Molecular Gastronomy of Indonesian Cuisine at Namaaz Dining

I was reading about the Omakase trend in Jakarta and stumbled upon Namaaz Dining’s molecular gastromony dining experience.

I looked it up and added it to my to-do list, but I kept pushing it back—there were just too many things to miss out on. Somehow, this time, I miraculously managed to book a table for two. Because fine dining alone just seems too sad, even for me.

Next, I needed to find my plus one. After Fafa, Amma was my second choice. When I floated the idea to her, she suggested I take another friend instead. “But you are my friend,” I whined. That, plus the fact that I was paying, eventually made her agree.

On the day of the dinner, I failed to skip lunch (because how could I say no to Amma’s cooking?). I wore my best outfit—a sparkly dress—and embarked on the journey to Namaaz Dining.

The journey, which I thought would take 37 minutes, ended up taking 135 minutes instead—thanks to Jakarta traffic. We were an hour late for the meal. I was beside myself. (I’ll tell you about Jakarta traffic another time.) Eventually, we arrived at a place that looked like a fancy rich people’s house in South Jakarta.

We went inside. I apologized profusely for our extreme tardiness, and we were asked to sit in the entrance area.

Namaaz Dining The Entree

Soon after, the first dish arrived. But before I continue, let me just say—Namaaz Dining doesn’t always get glowing reviews online. They could have taken the time to explain the concept upfront instead of assuming everyone already knew what was going on.

Karedok

Anyway, the first dish was karedok, served to look like a plant.

Amma immediately refused to eat it. I ate both portions, reminding myself to brace for a long night. It was delicious.

Lumpia Semarang

As we were talking, the second dish arrived—Lumpia Semarang, beautifully presented on a slab of wood and tasting just as exquisite.

At this point, I had to ask, “Are we eating all our courses here at the entrance?” I was so confused. But not we are not, soon after we are invited to the mid section where a table full of Indonesian traditional ingredients are laied out, I guess if we were white, they would have explain what is ginger and nutmeg and catfish with us, instead we were just left there, standing for a while, weird situation. until they server came to regret us, which is also weird.

Kuyit Putih “Sashimi”

She then brought out a plate of sashimi, and my Amma immediately said, “I don’t eat sushi” (yeah, I know; the trauma of finding a non-sushi place in Japan with her the year before is still fresh in my memory) and I thought to myself, “This is going to be a long night.”

But the waiter was kind enough to remind her that what she saw wasn’t what she’d be eating and that it had nothing to do with fish. She was right because it was watermelon! It was fun, and I’m slowly starting to like this place.

Next, we were invited to the main dining area, where we were joined by two other couples and a group of Malaysians.

The room was poorly decorated and lit, and I couldn’t help but wonder why. We were seated near the window, so at least I was thankful for that.

What You See is Not What You Eat in Namaaz Dining

Kacang Sukro

The first thing that arrived when we were seated in the main dining area was a tool with Sukro peanuts from Surabaya.

At first, both of us were like, “Nah, we’re not playing this; we’re adults.” But after being left alone and deducing that they might not bring the next dish if we didn’t finish this one, we gave it a try, attempting to catch the peanuts with our mouths. Amma ended up getting more than I did.

Mie Celor

I’d argue that the Mie Celor (Blanched Noodle) was the most innovative dish of the night. The use of a piping bag (given to us) to make miniature noodles was fun and creative.

It was delicious, and I could’ve had more of it—so could Amma! Traditionally, the noodle dish is served in a coconut milk and shrimp-based broth. It’s a specialty of Palembang, a city in South Sumatra. The dish also comes with Pilus (fried crispy dough), which added to the fun and texture.

Udang Tahu Gimbal

Udang Gimbal is a dish that originated from Semarang, a city in Central Java. This Namaaz Dining version also features succulent prawns and tofu, served with a savory and slightly spicy sauce.

It’s a perfect combination of textures—crispy on the outside yet tender on the inside. It was one of Amma’s favorites of the night, and she couldn’t stop talking about how delicious the prawns were, perfectly paired with the soft tofu. The flavors were bold and satisfying, even though it was just essentially a spoon for each of us.

