This September, Chef Hans Christian launches a new menu at August, offering patrons new stories to explore through his well-crafted dishes. In just less than a year, August has become the talk of the town as a popular dining venue with a unique dining experience, located at the Sequis Tower building in the Sudirman Central District Business, Jakarta.
August is the brainchild of Hans Christian, a skillful chef, and Budi Cahyadi, a seasoned hotelier and F&B professional. August debuted in November 2021, and the owners chose to name their restaurant August to reflect their goals of being respected and impressive, as the word august means. Budi and Hans have created a brand new elegant dining space but not intimidating to patrons. The restaurant offers a unique culinary experience with a DNA firmly connected to modern technology with a touch of Indonesian flavors.
Budi elaborates that they want August to become a highly respected restaurant that leaves an impressive mark on its customers. “We don’t want patrons to feel intimidated as they step into the premises. We are not a fine dining restaurant, but we see August as an upmarket restaurant with superb food and service,” says Budi
August’s interior design is a creation of Bitte Design, a rising, Jakarta-based design studio behind the designs of some of the most famous restaurants and bars in the capital. The intimate 50-seater restaurant evokes a relaxed and homey feel with warm lighting, earthy colors, unpretentious table settings, and an open layout completed with bookshelves filled with the team’s collection. “I want patrons to feel very welcome once they enter August. The idea of the design is pretty much like a house. Our patrons are our guests, whom we aspire to give the best food and service,” explains Budi. With that idea comes the open kitchen concept that sits next to the dining area, which allows the guests to view the food preparation process, erasing the boundaries between the kitchen and dining area to create an immersive dining experience.
The tasting menu speaks of its individuality while conveying Chef Hans’ signature culinary philosophy of mixing Asian flavors with French techniques. “With my experience in the fine dining culture in Asia and America, I am taking all of the great influences that I received during my tenure there and present these to our guests here at August with an Indonesian influence,” describes Chef Hans.
August’s new Chef’s Journey Tasting Menu comprises 14 courses, including seven snacks. This menu invites patrons to immerse themselves in the stories behind the dishes. The stories behind each dish vary, from childhood memories of Chef Hans to fruitful relationships with the restaurant’s suppliers. In August, Chef Hans tries to source the best local produce, championing local, sustainable, and fresh ingredients at all times. Seasonal line-caught fish is from Empak Locale, which sources from the waters around Bali and Lombok. Their specialty vegetables are from Lembang Farms, they use fresh vanilla pods from Experience Vanilla in Sukabumi, and their chocolate is from Pipiltin, which sources single origin chocolate from around the archipelago.
Aside from its well-crafted dishes, August also offers a unique Beverage Program that would delight patrons. The bar serves a wide selection of classic and Indonesian-inspired cocktails, but the highlight of the bar is its craft mocktails. Dubbed as ‘juice’, the bartender goes the extra mile to create a collection of unique mocktails where he uses kombuchas from exotic tropical fruits or out-of-the-box ingredients to create fascinating mocktails to go with your meal.
Dining at August is a unique yet delightful experience where patrons can enjoy master-crafted dishes in a relaxed and homey atmosphere delivered with five-star service.
Some of the signature dishes in the new August Chef’s Journey Tasting Menu are:
EVOO Bread using ‘Adam Levain’
This bread course has a special spot in the hearts of the August team. Adam Levain is the name they have given their sourdough starter, which they use to create this bread course. It is 3 years old because it was created when the pandemic started. During the pandemic, the team survived by selling sourdough as one of their products through home delivery and private dining with Chef Ardika.
Breakfast from Mom
This is inspired by Chef Hans’ all time favorite breakfast made by his Mom before going to school: rice with lap cheong sausage omelette. At August, Chef Hans has made a snack of crispy rice cake, chicken lap cheong with an egg sauce.
Duck ‘Opor’ Croquette with Cola Jam
Chef Hans has always loved his mother’s cooking and constantly takes inspiration from her. This dish is inspired by his mother’s opor ayam and croquettes, which he fancied so much. For this snack, he combines duck leg confit with opor béchamel and potato and then coats it with croquette batter and deep fries it. It is then topped with a raisin and cola jam to give a dash of complex sweetness to the overall rich snack.
James & Jen’s Fresh Egg
Chicken is one of Chef Hans’ favorite proteins, he loves to work with it because of its humble nature. This dish consists of slow-cooked fresh eggs that the restaurant sources from James & Jen’s Farm in Bogor and serves them within 48 hours from when the eggs are harvested. The eggs are then cooked at 65 degrees Celsius and then served with bacon marmalade, sautéed horenzo, and a simple sauce made from roasted chicken bones and a pinch of ginger
August Jakarta
Sequis Tower
Ground Floor #03-02
Jl. Jenderal Sudirman No.Kav. 71, Jakarta, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 12190
