Regarded by many as the coolest hub in town, @thesafehousejkt has always been on the frontier of good party and good food. Recently, the eatery launched two spectacular Vegan menus to everyone's surprise. The Buddha Bowl & Jack Bowl contain nutritious ingredients packed with yummy flavors and cater to those who crave for a different, healthier options.
We caught up with the genius behind it: Chef Teuku Yudi and asked him several questions regarding the new endeavors. Read the whole Q&A below and learned a thing or two about how he came up with these exciting dishes!
1) Hi, can you tell us more about yourself.
Hi! I'm Teuku Yudi. I've worked in several areas of culinary arts from fine-dining, gourmet, restaurants and kick-ass smoke houses in Jakarta. I have a big interest in the Indonesian archipelago cuisines.
2) What was the inspirations behind Safe House’s new Buddha & Jack Bowl?
theSAFEHOUSE lives by the words "party rough, eat clean". We've always started from there when it comes to enhancing new menu items. And my interest towards the Indonesian archipelago cuisine has brought the idea to give an eccentric twist towards our humbly yet famous "tempeh". Indonesian cuisine has always been known not for its techniques but its culture. There is a philosophy on every element of the Indonesian cuisine, which is part of the foundation of the Indonesian perception towards the way of living. Our highlight on the "Buddha Bowl" is the honesty of the dish: combinations of naked ingredients from our Bumi Pertiwi is like having a party in your mouth. Another thing I would like to highlight of Buddha Bowl is our House Made Barley Tempeh, where we process it by ourselves in the kitchen as we pass on the legacy of the local heritage.
Our "Jack in a Bowl", just like its name, is meant to be a surprise. We noticed that a lot of vegan options in the city make it too obvious that it's VEGAN. here at theSAFEHOUSE we would like to provide a different option for those who adopted the plant-based diet but still misses the sensation of tasty barbecue.
I went through deep research regarding it, reading many stated the impossibilities of making a vegan barbecue sauce and I wanted to proof the theories wrong. I studied each elements of barbecue sauce and substituted the elements and modified it until it turned out vegan-friendly. So far our customers have been satisfied with this finding of mine, and I am still waiting for someone to tell me otherwise. [Laughs]
3) In your opinion, what makes a good plant-based “pulled pork”?
What makes a good "plant-based anything" is the substitute for it. For us, it is crucial to pick the right condition jack fruit. It should be aged perfectly for its consistency, texture, and sweetness.
4) The Safehouse Jakarta has always been advanced in its menu strategy, what made you decide to launch two new vegan menus? And, can we expect more plant-based diet menus in the future?
Advanced is a big compliment, thank you! We decided to launch these vegan options because we would like to cater to customers who chose the vegan lifestyle. We would also like to contribute to the positive impact that this lifestyle provides.
Yes, you can expect more plant-based menus in the future. We started off with vegetarian menu items and I would definitely like to explore more on what I can create to enhance the new vegan menus.
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