Last Sunday, 8 January 2017, we were very honoured to get invited to Oku Japanese Restaurant at Kempinski Jakarta. A restaurant that has become one of the most talked about high end Japanese cuisine in the city, definitely amazing experience is guaranteed. We were even surprised knowning that they are rated 4.8 on Zomato, the highest that we've ever seen so far. That pretty much needs a lot of hard work and great consistancy. We've heard how people got out of the room feeling happy, and now its our turn to try it. Let's check it out!
These are the kind of fresh fishes, shells and sea urchin, imported directly from Japan. Imagine having these fresh creatures cooked for your meal :)
I didn't take much photos from the room here, but it definitely brings inner peace. Every element on the room is simply balanced, minimalist, clean and fresh with various kind of wood as the main elements.
BAR AREA
Tea is the most essential part of a Japanese eating culture. For us, tea is a must on a Japanese restaurant. I picked their Hojicha (Japanese black tea) as I love the unique strong flavor. Lucy picked Sakura tea which is very fragrant and flowery, while the taste is similar to green tea. The tea here is served with individual tea pot for 40k.
GEISHA'S KARMA (190K)
Sayuri Nigori, Vodka, Strawberry & Raspberry, Orange & Cranberry Juice. This is a pretty light cocktail, its sweet and suitable for woman :)
OKU ABURI SALMON ROLL (180K)
Tasmanian Salmon, Salmon Roe & Lumpfish caviar. Our very first appetizer and was one of the best Aburi Salmon that we've ever tried. Seriously, very fresh salmon, creamy on top and all well-balanced flavor in my mouth. And oh, its really smooth like almost melting all together with the salmon roe and caviar, undescribable :)
UNAGI (95K)
3 pieces charcoal grilled Japanese eel on rice cracker. This is (again) one of the most prettiest appetizers I've ever seen. The main dish which is the unagi (eel) itself is pretty petite, but the decoration makes it quite heavy. I have to admit that this is really really nice! I didn't normally eat eel, but then who could resist this temptation??? Look at the colorful edible plants! The green leaves have a quite distinctive taste, it reminded me of the taste of wheatgrass (the healthy green grass juice that you often see in mall)
I was really surprised with the combination of the eel, the edible plants and the cracker. The eel itself was soft, sweet and a little soy-salty, but when combined with the green plant and edible flowers, it was a whole different kind of unagi dish. Very recommended!
OKU KARAGE (110K)
4 pieces deep fried chicken thigh coated with black carcoal, filled with sweet thick sauce and finished with Shichimi (chili powder) on top. This is definitely very unique, you'll never imagine how this black thing tastes unbelivably good, especially when the sauce bursts in your mouth. one of the must try appetizers at OKU.
Ps: the top picture with Fujifilm X-E2 and the bottom one with Xiaomi Mi 5. See the different between mirrorless camera and smartphone :p Some of the pictures are from my camera fujifilm X-T2 and a few from Lucy's X-E2.
SPECIAL BENTO SET (600K)
This is the main interest, the main reason why we came here. No doubt that we both were very curious about this special misterious bento :p
This bento set consists of:
- Cawan Musi
- Miso Soup
- Truffle Gyu Don with Poached Egg on rice
- Tempura Set with pickles
- Abura Salmon Sushi and Half Soft Boiled Egg
Started off with their cawan musi, its very thick but still silky with some minced beef inside. This is the first starter delivered to our table. Next, Miso soup was fine with seaweed and tofu. Finally, the main course: Truffle Gyu Don!
The black truffle sauce was definitely very intense, you can really tell from the smell. Let me started by breaking the runny onsen egg (poached egg) so that the egg yolk melted and mixed it a little bit into the beef. And when I put the beef in my mouth, its a heavenly sensation!!! Sweet, salty, kinda honey-ish glazed sauce, with the perfect flavor of truffle. I couldn't describe how amazing this was, certainly THE BEST gyu don I've ever tried. On the other hand, tempura was just okay nothing fancy. The Abura Salmon Sushi was as great as the appetizer earlier, plus the soft boiled egg was amazing. Very soft, creamy and kinda melting. Overall, a very perfect bento!
This is another option of the Bento Sets (600k). Well FYI, I'm not a fan of sashimi or raw fish. That's pretty obvious that I rarely posted sushi or sashimi dishes. But that's why we are 2 persons, while I didn't eat sashimi, Lucy enjoyed it very much. Based on her review, the fishes were definitely very very fresh. The color combination on that wooden box look fantastic, despite the orange colored salmon stands out from other fishes. The bento set is the same as the previous one with Tempura and Abura Salmon Sushi. Still an excellent bento set!
This dessert is included on the bento set. A smooth yet thick and creamy matcha custard. The matcha flavor was very intense, so you'll gonna taste a little bitter. But when you mix it with the sweet red bean, its definitely a perfect combination. Very delicious!
If you are about to taste some of their signature desserts, here are the recommendation. We didn't try them too bad, we were really full :(
OKU SORBET (60K)
CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
LYCHEE PANNACOTA
Final Verdict: Definitely the best Japanese restaurant as far as we remember :) Nothing quite as memorable as OKU. The room was really nice and peaceful, the food were all amazingly fresh and delicious. Dig your pocket deeper as it is quite pricey for your casual Japanese dining. But afterall, its very worth your visit :)
OKU JAPANESE RESTAURANT
Jl. MH Thamrin no. 1, Jakarta Pusat 1030
Opening Hours:
- Lunch : 12 PM - 15 PM
- Dinner : 18 PM - 22:30 PM
- OKU Bar : 12 PM - 12 AM
RSVP: (021) 23583896
www.kempinski.com/jakarta
INSTAGRAM: @OKUJAKARTA
ABOUT US
EMAIL: jktdelicacy@gmail.com
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Wow! All of their foods are mouth watering and looks delicious especially the Bento Sets. :)
BalasHapusAnyway, you should also try the authentic Japanese food in Manila. I'm sure you'll love it too.