Both the Aprez Café at Pakubuwono Residence and at Energy Building serve western and Asian dishes to their patrons. The two are sister companies of AMUZ Gourmet Restaurant founded by Chef Gilles Marx. Apart from their stomach-satisfying food, Aprez Cafés also boast luxurious design that pleases the eye.
From a visitor’s point-of-view, off-white and black colours are visible in almost every corner of the warmly lit Aprez Café located at Pakubuwono Residence. The design also incorporates plenty of marble material seen on the floor, walls and tables. Stepping out to the outdoor area, there are a few sofas and chairs located beside a pool and sheltered by trees, this set-up creates a relaxed and comfortable ambiance for diners who want to enjoy their meal while enjoying the natural breeze.
Hans Susantio of Vindate Interior & Architecture is the mastermind behind the overall design of Aprez Cafe at Pakubuwono as well as the one at Energy Building. Hans tells us that the design project for the Pakubuwono location started around three years ago.
“It took me around three to four months to finish only the design,” he recalls.
For this project, the first thing that he studied was the environment of the Residence. The design of Pakubuwono Residence is inspired by the 1950’s Art Deco history and this is what Hans wanted to highlight in Aprez Cafe’s design. “Instead of presenting a contrasting design (with the Residence), I wanted the cafe to blend in with the surrounding,” tells Hans, who also happens to be a fan of Art Deco.
“It’s more towards Neo-Art Deco actually, the modern version of Art Deco, so it’s glamorous, modern yet you can still feel the Art Deco style when you’re there,” he adds.
There was, however, a bit of a challenge that he faced when conducting the project. Hans couldn’t change the flooring and had to reuse existing onyx material. Moreover, he also had to find solutions for the ceilings that were over 10 years old.
“It has to be very comfortable and feel luxurious because Pakubuwono Residence is a well-known luxury apartment in Jakarta,” explains Hans. “Aprez also needs to live up to that standard as it is a part of AMUZ, a fine dining restaurant.”
If the Pakubuwono location is targeted for residents, the newer one at Energy Building is suitable for office workers. Located on the mezzanine floor of the building, the place was previously called Energy Café. Following a renovation, they renamed it to Aprez Café and re-opened it a few months ago.
Led and engineered passionately by Stefu Santoso, the President of Association Culinary Professional, under Gilles Marx supervision, Aprez serves everyday warm comfort food for daily consumption at a higher level of experience. The café serves Indonesian fare, other Asian cuisines and western food for the buffet available from noon until 2:30 p.m. The menu changes daily depending on the chef and the availability of ingredients in any particular day. For an affordable price, visitors can enjoy a wide range of delicacies ranging from lasagna, sushi, salad, noodles and regional Indonesian food such as sop konro, a traditional beef soup from Makassar, South Sulawesi.
Outside the buffet hours, patrons can order from the a la carte menu consisting of Indonesian food such as soto sumsum and nasi ayam bali (two popular dishes from the menu) and international dishes. such as steak and pasta.
When asked about the design of Aprez Cafe at the Energy Building, Hans says that it also has Art Deco style but a simpler one, “One concrete example is the use of olive green colour for the chairs in both places. It’s the same colour but with different designs and materials,” Hans explains.
“Office goers don’t have that much time to eat their meals, so I had to figure out how to welcome a lot of people during the same time period, which is why the sizes (of the furniture) are smaller than the ones at Pakubuwono,” he concludes.
For Reservation:
APREZ Cafe
Energy Building MZ Floor,
Jl. Jend. Sudirman kav. 52 - 53, SCBD,
Jakarta, 12190 Indonesia
T: +62 21 29951406