JP/19/SCUSA
JP/19/SCUSA
No excuses needed for Scusa Sunday brunch
Jim Read The Jakarta Post Jakarta
What's in a name? Quite a lot, by all accounts.
While taxi drivers may struggle to pinpoint your destination when you ask to be taken to the Hotel InterContinental MidPlaza -- formerly the Kempinski -- Scusa, the eatery that nestles within, has already made its mark on the foodie map of Italian restaurants in Jakarta, amid some stiff competition.
Scusa, which means "excuse" or "pretext" in Italian, opened in January 2003, and is now pulling in the crowds regularly for three packages designed with specific target markets in mind.
Busy office workers with only an hour to spare can enjoy a three-course set lunch with a guaranteed 45-minute service time; a spa treatment/light lunch combo is just the ticket for ladies of leisure; and just about anyone else can enjoy good Mediterranean fare served in chic surroundings.
If you have already experienced the high-tech ambience at C's seafood-steakhouse at Grand Hyatt Jakarta, then Scusa, with its open kitchen of gleaming stainless steel and sparkling glass, will be comfortable territory.
Its designer, Yasuhiro Koichi from Spin Studio, Tokyo, worked previously for Super Potato, which produced C's, and has successfully created a modern, fresh -- yet elegant -- 90-seat restaurant-cum-bar, with a dance area thrown in, too.
Italian chef de cuisine Luca Pezzera was brought in specially to oversee food preparation at Scusa. Having worked at Emirates Towers Hotel Dubai, and with food and beverage experience in Jordan, Switzerland, Scotland and Italy, Luca has created a menu that combines the finest of Mediterranean ingredients and imported Australian seafood, in a very attractive presentation.
The Southern Italian brunch at Scusa is full of healthy dishes, and is unusual in that appetizers and desserts are offered buffet-style, while main courses may be selected a la carte.
In addition to Luca's signature walnut and feta cheese brown bread and tapenade, a spread made from olives and olive oil, appetizers include Canadian oysters with tomato salsa, a wide variety of salads brimming with Mediterranean vegetables, and Caesar salad, with Parmesan cheese shaved from a huge, bowl- shaped block by the guests themselves.
Main courses include oven-baked fresh lobster with Italian herb crust, sauteed spinach and preserved Roma tomato, in which the straightforward flavor of the vegetables provides the perfect foil for the richness of the seafood -- and risotto with porcini mushrooms, fontina cheese and pan-seared foie gras.
Pasta is, of course, made on the premises and cooked to al dente perfection -- no mean feat when 30 or more customers could be ordering pasta at different times.
Brunch includes red and white wines -- De Bortoli 3R's Shiraz Cabernet 2003 and 3R's Semillon Chardonnay 2002 -- both of which are easy on the palate and complement the food. Free-flow French champagne is available at an extra charge.
Many Scusa guests may show up late in the evening for the bar, lounge or dance floor, where a live band plays jazz on Friday or Saturday evenings. Private rooms on the mezzanine floor are ideal for private parties or business meetings, to be followed immediately by the Scusa dining experience.
Jakarta is infamous for the fickleness of its diners and drinkers, constantly in search of a new and exciting venue.
Scusa is very versatile, catering for all -- couples or groups, the young or not-so-young -- and you certainly won't need an excuse to go there.
Scusa Restaurant and Bar Hotel InterContinental MidPlaza 2nd fl. Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav 10-11 Jakarta 10220. tel. 2510888; fax. 2511777; e-mail jakarta@interconti.com.
* Sunday brunch Rp 185,000++ per person, Rp 375,000++ with free-flow champagne; * weekday express lunch Rp 75,000++ per person * Wellness Centre & Spa and Scusa lunch Rp 165,000++ per person.