Namaaz Dining is a brainchild of Andrian Ishak, a self-taught individual. Fuelled by deep passion and insatiable curiosity, he employs scientific methods to craft innovative twists on classic recipes and unconventional culinary combinations, resulting in the establishment of Namaaz Dining, Indonesia’s first molecular gastronomy restaurant. It is one of those once in a lifetime type of dining experiences, so if and when you visit come prepared to be left satisfied and more importantly wowed. They are open for 3 hours only every single day and you have to book a table. There is only one available time slot so if you plan to go, reserve your spot well in advance.
The experience is 17 courses of innovative, inventive, creative and sometimes crazy versions of Indonesian classic dishes. I love how they have combined traditional with modern and absolutely genius. The courses do change over time, so you may not get the same dishes as us. Not knowing the menu is part of the thrill and experience of this place. So, in this post I’ll showcase the photos of some of the dishes and a little something about the experience too. I don’t want to ruin the surprise element, which is a huge part of the experience.
Read more here.
The booking process
So, you need to book your slot online on their website in advance of attending. I don’t think you can just show up as they need to prepare a set amount for a set number of people. And the only slot you can book is 7 pm. They open at 7 and close at 10 everyday. So, plan accordingly. You have to make the payment online (about £60 per person, which is very reasonable by our standards, but very expensive for Indonesia). Unfortunately, I couldn’t transfer the money over because Barclays doesn’t have Indonesia as one of the foreign countries on their app. So, I contacted them via email and they allowed me to pay on the day. We actually arrived quite late because of traffic (mad traffic this particular evening): about 15 minutes late, but thankfully they let us in and actually just saved up the courses to give to us together when we came. So, everyone was on course number 4 and when we arrived we were given all the first four courses together.
The food
The food is Indonesian dishes but with wacky innovative and bordering crazy twists. The Indonesian cuisine is so complex and there is such a variety we didn’t actually recognise most of the dishes served to us with exception of one or two.
17 courses
As each course comes out there is a server who will come and explain what it is and how to consume it. So, you know exactly what you’re eating. From what I recall, the final three courses were dessert. With so many courses, you’ll definitely find something you like and you’ll be discussing all evening which you preferred over which and why.
The theatre
This is what truly makes the experience. Every single course has an element of surprise to it. You’re sitting there waiting in excitement and anticipation as to what is coming next. And each and every course did not disappoint. There’s surprises, there’s twists and there is drama. You’ll be oohing and aahing and laughing and frowning all at the same time!
Getting there:
Google Maps Location link: click here
