Poernomo and his family will launch KOI Melbourne on July 19. — The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi
When you walk into one of chef Reynold Poernomo’s restaurants in Australia and he happens to be there, don’t be surprised if he doesn’t look all too ... happy.
“I may look grumpy in my restaurant, or stern. But when I see people enjoy the food that we serve them, that makes me happy. I really enjoy seeing that,” he said in a one-on-one interview recently at The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi. Poernomo, 30, was on the island in June to conduct an exclusive masterclass session organised by the resort.
“When I’m asked to do a collaboration, the pitch is always something that’s perhaps not too creative. It’s usually ‘Hey can you come to the hotel, make something and we’ll sell it for three months?’.
“But this time it was a bit different. I was very surprised by the pitch from the resort. First of all, I get to go to Langkawi – I’ve never been here before though I’ve heard a lot about it, and Malaysia. At the same time I get to do a masterclass, creating an experience for guests, which I think was a nice touch,” said Poernomo.
The masterclass was part of Marriott Bonvoy Moments, which is only available to members of the international hotel brand’s rewards programme. This was Poernomo’s first collaboration with the resort, and his session saw the participation of 10 members (and a partner each), who were all attentively listening to the Indonesia-born chef’s every instruction.
They made “Legenda”, a beautiful creation featuring fresh roselle with blackberry gel, coconut vanilla mousse, gula melaka sable and sponge, and a mango gel. The name of the dessert was inspired by the island’s many legends, while the main ingredients focused on four local items – mango, coconut, roselle and gula melaka.
“The resort wanted me to utilise these four ingredients, and each one had its own distinct flavour. I thought to myself, ‘what can I do to make all these fit into one dessert?’.
“Now, my creativity is like ... it either comes immediately or it takes a very long time. For this, it took a while because I just had no inspiration as I was incredibly burnt out from work,” Poernomo revealed.
To clear his head, he took some time out, and the idea for Legenda simply “popped up”.
“Usually, I try to imagine what the dish is going to look like first. Then, I work on the textures, then the flavours. I’ve worked with all four ingredients before so it was just a matter of how to put them together,” he said.
Poernomo added that he used to draw his creations to make sure that the people he works with understand his ideas. “My chefs told me, ‘Please stop drawing, it doesn’t make sense’ ... and I went, ‘Alright, let me try to explain in words instead’,” he said, laughing and pretending to look dejected.
Poernomo's 'students' paying close attention during the masterclass. — The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi
Family circle
The Poernomo family moved to Sydney, Australia in 1999, and over the years they’ve managed to open up a handful of restaurants. Unfortunately, they’ve also had to close a few.
“When you have a family business, your whole family’s livelihood is on the line. There are times when it’s really tough or rough. But sometimes you just have to let things go,” said Poernomo.
These days, he and his eldest brother Ronald, as well as their mother Ike Malada, are busy running their main restaurant – KOI (“Kids Of Ike”) – in Sydney. A Melbourne outlet will open on July 19. At the time of the interview, Poernomo said that there was “still a lot to do” before the launch.
“It’s exciting but also maybe a little overwhelming for me because I have other commitments and have had to travel quite a bit. But KOI is something that we started together, and it will always be something that is bigger than me. It’s a brand on its own. Whether I’m there or not, it still runs and life goes on.
“My brother Ronald does all the back end of things for the main business, the management, payroll, etc. My mother creates most of the cakes in the central kitchen, while I take care of the city store in Sydney, but just on the creative side, which is the food,” Poernomo said.
Another brother, Arnold, moved back to Indonesia more than a decade ago to make a name for himself there; today he has restaurants in Jakarta, Bali and Surabaya. Arnold is also a judge on Masterchef Indonesia, a role he has played since 2013.
Poernomo himself was on the Australia edition of the reality-based cooking show, first participating in 2015, and then again in 2020. He was also on Dessert Masters, where he was crowned the first runner-up.
“My parents never encouraged me to get into F&B because they did it and they worked really long, hard hours. They were hardly home. They wanted me to be a doctor – it’s a typical Asian family kind of thing. But in the end, I think it’s just in our blood to get into food; it’s God’s gift to us and we need to utilise it,” Poernomo said.
Poernomo with the Legenda dessert during the masterclass at the resort. — Photos: MELODY L. GOH/The Star
Food first
A self-professed introvert, Poernomo shared that he mostly likes to keep to himself when he’s not working, though with his “sudden” fame, it’s no longer that easy to do.
“It’s fine when I have to meet people for work, but I like a quiet night in. I don’t like all the attention, which I know is weird to say since I was on TV, but really I just want people to be happy when they eat something I’ve made,” he said.
Though he is known as the “Dessert King” during his reality TV days – attributed to his talent for making every dish look gorgeous – Poernomo does not only make sweet desserts. With KOI Experiential, Poernomo creates special tasting menus, serving between 12 and 15 courses. Based on the pictures on its website, the dishes look just as beautifully crafted as his desserts on the shows.
Also on the website is a picture of a mushroom, or a dessert shaped like one. “I love mushrooms. People go like, ‘ugh, you put mushrooms in dessert?’. Well, you’d be surprised! I like working with porcini in particular. It has a unique flavour profile,” said Poernomo.
His least favourite ingredient is ... refreshing. “Vietnamese mint is my kryptonite. The smell and taste just make me gag. I don’t know why!”
Another thing that Poernomo will not attempt – for now, at least – is traditional cuisine. Having grown up in Sydney, he believes that he hasn’t had enough exposure to traditional or authentic Indonesian cuisine to make it himself.
The Legenda features four main local ingredients: Roselle, coconut, mango and gula melaka.
“I grew up in, in terms of culture, a pretty broken atmosphere. I didn’t stay in Indonesia long enough for me to learn a lot about my culture. Australia is a multicultural country and so I didn’t have many opportunities to understand my heritage and culture.
“I believe there is a right way and a very wrong way of approaching traditional food, and right now I just can’t do it. One can be inspired by it, though,” he shared.
Poernomo also revealed that he has his sights on branching out to Jakarta and Singapore – though not so soon.
“I want to do something in Singapore, but I feel like it’s not the right time yet. I have to be responsible about this as I will be investing not just my finances but my time, too.
“Jakarta is another place in which I want to build a presence. Hopefully I can make something happen there or Singapore or even Thailand – that would be the next chapter in my career. But it’s going to take time,” he revealed.
► Legenda (RM38) is available at Hai Yan restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi until September.
Poernomo and the pastry team at the resort. — The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi
