Hi Chef, how are you? Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your day-to-day activities?
Hi, my name is I Gede Rui Yamagishi. I’m half Japanese and half Balinese. Was born in Japan but raised in Bali. I’m 28 years old, professionally trained Chef, currently working as The executive chef of Acta Brasserie & Fujin Izakaya. If I’m not cooking, I enjoy Skateboarding as my free time activity.
What is your favourite midnight snack?
I love eating fruits, especially Mango and Papaya.
What is your favourite home-cooked meal?
Nasi campur
What is the most recent dining destination you visited that left a good impression?
August restaurant, and for me the item that impressed me the most is the Stracciatella Salad.
When you go out for coffee, what do you look for, and where do you go? Any regular places?
I normally just get take away coffee from Tuku. I am very fond of their Es Kopi Susu Tetangga (usually ordered with less ice). Right amount of coffee, sweet, creaminess and it’s very refreshing on a hot Jakarta day.
What is your favourite Jakarta Hawker food?
Pangsit Mie Palu is my go to.
What are your favorite local dishes and where do you go to eat them?
I love Manadonese and Padangnese cuisine. I usually go to Beautika to have Manadonese Food and Pagi sore for Padang food. I like how both cuisines have strong flavours and a wide array of dishes. It’s always fun to mix things on your plate (but everything seems to perfectly match each other!).
Is there any food you can eat every day without ever getting bored?
Balinese nasi campur. Growing up in Bali, I can say Balinese Cuisine is my comfort food. So Balinese Nasi Campur is the one dish I can never get bored of.
If you have visitors from abroad/out of Jakarta, where do you take them to give a genuine taste of Indonesia?
Pagi sore for sure! For me, Padang cuisine is truly a gem and everyone needs to try it at least once in their life.
In the past few years, we have seen a lot of unique food trends; which food trend do you like the most and why?
It’s really interesting to see Bakery’s trending nowadays, especially sourdough and croissants. Well, I like it simply because I love eating all kinds of bread.
Did you develop new recipes or discover a new type of food you have enjoyed in the recent year?
Yes, and it’s mostly Japanese contemporary Food. The most unique one that I have created until now is Tebasaki Tsukune. Tebasaki means chicken wings, and Tsukune means Japanese chicken meatball. Tebasaki Tsukune is a combination of both! So I deboned the wings and stuffed it with the meatball filling. It is steamed and the finished off at the grill over charcoal, glazed with smoked Tare (Japanese
sweet sauce) then we serve it with raw egg yolk.
Do you have your favourite simple and quick recipe that you made yourself?
Takikomi Gohan (Japanese rice dish seasoned with dashi and soy sauce along with mushrooms, vegetables, meat, or fish). I cook Takikomi Gohan whenever I miss my mom’s cooking. I cook this at home whenever I have friends coming over. So instead of plain rice, I like to play around with Takikomi Gohan to make it special. It’s very simple yet delicious.
