Sudar hopes to open his own Indonesian restaurant some day. Indonesia is made up of more than 17,000 islands, each with its distinctive flavor profile. Sumatra is spicy; Java is sweet. He believes the complexity of the cuisine has yet to be fully explored in this country.

"I think the cuisine has a lot of potential here," Sudar says with a smile. "There are no famous Indonesian chefs here yet. I'd like to be the first one."