Izakaya Issei

Another new spot to share. Yay! It's the newly established Izakaya Issei. This small Japanese eatery is located in the busy Senopati area, tucked on the second floor, on top of a small cafe, Appetite and Chief barbershop. Though it was quite hard to be noticed on first go, I am sure you'll notice it if I told you it was on the house right next to the famous Cacaote. Well, you know where to go. 

The word izakaya represents Japanese drinking establishment which also serves food to accompany the drinks, a casual place for after-work drinking. While issei means first. This kind of joint was not common here in Jakarta and that's why Izakaya Issei brought a whole new experience. Let me tell you beforehand that I fell in love with the place, the dishes and even the very hospitable host. I was there to join the crowd for #EATJKT event, held from 21 April to 18 May 2014, and I was so pleased with all the food presented, the speed of service and the nice dinner companion. Here we go.

sharing is caring

The place was not too large but somehow comfortable. It was very crowded on Tuesday night, a good sign that this place really serves good food. We got ourselves a table on the corner, right in front of the famous 'Sharing is Caring' sign.

Let's start with something girly, like this Sake Beries Issei 125k. With a really nice and unique presentation along with cute pink liquid, this definitely fits me, a beginner for drinking. Tasted bittersweet with a strong strawberry taste.

Issei Chicken 27k

This is a must try when visiting Izakaya Issei, their signature Issei Chicken, deep fried chicken served with spicy sambal. The sambal was very spicy and of course I'm a fan. The chicken was very tender and you won't notice that along the conversation, a plate was finished. It was just perfect to start the night.

Age Dori Negi Sauce 36k

This is my personal favorite, age dori negi sauce. If you followed my instagram account, you'll notice I uploaded this live from Izakaya Issei. It was deep fried chicken thigh with special sauce. The chicken was tender, moist, juicy and almost melt in your mouth. The sauce tasted dominantly sweet and blended really well with the chicken.

top: Wakame Salad 45k - Korokke Potato 27k
bottom: Agedashi Tofu 27k - Jacko Salad 36k

Stop a while with a healthier option, like the delicious wakame salad and jacko salad. Both salad served with similar veggies but wakame salad is topped with seaweed and served with additional mayonnaise, while jacko salad is topped with jacko (Japanese small fish, similar to teri). I prefer wakame salad as the dressing were richer with the help of mayonnaise, but I do love the jacko. So perhaps, you can order both and mix them together? Korokke potato was served hot and has a smooth potato puree texture while the agedashi tofu was a darling. Love the warm sweet-salty soup with smooth silk tofu. Yums!

One of the must item in an izakaya is yakitori (Japanese skewer). I taste lots of these that I can't even remember what I had that night. Is there something called yakitori overdose?

Assorted Yakitori - original

Assorted Yakitori - sweet

Here's my personal favorites: gyutan 18k (beef tongue), teba 12k (chicken wings), tsukune 16k (minced chicken) and bonjiri 16k (chicken tail). These yakitori can be ordered with original sauce or sweet sauce. In my opinion, both sauce were nice with different, unique taste each. Theser yakitori are well-marinated and cooked to perfection. Now, if you are allowed to eat pork dishes, do not forget to have these luscious, buta bara (pork belly) and buta bara negi miso (pork belly with miso sauce and spring onion). These pork belly melts in your mouth and definitely not to be missed.

front: Buta Bara Negi Miso 27k - back: Buta Bara 25k 

Continuing our exciting journey, we had teba tsukune, chicken wings stuffed with minced chicken. This is definitely one of my must-order item. Love the juicy chicken wings texture and loving the minced chicken stuffing. Yum yum.

Teba Tsukune 25k

Overwhelmed with the starters and smaller menu, but spare your tummy for the mains. First stop is my favorite, gyutan don, Wagyu tongue with special sauce and rice - spicy. Delicious is an understatement. The beef tongue was very tender and smooth, with enough seasoning and some chilies, you have yourself a bowl of happiness. I do think that the portion would be too small for guys, but hey.. you had more than enough starters and smaller menus to choose.

