The wait is OVER. Let me introduce you to "The Melting Pot", the world's famous fondue restaurant from USA has officially opened its very first branch in Asia Pasific, at Plaza Senayan - Jakarta since the grand opening on 25th of March 2015! Unfortunately, I couldn't come on the grand opening day and finally few days ago, I got a chance to pay them a visit. As you can see from the picture above, there's a reflection of Applebee's logo on the mirror, and yes, The Melting Pot is located exactly besides of Applebee's. From the entrance, no doubt this is such a classy yet elegant restaurant!

Until now, The Melting Pot has more than 130 restaurants in North America, Canada, and Mexico. And Jakarta should be proud to have the very first branch across Asia Pacific.

Blackberry Sage Lemonade (45k).  A signature and delicious blend of lemonade, blackberry, and sage. This mocktail tastes so refreshing despite its sourness. Perfect for the hot weather!

Yin & Yang Martini (45k). The most eye-catching mocktail so far! FYI, it's available in cocktail version too. Basically, Yin & Yang Martini is a mixture of white chocolate and vanilla, blended with ice cream and topped with chocolate shavings. I have to tell you this is my FAVORITE! The taste was very nice, light, and I bet everyone will like it! 

INTRODUCTION TO FONDUE

The Melting Pot is a FONDUE restaurant, so everything's here is all about FONDUE!

Fondue, in Oxford Dictionary literally means; a dish in which small pieces of food are dipped into a hot sauce or a hot cooking medium such as oil or broth. At The Melting Pot, they have made fondue to become an exciting and interactive dining experience. They define fondue as a unique experience, called "the fondue effect", a culinary adventure that creates memorable moments for all occassions with couples, families, and friends.

Any of The Melting Pot's fondue courses can be enjoyed individually, or in whatever combination you want. They have "A la Carte", "Fondue by You" (you can choose your very own entrée creation), and "4-Course Experience" (select each one from any cheese, salad, entrée, and chocolate). So, the only difference between Fondue by You and 4-Course Experience is that if you order Fondue by You, you can choose the entrée by your own creation; if you order 4-Course Experience you can choose the entrée too but it's already in packages. Short to say, Fondue by You, you can mix whatever you want for the entrée.

If this is your first time come to here, I suggest you to try the "4-Course Experience". Here I'll explain to you about it :

"4-Course Experience"

1. Cheese FONDUE

Begin the 4-course experience with delicious and creamy cheese fondue, which your server will prepare tableside. Each fondue is served with artisan breads and seasonal vegetables for dipping.

2. Salads

Next, select from the variety of freshly-made salads, each topped with specialty homemade dressing.

3. Entrées

The entrées course arrives unprepared, creating an exciting and interactive experience. Select a flavored broth or oil cooking style, and cook your entrées by yourself. Easy and fun!

4. Chocolate FONDUE

Last, complete your experience by dipping fresh fruits and sweet pastries into any of the decadent chocolate fondue. Believe me, this is a MUST!
* This 4-course experience is recommended to be enjoyed by yourself, but sharing is allowed.

"Fondue by You" (448k)

Create your own combination entrée by selecting any 3 individual entrée items, come along with your choice of cheese fondue, salad, and chocolate fondue. Basically the same with "4-Course Experience". What makes it different is only the choices of the entrée.

1. Cheese FONDUE

Each cheese fondue comes with artisan breads and seasonal vegetables for dipping. You can choose one cheese fondue per cooktop at your table. Cheese fondue selections : Cheddar, Spicy Trio, Creamy Tomato (NA), Spinach Artichoke (NA), and Classic Alpine Swiss.

On the picture above is Spinach Artichoke (non-alcohol) cheese fondue (118k-per person/ A la Carte). Some cheese fondue contains alcohol, if not, there's a sign "NA". If you dine with kids, Spinach Artichoke and Creamy Tomato are the best choices. Spinach artichoke cheese fondue was a mixture of Fontina (Italian) and Butterkäse (German) cheeses, spinach, artichoke hearts, and garlic. I like the cheese flavor, balanced well and not too salty. The only thing I missed is the texture of the cheese was a bit too thick, because I'm a type of person who prefer melting fondue. If the cheese was melting, it would be more appetizing. Anyway, the cheese fondue were prepared right in front of you by the server. The cheese fondue was served with sliced bread, tortilla chips, apples, and vegetables for dipping.

