Stepping into The Crown by Kirk Westaway feels like entering a pocket of London high above Jakarta. The restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling windows open to the city skyline, a road map of London decorates the walls, and Winston—the signature sheep mascot—stands proudly by the entrance, paying homage to Chef Kirk Westaway’s Devonshire roots. Amid the elegant setting, Chef Asa Sibcy brings his own vision of British cuisine to life: one built on curiosity, discipline, and storytelling.
“I first started cooking really when I was like 10 or 11,” he recalled. “I was always very interested in the smells, the flavours, the noises—you hear all the sizzling in the pan. I was just fascinated by it.” His early fascination grew quickly into a lifelong pursuit. “By 14, I got a job in a hotel near my house just washing up,” he said. “But I ended up making sandwiches for buffets, kebabs for weddings—all of it. I’ve always had this fire in my belly for food.”
After finishing school, Asa began his professional career in kitchens almost immediately. Within two weeks, he found himself working full-time and soon under one of Britain’s most revered chefs. “I spent the last 14 years working for Heston Blumenthal,” he said. “He’s one of the pioneers of modern cooking—probably one of the best British chefs to ever live.”
Journey to The Crown
Asa’s years with Blumenthal included helping open Dinner by Heston Blumenthal in Dubai’s Atlantis The Royal, where the team earned a Michelin star within 100 days. “It was quite an achievement,” he said. “There’s not many restaurants in the world that can say they achieved something like that.”
That success shaped Asa’s sense of precision and creativity—qualities he now applies at The Crown, where he leads as Head Chef under Chef Kirk Westaway. “I wanted to step outside of my comfort zone, go to a place where British food wasn’t on the map,” he explained. “The Crown Jakarta popped up at the right time. What they wanted to achieve and what I wanted to achieve were the same.”
He describes his role as deeply collaborative. “We have catch-ups quite regularly where we talk about menu ideas,” he said. “We bounce ideas off each other and talk about history, stories of how it can be relatable not just to us as British people, but to Indonesia as well.”
At the heart of his approach is connection—between culture, history, and guest experience. “If the guest here in Indonesia doesn’t truly understand what it is we’re trying to give them, it’s a lost cause,” he said. “It’s very important that storytelling is at the heart of what we do here.”
Elevating the Everyday
British cuisine, Asa admitted, often comes with stereotypes. “People think of fish and chips, sausage and mash, stew, hot pot—all of these kinds of things,” he said. “I can understand why people think it’s boring and why they think it’s bland, but it’s completely the opposite when it’s done properly.”
His guiding philosophy is simple yet powerful: “We elevate the everyday.” “What we’re doing is taking some dishes or ingredients that are very familiar to people and making them different,” he explained. “We try and get the best possible ingredients that we can, and then we pay homage to those ingredients by elevating them with modern techniques.”
That idea comes to life through The Crown’s new seasonal menu—his first major menu since joining. “The new menu is leaning towards more autumnal flavours,” he said. “Before, we had lots of greens and vibrant colours because it was summer and spring. Now we’re going into the colder months in the UK, so we’re leaning more towards those kinds of flavours.”
The centerpiece dessert, Trifle, captures this philosophy. “A trifle is one of the most classic, most stereotypical British desserts,” he explained. “You can find it everywhere in the UK—from restaurants to petrol stations. But what we’ve done is elevate it using Indonesian inspiration.” His version features apple juice infused with green tea and lime zest, caramelized pineapple with cinnamon and clove, saffron custard, and basil puree balanced by hung yogurt for freshness. “It looks very simple, but it’s very complex,” he said. “What’s important is you get the flavour right, and then you work on texture and presentation.”
From sweet nostalgia to historical reimagination, each dish ties back to his mission of redefining British dining for Jakarta’s palate.
“Whether guests choose the Classic, the Signature, or the full Crown experience, each journey reflects our commitment to modern British cuisine that is both elegant and approachable.”
Looking Ahead
For Chef Asa, the journey at The Crown is just beginning. He sees the restaurant as a space for storytelling through taste, where guests can discover British culture in new forms. “Where I see The Crown heading next is by bringing more British dishes, more British flavours here to Jakarta for people to try and experience,” he said.
His goal isn’t to reinvent British food—it’s to reveal its depth. “British food is predominantly about ingredients,” he emphasized. “It’s very much ingredient-led.”
From shepherd’s pie at home to elevated trifle at The Crown, Chef Asa Sibcy continues to champion a cuisine often underestimated—transforming it into something refined, resonant, and deeply personal for Jakarta’s diners.
The Crown by Kirk Westaway
Fairmont Jakarta
Jl. Asia Afrika No.8, Gelora, Kecamatan Tanah Abang, JAKARTA, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 10270
