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A tie-up between the Bali-based Locavore Group and 20/WOL—whose concepts include fine restaurant <a href="https://destinasian.com/jakarta-dining-su-ma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Su Ma</a>—Suara is an unabashed declaration of love for <a href="https://destinasian.com/travel-guide/indonesia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indonesia</a>’s bold flavors and homegrown ingredients. The presentation may be more modern, but heritage recipes here stay true to their origins. Take jukut kelor mesanten, a comforting Balinese soup grilled in a young coconut over an open fire. It mixes coconut milk, coconut water, and moringa leaves with spices like turmeric and sand ginger.
Head chef Harum Indra Adi Saputra doesn’t shy away from cross-cultural pollination within the archipelago. Bluefin tuna caught in the waters of Maluku comes to the table not as that region’s raw fish dish gohu ikan, but is instead coated in an emulsion of Acehnese sambal asem udeng with small shrimp, torch ginger, lemon basil, and sweet-sour bilimbi fruit. Pekin duck raised in the East Java countryside provides the base for Suara’s spin on West Sumatran itiak lado mudo: the confit duck leg and head are deep-fried, while the breast is roasted and pan-seared, to be rounded out by a Padang-inspired sauce and a deliciously complex green-chili sambal on the side. Even an accompaniment of menthik susu heritage rice stands out for its stickier and chewier texture.
Desserts take a more experimental approach. The popular Javanese street snack klepon—coconut-dusted sticky rice balls with a molten palm sugar filling—has been reimagined by Su Ma’s pastry chef Ryan Kim as an ensemble of fluffy pandan-infused sponge, coconut ice cream, arenga palm sugar pearls, and mascarpone cheese, all hidden beneath a dome made from little nuggets of meringue.
Suara means “voice” in Indonesian, and its chefs are spreading the word on the country’s underappreciated produce and culinary wealth, one plate at a time. —James Louie
<a href="https://locavorenxt.com/family/suara?DestinAsian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">locavorenxt.com/family/suara</a> 
+62 812 2000 2321 (WhatsApp) 
<a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/5VPqL85ufHCeMf9S9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jl. Taman Gunawarman Barat No.23, Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta, Indonesia</a>

A spread of Indonesian dishes on a table at Suara, a must-visit restaurant in Jakarta.

Suara: Heartfelt Pan-Indonesian Cooking