Enjoy one of the delicious salads, each featuring one of The Melting Pot's signature dressings. Salad selections : Caesar, California, and The Melting Pot House Salad.

The Melting Pot House Salad (68k-A la Carte). It contains crisp romaine and iceberg lettuce, cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, crispy croutons, and sliced egg with your choice of Peppercorn Ranch Dressing or our sweet and tangy House Dressing. My choice goes to the sweet and tangy house dressing. The salad came with generous portion with freshly nice taste. I love the sweet and tangy house dressing, addictive!

3. Entrées

All entrées include rice, seasonal vegetables, and signature dipping sauces. The dipping sauces (clockwise from the picture below) : ginger plum, gorgonzola port, teriyaki glaze, curry, green goddess, and chilli sauce. Cooking broth special selections : Mojo, Coq au vin, and Bourguignonne. If you don't want the special broth (additional charge), the entrées will come with Seasoned court bouillon broth (complimentary).

For entrée, first choose a cooking style which is used for cooking the entrée, mine is Mojo broth (add 68k per pot). Caribbean-seasoned bouillon with a distinctive fresh-garlic flavor and a citrus flair. The 3 individual entrée selections which I chose are : Salmon fillet, Memphis-style chicken, and Sesame-crusted ahi tuna. Each entrée set comes with a meat platter (the entrée selections), a bowl of fresh vegetables including broccoli, mushrooms, and potatoes, 6 dipping sauces, a bowl of rice, and a sectioned plate. So, here is your part to be your own chef. All of the meat is raw and you just have to use a fondue skewer to dip the meat into the broth for 1.5-2 mins, it depends on your taste, whether you want it to be cooked rare, medium, or well-done, then place it on the sectioned plate for some seconds. Don't forget to dip into the dipping sauce before you eat it. Enjoy!

The Mojo broth was tangy and rich in spices, honestly I'm not into strong yet tangy spices things, but for those who like strong taste, this would be a great choice. Fortunately, the dipping sauces saved my meats, even though I didn't like the broth, the meat was great complimented with the dipping sauces.

4. Chocolate FONDUE

Last but not the least, of course. Don't forget about The Chocolate. NEVER! Your fondue experience wouldn't be complete without the chocolate fondue, yeah definitely! The dippers selections : The original, Flaming turtle, Pure chocolate, Chocolate s'mores, Create your own, and Yin & Yang.

Yin & Yang. This fondue satisfies dark and white chocolate cravings in an artfully balanced fondue dessert. Each chocolate fondue comes with fresh fruits, such as strawberries, bananas, honeydew, and pineapple, also brownies, pound cake, and marshmallows to dip in your chocolate fondue. FYI, the chocolate fondue is the most famous course from The Melting Pot. And yes, they prove it right, I do miss their chocolate fondue now! Yin & Yang is a sweet choice for the fondue, tasted balance, not too sweet and when I dipped my fruits and cakes, the chocolate was melting! AHH SO GOOD. Melt in my mouth! It's the BOMB! :) Remember this, the fondue experience wouldn’t be complete without chocolate fondue for dessert!

Now, take a look at their classy yet elegant interior :

Overall, I really enjoyed my fondue experience here, at the famous fondue restaurant- The Melting Pot. It was a very interesting dining experience. When I heard they're opening soon, I was extremely excited what is their fondue about. Because yeah, for Jakarta citizens, a fondue restaurant is such a new thing. If you're reading this, then you should spread the great news about this fondue restaurant! For the food, all the courses were good and above standard, as a franchised restaurant they should maintain its quality and I think they successfully did. The place itself was surprisingly classy, elegant, yet luxurious and spacious. One of the best restaurants interior I ever visited. After visit them, I think fondue is best enjoyed together with your families or companions, because it'll be more enjoyable! The price might not cheap, but I think it's worth it tho. Lastly, I'm definitely sure that I'll come back for the Melting Pot's chocolate fondue! RECOMMENDED.

Btw, they currently have promotion :