Gyutan Don 95k

Continuing our bigger menu with butabara don and tori soborodon. Butabara don is pork belly over steamed rice. The seasoning was similar with gyutan don with spring onions and chilies on top. Of course, the pork belly was tender and smooth. While tori soborodon is minced chicken donburi topped with nori and egg. Again, it was well-seasoned and delicious!

Butabara Don | Tori Soborodon 62k

If you prefer something without rice, try the chicken katsu curry and chicken teriyaki. Crispy breaded chicken cutlet drenched in thick curry sauce. You gotta love it. The chicken teriyaki is another darling. Juicy chicken cooked with sweet teriyaki sauce.

Chicken Katsu Curry 46k

Chicken Teriyaki 39k

Are you thirsty already? I bet the sake berries we had earlier were not enough to quench your thirst. Do not be afraid as Izakaya Issei serves Asahi beer. Japan's no. 1 beer served in a frozen glass. I did not try it as I'm not too fond of alcohol, but everybody knows the quality of this beer.

Asahi Beer 

Or try their signature cocktail selection. We had rhubarb lemonade and Tokyo flush fixx. Rhubarb lemonade consisted of orange wedges, fresh lemon juice, Jim Beam White, sour rhubarb and sprite on top. While Tokyo flush fixx consisted of sake, midori, vodka, soda water and lemon wedges. These are lighter version of the alcoholic beverages served in the house. I have to say that I kinda like the rhubarb lemonade as it was really refreshing, with a light taste of alcohol.

 Rhubarb Lemonade 110k - Tokyo Flush Fizz 125k

To end the lovely night, we were served with beer sorbet, a dessert made from the alcoholic drinks which tasted unique and refreshing.

Now imagine you with your beloved friends share the table for great Japanese cuisine and some fresh cocktails over gossips. That's definitely my kind of night. Overall, I had a great time at Izakaya Issei with a lovely host and delicious food. I will surely return to taste more of their delicacies.

Izakaya Issei
Jl. Senopati Raya No. 82 Level 2
South Jakarta
Ph.: 6221 6079 6880

Yoogane (유가네)

Yoogane is an authentic Korean restaurant, brought directly from Seoul.. Since 1981, Yoogane has delivered the best quality of dakgalbi (닭갈비).. Dakgalbi is popular Korean dish, made by stir-frying diced chicken in a special chili sauce (gochujang), mixed with fresh vegetables.. In Jakarta, Yoogane has opened its branch in Citywalk.. The eatery was not too spacious, but quite comfortable.. Basic wooden furniture with Korean graffiti on the wall.. On each table, a stove for live cooking is available..

colorful graffiti 

I went there with my office mates during lunch hour as Citywalk is within reach from my office.. The eatery was empty when we arrived.. After looking at the menu and asking for recommendation from the waiter, we decided to have dakgalbi fried rice 79k, bulgogi (불고기) fried udon 128k and tteokbokki (떡볶이) 46k..

First to come is kimchi (김치), traditional Korean fermented veggies, served as banchan (반찬).. In my opinion, kimchi served here was a bit tasteless compare to other Korean restaurant.. I wish more sourness and spiciness in the sauce.. Then came the tteokbokki, a popular Korean snack made from soft rice cake in a sweet red chili sauce.. I have tasted some tteokbokki available in other Korean restaurant, and Yoogane's is definitely one of the best.. The rice cake was soft and chewy, the sauce was tasty, spicy and just addictive..

The fried rice and fried udon should have been cooked live in front of us, but due to the empty restaurant, the waiter cooked our orders in separate table.. I think they did not want to ruin our hair and clothes with the smell of smoke from cooking.. Once ready, both dishes were served in a huge pot in front of us.. Both smelled really good and looked very appetizing.. Lunch time!

