OKU, Hotel Indonesia Kempinski 1st Anniversary

Hi Eaters.

Whoa! It's been a year already! Days seem to pass by so quickly then suddenly it has already been a year since Oku opened its doors to public. I remember coming here when they just started service for maybe a couple of days. You can check out my post about that one here.
I clearly remembered how amazing the food was and certainly this time it was certainly an honour just to be back and invited for their first anniversary.

It was a cloudy Saturday afternoon as I prep myself for the invitation. They specifically mentioned a Japanese touch for the dress code, but since I didn't have anything on my closet that screams Japanese so I went wearing black (sorry for that) coz I thought it just matched my Instagram feed, LOL.
The restaurant itself hasn't change in a year, you can check out how the interior looks like at my previous post about Oku (link on the first paragraph).
They served the guests with a 7 course meals, not include their well-known dishes which apparently were also served too (yeaayy!!). 

Oku Karaage

I'm gonna start by talking about the dishes that wasn't included in 9 course meals, the first is the popular Oku Karaage.
If you check my previous blog post about Oku then you will know this one is the dish I highlighted in the review. It's so unique! Well, frankly speaking, the size has gotten quite smaller but the taste was still awesome. It may not look appealing, but this blackened chicken karaage is some serious stuff. So delicious and yet crispy on the outside but moist and tender in the inside.

Oku Chirashi Don

I failed to try this one, and truly I regret it as now I am looking at the photo. Those beautiful bright colors from the various sashimis are certainly appetizing.

Truffle Gyu Don

One menu you must (and I mean MUST) order is the Truffle Gyu Don. As a fan of everything truffled I must give this dish a 2 thumbs up. Kudos to the Chef, this dish is insanely awesome, and I mean literally everything on the plate is just mind blowing. Starting from the rice, the sauce, the egg, and that crazily juicy beef slices, they're just some deadly combo that will take your tastebuds to heaven. Maybe you think I'm overexaggerating, but honestly I can eat this dish forever.

This grilled lobster (I don't know for sure the name of the dish) was truly tempting. Luckily I got the chance to tried it, and yes it was delicious. The lobster was so good, so juicy, and that sauce was just spot on.

So now let's start talking about the 7 course meals, shall we?

Kaki – Japanese Oyster | Wasabi Sorbet

When you talk about Japanese food, you gotta talk about their fresh sea produce, wether it's the fishes or clams and oysters like this. This one is oyster served with salmon roe, wasabi, and signature stock. Gotta love this dish, it's so fresh yet without any tangy smell coming out from the oyster. The signature stock was just spot on and truly elevates the whole flavor of the oyster, giving it a rich savory flavor that was so indulging.

Uni – Sea Urchin | Chutoro | Seaweed Cracker

This premium sea produce was the one that I anxiously waited to be served. Uni is like the treasure of the ocean, and this one is served along chutoro (fatty tuna) on a bed made from deep fried seaweed cracker. Apparently that day I ate it the wrong way since I didn't recognize the seaweed cracker at first glance and thought it was a sea shell, LOL, pardon me for that. Well, nothing can beat the taste of some fresh uni, and this one was mine blowing. My favorite dish of the day!

Nodoguro – Soup of Rosy Sea Bass

A clear soup with sea bass. The taste was quite light, not my kind of dish though I think some might like this kind of light-flavory dish. 

Tsukiji Market – Seasonal Fish from Japan

A plate of various fresh seafood produce: salmon, tuna, squid, lobster, and one thing which I think is hirame (olive flounder). All seafood produce served on this plate were flown from Tsukiji Market itself so the freshness is beyond doubt. One thing cute from this plate is the fish-shaped-jelly soy sauce. Really cute!

Karasumi Pasta – Ikura | Angel Hair Pasta

Ah angel hair pasta, my favorite kind of pasta! The dish was splendid! I really really really (I said it like 3 times, which must mean great) love this dish. The truffle was really dominant in every single bites and slurps of that perfectly cooked pasta. It's just so amazingly tasty!

