Ambach changes the game for Jamie’s Italian in Asia

The restaurant needed a heavy-duty, high-productivity kitchen purpose designed to serve authentic Italian fare. The solution Ambach provided surpassed expectations.

Since it was founded in 2008 by Jamie Oliver and his Italian mentor, chef Gennaro Contaldo, the Jamie’s Italian brand has grown rapidly and today numbers more than 60 restaurants worldwide.

While each restaurant is unique and inspired by its surroundings, there is one recurring theme: every outlet offers a menu based on the authentic flavours of Italian cuisine but also on the Italian philosophy of meal times as a moment of relaxation and a time to share the pleasure of food with others.

Jamie’s Italian, Bali, is no exception. Menu items include antipasti, nibbles and comforting bowls of pasta, and the menu and style of service is reminiscent of a typical Italian trattoria. Meanwhile, its design references the history of Bali and the contemporary, informal interior houses works by local artists. With its sunny terrace, large bar and open kitchen, it’s impossible to resist the lively atmosphere of the buzzing restaurant, but with only a small kitchen space to play with and a long list of specific demands from the Jamie’s team, it wasn’t an easy project to get right. 

THE BRIEF

Challenge number one was space. The restaurant has an impressive seating capacity of 176 over two levels, yet the space available for the kitchen was only 20 square metres. For this reason, a compact solution with a minimal footprint had to be found, which would also guarantee high productivity.

In addition to this, there were several specific requests from the team including made-to-measure pasta cookers and refrigerated units that had to be built into the range. The overall goal was to ensure the space available was optimised to allow the team to work as efficiently as possible.

THE SOLUTION

With help from a local dealer – Kasirano – the team decided that Ambach’s System 850 line, which offers total configuration flexibility via a range of over 150 work modules, would be the best solution to meet their needs. Not only can it adapt to any space, it ensures high productivity and fast preparation and can easily integrate custom-designed solutions such as the two refrigerated cabinets the Jamie’s Italian team requested to store meat and vegetables under the cooking area. 

To allow the chefs to work easily on the range, Ambach also designed and produced a double steel rail with a square section for holding sauce containers. The company also met the team’s specific request for custom-designed pasta cookers with automatic water-filling systems, which freed up the kitchen team for other tasks.

Said Kartika Sulistiowati, CEO of Kasirano, the contractor who coordinated the project: “It was not just a challenge to customise every part of this design, but also to handle the logistics and installation of the machines. Everything had to be transported to the second floor of the restaurant with access only via a spiral staircase. We had to transport the equipment in small modules to then assemble everything in situ.”

This was one reason that the System 850 line was ideal for the job. Thanks to its frame structure, the range can be divided into an upper and lower part and then reassembled on site.

THE FEEDBACK

Ultimately, the hard work and commitment from all involved paid off and the feedback Sulistiowati received said it all. “We created exactly what the client wanted and in fact delivered a product that was even better than they were expecting, which is why they are very happy,” she grins. “Ambach is one of the best suppliers I have as they can customise products to the customer’s needs and are very supportive” says Sulistiowati.

www.ambach.com
www.jamieoliver.com/italian/indonesia