If you count how many non-vegan restaurants serve vegan menus in Jakarta, you will come up short. Despite the rising trends, not all non-vegan restaurants accommodate their plant-based customers yet (Hello, Burger King Indonesia!), however, things work differently at Monty's Jakarta.
Nestled comfortably in Senopati area, Monty's has been the pioneer and one of the first high-end eateries to set up shop in the lux area. With its clean-cut interior and minimalist decor, the Scandinavian-inspired restaurant still has a strong presence and even upped the ante by offering a Smörgåsbord of Vegan dishes that we were lucky to try during our visit back in March. From delicious Vegan Brocolli Kale Soup, Vegetarian "Impossible" Dumplings, Impossible Cigars to Vegan Vegetable Lasagna and Swedish Style Impossible Meatballs - each of them are just impeccable and downright delicious. (Visit our Instagram page for the pictures)
When the COVID pandemic strikes, just like many restaurants, Monty's also suffers from the lock down, but the restaurant has recently opened its door again for customers - with safety precautions, of course - and even has new additions as seen on their Instagram page!
We had the chance to talk to the man behind Monty's Jakarta, Bogdan Vlase, who also owns Ivy Restaurant in Dharmawangsa - both are part of the Klabo Group. He shared about his decisions to add Vegan dishes, his own experience eating plant-based "Impossible Foods" meats, and the inspirations behind his new menus. Read the complete interview below!
How do you learn about Impossible Foods, the hottest plant-based substitutes?
I travel to the US frequently and I always try to dine in at different restaurants. During my visit in 2017, I realized many restaurants are serving plant-based menus. I remember going to the The Cheesecake Factory and ordered its Impossible Burgers, and after I took a bite, I called the waiter and told them “I’m sorry but you served me beef and I think you made a mistake”, they have to assured me repeatedly that what I ate was not real beef. [Laughs]
Then I started exploring other restaurants and plant-based meat products like Beyond Meat in the US. Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods are two different products. Impossible Foods comes in a big block, and Beyond Meat has pre-packages like sausages and burgers. However, Beyond Meat has a weird aftertaste for me and hence I leaned more on Impossible Foods.
What made you bring it over to Monty's?
My business partner, Klaus, is fully vegan for a while and we know that the vegan and plant-based communities are growing in Jakarta. So, we thought why not? As a pescatarian myself, I would love to be a vegan someday as I believe everyone should take their own time. Moreover, with the climate changes that affect the farm and cattle industry being a vegan nowadays isn't just following a trend, but also for environmental issues.
Is this why Monty's Jakarta is also environmental friendly?
Absolutely! We have stopped using plastic straws and use recycled papers for our menus. We are also working with Aqua Life - a new initiative by the brand where we will set up a drop box here that people can use to drop their plastic bottles (Aqua or not) and Aqua will recycle it for you. We truly believe that every little thing counts.
How do you come up with your vegan menus inspirations?
My chef and I take inspirations from everywhere, particularly from online and from the restaurants that I love, like the Crossroad Kitchen in LA. I loved dining there so much that I have even invited its legendary Chef Tal Ronnen to come here. Despite him not keen on travelling, I'm hoping to persuade him to come to Bali and maybe do a pop-up here in Monty’s. What I love about Chef Ronnen is his creativity in creating menus that despite using meat substitute products, he can also whipped up delicious and organic Vegan menus - something that I want to explore more.
I also like to bring over vegan recipe books to my chef and takes him along to try new dishes, and then we recreated our trial and errors in the kitchen. The same method is also applied over at Ivy Jakarta where we serve more vegan Indonesian menus, such as Vegan Rendang and Vegan Pizza that are completely organic without the use of faux meats.
How many vegan menus do you have at Monty's?
Right now, we have over six to eight menus at each outlet and hoping to grow it to 10.
What are the challenges in creating these menus?
It’s difficult to get fresh ingredients in Jakarta whether its vegan or non-vegan. Locally the vegetables are getting better, from Bali is even better. But, there are certain ingredients that are not available like vegan cheeses, vegan meats, etc. So our chef resorts to experiment with different types of nut-based vegan cheeses sourced from almonds. We can’t even get French cheeses and Italian wines with the embargo between Europe and Indonesia, so that's definitely add more challenges. [Laughs]
For the past five years, Monty's has managed to survive and flourished in the cutthroat F&B business. What are your secrets?
I think in the F&B business you need to always be aware of what's going on out there and should always able to "renew" your venture, be it by bringing guest chefs or changing up your menus once in a while because when the competition is high you need to step up your game, and frankly customers get bored easily these days so you need to get as creative as possible.
Another golden rules I follow came from the old saying: Good food, good drinks and good services. I believe that a friendly host is equally important to attract repeated customers because most of us will go back to the place that makes us feel at home and relax. This is why you will always find me often at Monty's, on the ground, making sure everything goes well. The passion of the owner also translates to the longevity of any restaurant.
So, what's the future like for you and for Monty's?
I am hoping to open another restaurant, perhaps a smaller one that focuses solely on Vegan menus. It's still undecided but that's on the horizon. I'm also hoping to bring in more guest chefs like Chef Marco Pier is scheduled to come back.
Meanwhile, we are also hoping to get more involved and doing environmental events, charity and try to give back as much as possible. In the past, we had been involved with organization like BOSF that helps free orangutans in Borneo, and perhaps we will do something like that again with charity and auctions to raise awareness and money to help with other environmental causes.
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