Altitude (Gaia, Salt Grill, Enmaru) @ The Plaza

Altitude is a group of 3 restaurants located on the 46th floor of the Plaza tower, one of the most expensive office buildings in Jakarta (also home the the Keraton hotel). 46th floor, yes: Great view of course, but make sure to book in advance and ask for a table near the window (if possible in the angle of the building).

Luckily for my wallet, I only tried one of the three restaurants, Gaia, the Italian. The food was good, but not spectacular for the price: 550k for one appetizer and one main course. The quality of the service and the attention that we got, not only from the waiters but also from the managers, including 3 foreigners, may have been what we are really paying in the restaurant.

One thing felt very wrong: The music was clubbing style and they only had one CD. So we had Gangnam Style and Party Rock Anthem twice each in one evening. That's twice too much.

In Altitude, there is also an Australian Steak House (Salt Grill) and a Japanese (Enmaru) that I haven't tried but visited. Salt Grill Jakarta is actually owned, or partially owned, or managed by Luke Mangan. If you don't know who he is, then you are just like me. Wikipedia will tell you that he is a celebrity chef from Australia, and probably a great business man too.

By visiting Altitude, I could not help but think about how the level (and the prices) of the restaurants have improved in Jakarta. We still don't have a Michelin-starred restaurant, but we are going there in a couple years I'm sure.

Altitude is trying to do that, with imported management, imported food & wine, and imported concepts. Altitude is saying: Jakarta can be just like Singapore or Hong Kong. I like down-to-earth restaurants so for sure Altitude restaurants are not what I prefer, but if what you are looking after is more sophisticated dining venues, then you will be happy in either Gaia, Salt Grill or En Maru.

Overall: Recommended if you have the money and/or if you need to impress a date. You can also try the bar area, (officially Cloud Lounge & Living Room) which was rather crowded during my visit (on a Saturday night), and it had a DJ.

Tips: Dress up and book in advance.

Altitude: Gaia (Italian Restaurant), Salt Grill (Australian Grill Restaurant), En Maru (Japanese Restaurant)

The Plaza, 46th floor
Plaza Indonesia
Jl. M.H. Thamrin
Kav. 28 - 30, Jakarta 10350, Indonesia

Phone number: +62-21 2992 2448

Facebook: The Altitude @ The Plaza

Twitter: Altitude

Website: Altitude Jakarta

Opening Hours:
Sunday to Thursday from 11am to 11pm
Friday from 11am to 12pm
Saturday from 11am to 2am

 

Qi Restaurant (Sultan Hotel)

Located in Lagoon Tower, near Sultan Hotel, Qi Dine & Lounge is a restaurant coming from The Rych Concept Group (also behing Airman Lounge).

Qi serves fusion cuisine Japanese with a French twist. Favourites are the Smoked Salmon Parfait, the Surf & Turf, or The Rych Drunken Veal Check.

I haven't tried the restaurant yet but was contacted by the management to write a small text about it. Please do not hesitate to write your own comments on this blog about the place.

Qi Dine & Lounge
Lagoon Tower next to Sultan Hotel Complex
Jalan Gatot Subroto, Jakarta

Phone number: +62-21 572 7239
Email to qi.rsvp@therych.com
BB pin : 27D088D9

Facebook : Qi Jakarta
Twitter : @Qi_indo
Website: www.qi.co.id 

Opening Hours:

Everyday from 11am to midnight (later on weekends)

City Seoul (Korean Japanese food)

City Seoul is a Korean and Japanese restaurant located in SCBD Sudirman, not far from the famous Gahyo, a Korean BBQ joint.

It is a modern-looking, dim-lighted venue, but it lacks some warmth and originality. There is almost no decoration, and if they had not installed windows in the private rooms, you would confuse it with a prison cell.

We tried the Bul Nak Jun Gol, a soup with beef, octopus, vegetables, tofu and a spicy sauce (Rp280,000++ for 3 people) and some Makizuchis (Rp15,000 each). The food took quite a while to be served, maybe because it was in the middle of the afternoon, but the wait was worthwhile.

