It is difficult not to be curious when a new restaurant opens with an unusual name and a well known movie actress in the kitchen.

Text by Erza S.T.
Photo by Ramadhan

Hidden in the City Plaza building, where the famous Blowfish club resides, Negev is the latest project of the company who brought us The Harvest cake shop chain. Negev is the Hebrew word for the mountainous, dry desert region of southern Israel, and this is where my confusion started since neither the food nor the ambience in the restaurant actually carries a desert theme.

Contrary to its name, this open-concept restaurant has adopted a contemporary, sleek and eclectic design with accents coming from various artworks including ethnic Indonesian and contemporary artworks made by Indonesian artist I Nyoman Nuarta, and though there is no correlation between the name and concept, the overall feeling is actually quite lovely, especially at night.

Food-wise, Negev’s menu is extensive and reflects an international taste with some local flavour infusions created by talented Chef Chandra Yudasswara. Leaning towards high-end pricing, on the menu you can find the usual suspects such as pizza, pasta and sandwiches that are offered with some impressive grilled items. From our two visits there, we were impressed with the sharing menu for two people such as the black pepper prawns and sea scallops, or their modern take on a Sri Lankan classic prawn and fish curry served with Basmati rice. Both dishes came in generous portions which were enough for more than just two.

Negev captures the eclectic spirit of East and West and presents it with a modern approach.

At a glance, Negev seems like just another new and well-decorated upmarket dining location, but this opinion is not entirely correct. Aside from the good food, Negev also offers an array of desserts that are simply mind blowing. Selections like Negev chocolate bar or chilled chocolate parfait arrived with such perfection and finesse, backed up by a stunning artistic visual appearance. Created by French pastry chef Eric Gouteyron, the desserts in Negev bring kudos to Harvest’s reputation as a cake shop.

“Created by French pastry chef Eric Gouteyron, the desserts in Negev bring kudos to Harvest’s reputation as a cake shop.”

From the look of it, Negev seems to have quite a dream team in place to make the restaurant shine. Aside from those two talented chefs previously mentioned, Negev also has Daniel Alexander, an English-based mixologist, and a celebrity-turned-chef, Tamara Bleszynski. The beautiful movie star is part of Negev’s kitchen and has created two of her own signature dishes on the menu. Unfortunately, she wasn’t present when we visited the restaurant, as she only works dinner service on weekdays.

In the end, despite it’s odd name, Negev is a great addition to the Jakarta culinary landscape. Negev Jakarta might not be a hilly desert region like in Israel, but it is a des(s)ert heaven that you just can’t afford to miss.

Negev
City Plaza Building – Ground Floor
Jl. Gatot Subroto No. 42
Jakarta
Phone: +62 21 5297 1333
www.negevresto.com

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