Jakarta

Jakarta's French restaurants cluster in South Jakarta: the Senopati and Gunawarman streets of Kebayoran Baru, the SCBD business district and the Sudirman–Thamrin corridor. Many open from breakfast to late and double as business-lunch and weekend-brunch spots. Indonesia has no Michelin Guide, so there are no stars to steer by.

AMUZ Gourmet Restaurant in SCBD offers French fine dining from Maître Cuisinier de France Gilles Marx in an art deco room. Alice by Tom Aikens at The Langham serves veal chop and bavette frites under a chandeliered arch. On Senopati, Pierre cooks entrecôte au poivre and profiteroles, and L'Entrecôte by Bouchon serves rib-eye with free-flow fries. Le Quartier on Gunawarman has been open since 2013, Le Comptoir in Plaza Indonesia serves steak frites and moules and Levant Boulangerie in Cipete is a family-friendly sourdough bakery.

Book for Friday and Saturday nights around Senopati. Weekday lunches are quieter, and AMUZ offers weekday bistro lunch sets from Rp350,000++. Smart casual works almost everywhere. Traffic is the main challenge; the MRT runs along Sudirman and Thamrin to Senayan and Blok M. Prices run from casual bakery meals to upscale hotel dining.