YOGYAKARTA Marriott Hotel, the first Marriott branded hotel in Indonesia, has opened in the heart of the cultural city, offering guests the opportunity to travel brilliantly by enjoying the superb dining opportunities, sophisticated spaces and experiences of a internationally branded hotel in the city where traditions meet modern life.
The hotel’s two restaurants, Yogyakarta Kitchen and Taman Sari Bar & Grill, offer a variety of Indonesian, Chinese, Western and International cuisine. The menus feature farm-to-table produce showcasing the best of Indonesian organic farming coupled with the highest quality imported ingredients. The talented culinary team, led by Executive Chef Kamal Setiawan, presents the finest cuisine crafted with an authentic, personal touch guaranteed to please the most discerning of palates.
Hailing from Jakarta, Chef Kamal brings a wealth of international experience to Yogyakarta Marriott Hotel, as well as a deep love and understanding of local cuisine. The philosophy behind his menus is to present traditional Javanese dishes with a modern twist, and an emphasis on local dishes prepared with the freshest local ingredients. Chef Kamal works closely with all of his suppliers to ensure that the produce used is sustainable. The seafood used in the hotel’s restaurants is bought at the Pantai Depok area in Yogyakarta, with herbs and vegetables from the Kopeng area, near Merbabu Mountain.
“What we love is introducing local ingredients cooked with traditional techniques, with dishes such as kambing guling (goat grilled with herbs and spices), gudeg (made from jack fruit stewed for several hours with palm sugar and coconut milk) and tongseng (a stew with meat, sweet soy sauce, coconut milk, shredded cabbage and tomatoes). We honour traditional flavours with our locally inspired dishes as well as add some local flair to dishes from elsewhere,” said Kamal Setiawan, Executive Chef at Yogyakarta Marriott Hotel. “It is important to me that our food is as healthy as possible, so we use the best local and imported ingredients to present our own versions of local favourite cuisine.”
Yogyakarta Kitchen – Bright, bold and upbeat, Yogyakarta Kitchen all-day dining restaurant captivates food lovers with its engaging open-theatre kitchens. Here, guests can enjoy a vast and sumptuous buffet of local and international favorites or order from the à la carte menu.
Chef Kamal recommends the Bebek Goreng Sleman – duck leg prepared sous vide and then deep fried with Indonesian spices and served with pandan wangi rice (rice from Yogyakarta area), Indonesian herb salad (urap), rempeyek crackers and sambal matah. Originally from Sleman city in the special region of Yogyakarta, the Yogyakarta Kitchen chefs introduced the sous vide method to the traditional recipe to ensure the duck remains juicy. In the villages, people eat this dish by hand in the villages with hot rice and it can be found at street food vendors throughout the region.
Taman Sari Bar & Grill – The team at Taman Sari Bar & Grill works to capture the flavor of quality grilled meat and more. Steaks are hand-cut, well seasoned and carefully prepared. Salads are freshly made and desserts are simply luscious. This modern restaurant is named after historical Taman Sari, a former royal garden of the Sultanate of Yogyakarta, and features an open fire pizza oven, specializing in Mediterranean fare as well as local favourites. The chic, yet casual dining spot also offers an inviting outdoor seating area that showcases the sights and sounds of Yogyakarta.
A great example of Chef Kamal’s fusion style is the Gudeg Pizza where traditional pizza ingredients are combined with local flavours and ingredients with unexpected and delicious results. Chef Kamal recommends the Kambing Guling – locally produced lamb shoulder, marinated in Indonesian spices, served with rice cake (Lontong) and Indonesian sambal colo colo. This sambal is made from shallots, chili, tomato, lime leaf and juice, with the addition of sweet soya sauce to cater to the Yogyakarta love of sweetness.
The hotel’s 347 guest rooms and suites feature Marriott Modern styled decor with Javanese-inspired accents and inviting views of the pools or city, complemented with premium amenities, marble bathrooms, and 24-hour room service; whilst Suites and Club Rooms offer exclusive access to the M-Club, the largest club lounge in town. Guests can unwind in the Exercise Room, Quan Spa and outdoor pools. For shoppers, the hotel is conveniently attached to the largest mall in the city, whilst business travellers can stay connected with free Wi-Fi and convenient workstations. Several meeting rooms and pre-function areas are available to host business meetings and intimate events and the 1,870m2 pillar-less ballroom is the largest in the city.
