Tucked beneath the cacophony of Blok M Bus Terminal, SU MA’s unassuming white façade and minimalist Japandi interior feel like stepping into a zen garden where Jakarta’s sensory overload quietly dissolves. Its presence reflects the city’s enduring juxtaposition and many contradictions.
For the past three years, SU MA has quietly carved its place within Jakarta’s fine dining dining landscape with its unique East Asian culinary traditions, particularly those of China and Korea. Most recently, Executive Chef Ryan Kim is now joined with Brandon Chen, who together, presented SU MA’s latest 11 course degustation menu titled Volume 6: Passage that represents SU MA’s ongoing evolution, beyond seasons.
Both of the young chefs, who were traditionally french-trained at Le Cordon Bleu, bring their own distinct flavors; coming from Chef Brandon’s Chinese Malaysian background and Chef Ryan’s South Korean lineage. “At SU MA, we are not trying to recreate tradition exactly as it was, nor are we trying to move away from it. Through fermentation, seasonality, and thoughtful technique, we aim to create experiences that feel both familiar and new,” says Chef Brandon.
While seemingly otherworldly and completely foreign, the chefs had the complete freedom to take the best out of East Asian culinary traditions, tracing the similarities between traditions that result in lightness and depth, familiarity and discovery. There are some molecular gastronomy techniques sprinkled here and there, but most of the SU MA’s strength relies on their full grasp of flavors.
In one of his desserts, for example, Chef Ryan serves Korean Pear granita that sits lightly on a layer of Jiuniang, a Chinese fermented rice that will remind Indonesians to the local version of rice tape. Elsewhere, the use of andaliman pepper in a seemingly delicate dish of bluefin tuna bathed in kimchi juice jolts the palate out of its comfort zone, its signature tingle making an impression from the very first bite.
The chefs also don’t shy away from cranking up the heat when necessary; the little dollop of fermented chili sauce looks unassuming but it packs a fiery punch for a decadent wagyu charsiu.
As SU MA continues to evolve, each volume serves as a passage between past and future,
honoring traditions while embracing new perspectives. Guided by the vision of Chef Brendon Chen and Chef Ryan Kim, the restaurant remains committed to creating experiences that are thoughtful, immersive, and grounded in care.
@sumajakarta
Jl. Sultan Hasanudin No. 74,
Jakarta Selatan 12160
