[Review] BAM! Spanish Tapas - Sake Bar
as published in WhatsNewJakarta.com 17 November 2015.
If you haven’t heard of BAM!, I am sure you will soon enough hear a lot about this new combo of a tapas slash sake bar. Affiliated with its Singapore counterparts under the same name, BAM! Is a brainchild of Pepe Moncayo, de former chef de cuisine of Santi, a Spanish restaurant of the late Michelin-starred Santi Santamaria whose dramatically tragic end deserved its own movie.
Here in Jakarta, BAM! shares space with Senju Omakase & Sake Bar. Omakase, or” I’ll leave it up to you” in Japanese means that the guests usually leave it up to the chef to serve them his specials, or alternately the guests would also be able to order their favorite sushi or robatayaki menu, paired with sake. Bottom line, there’s usually no menu. Although at BAM!, a menu is presented to give the patrons an idea of what the chefs could offer, and also for the young ones.
For the first menu, I was served with angel hair pasta with octopus, bamboo shoots, and freshly chopped chili. The octopus and the bamboo shoots lend a refreshing twist to this dish, and the sliced almond gave a pleasant texture; perfect for those looking for a simple lunch menu with a subtle tapas influence, like the tako or octopus.
Chef Arturo then upped the ante by presenting one of BAM!’s signature, the characteristically sweet and succulent Japanese squid stuffed with Singaporean otak, sitting on a puddle of squid ink puree and flavorful rostit sauce which somehow able to beautifully blends the visually exotic dish into something mild and comforting, even.
I was then presented by one of the most unique way of presenting iceberg lettuce; lightly charred on the surface and drizzled with vinaigrette and topped with anchovy crumble, pickled shallots and a creamy ricotta cheese. A surprisingly congenial mix of sweet, saline, tangy and milky taste brought together on a humble (half) head of lettuce.
Another heart smart choice would be the restaurant’s attractive rendition of the vegetable stew, with seasonal mix of carrots, bok choy, asparagus and other fresh off the market picks, mixed with bacon pieces and laid with porcini-infused foam and delicately garnished with adorable ‘micro greens‘ such as dill and marigold leaves, which Andrew told me was freshly brought over from a farm in West Java. Although I have to say this 'stew' would be too bland, for us Asians that favour (almost too much) in veggies stir-fried in extreme heat or paired with tongue numbing sambals or broth.
Still indicating BAM!’s knack in incorporating fresh vegetables in to the plates, I was pleasantly surprised by their version of Paella Butifara that came with a layer of fresh mizuna leaves. Under it, revealed paella rice mixed with cuts of Butifara sausage, baby squid, shitake and enoki mushrooms, topped with onion slices and paper thin fried garlic, retaining its sweetness yet with a very mellow kick of garlic. To serve, chef Arturo gave me a small plate of Jeruk Limau, and chopped chili padi; a very common condiment that uniquely balanced the rich paella. As someone that doesn't really too much of saffron taste, I do prefer this paella than the more traditional paella as I find it to be more contrasting and rich in texture.
Andrew also gave me the privilege to sample the restaurant’s newest dishes; the succulent oyster tempura with chili padi, caviar with sweet & tangy citrus salsa. This was also a favourite, as I am a sucker for oysters. But the superstar of the show, the naturally reddish in color Spanish gambas or shrimp that had been lightly blow-torched on the surface, sitting on a bed of Singapore chili crab inspired sauce, served with a deep-fried fluffy homemade mantau.
If you order this prawn, don't be surprised when the waiter takes over your cutlery and start squeezing juice out of your shrimp head to get the best of flavor permeating through the chili sauce; "Before, we just encouraged the guests to do it, but they never get it right, and its such a pity to waste the rich favor of the shrimp. It is such an important part of the dish.", Andrew lamented. He also added that the shrimp I had before me cost a pretty penny a piece, raw, and would indeed be a pity to not savor correctly. Why not use shrimps from around here? Nothing tastes like these shrimp, Andrew explained with glee. The result is a sea water fresh and succulent flesh of the sweetest crustacean I've had in a while, blending in perfection with a rich Singaporean chili crab sauce. Winner.
To crank my gluttony notch from 10 to eleven like 6 courses wasn't enough, Chef Arturo prepared me homemade banana ice cream served with caramelized banana, bitter-saline hazelnut crumble, passion fruit, topped with rhum-infused creme anglaise and banana chips. It does remind me of a well loved Indonesian snack of pisang bakar, usually served with condensed milk and very very mild cheddar.
For those that only accept chocolate as the true form of dessert, I strongly suggest the decadent Manjari chocolate ganache rectangles, served with homemade Tonka bean ice cream, dotted with pear puree and Yuzu foam. How's that for dessert!
After my hour long feast, I approached chef Arturo and talked about his food and his skills in incorporating bold ingredients, his edge in merging different worlds, and gorgeously presenting it into a well-though of dish; flavorful yet palatable, light, and without being over the top. BAM! definitely made me completely redefined my idea of Spanish Tapas, and showed me how open-ended can it be.