Dakgalbi fried rice was supposed to be spicy, due to the gochujang sauce.. However, this one was mildly spicy, so you, chili haters, should not be afraid to try.. The fried rice was very fragrant and tasty.. I love the texture, the mild-spicy sauce and the tender chicken.. Bulgogi is another Korean cuisine hits, made from thin slices of beef prime cuts, marinated to enhanced its flavor and tenderness.. The bulgogi then stir-fried with udon and vegetables.. It tasted sweet and salty.. I prefer the fried rice, but my other friend fancied the fried udon..

Overall, it was a hearty lunch at Yoogane.. Delicious food, good service and comfortable eatery.. Not to mention the short distance from my office, I am lucky to get another option of good Korean eatery..

Yoogane

Citywalk Sudirman 1st Flor Unit 25

Jl. KH Mas Mansyur Kav. 121

Central Jakarta

Ph.: 6221 2991 8977
www.yoogane.co.id

Menya Sakura (麺屋桜)

By now, I guessed everyone has aware of how ramen invades Jakarta.. I don't have to list down all those names for you.. Menya Sakura is one of the latest ramen house to open a new outlet in Jakarta.. Originated from Nagoya, Japan, this ramen house is famous as the 'small store, long queue'.. 

Arriving around 11.50 AM, I was quite surprise that the ramen house was crowded and full with people craving for ramen.. Located in the 2nd floor, this restaurant was quite small and you can hear the hustle of people chatting.. So, the waiter taking our name in the waiting list is a Japanese guy.. Personally, I think he's a store manager taking over due to the long queue.. After waiting around 10 minutes and deciding what to order, we finally got our table at the back corner of the restaurant.. I have to say I was impressed with their speed in managing the queue.. The table was cleaned in split second and the new customers can quickly get their tables..

On the table, a tray of all condiments were available.. I noticed fresh garlic, soy sauce, chili powder and this purplish powder tasted like salt.. It was one hot afternoon that I picked the cold ocha 10k for drinks.. It's not refillable, but the glass was quite big, so I have no complains..

So, the each of the girls ordered tonkotsu ramen 49.8k while the guys ordered spicy tonkotsu char-shu men 75k.. Not a creative group, eh? As far as I know, tonkotsu ramen is the most famous menu in all ramen houses.. It's a bowl of ramen in a pork-based soup broth served with pork slices and half soft-boiled egg.. While spicy tonkotsu char-shu men is the spicy version of tonkotsu broth served with more pork slices.. And that is why the guys were having the char-shu men.. See? More pork, more love from the guys..

The broth looked quite thick, I guessed it's the result of hours of pork cooking in the attempt to get the best flavor.. Thank God, it was still quite light and not overwhelming.. Definitely not as thick as those broth I found in other ramen houses, which is good.. The soup was really tasty and delicious, all at the right level.. I prefer the basic tonkotsu soup (added with chili powder according to my liking) to the spicy tonkotsu as the spicy one was too oily for my palate.. The ramen was cooked al dente, chewy and smooth.. Again, it's at the right level of not being too hard or too mushy.. 

Now, let's continue to the best thing in the bowl, the char-shu.. Let me tell you, those pork slices were to die for.. It was so, so good as it literally melts in you mouth, giving a nice, fragrant pork taste at its best.. Heavenly! 

So we had our big meal, but you know that there will always be room for dessert, no? Menya Sakura's dessert selection is quite limited but I was attracted to the mochi green tea 20k.. Consisted of two pieces of mochi and green tea ice cream, then topped with soy powder.. The mochi was mediocre and a bit tasteless, but the green tea ice cream saves the day! It was smooth and not overly sweet, in other word, it was perfect! Perhaps next time, I will just order the green tea ice cream, which was priced 12k..

So overall, it was a hearty lunch at Menya Sakura.. The food was delicious at a reasonable price.. On top of above price, you will be charged 10% for tax and 5% for service.. I will come back for their green tea ice cream, for sure..