Kamo – Duck 3 Ways | Smoked with Rice Straw | Aged Soy Salt

Tender chunks of diced duck meat, perfectly cooked and seasoned. It's so juicy. I wish there were just more on the plate.

Unagi – Fresh Water Eel Rice Porridge | Charcoal Grill Rice

More reasons to smile that day after a cute littel bowl with unagi inside was served. Served on top of grilled rice, the way to eat it is to first pour some stock into the bowl. Well, frankly speaking, the stock was pretty light but the good thing is the flavor of the rice and the unagi was quite bold so the stock was just there to elevate the almost perfect dish.

Mizu – Water Mochi | Kinako | Anmitsu Sauce

It wasn't my first time having water mochi. It's definitely a cute dessert, I have to say, and most certainly unique. This one is served with kinako (roasted soybean flour) and anmitsu sauce which is thick and sweet. You have to eat the whole 3 elements at once, because if you only eat the water mochi then you might say it's bland and tasteless. You just have to scoop out the 3 elements of dishes to get the maximum taste of the dish.

Matcha – Green Tea | White Chocolate | Raspberry Marshmallow

The final dessert came as the most sweetest ending. Everything on the plate was just loveable. The matcha, served two ways, one is like a somewhat deconstructed sponge cake, and the other one was mousse. The raspberry marshmallow and the one which is like a sorbet, tasted nice, a bit sour but it really helps to balance the sweetness from the matcha and the white chocolate.

Never a disappointing experience at Oku. I will always recommend this restaurant if you're just looking for some authentic, yet sophisticated Japanese cuisine. The taste and the plating of every dish are just thought carefully by the mastermind of this restaurant, Chef Kaz. Again, my compliments to the Chef.

So thank you Oku for having me. It was a great time indeed. I wish you the very best for your anniversary and looking forward for more astonishing dishes in the future.

Keep on chewing!

Jazzy Dee

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OKU
Bali Room Lobby
Hotel Indonesia Kempinski
Phone: (021) 23583896
Jl. MH. Thamrin No. 1
Jakarta Pusat

Opening hours:
Mon - Sun: 12.00 - 15.00, 18.00 - 22.30

Kopineto, Karet Pedurenan

Hi Eaters.

This is one coffee shop I've been putting under radar since I've seen the "BREWING SOON" sign placed on the front window.
Karet Pedurenan is my Monday through Friday routine and certainly I think it will be nice to have a decent coffee shop available for a coffeeholic like me.
So there it is now, welcome the newly-opened Kopineto.

This coffee shop had just opened its doors for customers around a week when I visited it, so yeah it's still fresh and new. It's just a small coffee shop consists of three floors in which the top floor is a rooftop area where customers can chill while sipping their coffee.

Most of interior is wood, a nice and perfect place to get good coffee pics too. A kind of unfurnished wood, giving a nice tone to make the ambiance more comfortable. I think it's kind of artsy to combine unfurnished wood with grey wall.
I don't know if they haven't prepare too much for the opening or not since they only offer 2 kinds of coffee, white and black. Nothing else pretty much on the menu besides two choices of coffee and a pastry. 
So let's just see if their coffee is any good or not.

Hot Cappuccino - IDR 30K

So for the white you can opt for cappuccino or latte. I ordered a hot cappuccino that day that came to the table appeared like a latte. The taste of the cappuccino was pretty light and actually quite bland, frankly speaking. Unfortunately, not the kind of cappuccino that I like though they use Tanamera coffee seeds.

Pandan Cake - IDR 15K

This was the only pastry available that day. Flavorwise, this one is quite light too, just like the coffee. Again, this was not my favorite bite that day regarding its light flavor. I would expect Pandan Cake to have that bold pandan flavor, but still as a food to accompany the coffee I have to say it's not too bad.

Overall conclusion, I have to give this place another shot someday. Considering they just started serving around a week, then there is still a lot of time and chances for improvements. I would expect more choices of coffee in the future. So I wish you the best of luck, Kopineto, and look forward for another visit in the future.