Except for the Banchan (free Korean appetizers), of which there was not enough, we were all very satisfied with our food. Please note that I don't eat Korean meals on a daily basis so I may not the most qualified person to judge. Our dish was pricey, but as it was enough for three, I consider it to be affordable.

Makizuchis (Rp15,000++ each)

Bul Nak Jun Gol (Rp280,000++)

Overall: Though the food in City Seoul is good, it wouldn't be among my top recommendations for Korean restaurants in Jakarta, except if you live or work close to Pacific Place. It is fine for a casual lunch or dinner, but maybe not suitable for more important events (dates, anniversaries, etc...) as it is too dull.

Opening hours:

Everyday from 11am to 11pm

City Seoul
Korean and Japanese restaurant
Jalan Jend. Sudirman Kav. 52-53 Lot 6, Jakarta
Phone number: +62-21 5289 7506 / 5289 7517

Goemon Japanese Restaurant

Are you looking for the one of the best Japanese restaurants in Jakarta?

Pay yourself a little trip to Japan by visiting Goemon, an authentic restaurant located in Wisma Kyoei Prince. Popular with Japanese expatriates, Goemon is not that expensive (less than Rp 100k for a meal) and offers big portions of excellent Japanese dishes. Impeccable service and great decor, a must try if you are a Japanese food lover!

Goemon Wisma Kyoei Prince 3rd Floor
3-4 Jalan Jenderal Sudirman
Jakarta 10210, Indonesia
Tel: +62-21 572 3343

Katsusei (Japanese Restaurant Jakarta)

Katsusei is a Japanese upmarket restaurant, part of a Japanese chain, which specializes in "tonkatsu" (breaded, deep fried meat cutlets, normally from pork). I won't pretend to be a specialist since i had never tried it before, but I found it excellent. It is pretty much gourmet junk food, because even though they use top-quality, imported ingredients, it remains a fat and unhealty dish.

Cutlets (picture from Katsusei facebook group)

 My main problem was not the taste but the price. One menu set will cost you up to Rp200,000, and it is quite expensive for what you get I think. Because of this, I recommend this restaurant only if you are a true fan of Japanese food, and of course of Tonkatsu. Personally, I will not go back and consider my visit a one-time luxury treat.

Among the customers, I could recognize a few Japanese people, so it seems to confirm that the target here is the Japanese expat community.

Opening hours:
Everyday from 10.30am to 10pm.

There are two locations so far in Jakarta:

Katsusei Grand indonesia
East Mall, Garden District 2, Level 5, Unit GD2 #16
Jl. MH Thamrin No. 01, Jakarta 10310
Phone number: +62-21 2358 0060
Fax: +62-21 2358 0059
Email: katsusei.gi@ipw.co.id

Katsusei Plaza Indonesia
Level 1, E19-19A
Jalan Thamrin Kav. 28-30, Jakarta 10350
Phone number: +62-21 2992 3569
Fax: +62-21 2992 3561
Email: katsusei.pi@ipw.co.id

Twitter: @katsusei_jkt
Facebook (with pictures of menu items, promo and more info): Katsusei Jakarta

Website: http://www.katsusei.co.id/preview/ 

Marutama Ramen (Casual Japanese Food)

Marutama Ra-men is a Japanese casual restaurant, with 4 locations in Jakarta. I visited the one in eX Plaza Indonesia, just in front of the XXI cinemas.

They have two main specialties: Ramen (Japanese noodle) and Nabe (Japanese hot pot). We took the Nabe, a soup with vegetables (Rp35,000++) to which you can add various items. In our case, we ordered a Chicken (Rp24,000++), Fish ball (Rp18,000++), Tofu (Rp9,000++) and Cabbage (Rp9,000) supplement. As you can see, the price of your meal may vary from simple to triple depending on your appetite. On average though, you shouldn't pay more than Rp100,000, and I think that's enough for two persons.

Marutaman Nabe

Overall: I rarely go to Japanese restaurants so it's difficult for me to assess how a dish tastes in comparison with the authentic version. Yet, I've read many mixed-to-positive reviews about this place, and both my friend and I enjoyed our meal: The ingredients were fresh and flavorful, and the soup was healthy. Since the restaurant is part of a chain, and located in a mall, I'm sure you can get better Japanese food elsewhere, but if you're not too picky, Marutama Ra-Men should satisfy you.

