Raymond Rjaily, Executive Chef of Mandarin Oriental Jakarta
With more than 17 years of experience, Raymond brings with him a progressive culinary leadership experience to provide exceptional dining experiences in a luxury hospitality environment. The Lebanese guy is no stranger in Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group having first been appointed as Chef de Cuisine at Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur.
In 2017, Raymond joined Mandarin Oriental, Jakarta as Executive Chef and oversees the hotel’s three dining venues, including all-day-dining restaurant, Cinnamon; the renowned Li Feng which is known for its innovative Cantonese cuisine; and the popular French restaurant, Lyon. He also oversees the hotel’s signature The Mandarin Cake Shop, poolside bar Azure, in-room dining and banquets.
What are your favorite foods?
Lebanese cuisine. It’s the traditional trattorias style culinary classics that come from recipes passed down through generations in Lebanese homes, dishes rich in tastes, herbs seldom seen outside of Lebanon, such as Akkoub, fresh seafood, and pulses.
Do you have a favorite restaurant (not yours) for special occasions or fine dining and for more casual dining?
Before the pandemic, I loved dining out. However, I don’t have favorite restaurants, although I do appreciate authentic Japanese and Manadonese places.
What is your favorite home cooked meal?
Daoud basha, a classic Lebanese stew made of kafta (Lebanese meatballs) and tomato finished Pomegranate molasses, pine nuts and herbs. I do as well enjoy the pisang goreng that my wife prepares and the morning pancake I make on my day off with my 6 years old daughter.
What is your favorite midnight snack?
I don’t have one as I seldom eat that late at night, but I feel like to, I would go for Greek yogurt and drizzle of EV olive oil with sour dough. My house is never empty from these 3 ingredients.
What is your favorite Jakarta hawker food?
I had my very first Gado-Gado and Nasi Padang in Jakarta in 2005 when I visited Jakarta. I can still remember to it to this day. Having said that, Jakarta is a city very rich with varieties of hawker’s food with endless choices, there are simply so many good food hawkers around for all of us to savor. I try anything and everything, that is enrichment, I don’t go into a narrow tunnel, I try everything life offers.
During the pandemic, what is your go-to food delivery?
“MO Gourmet”, especially chef Ryan’s beef rendang and oxtail fried rice!
Kong Fook Sin, Executive Chinese Chef of The Chinese National at Swissotel Jakarta PIK Avenue
The Malaysian chef started his career in the Chinese with Min Du Restaurant in Hong Kong in 1987. His career brought him to Singapore and Melaka, Malaysia with leading restaurants in five star hotels including Pan Pacific, InterContinental and Renaissance. Chef Kong is well known for his cooking method which focuses on the freshest high quality produce and a belief in his palate. In 2020, he joined The Chinese National at Swissôtel Jakarta PIK Avenue as Executive Chinese Chef. His expertise in the culinary field set the stage for developing a menu that epitomizes Chinese culinary. Recently, he revamped the concept of The Chinese National which is now serving more on Cantonese delicacies.
What are your favorite foods?
No matter how much I have eaten, I would never say no to Chinese food, especially with seafood in front of me. Chinese food is very comforting and it has a wide variety of dishes. There are so many combinations and tastes to try. I also like the fact that Chinese cooking doesn’t really use much butter or cream to make the dishes taste lighter and bring out the freshness of its ingredients.
Do you have a favorite restaurant (not yours) for special occasions or fine dining and for more casual dining?
I love eating out at May Star, which serves great food of sweet, savory and crunchy Chinese food. That’s roughly the summary of the enjoyment of serving pork with brown gravy that surrounds the base of a towering creation made of extraordinary spices.
What is your favorite home cooked meal?
Hot pot! My mom used to cook this food since I was little and served when we have celebrations with family or close friends. I can never forget the taste of my mother’s cooking, including the complexity of the spices that are so distinctive that we all always look forward to when there are events at home.
What is your favorite midnight snack?
La-mian. This popular noodle can be found easily until midnight or as a soup to stay up late at night.
What is your favorite Jakarta hawker food?
Beef rendang. One of the best of my favorite dishes and the reason why I like nasi Padang in Jakarta. Indonesian spices are not easy to find abroad. The same goes for nasi Padang, it has a combination of foods that are rich in spices in Indonesia, ranging from spicy, sweet, and salty.
During the pandemic, what is your go-to food delivery?
