chocolate & Sticky Date Pudding
Although it is named a pudding, the texture was more like a cake to me. It was my favorite dessert of the day because I simply loved everything on the plate, from the pudding itself, the lemon vanilla sauce, white Russian ice cream, and almond brittle on top of the ice cream. The pudding was soft and cakey, sweet and addictive because it was made with dates, honestly I thought it tasted somewhat like black glutinous rice cake and I am so in love with it. The white Russian ice cream was the best addition to the sticky pudding, it had distinctive flavors of Vodka and hint of Kahlua, which complimented and eased the solidness of the pudding a bit. I really didn’t have anything bad to say about this dessert, just perfect.

Well, for a lunch like this, SKYE certainly brought new level of delicacies and I am sure it’s all thanks to their brilliant, genius and talented new Executive Chef, Mr. Hamish Lindsay. We had opportunity to meet him in person and he is a very kind, down-to-earth kind of man who looks like he enjoys what he does in the kitchen. And telling you, he told me that I share the same name with his wife, what an honor 😉

Now, if you had been in SKYE before October 2013, or have never been there, why don’t you try some of his creations and let yourself be pampered with great food in great place?