31st January 2010: Wahono Saputra was on a trip to Singapore with his wife, Sally Dewi Mulyadi Tan, a few years ago when they saw chefs at a restaurant prepare the dish in such a way that it burst into flames. The preparation was done in front of the guests. He was intrigued by this, and he and his wife both fell in love with the first dish, later deciding to open their first franchise in Jakarta, which they called the Manhattan Fish Market.
Food enthusiasts in Jakarta can now also watch their dishes get the flamb* treatment at the restaurant. But the flaming attraction aside, people visit the restaurant principally for the food. Here, the restaurant offers an array of dishes that include starters and appetizers, soups, salads, Manhattan Favorites, pastas and classic choices, house platters and combos, Strictly for Sharing, sides and Sweet Ocean.
To begin the fish exploration at the Manhattan Fish Market, the starters and appetizers offer up, among others, Garlic Herb Mussels (poached mussels in a creamy garlic herb sauce), while the Manhattan Favorites includes the Grilled Catch of the Day, usually dory. Strictly for Sharing consists of really big meals such as the Manhattan Seafood Platter for Two or the Giant Flaming Whole Lobster; Sweet Ocean is the dessert selection, which includes the Manhattan Mud Pie. The most popular item on the menu in the Manhattan Seafood Platter for Two, and it's easy to guess why. Served flamb* in front of the guests, the meal is a delicious combination of fried oysters, calamari, dory and prawns, with garlic rice or French fries.
The oysters are sprinkled with lemon juice before being fried, and the prawns get a layer of mayonnaise and sugar that caramelizes after the flamb*, so the dish offers up a juicy and sweet treat big enough for two to enjoy (or one if you've skipped breakfast). Wahono says he imports most of the ingredients, such as the mussels from New Zealand and salmon from Norway, because he wants the best quality. "We also import the dory from Vietnam because they come in the right size, between 170 and 200 grams each, and taste fresh, without the slightest taste of earth," he says.
He adds the Manhattan Fish Market also offers Indonesian dishes, such as boneless bandeng (milkfish), which is wrapped in aluminum foil, sprayed with sauce and grilled. There is also the kerapu (grouper), which is cut into a butterfly shape, deep-fried and served with sauce. "We can print the new dishes on the menu, but we have to consult first with the license holder, because we want to maintain quality and taste," Wahono says. The dishes go for between Rp 50,000 (for the garlic herb soup) and Rp 399,000 (for a 3-kilogram lobster). The beverages, such as Coke and Sprite, are a bit on the pricey side at Rp 19,000 each, but Wahono points out they are free-flow.
The Manhattan Fish Market is one of the few food franchise opportunities that have been performing well. The Manhattan Fish Market is a Singapore-based seafood restaurant that specializes in American-style seafood. Opened in November 2002, it now has 38 outlets in five countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. As the name implies, the restaurant is inspired by the fish market on Fulton Street under the Brooklyn Bridge, where the finest and freshest seafood are put on offer. With Manhattan as the theme, the interior decoration features a picture of the Brooklyn Bridge and old maps of Manhattan on the tables. Wahono says he has committed with the license owners to open six new outlets within 56 months. He plans to find new premises for the second and third outlets. "We want to focus our business development in Jakarta for now," he says.
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