Basque celebrity chef Íñigo Urrechu’s ninth restaurant—and his first outside Europe—showcases the rustic flavors of northern Spain at Gran Meliá Jakarta, where it inhabits a cheerful glass-roofed space designed in warm, earthy tones by Mallorca-born studio CMV Architects. At Erre & Urrechu, the wood-fired cooking mirrors his zest for life and passion for good, honest produce: the kitchen team applies nuanced age-old techniques not just to meat and seafood but also vegetables (which too often go underappreciated in this town). Leeks baked in a tamarind wood–fueled oven come drizzled with a Comté cheese emulsion; lightly charred wedges of avocado anchor a hearty salad featuring confit cherry tomatoes, fresh greens, and grated Manchego cheese.

Protein-based dishes are similarly robust: head chef Alejandro García Martín skillfully barbecues octopus and Australian wagyu steaks over jackfruit wood embers, before serving them in generously sized sharing plates. Slow-roasted for an hour, the side of sweet piquillo peppers is a hit in its own right (for a bite with maximum flavor, use the silky-soft pepper to wrap a piece of steak like a blanket). Urrechu doesn’t shy away from saying this venture marks a step up from the concept’s earlier iterations in Marbella and Barcelona. “More mature” and “with more gastronomic power,” the Jakarta outpost is what he calls “the best Erre & Urrechu that exists today.” —James Louie

instagram.com/erreurrechu.jakarta
+62 21 526 8080
G/F, Gran Meliá Jakarta, Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said Kav. X-0, Kuningan, Jakarta, Indonesia

Erre & Urrechu Jakarta: Rustic Spanish

Jakarta Dining

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