Opening hours:

Everyday, from 10am to 10pm

Marutama Ra-men Plaza Indonesia
eX Plaza Indonesia, 2nd floor #eX-20
Jl. MH Thamrin Kav 28 – 30, Jakarta 10350
Phone number: +62-21 3160705

Fax: +62-21 3151874

Facebook: Marutama Ramen Jakarta

Other locations:

Marutama Ra-men Senayan
Sentral Senayan 1 Building
Basement floor #10 BC
Phone number: +62-21 572 4050

Fax: +62-21 572 4050

Marutama Ra-men Pluit
Jl. Pluit Putra Raya No. 15 A
Phone number: +62-21 6691199

Fax: +62-21 6691166

Mautama Ra-men Puri Indah Mall
Jl. Puri Agung Puri Indah
Puri Indah Mall SF- 240 Lt. 2
Kembangan, West Jakarta
Phone number: +62-21 5823193 

Fax: +62-21 5823195

Sakana (Japanese Restaurant)

Sakana is a Japanese restaurant located in the MidPlaza 1 office tower. It is one of the few authentic Izakaya in Jakarta, and as such, it is quite popular among the Japanese community.

If you are alone, it is probably best to sit at the bar, which looks modern and intimate. Otherwise you can sit in one of the small tatami rooms (private eating areas), in which you need to take off your shoes before entering.

I tried Sakana with a friend who eats there at least once a week and he considers it to be among the best venues in Jakarta for eating casual Japanese food. On that day, we tried two sets of dishes:

Yasai Itame set (Rp50,000)

Gyuniku Udon set (Rp88,000++)

Other dishes that my friend recommends: Yakitori, Sushis, and Takoyaki.

Overall: A perfect venue to try authentic Japanese cuisine in Jakarta. The food is good but it remains unpretentious and affordable. I will come back.

Opening hours:
Everyday, from 11.30am to 2pm and from 6pm to 10pm

Sakana Japanese Restaurant
MidPlaza Basement Floor
Jl Jend Sudirman Kav 10 -11
Jakarta 10220 Indonesia
Phone number:+62-21 570 6200 / 574 6452

Website: http://kawanointl.com/sakana
Facebook: Sakana
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sakanamidplaza/

Photo Credit: The first three pictures were taken on Sakana's facebook page. The other ones are mine.

Shabu-Shabu House Jakarta

Shabu-Shabu House is one of the fastest growing Japanese restaurant chain in Indonesia. You will find them the more often in high-end malls, next to similar Japanese restaurants like Takigawa or Sushi Tei. In Jakarta, they have locations in Plaza Indonesia (the one I tried for this review), in Crystal Lagoon in SenCi and in Grand Indonesia.

The design of the restaurants are always modern, yet simple. It is not a luxury restaurant but it is classy enough to come for business, or even for a date. Actually since the shabu-shabu has to be shared among a few people, it is an excellent way to break the ice and get people to speak to each other.

The idea behind Shabu-Shabu House is to serve fresh, healty food. They don't use MSG or preservative and import most of their ingredients. I ordered the large Shabu-Shabu for 2 with the US Prime Beef (Rp165,000++). You can also have Wagyu beef but it will cost you Rp215,000++. In terms of price, it is quite expensive, but I was very satisfied with the presentation of the food and its taste. The equipment for boiling the meat and vegetables was also clean and new.

Overall, I recommend you to eat in Shabu-Shabu House restaurant, especially if you pay attention to the quality of the ingredients. I still need to try more venues, but so far it is the best Shabu-Shabu in Jakarta.