Ayam Kodok

The Namaaz Dining’s Indonesian food experience was expanded when they served Ayam Kodok. Ayam Kodok, the real version, is a stuffed roasted chicken dish often served during Christmas, originating from the Dutch, which must have been adopted during their colonization period.

I had never had Ayam Kodok before, for obvious reasons—our family doesn’t typically celebrate Christmas, and when we visit my only Christian cousin’s house, her mom, who is Indian and an excellent cook, always serves us the most delicious Indian food, so Ayam Kodok never had a chance.

Back to our Ayam Kodok for the night, it was served in the shape of a frog (Kodok means frog in Bahasa), which was cute, on a bed of smashed fried potato, Perkedel. And it tasted good as well.

Bubur Balendrang

Our next dish was Bubur Blendarang, a dish originating from Magelang, East Java.

Honestly, I had never had Bubur Blendarang before, but I’m pretty sure it’s not usually served as a bite-sized snack topped with fish eggs. It took a lot of convincing for Amma to even consider trying it, but she ended up passing—so I gulped down hers and mine. No complaints; give me more!

Kambing Itam

The next dish came with a riddle—something like “the most hated by the family,” though I can’t quite remember the exact words. Whatever it was, no one at our table guessed it right. The answer? Kambing Hitam—the black sheep.

It was served with potato starch and a butter sauce. I want to believe this was meant to be served like a rendang (due to the dark color of the dish), so I’d argue it might be from Minang, West Sumatra.

The presentation was beautiful, and the sauce was delicious, but the goat (kambing means goat in Bahasa, not sheep) was incredibly tough—so hard to chew that we ended up telling the waiter when they asked for feedback.

Nasi Padang

The most unassuming dish came in the size of my thumb—a whole lot of Nasi Padang Cakalang in miniature. Nasi Padang originated from Padang in West Indonesia.

Nasi Padang is arguably one of Indonesia’s most iconic dishes, known internationally and perhaps the most loved locally. Usually, after eating a full portion, you’re ready for a snooze—so to be served a tiny version was just delightful. Despite the size, it was packed with flavor: a bit of rice, a bit of tuna, and a bit of cassava curry. Delicious—I could easily eat ten of those.

Bebek Madura

The next dish is from Madura, an island off the northeastern coast of Java. It’s an island I have been keen to visit someday.

Bebek Madura, the most iconic dish from Madura, was easily one of the most beautiful dishes of the night. It looked like a flower—made of carrots and some kind of purple vegetable—with the duck meat hidden underneath.

Ikan Bakar Taliwang

The last main dish we had was Ikan Bakar Taliwang. Taliwang was a kingdom located in Lombok (Bali’s neighbor). I’ve had Ayam Bakar Taliwang before—it’s pretty famous, and chances are you’ve heard of it too—but never the fish version. Though, I’m not even sure this counts as the fish version because I only got a string of it.

It was good—delicious and slightly fishy, which I didn’t mind. Amma, on the other hand, did mind… but still ate the whole thing while complaining.

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For dessert, we were invited to go upstairs—our third location change of the evening. This really didn’t sit well with me. I’ve decided I don’t like moving around when I eat in a restaurant. But then again, I had to remind myself: I didn’t come here for a usual dining experience.

Meanwhile, Amma pointed out that they should mention on the website that climbing stairs is required—“What if it’s an elderly person?” she said. And honestly, she had a point.

Another thing—the place, especially the second floor, wasn’t well decorated. I know I’m nitpicking here, but it just didn’t have a restaurant ambiance. It was weirdly lit, the seating was poorly arranged, and it kind of felt like we were in a TSA interrogation room. I didn’t like it one bit, and I could sense neither did Amma.

Namaaz Dessert

Pisang Madu

Thankfully, the first dessert almost made up for all the discomfort. It was Pisang Madu (Banana Fritters), a classic rainy day snack that originated in Jakarta. It’s one of the staples on the menu whenever Amma throws a kitty party at home.

This time, it was served in the form of a bee—very fitting and super cute—resting on a bed of Keripik, the typical banana crisps found all over Indonesia. 10/10.

