OKU, Hotel Indonesia Kempinski

Hi Eaters.

Say hello to the newest addition to the Jakarta culinary destination.

OKU, a premium Japanese restaurant has opened its doors for Japanese food lovers since the 1st of April, 2016.

Located strategically in the heart of Jakarta, it stood firmly side by side with other premium restaurants at Hotel Indonesia Kempinski.

I was invited by FoodyID to try the Japanese delicacies, handcrafted by Chef Kazumasa Yazawa, better known as Chef Kaz. Bearing the experience as the Executive Chef at the Japanese restaurant Izy Dining Restaurant and Bar in Singapore and oversaw the award-winning Waku Ghin Restaurant at the Marina Bay Sands. With a wealth of experience under his belt, he aims to embed his cooking philosophy into his dishes.

“My cooking philosophy is simple: all of my creations are made with absolute respect 

towards all the products and ingredients that are used.”

The name OKU itself implies the peeling back of the layers of an onion, representing the culinary journey that diners will experience at the outlet while savouring these “life stories”. It implies multiple layers of meaning, experience and discovery, as well as a flexible approach to creating innovative dishes.

The restaurant itself was quite big with warm wooden material applied to the furnitures and interior. Combined with its Zen-like atmosphere and laid-back jazzy vibes, make it the perfect for business lunches, special occasion dinners, and after-work destination.

Uni - IDR 245K

Sea Urchin, Onsen Egg, Water Shield

Started my exciting lunch was this dish. Uni, or sea urchin, as we know is one of the most premium seafood ingredients. Tastewise in this dish, the uni was delicious. The onsen egg was cooked perfectly, with that soft and milky white and firm egg yolk.

Ehire - IDR 80K

Charcoal Grilled Skate Fin

I love how Chef Kaz put extra attention to the presentation. Like this Ehire, which I think looked visually artistic. The texture was a bit chewy, but the flavor was quite tasty. It goes with some mayo dipping sauce. 

Unagi - IDR 95K

3 Pieces Charcoal Grilled Japanese Eel, Rice Cracker

As you see again, it's brilliant how the food was presented. Like this Unagi. The dish may looked simple, but the presentation was very beautiful. For the unagi itself I have to say it's a job well done. They grilled it nicely, so the unagi was still juicy. The flavors were spot on. And I truly love the combination of texture between the unagi and the rice cracker in every bite.

Oku Karage - IDR 110K

3 Pieces Deep-fried Chicken Thigh, Shichimi

This dish may not looked as appetizing as the others, but let me tell you that this one was DA BOMB! I don't know for sure how Chef Kaz managed to blackened the karage, but they tasted soooo delicious! Crunchy, savory and so mouth watering. The use of Shichimi as the karage topping was also nice. It gave a hint of heat that's full and abrupt but also passes quickly. So don't be afraid to get your tongue burnt.

Uzusu Kuri - IDR 140K

Salmon Trout Carpaccio, Truffle-Ponzu Dressing

Delicious! The truffle dressing was dominant and seemingly the fresh salmon can get you pretty addicted.

Sashimi - IDR 280K

5 Kind of Chef Selected

Soy Jelly, Angel Hair Seaweed, Gracilaria Seaweed, Sea Grapes

My favourite Japanese food. Yes, the sashimis. This one is the platter that consists of 5 kinds of sashimis, selected by Chef Kaz. On mine were Botan Ebi (Botan Shrimp), Hotate (Scallop) topped with Ikura (Salmon Roe), Kampachi (Yellowtail), Maguro (Big Eye Tuna), Sake (Salmon Trout), and Yari Ika (Japanese Spear Squid). 

Overall I loved all the freshly cut ingredients in this sashimis platter. I liked it so much, I even ordered it twice. LOL.

Karasumi Pasta (with Sea Urchin) - IDR 260K

Angel hair pasta cooked with truffle oil which tasted so delicious. If you're a fan of truffle oil then you will be indulged because it tasted so strong and dominant in this dish. 

Salmon Teriyaki - IDR 195K

Salmon Confit, Lotus Pickle

Truly in love with this salmon. Especially loving the crispy salmon skin. Being cooked confit-style, the seasoning really seeped through while the juiciness of the salmon still well preserved. Absolutely delicious.

Unatama Don - IDR 245K

Japanese Freshwater Eel, Japanese Style Scrambled Egg

Grilled unagi on top of rice and served with Japanese style scrambled egg which is yolky. The eel was delicious, juicy, but for my personal preference it's a bit too salty. Perhaps it's because of the egg yolk that drenched the eel. But tastewise and appereancewise, the dish was stunning. 

Angus Beef - IDR 350K

Australian Angus Tenderloin

Actually this one was a bit turn down. I ordered the level of doneness to be medium, but what came to the table was a well done steak. So I didn't get the juiciness from the steak. The seasoning was good though, just how it was cook was not my favourite.

Green Sundae - IDR 80K

Sweet Macha Custard

This dessert was absolutely stunning. Hands down, the best matcha custard I've tried. It's not too sweet and that hint of bitterness from the matcha was very dominant. Loving it!

Chocolate Mousse

Sorbet

Besides the matcha custard there are also ice cream, mousse and sorbet in their dessert line. For the sorbet, I tried the beetroot, pineapple, and yuzu (Japanese sour orange). My favourite sorbet has got to be the pineapple one, since I don't like vegetables as desserts and also the yuzu was a bit too sour for me. But still, the Green Sundae was the champion among other desserts I had that day.