Menya Sakura

Lotte Shopping Avenue 2nd Floor

Jln. Prof. Dr. Satrio Kav. 3-5

South Jakarta

Ph.: 6221 2988 9256 

www.menyasakura.co.id

Brunch at BonChon Chicken

if the Chinese are famous for their la mien and the Japanese gone crazy with their ramen, then the Koreans are proud for their myun! as a food-chain selling Korean dishes, BonChon Chicken brought the famous myun right to Jakarta, fellas! a few weeks ago, I had the privilege to try their new menu in a nice and warm food tasting.. now, let's get your tongue and tummy ready.. 

let's start with something sweet to quench your thirst first, perhaps after a long day at work or a crazy traffic.. I actually love their cup design :)

don't rush yourself, start slowly with something good to get your palate ready.. something like kimchi soup.. spicy and sour soup generously filled with Korean kimchi, tofu and scallions.. the soup was warm and nice with a generous fillings.. a strong sour taste usually found in Korean dishes.. if you are not a fan of sour dishes, then try something more Indonesian like the chicken soup.. a clear soup filled with chicken cubes, tofu, veggies and scallions.. by the way, thanks my fun food diary for your helping hands :)

or simply be safe and have their BonChon bites, available in original or spicy flavor.. personally, I prefer the spicy bites.. it was nicely drenched in spicy sauce in the perfect size for snack.. one cup would never be enough, trust me.. now if you want to have a healthier start, try fresh salad.. lettuce and carrot drenched in lemony sauce then topped with some crunch similar to Indonesian kremesan.. I didn't try this but some said the sauce was a bit lemony sour..

done with your appetizer, then here comes the myun which was available in the options of classic myun or spicy myun.. since I'm a huge fan of chili and all things spicy, I went with the spicy myun.. the myun was thick, made from buckwheat flour.. the main difference between spicy and classic was in the sauce.. the spicy myun came with a hot red sauce with cuts of scallion on top, while the classic one came in a milder red sauce.. taste wise, the sauce was actually good.. it was not too spicy for me, pardon my spicy tongue.. some complained it was too spicy, but I did enjoy the meal.. the chicken cutlet accompanying the myun, however, tasted a bit bland.. when confirmed to the chef, it was purposely made bland to balance the spicy sauce when eaten together.. I didn't try the classic one, but some fellow non-spicy lover foodies said it tasted a little sweet and still too spicy for their tongue and wished it was milder.. 

spicy myun | classic myun

after finishing the hot meal, spoil yourself with something sweet.. BonChon has two options of snowflakes (blueberry, strawberry or mocha) and mochi (vanilla, strawberry or mocha).. I had mixed mochi and as always, loved it.. one portion was never enough for me.. the snowflakes however, was not my favorite.. layers of ice shavings, red beans, cuts of mochi and your choice of sauce sounded quite good.. but somehow, the mix was not my kind of dessert.. their mochi were to die for, though..

and we were allowed to went home with these.. thanks a lot BonChon.. :)

BonChon Chicken
City Walk Sudirman, Ground Floor
Jl. K.H. Mas Mansyur No. 121, Jakarta
Ph.: 6221 5422 0116

Ikkudo Ichi

Ikkudo Ichi is one of the top list of Jakarta's ramen stalls.. and how good words spread fast.. I have heard about this ramen stall for quite a while and was really curious and eager to try it.. so when my brother mentioned that he wanted to try this as well, I was more than excited.. and so we traveled quite far, far away to PIK area and easily found a huge Ikkudo Ichi sign welcomed us.. we were there..

the place was quite packed that afternoon that we only managed to get a table in the outdoor dining area.. due to the hungry tummy, I didn't take any pic of the atmosphere.. but in general, it was typical Japanese ramen stall with wooden chairs and nicely decorated with Japanese lanterns in the ceiling.. the outdoor area was quite comfortable since it was windy and the service was very good and prompt.. a plus point was when the waiter gave us an extra chairs to put our bags..

