A conversation with Chef Akmal,

Group Executive Chef of Toscana Restaurant, Jakarta

Words by Adinazeti Adnan

Photography: Toscana Restaurant & Chef Akmal

There's a particular kind of courage required to walk away from certainty. Muhammad Akmal Mohamed Nor, 37, knows this intimately. Born in Kuala Lumpur, he had built what many would consider an enviable career — an established musician receiving weekly gig offers across the city, commanding stages without the formal degree most professional musicians spend years acquiring. Yet one conversation over coffee changed everything.

"An old friend said something that night," Akmal recalls, settled into a corner of Toscana Restaurant in Kemang, Jakarta Selatan, where he now serves as Executive Chef. "It wasn't the typical encouragement people give. It was different. That person saw something in me I hadn't fully acknowledged—my real dream, my ambition, my talent. Not in music, but in cooking."

What followed wasn't a gradual transition. Akmal left the guaranteed gigs, drove his car to Johor Bahru, parked and left the car for a month in JB, and took a bus to Singapore. He started from zero.

"I began as a dishwasher," he says without a trace of embarrassment. "Then kitchen helper. Eventually, kitchen leader. This is how you learn—not just technique, but the discipline, the rhythm of a professional kitchen."

From KL to Singapore: The French Foundation

Akmal's culinary education was firmly rooted in French tradition — a diploma from SHATEC Singapore, one of the region's most respected hospitality institutions. But education, he insists, was only part of the equation. The real learning happened in the kitchens.

His early years saw him move through Singapore's evolving food landscape with intention. Rabbit Stash Co., a French bistro, gave him his foundation. But it was there he also learned about Singapore's food truck culture, opening a burger shop that taught him the entrepreneurial side of the industry, something that would prove invaluable.

"People think chefs just cook," he says. "But understanding business, margins, customer psychology and this is equally important. Especially if you want to build something of your own one day."

By 2019, he was part of the opening team at Sama Sama Kitchen in Jewel Changi Airport, eventually promoted to Sous Chef. Three years later, he became Head Chef. Then came a role that would expand his repertoire beyond Western cuisine — R&D Chef at Rumours Beach Club in Sentosa, where he simultaneously helmed a Chinese restaurant while developing new concepts.

"That period taught me versatility," he reflects. "I was designing menus, testing recipes, managing teams across different cuisines. It prepared me for what would come next."

Bali, Then Jakarta: The Italian Chapter

After a ten-month tenure as Executive Chef at Ultimo Restaurant in Bali, Akmal was appointed Group Chef for a global Indonesian hospitality brand under Blue Wave. Yet his most defining chapter began when Toscana, Jakarta’s storied Italian fine dining institution, invited him to lead its renaissance.

“Toscana is celebrating its 30th anniversary,” he shares. “They were embarking on a full renovation, both physically and philosophically. It was a huge honor to be entrusted with such a legacy.”

The decision marked a milestone. For the first time in its three-decade history, Toscana appointed a Southeast Asian Executive Chef to helm its kitchen, a space long shaped by European leadership. Rather than challenge tradition, Akmal saw it as an opportunity to build upon it.

“I was trained under Chef Mario Carlini in Italy,” he says. “So I deeply respect the roots of Italian cuisine. But authenticity doesn’t mean stagnation. My goal is to preserve the spirit of Italian cooking while presenting it through a lens that feels alive in Jakarta.”

He smiles as he explains his culinary philosophy.

“Italian food is often misunderstood. People think of pasta and pizza, but the cuisine goes far beyond that. Italy perfected those dishes, yes, but its true essence lies in simplicity, ingredients, and emotion. My job is to honor that depth and express it in a way that resonates with today’s diners.”

The Ingredient Question: Quality Without Borders

Ask any chef about the challenges of sourcing authentic ingredients in Southeast Asia, and you'll likely hear complaints about cost, availability, consistency. Akmal's perspective is refreshingly different.

"The price fluctuation can be challenging — margins change weekly, especially pre-2025. But now? It's much easier. Jakarta has a substantial Italian expat community in Kemang, and suppliers have responded. If there's demand, the product follows."

More surprising is his stance on local ingredients versus imported prestige.

"Indonesia produces exceptional seafood — Japanese restaurants here know this. I've done blind tastings of oysters from Papua against imported varieties. Papua won. They're breeding salmon and scallops there too. The quality exists if you know where to look."

It's a philosophy that extends beyond ingredients — Akmal believes in challenging assumptions about where excellence must originate.

Papua province, has massive good quality fresh seafoods productions at a competitive price.

Photo by Madeline Liu on Unsplash

The Signature: Steak, Pizza, and Neapolitan Tradition

At Toscana, Akmal has developed a reputation for two particular specialties. The first is steak — not just preparation, but the understanding of cuts, and aging.

"A good steak is about respect for the ingredient," he says.

The second is pizza — specifically, thin-crust Neapolitan and Milanese styles that require precision and restraint.

