Degustation with Milen & Adrian at The Thirty Six Cafe Multatuli
Ketika Whatsapp gw berbunyi dan isi pesannya “Bro, dateng yah acara private dining gue…” — Like finally. Setelah setahun lebih, akhirnya ter-realisasi juga rencana Milen, executive chef di The Thirty Six Multatuli.
I have attended several private dining event di Medan, and had chance to organised a small one in Pilastro last November 2016. So when the invitation comes from humble person I admired, I could’t say No.
Chef Adrian Hartanto & Milen Meccano
Acara ini ialah hasil kolaborasi Chef Adrian (Bisa Group) dan Milen Meccano (Executive Chef 36). Dinner tersebut dihadiri sekitar 16 orang, yang mana acara ini turut dibantu oleh LokalAja, sebuah startup yang menjadi platform dimana insan kreatif dapat menyalurkan hobinya.
Meja panjang komunal yang berada di tengah ruangan pun menjadi tempat kami berkumpul malam itu. Setelah semuanya hadir, duo chef ini memberi kata sambutan, lalu kembali ke dapur untuk menyiapkan 6 course meals dengan tema Asia’s Delicacy.
Menu pertama yang hadir mulai menggelitik indra pengecap. Fromage (istilah lain untuk cheese) tepatnya latteria delebio semi soft cheese (salty), san tumas hard cheese (susu kambing murni, strong smell), valtellina casera semi hard cheese (sweet creamy). 3 cheese ini yang diselipkan di brioche, serta 1 keping keju parmesan yang tipis nan crunchy. Hidangan ini disajikan diatas batu marmer hitam.
Dish kedua ini hadir dengan presentasi yang menarik. Secangkir gelas berisi daging ikan cod, scallop, dikelilingi batu dan daun serta garam sebagai basenya, lalu dihidangkan diatas meja.
Where the heck is the soup?
Tak lama kemudian, chef Adrian datang dan menjelaskan mengenai sup ini. Consomme ialah french term untuk sup bening yang biasanya hanya berisi essence/konsentrat dari bahan-bahan yang dimasak.
Dengan tema Asian, liquid yang berwarna seperti teh tersebut ternyata packed with strong Tomyam flavor. I find it slighty salty, but it was heavenly good when the clear soup mixed with cilantro oil inside the glass.
Chef Milen kemudian mempersembahkan 1 ekor fried tiger prawn, a little bit of nestum, lalu saos salted egg yolk yang agak foamy dan light (gun whipped sebelum diserve), dan angel hair pasta dengan grated cured egg yolk.
Beberapa tamu tampak mencampurkan pasta ke dalam saos, sedangkan yang lainnya mencocol udang tersebut ke saos. Either way is fine, as Milen reckon.
Main Course — Sous Vide Authentic Spiced Chicken, Fragrant Rice, Shrimp Chips, Chilis
This is traditional menu with make over, inspired from Nasi Padang. Marinated dada ayam di sous vide (65*C for 45 mins), resulting consistent tenderness, lalu disiram purée gulai diatasnya.
To complete the ‘Indonesian’ feel, nasi putih dengan telur mata sapi (which is sliced quail egg to get that petit feel) serta ‘peyek’ (shrimp chips) dan sambel kentang (but replaced with pumpkin), garnished with thinly sliced cucumber & pegagan leaves melengkapi hidangan ini.
Desserts — Deconstructed Mango & Glutinous Rice and Chefs’ Sorbet
Just like action movie, usually the climax stopped at main course. I’m not a dessert person, but I couldn’t look away when this dish came out.
Judging from the look, you know what it’s made of. Serabut kelapa, batok kelapa, and then that orangy look. Yup — a rendition of pulut mangga.
Di dasar dessert terdapat pulut. Instead of traditional santan yang disiram ke pulut mangga, it’s deconstructed into panna cotta.
Daging kelapa, diced mango, serta ‘sago’ yang merupakan campuran air pandan, agar-agar, peach, dan lime ini menjadi topping.
The real enjoyment start when you scooped them all together and put inside the mouth. Rasa gurih ‘santan’, manis mangga, dan refreshingnya topping seakan membuat indra pengecap di setiap sisi lidah berdansa. So…Good.
Chefs’ sorbet
Not only a good climax, this dinner played a beautiful ending as well. Just before we mingle around, a simple glass of fresh sorbet marked a simple ‘thank you for enjoying the course’. It’s made of passion fruit and black tea. Credit goes to Cua Shandy of Zisel Gelateria for this recipe collaboration.
Now before you ask how much is the package, 6 course meal cost you IDR 400.000,-/pax.
Kemahalan ga bro? Well, it depends on what you are looking for. Kalo cuman mau kenyang and taste good food you should probably save that money and order steak or others.
Dari pengalaman sebelumnya, private dining should cost more than this because you only cater small group of people, dedicating couple days to select and prepare the ingredients.
Spend the money for the experience. Setiap menu yang dihidangkan memiliki cerita tersendiri, baik pengalaman dari chef, atau teknik2 tertentu yang tidak dapat diaplikasikan ke menu yang dijual ke masal. Every course is a form of journey which should be enjoyed and appreciated.
Milen & Adrian did a good job keeping the balance in taste while allowing some room to experiment, but I believe they can do better in communication with diners explaining the process. Dinner was also well paced, started at 20.00 and ended in 21.30.
This is their first but definitely not the last. I’m not sure when is their next private dining event. But if there’s one from them again, I’d highly recommend it.
Keren