To sample all the gorgeous food I tried, BAM!’s omakase menu stars from Rp. 800,000++ for 5 course & 1 dessert, and Rp. 1,200,000++ for 6 courses and 2 desserts menu.
BAM! Tapas & Sake Bar
Plaza Indonesia, Lantai 3, L3#119
Jalan M.H. Thamrin No.28-30, Central Jakarta
Phone : +6221 2992 4222
www.bam-id.com
If you haven’t heard of BAM!, I am sure you will soon enough hear a lot about this new combo of a tapas slash sake bar. Affiliated with its Singapore counterparts under the same name, BAM! Is a brainchild of Pepe Moncayo, de former chef de cuisine of Santi, a Spanish restaurant of the late Michelin-starred Santi Santamaria whose dramatically tragic end deserved its own movie.
Chef Arturo then upped the ante by presenting one of BAM!’s signature, the characteristically sweet and succulent Japanese squid stuffed with Singaporean otak, sitting on a puddle of squid ink puree and flavorful rostit sauce which somehow able to beautifully blends the visually exotic dish into something mild and comforting, even.
I was then presented by one of the most unique way of presenting iceberg lettuce; lightly charred on the surface and drizzled with vinaigrette and topped with anchovy crumble, pickled shallots and a creamy ricotta cheese. A surprisingly congenial mix of sweet, saline, tangy and milky taste brought together on a humble (half) head of lettuce.
Another heart smart choice would be the restaurant’s attractive rendition of the vegetable stew, with seasonal mix of carrots, bok choy, asparagus and other fresh off the market picks, mixed with bacon pieces and laid with porcini-infused foam and delicately garnished with adorable ‘micro greens‘ such as dill and marigold leaves, which Andrew told me was freshly brought over from a farm in West Java. Although I have to say this 'stew' would be too bland, for us Asians that favour (almost too much) in veggies stir-fried in extreme heat or paired with tongue numbing sambals or broth.
Still indicating BAM!’s knack in incorporating fresh vegetables in to the plates, I was pleasantly surprised by their version of Paella Butifara that came with a layer of fresh mizuna leaves. Under it, revealed paella rice mixed with cuts of Butifara sausage, baby squid, shitake and enoki mushrooms, topped with onion slices and paper thin fried garlic, retaining its sweetness yet with a very mellow kick of garlic. To serve, chef Arturo gave me a small plate of Jeruk Limau, and chopped chili padi; a very common condiment that uniquely balanced the rich paella. As someone that doesn't really too much of saffron taste, I do prefer this paella than the more traditional paella as I find it to be more contrasting and rich in texture.
Andrew also gave me the privilege to sample the restaurant’s newest dishes; the succulent oyster tempura with chili padi, caviar with sweet & tangy citrus salsa. This was also a favourite, as I am a sucker for oysters. But the superstar of the show, the naturally reddish in color Spanish gambas or shrimp that had been lightly blow-torched on the surface, sitting on a bed of Singapore chili crab inspired sauce, served with a deep-fried fluffy homemade mantau.
If you order this prawn, don't be surprised when the waiter takes over your cutlery and start squeezing juice out of your shrimp head to get the best of flavor permeating through the chili sauce; "Before, we just encouraged the guests to do it, but they never get it right, and its such a pity to waste the rich favor of the shrimp. It is such an important part of the dish.", Andrew lamented. He also added that the shrimp I had before me cost a pretty penny a piece, raw, and would indeed be a pity to not savor correctly. Why not use shrimps from around here? Nothing tastes like these shrimp, Andrew explained with glee. The result is a sea water fresh and succulent flesh of the sweetest crustacean I've had in a while, blending in perfection with a rich Singaporean chili crab sauce. Winner.
To crank my gluttony notch from 10 to eleven like 6 courses wasn't enough, Chef Arturo prepared me homemade banana ice cream served with caramelized banana, bitter-saline hazelnut crumble, passion fruit, topped with rhum-infused creme anglaise and banana chips. It does remind me of a well loved Indonesian snack of pisang bakar, usually served with condensed milk and very very mild cheddar.
After my hour long feast, I approached chef Arturo and talked about his food and his skills in incorporating bold ingredients, his edge in merging different worlds, and gorgeously presenting it into a well-though of dish; flavorful yet palatable, light, and without being over the top. BAM! definitely made me completely redefined my idea of Spanish Tapas, and showed me how open-ended can it be.
To sample all the gorgeous food I tried, BAM!’s omakase menu stars from Rp. 800,000++ for 5 course & 1 dessert, and Rp. 1,200,000++ for 6 courses and 2 desserts menu.
BAM! Tapas & Sake Bar
Plaza Indonesia, Lantai 3, L3#119
Jalan M.H. Thamrin No.28-30, Central Jakarta
Phone : +6221 2992 4222
www.bam-id.com
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