Keep on chewing!

Jazzy Dee

TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | ASK.FM

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Kopineto

Jl. Karet Pedurenan No. 33

Kuningan, Jakarta Selatan

Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 08.00 - 22.00

The New Face of Asia Restaurant, Ritz-Carlton Mega Kuningan Jakarta

Hi Eaters.

It's a new fresh look of Asia Restaurant at Ritz-Carlton Mega Kuningan Jakarta. If you've never seen its previous look, well lucky you, just check it out here.

It's always great to come back to a restaurant that has impeccable service and also good food. This is my second time to come to Asia Restaurant and certainly a rapid change had occured. Curious enough? Keep on scrolling!

The new Asia Restaurant looks more spacious. Indeed before they put some food stations in some areas of the restaurant, now the food stations are more concentrated to the sides so it gives more room thus making this venue looked more vast.

I don't quite know if the number of the food stations are also deducted due to this change, but certainly the amount range of food available were still quite plentiful and still had a lot variants to choose from Asian, Western, until Indonesian food too.

The interior had a touch of contemporary eclectic and it made this restaurant looked so elegant yet modern and sophisticated at the same time. There are also seating area with circular sofas for more convenience. There is also live music performances in every Sunday Brunch.

The new open kitchen concept was certainly pleasing to the eyes since you can see the cooks prepare the food. A nice attraction, especially if you love to see how a dish is being handled.

Prices starts from:

* Breakfast – IDR 238K ++/pax

* Lunch – IDR 318K ++/pax

* Dinner (weekdays) – IDR 348K ++/pax 

* Dinner (weekend) – IDR 428K ++/pax

* Sunday Brunch – IDR 428K ++/pax

I came here for the Sunday Brunch and the place wasn't much packed with guests so it's more convenient for me to take photos.

Now let's take a look on the food I tried during that Sunday Brunch.

First thing I take on a hotel buffet has got to be the seafood or sashimis. Why? Because I consider raw ingredients and seafood should always be number one to taste their optimum freshness. No doubt the freshness from the sashimis and the seafood were on top notch. The choices of sushis were not much but they were also quite tasty indeed.

My second target was the pork station. I was so happy to see they serve pork belly. Yippie!! I absolutely loved that crunchy pork belly skin. That is just to die for! An awesome delight to hear that crackling sound of every pork belly skin as I ate it. The meat was juicy and tasty, but for my personal preference, it's a bit too oily.

The choices of other meat such as the roast beef, the turkey, and the lamb were no disappointment as well. They were cooked beautifully, each appeared as taste bud temptations, and certainly seasoned to perfection.

A must try is the Hainanese rice. It's so rich in flavor, the chicken stock is so dominant thus making the rice so fragrant and delicious. The chicken is so tender and also delicious too! This is definitely a menu you surely don't want to miss out.

The selection of desserts were plentiful, and you can see them first sight as you enter the restaurant due to being place just near the entrance.

A wide selection of cakes, pastries, chocolate, until ice creams are available. It's just heaven if you're a sweet-tooth. They would recommend you to try their Cendol Cake, so if you want to know how a traditional flavor  infused in the cake, definitely you should try the Cendol Cake.

Overall conclusion, it was a pleasant re-visit to the newly-face-lifted Asia Restaurant. All the food were indeed satisfying. This is the kind of thing that would wanna make me have more and more visit to this elegant restaurant. 

Keep on chewing!

Jazzy Dee

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Asia Restaurant at The Ritz Carlton Jakarta
The Ritz Carlton Mega Kuningan
Ph: (021) 25518888
Kawasan Mega Kuningan 
Jl. Dr Ide Anak Agung Gde Agung No. 1
Kuningan, Jakarta
website: www.ritzcarlton.com

Opening hours:
Breakfast 06.00 - 10.00

Lunch 12.00 - 14.30

Dinner 18.00 - 22.00
Sunday Brunch 12.00 - 15.00 featuring live music