Contact details:

Shabu Shabu House Plaza Indonesia (Ex)
Level 1 Unit 25 - 26
Jl. MH. Thamrin Kav. 13, Jakarta
Tel: +62-21 3190 9002

Shabu Shabu House SenCi
Senayan City
LG Crystal Lagoon Unit 48 - 49
Jl. Asia Afrika Lot. 19, Jakarta
Tel: +62-21 7278 1609

Shabu Shabu House Grand Indonesia
East Mall Level 3A
Garden District 1 No. 3, Jakarta
Tel: +62-21 2358 1189

Also in Semarang:
Jl. Gajah Mada No. 144 Blok C & D
Semarang
Tel: +62-24 358 4020

Surabaya Town Square
Plaza Level Unit 46 - 47
Jl. Adityawarman No. 55, Surabaya
Tel: +62-31 563 2967

Website: http://www.shabu2house.com

SushiGroove

SushiGroove restaurants are usually located in malls and target young executives and students.

They do not serve excellent food and it's expensive, but the place is usually busy and fun for hanging out. Their menu is creative, the setting is funky and the service friendly: Is it worth paying the premium? I think that SushiGroove is fine for a short meal on the way to the movie, but for anything more serious (especially a date), it is too similar to an expensive fast-food and should be avoided.


Oh and by the way, in case you didn't guess, the food is Japanese, mostly sushis.

Opening hours: Every day from 11am to 10pm.

For more information about events and promotions:
http://www.ismaya.com/sushigroove/
www.facebook.com/sushigroove
http://twitter.com/sushigroove


Locations of Sushi Groove in Indonesia:

SushiGroove Senayan City
Urban Kitchen Senayan City – Level 5
Jl. Asia Afrika Lot. 19 Senayan Jakarta 10270
Phone Number: +62-21 996 50043

SushiGroove Citywalk Sudirman
GF # 05 Jl. KH Mas Mansyur No. 121
Jakarta
Phone number: +62-21 2555 8553

SushiGroove Pacific Place
Pacific Place (5th Floor, Urban Kitchen), Jakarta Selatan
Phone number: +62-21 9448 4171

SushiGroove SetiaBudi
Gedung Setiabudi 1 GF
Unit A 107
Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said Kav. 62 Kuningan
Jakarta 12920
Phone Number: +62-21 522 9955

SushiGroove PIM2
Pondok Indah Mall II
Fl 3, Unit 343
Jl. Metro Pondok Indah
Pondok Indah
Jakarta 12310
Phone number: +62-21 7592 1000

SushiGroove Taman Anggrek
Level 4 Lot No.405
Jl. Let Jen. S. Parman Kav 21
Slipi Jakarta 11470
Phone number: +62-21 560 9800

SushiGroove Emporium Pluit Mall
4th Fl no20
Jalan Pluit Raya, Kawasan CBD Pluit, S-6, North Jakarta

SushiGroove Kelapa Gading
GF # 60, Jl. Bulevar Kelapa Gading Blok M, Jakarta 14240
Phone number: +62-21 4585 3650

SushiGroove Paris Van Java
Ground Floor Unit No. G-B-56
Jl. Sukajadi No. 137 – 139
Bandung – 40162
Phone +62-22 820 63600

Takigawa (Indonesia-wide)

Takigawa is one of the most famous chains of Japanese restaurants in Jakarta, with location in almost every malls. Their concept is to serve upmarket Japanese dishes in a modern atmosphere, with prices usually above average (expect to pay around Rp90k for a meal + drinks).

As with every chain (Sushi Tei, Duck King, etc..), the service is very professional: Efficient and friendly but maybe lacking warmth. Not all branches are popular: The one I visited in Kemang was very quiet, while it is usually full in Grand Indonesia and Senayan City. The interior design lacked authenticity for me: It is too flashy and modern to make me feel really confortable (I wish they could take down the plasma screen TVs).

Also, the food was very average for the price paid. I had the mushroom wrap soup, almost tasteless, and I didn't really enjoy the Gomoku Kamameshi, one of the most recommended dishes in Takigawa.

Overall, I think Takigawa is a correct restaurant with a trendy feel, but overpriced. Personally I won't go there again, but if you love Japanese food, you should try it.

Locations of Takigawa restaurants in Jakarta: I won't copy and paste all of them here, so I invite you to check their website here: http://www.takigawaresto.com/en/locations.html. Their site also has information about the menu and promos.