"Pizza is deceptively simple," he notes. "Which means every element must be perfect. The dough fermentation, the sauce balance, the oven temperature, the timing. There's nowhere to hide mistakes."

Chef Akmal's best signature dish in Toscana, Steaks and Authentic Neapolitan Pizza.

The Fine Dining Paradox

Ask Chef Akmal about the current direction of fine dining, and his answer carries the calm certainty of a chef who has seen trends rise and fade like seasons.

“Fine dining isn’t dying; it’s evolving,” he says, his tone deliberate. “The definition itself is changing. It was never just about food; it’s the harmony of ambiance, music, and service. But today, people crave intimacy over intimidation. They want to be part of the experience, not merely witness it.”

He pauses, reflecting on years in Singapore’s vibrant dining scene. “What we’re seeing is a refinement of refinement — a shift from grandeur to grounded sophistication. Guests still spend on quality, but now they seek authenticity over spectacle. They want craftsmanship without the ceremony, excellence without ego. That, to me, is progress.”

For Akmal, this evolution is not a retreat from fine dining but a return to its soul. “True fine dining,” he adds, “was never about chandeliers or white gloves. It’s about connection — the silent poetry between chef and guest. The more we remove what’s unnecessary, the closer we return to the heart of why we cook: to create moments that feel both rare and human.”

The Malaysian Dream: Bringing Nusantara to the World

Despite his success in Italian fine dining, Akmal's ultimate ambition lies elsewhere—in the cuisine of his homeland.

"I still need to learn more about restaurant business," he admits. "But my vision is clear. I want to spend time in Europe—France, Italy, Spain—not to learn their food, but to understand how culture connects to cuisine at a deeper level. How they've built global recognition for their culinary traditions."

The plan is to return to basics: Malaysian food.

"One day, I want to open a fine dining restaurant that brings Malaysian cuisine to an international level. Not fusion. Not modernized beyond recognition. But properly executed, properly presented, properly understood."

He references the Nusantara region—a culinary landscape that extends across Malaysia, Indonesia, and beyond, with roots far deeper than many realize.

"Most Indonesians don't realize we didn't traditionally eat rice as the staple—it was flour, tapioca, cassava. Rice cultivation came later through trade routes and external influences. Cuisine has no fixed nationality. It evolves. But we've let others tell our food stories for too long."

His model is the Lo & Behold Group in Singapore, which elevated local hawker culture to international standards without sacrificing authenticity. Or how Japanese cuisine transformed from exotic to essential—sushi bars in every major city, ramen achieving cult status, izakayas becoming a global dining category.

"Why not Malaysian cuisine as a global franchise?" he asks. "China has done this. Thailand too. But Nusantara cuisine, executed at the highest level? We're not there yet. Someone needs to do it properly."

The Education Imperative

For Akmal, achieving this vision requires something beyond individual restaurants: a fundamental shift in how Southeast Asian culinary talent is developed.

"We need proper education and training," he insists. "I want to establish a training academy—like what Chef Wan has done to protect Malaysian cuisine, but focused on preparing the next generation for international kitchens."

He's frank about the timeline.

"It took me twelve years to get here. And I had proper education and training. Many young people want to become chefs but skip the fundamentals. They watch YouTube, copy techniques, but don't understand the theory, the discipline, the business."

His message to aspiring chefs is uncompromising: respect the craft enough to study it properly.

The Path Forward

As our conversation winds down, Akmal returns to the theme of patience, a quality that defined his transition from music to culinary arts, and one that continues to guide his approach.

"Leaving music wasn't impulsive, even though it seemed sudden," he reflects. "I'd been preparing mentally for years. I knew I needed to start from the bottom, to learn properly. That bus ride to Singapore? That was the beginning, not the end."

Now, leading Toscana through its next chapter while planning his own future ventures, he carries the same philosophy: mastery requires time, humility, and relentless focus.

"Whether it's playing violin or perfecting a Bolognese, the principle is the same," he says. "You have to love the process, not just the performance. You have to be willing to start as a dishwasher even when you were recently on stage receiving applause."

It's a lesson worth savoring — much like everything else that emerges from his kitchen.

Toscana Restaurant
Kemang, Jakarta Selatan
Open weekdays: 16:00–22:00, weekends 11:30-22:00

Thirty years of Italian fine dining tradition, now guided by Southeast Asian hands and a vision that honors legacy while embracing evolution. Book ahead— Chef Akmal's reputation is preceding him.

For reservations and inquiries: toscanajakarta.com

Why You Should Visit:
A restaurant doesn't survive three decades in Jakarta's competitive dining landscape without reason. Toscana has earned its reputation through consistency, quality, and adaptation. Under Executive Chef Akmal's leadership, it represents something increasingly rare — fine dining that respects tradition without being imprisoned by it, executed by a chef who understands that mastery transcends nationality. Whether you're drawn by the signature steaks, the authentic Neapolitan pizza, or simply the desire to experience Italian cuisine through a Southeast Asian lens, Toscana delivers what fine dining should: excellence without pretension, craft without ceremony.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.