Es Podeng

Our next dessert took the most dramatic route—exploding Es Podeng, they called it. We were handed full-on raincoats. Apparently, it was supposed to be served outside, but because of the actual rain, they decided to do it indoors and warned us to be careful—it will explode.

I don’t know why, maybe because I had read about it beforehand, but I found the dramatic novelty a bit cumbersome. It felt like too much. Then again, maybe we were just tired. It was a workday; I had been up since 4 AM, and by now, it was close to 10 PM. The last thing I wanted was to wear a raincoat and convince my equally exhausted Amma to put one on, too. But we did it anyway.

Originally from Jakarta, Es Podeng is a well-loved traditional dessert. “Podeng” is the Betawi dialect for serut, which means shaved ice—usually served with fruits, jelly, syrup, and sugar toppings. It’s basically the old-school Indonesian version of Korean Bingsu.

They came out with an ice sandwich, poured some milk, and the mystery item—and boom, it exploded all over us. The raincoat? An absolute must. Then we ate it.

“Is it nice?” I asked Amma.
“It’s cold,” she complained.
Well… it is ice, I thought—but decided to keep my mouth shut.

Indomie Ice Cream

When I was working at a food manufacturing company in Jakarta, one of my jobs was to work with the Sales team to come up with ideas to boost sales. And let me tell you, some of the ideas people put forward were downright diabolical—like ice cream chili sauce, chocolate chili sauce, and even chili Coca-Cola. (I didn’t work for Coca-Cola, by the way—I worked for a chili sauce company).

The next dish served in Namaaz Dining totally reminded me of those days.

Blur AF picture aside, this might’ve been my favorite dish of the night. Yeah, I know it looks like basic B vanilla ice cream (and I am a fan of basic B vanilla ice cream), but this wasn’t that. It was Indomie-flavored vanilla ice cream. More than just acceptable—it was delicious. And the novelty hit even harder because I’d just had instant noodle sushi the month before.

Es Lilin

Another favorite is Es Lilin, the Indonesian version of ice lollies, originating from wartime Bandung. Traditionally made from coconut water, sugar, and at times mung beans (Amma’s fave). It was served as a lit candle (The literal translation of es lilin is ice candle), which was just utterly delightful. It’s mango wrapped in a thin layer of watermelon. It was magic; it tasted quite magical. And Amma loved it, too

Popcorn Grapes

Now, after the last two fun desserts, the next was a bit of hu?

I am sure the chef had something in mind, but we weren’t told what it was meant to be. It looked like sliced grapes with popcorn on top and tasted like grapes… maybe watermelon? I still don’t know. Maybe the reason I don’t remember it is that it didn’t have a long-lasting effect, unlike the last one on the menu. Should I email them to get more content on this served-on alien disc-looking dish?

STMJ

Our final dish is STMJ, a traditional health drink made with Susu (milk), Telur (egg), Madu (honey), and Jahe (ginger). Originally from Malang, a cultural city in East Java, the concoction will take some palate adjusting to like, but it’s comforting and best during the rainy season.

When the server cracked the “egg” in front of us, Amma immediately said nope.

I was full, sleepy, and ready to go home (hopefully with less traffic), so I didn’t try to convince her; I just offered to eat her portion.

The egg yolk turned out to be pudding; it also got vanilla ice cream and black glutinous rice—her fave. She gave it a shot after I told her—couldn’t get past the yolk-looking bit, though. But it was good.

A really good end to the night.

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Before I came, I read mixed reviews about Namaaz Dining. And I kinda agree.

The food, variety, and surprises were excellent. My favorite part was how they showcased different regions of Indonesia. The only place that’s done it better? Nusantara in Bali.

But the flow of the night, the pacing, and the disjointed movement between rooms made the experience feel a bit draggy.

Would I return? Maybe if Fafa wants to try it, but I gotta warn him about being patient with the waiting time, that, along with possible 2-hour traffic and no alcohol – I can already hear him refusing to come. What do you say, Fa?

Namaaz Dining: Jl. Brawijaya VIII No.6A, Pulo, Kec. Kby. Baru, Kota Jakarta Selatan, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 12160, Indonesia.

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