Soup with a variety of healthy vegetables because it can increase endurance that help me maintain my state of health in order to stay fit and well during the pandemic.
Matthew Byk, Chef de Cuisine of Vong Kitchen and Le Burger at Alila SCBD
Born and raised in New Jersey, Matthew Byk started his career in the culinary industry in a small family business in his hometown. He frequently helped his family on the weekends, preparing for their catering business such as cutting vegetables and setting up the buffet. After graduating from French Culinary Institute, Matt began his training at Perry St. Restaurant New York. To continue improving and crafting his culinary skills, Matt moved to Jean-Georges Restaurant as Saucier, and followed with his tenures in Michelin starred restaurants before landing a job as a private chef for a high profile actress in New York.
In 2018, he moved to Jakarta to join the pre-opening team of Vong Kitchen and Le Burger as Executive Sous Chef. He works in close collaboration with Chef Cédric, creating world-class cuisine made from top-notch local and imported ingredients.
What are your favorite foods?
I love food with bread. I really enjoy having artisan charcuterie with olives and homemade pickles.
Do you have a favorite restaurant (not yours) for special occasions or fine dining and for more casual dining?
Before I moved to Jakarta, for casual dining, I loved going to eat at Faicco’s in the West Village (New York). They make great Italian subs with great quality cold cuts. And then I also fancied Mighty Quinn’s BBQ where you can find some great brisket sandwiches, and lastly, for burgers, I usually went to JG Melon in the Upper East Side. Whereas for fine dining, I’ve had great experiences at Del Posto in the West Village where they serve fantastic high end Italian food. I occasionally also went to Casa Mono for great contemporary Spanish food.
What is your favorite home cooked meal?
My family is Polish so my mom and grandmother make great pierogies with bacon and potato pancakes with braised beef.
What is your favorite midnight snack?
In New York, after a late night, going to Noodletown in China Town was always the spot.
What is your favorite Jakarta hawker food?
Tahu goreng, because it is so crispy and airy.
During the pandemic, what is your go-to food delivery?
I love sandwiches. Anything with Italian deli meats, iceberg lettuce, tomato, oil and vinegar. Perfection. Got to have iced tea and potato chips too!
Nalendra Anindita, Cluster Executive Chef of JHL Collections
As an alumnus of Sekolah Tinggi Pariwisata Bandung (previously widely known as NHI), Nalendra started his professional career overseas in various countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai. He started his career at Cavalli Club, Restaurant, & Lounge, Dubai in 2010.
After that, he then joined various five star hotels such as The Trans Luxury Hotel, Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort & Spa, Ayana Resort Komodo Waecicu Beach, and Pullman Bandung Grand Central. In 2021, Nalendra joined JHL Collections, a hospitality group of JHL Solitaire Hotel Gading Serpong, as Cluster Executive Chef. His main job is to oversee all of four F&B outlets in the hotel as well as other JHL Collections’ properties.
What are your favorite foods?
I love spicy food. My main favorites are Padang and Thai food. Because it has rich spices and flavors in one plate.
Do you have a favorite restaurant (not yours) for special occasions or fine dining and for more casual dining?
I don’t have a specific type of favorite restaurant. As my wife is also a hotelier, we like to try something new and appreciate the restaurant’s ambience. Last time we had a family dinner at Alto at Four Seasons Jakarta. For fine dining, I love Mozaic in Ubud. It’s the place to appreciate chef’s creativity. For casual dining, I sometimes go to Bistecca.
What is your favorite home cooked meal?
Laksa! As I mentioned before I love spicy and rich in flavor dishes, and laksa is my favorite home cooked meal. I always have homemade laksa paste in my refrigerator so whenever I am craving for a hearty bowl of laksa, I can always make it right away.
What is your favorite midnight snack?
I used to like junk food, but as I grow old, I am more health conscious now. That’s why my favorite midnight snack now is fruit.
What is your favorite Jakarta hawker food?
Soto tangkar at Soto Betawi Haji Mamat. They famously known for its soto Betawi, but for me, the best one is their soto tangkar.
During the pandemic, what is your go-to food delivery?
Funny thing, during the pandemic I rarely order takeaways. Aside from the health concern, during this pandemic I spend so much time at home, and as my wife is also like to cook, then we like to recreate dishes that we find interesting. However, once in a while we order fast food for our kids as, you know, kids love fast food!
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