Explore | Interview
81
ANDRIAN ISHAK
MOLECULAR GASTRONOMIST
Interview by Michael Fowler Photography by Yunaidi Joepoet
Although he once studied hotel administration at university , Andrian ’ s creative side has always shone through . Having previously owned two traditional Indonesian restaurants , his self-led research and experimentation propelled him towards molecular gastronomy from 2007 .
“ When I was little , I loved art and painting . Cooking is an art in itself , and these molecular techniques let me give an original , multisensory experience to guests ,” he explains . Together with his creativity , Andrian ’ s inspiration is sourced from his travels around his country . In Namaaz ’ s early days , when it housed just eight guests ( it now has up to 32 guests a night ), he once blocked reservations for two months in order to explore Indonesia .
“ Last year , I hiked the Ijen Crater near Banyuwangi , East Java . It ’ s famous for its crater and ‘ blue fire ’, which technically glows in the dark . I remember observing the blue lava with smoke coming out of the crater , and I thought , ‘ How do I put this on the menu ?’ So we made glow-in-the-dark manisan buah ( candied fruit ) and turned off the lights in the restaurant when we served it .”
A night at Namaaz is an atypical fine-dining experience . Food at their special Valentine ’ s dinner is theatrically brought out by cupids , while guests are always instructed to bring a raincoat with them .
“ There ’ s an icy dessert in Indonesia called es potong ( icy pop ). So we turned it into ‘ explo-tong ’. The dish literally explodes with chocolate chunks all over the room . We try to make our dishes relate to the guests , so they go home with smiles on their faces . We ’ re so proud of that .”
Nowadays , a night at this restaurant needs to be reserved around a month in advance . The menu changes at least once a year ,
Cooking is an art in itself , and these molecular techniques let me give an original , multisensory experience to guests .
in line with the current ‘ season ’. The next is ‘ cinema ’, aimed to give guests a theatrical experience . “ Or we might get Tom Cruise to come and cook ,” Andrian laughs .
Constantly seeking inspiration , Andrian is a regular traveller with Garuda Indonesia and has trips to Bali , Yogyakarta and the Middle East planned . “ Garuda Indonesia has opened lots of new routes recently , which lets me visit different parts of Indonesia all the time . Owning a restaurant means I have a tight schedule , so the timeliness of Garuda Indonesia ’ s services is really valuable for me . And , of course , it ’ s always nice to be greeted by friendly faces .”