Smoked and grilled with calculated temperature and heat, deep-infused smoky flavours imparted from the use of natural wood, Meatsmith gets down to the meat of the matter. And to the excitement of the city’s meat-eaters and gourmands, the Singapore-based brand finally lands in Jakarta to bring its repertoire of woodfired American BBQ and dishes with confidence.
It’s a given from chef-owner Dave Pynt, who also helms the Michelin-starred Australian BBQ Burnt Ends, as he believes there’s magic that comes with cooking with fire and wood. The same can be said for his exploration of cooking techniques, flavours and cultures, which he translates into Meatsmith outlets, be it the one in Singapore’s Little India (which serves modern Indian barbeque), and now in Jakarta with special dishes and ingredients adapted to the Indonesian palate.
Settled in a comfortable spot in Gunawarman, the two-story establishment lends a space for its two main attractions. The ground floor is allocated for the more casual, grab-and-go Meatsmith Xpress, the brand’s online venture launched during the pandemic. The Jakarta outlet becomes its first brick-and-mortar, where customers can order its lineup of burgers and buffalo wings to-go or eat on the spot at its semi-outdoor space.
The second floor is where you’ll get the main essence of Meatsmith, where the interiors and atmosphere—rustic, masculine with modern touches—naturally click with its signature barbecued and smoked dishes, such as brisket, short ribs and burgers. By design, everything from the menu is smoked, utilising its Southern Pride smokers that the team brought from the U.S, while staple meats and ingredients are cooked over orange and apple-wood fire to get the best out of the smokiness and flavours.
So from starters like the Scotch Quail Eggs (smoked quail eggs with chicken sausage) and Beef Brisket Spring Rolls (brisket marmalade with BBQ aioli sauce), sides of Cornbread (layered with smoked butter and honey) to mains like the 12-hour Smoked Short Ribs (an exclusive menu served with sweet corn cheddar purée, watercress and pickled onion), expect the kitchen to take its time, for every detail within the process and technique simply don’t resort to shortcut and guests are well-reminded of that.
As the second international venture and fourth outlet overall, Meatsmith Jakarta wins the spacious location by comparison, further elevated with a full bar and wine cellar that curates international wine and spirit collections. But when it comes down to smoked and barbequed offerings, Meatsmith makes it count through experience and exploration of techniques and flavours, a state of mind and commitment that anyone can easily get behind.