Summer Breeze

For the beverage I had the Summer Breeze which had a tropical milky orange flavor. It's really refreshing, and the sugar level was just fine.

Overall conclusion, I really really enjoy my lunch at OKU. I think their dishes were refine and it took premium Japanese dishes to another level. Loved how each food had beautiful presentation and exquisite taste. Definitely one premium Japanese restaurant recommended to try.

So congratulations to OKU for its opening. I hope the menus will keep improving and more delicious delicacies will be added 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

Patio Trattoria & Pizzéria

Hi Eaters.

Are you the kind of person whom they will call a southern guy?
Well, the hype of the culinary world recently is too centered at the northern part of our lovely town, while in fact there are so much to offer in the southern part.
Patio stands pretty strong in that particular reason. Why is that? Then you should read this review til the end.

I had the chance to visit this beautiful restaurant a couple of weeks ago with my foodie group. Yes, when I say it's beautiful, I really mean it. 
Located at the elite area of Wijaya street, this restaurant stood firmly within the hook. With green surroundings, a beautiful fish pond, homey interior and free valet parking, you feel so pampered with the hospitality this place has to offer.

Upon entering the premises, I fell in love instantly with how the interior was built. A kind of rustic, sophisticated, vintage, and yet so elegant. It's a kind of place you would want to take your couple for a romantic dining without worrying the noise or the hectic view from the traffic, or take the family out for lunch and pampered them with the homey ambiance.
Here are some of their dishes so worthy to try:

Bresaolla Salad - IDR 79K

Air dried beef, rucola, tomato, parmesan and truffle oil

A fresh way to start my feast that day was this salad. Fresh rucola drenched with generous truffle oil. The champion was the air dried beef. Thinly sliced and the seasoning was so good! Yes, it's a delicious way to open my meal.

Nachos - IDR 69K

Fried tortilla chips served with guacamole, tomato salsa, sour cream, and jalapenos.

Surprised to see an Italian restaurant serving nachos. Well, nachos is loveable, right? 

This one was quite good. A generous portion. The guacamole was nice, but the tomato salsa was a bit too sour though. Nevertheless it's just personal preference.

Capelli D'Angelo All' Aragosta - IDR 297K

Angel hair pasta with lobster or prawn, garlic, olive oil, chili flakes, flying fish roe
This dish was DA BOMB. It looked like an aglio olio pasta, but I think it tasted way better. Usually I'm more to the 'carbonara' type of person, but I certainly loved this dish. A bit spicy yet so addictive. For a price of 297K I think it's a sharing portion, though I'm completely sure I can finish the whole plate by myself. LOL. Oh don't forget thise big grilled prawns. Absolutely da yumm!! You can have it change to be lobster too. Pick any of your favourite preference.

Frutti di Mare Pizza - IDR 95K

Prawn, squid, salmon, mozzarella, pomodori sauce, parmesan

Patio also served pizza. The kind of pizza I like too, thin crusted pizza.

Serving an Italian style of pizza, Patio uses a fire wood oven to bake the pizza so I was thrilled to have these slices of delicacy on the table.

I love the dough they use. First rule of pizza, it has to have a good dough as the base. I think it's very essential. I also loved how the base wasn't crispy as the crust. So it's a good combination of texture for every bite.

And as any Italian pizza, the toppings were not abundantly given. So you won't get too full just by eating two slices. For my personal preference I think the taste was delicious, since I ate like maybe more than two slices. LOL. Pizza with seafood? Why not? Love the fresh ingredients.

Con Funghi Pizza - IDR 99K

Slow roasted medley wild mushroom, thyme, mozzarella, parmesan

Okay, I'm a carnivore person and never in my life would I order any pizza without even the most tiny amount of meat in the toppings. But yet again, this dish made me altered my mind.

Using only wild mushrooms as its toppings who could expect it would taste so good?!

I loved the cheesy flavor and I also loved the feel of that chewy mushrooms on every bite. Delicious!

Crème Caramel - IDR 59K

A custard dessert made from whipped cream, eggs, served with caramel

A traditional Italian custard dessert. It has that strong caramel taste, so it might tasted a bit bitter but yet if you combined it with the sweet custard then it's just amazing.

I love the consistency of the custard. Despite its simple appearance, this dessert tasted so good. 

Tiramisu - IDR 69K

Lady finger, mascarpone, espresso, kahlua

This is probably my most loveable Italian dessert. I certainly loved the soft texture of the cake, and most definitely loved the taste. It's pretty authentic. The price tag might make you reconsider, but the taste will make you feel that every penny is damn worth it.

Overall conclusion, it's definitely the perfect place if you're looking for Italian food that goes pretty close to how they should be, then Patio is the perfect spot for you.

Italian really know how to pamper food lovers, so not only food will satisfy you here, but also the ambiance. It might have the look of a fine dining restaurant but trust me as I say this is another casual and homey place you won't hesitate for another visit. I certainly will come back again for those delicious food.

Keep on chewing!

Jazzy Dee

TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | ASK.FM

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Patio Trattoria & Pizzéria
Jl. Wijaya XIII No. 45
Panglima Polim

Phone: (021) 7241362
Jakarta Selatan 12160