the menu was mainly consisted of ramen with choices of pork broth or chicken broth.. along with it are Japanese appetizers and side dishes.. our choice of appetizer went to buta chasu aburi (Rp48,000) since they run out of gyu chasu aburi which was recommended by wanderbites.. buta chasu aburi is five slices of pork which was usually put on top of the signature pork ramen then served with crushed garlic and scallions.. personally, I prefer more slices if you really have to put such thin ones on my plate.. taste wise, the pork was very tender and smooth, the main reason why I love pork.. it was perfectly balanced with the crushed garlic to make it less porky.. still smelled and tasted too porky for my mom but I love it.. 

buta chasu aburi

now, what the use of going to a ramen stall without ordering a bowl of it? of course, we had our ramen bowls here.. my brother had the ikkudo buta kara (Rp41,900) while I shared ikkudo tori kara (Rp41,900) with my mom.. buta kara is ramen with pork-based soup served with special red sauce, pork slices, boiled eggs, wakame and sesame seeds.. while tori kara is ramen basically the same only with chicken-based soup and chicken slices.. you are allowed to choose the thickness of the broth, the oil level and the texture of the ramen, so choose wisely.. we basically chose the normal broth thickness and normal noodle texture with less oil..

I noticed that the broth (both pork and chicken) was much lighter and clearer than Ikkousha's.. and I love it! it tasted delightful.. really smooth broth as a result of the slow-long cooking process was combined with chewy ramen then added with the tender boneless chicken.. you will get a bowl of satisfaction.. the special red sauce brought almost no value added to the dish as I still added more chili powder for spiciness.. after the first sip, I also add a little bit of crushed garlic to make the dish even more enjoyable.. my brother was also enjoying his ramen and kept saying that it was good..

ikkudo buta kara

so overall, all of us had a delicate lunch and happy tummy always means happy me.. here's a look of the happy ending of ikkudo tori kara..

Ikkudo Ichi
Rukan Crown Golf Blok D No. 2-3
Bukit Golf Mediterania, PIK
North Jakarta
Ph.: 6221 9662 8677

Dragon Court Chinese Restaurant

last week, I had a pleasant surprise of the opportunity to taste Chinese cuisine from Dragon Court Chinese Restaurant, located in The Media Hotel & Towers.. a restaurant which offers all you can eat dim sum for only Rp69,999.. now, with that you can get your free-flow Chinese tea along with stuffing your tummy with over 40 different kinds of dim sum.. the all you can eat dim sum is available on weekends or public holidays from 08:00 to 14:00..

the restaurant was quite huge with 150 seating capacity decorated in oriental style.. dominated by typical wooden chairs and huge round tables, it's really homey.. somehow, the Chinese restaurant decorations always make me feel warm.. I love round tables since it allows us to look at each of our eating companions.. here and there, you will find Chinese ornaments which is really nice in the eyes..

 

now, off to the business, shall we? what you're about to see is a series of food photography.. I suggest you to kindly eat before reading this post :)

start the day with a cup of warm Chinese tea.. love the cup!

main courses station | carrot cake station

fried dim sum sections
left-right: kumis naga, roti goreng udan, guo tie

winter melon & seafood soup | Chinese congee

what's on our table.. 

stacks of bamboo steamer | shrimp har gow

crab har gaw (my favorite!) | vegetable cheong fan

onde-onde | almond rolls filled with corn custard

onde-onde filled with red bean paste, my favorite dessert! 

desserts station
fresh fruits | assorted pudding | rainbow cakes | fruit cocktail

so overall, it was a huge lunch as we were offered all of those appetizing cuisine.. and it's not even half of what is served in Dragon Court.. my top three dishes would be winter melon & seafood soup, crab har gow and onde-onde.. the soup was very delicate, clear and straight taste, generously filled with winter melon chunks, chicken and vegetables.. the crab har gow definitely got the pretty look and delicate taste as well.. and how I love those onde-onde.. yum!!

if you want to enjoy an affordable yet tasty dim sum, don't hesitate to visit Dragon Court Chinese Restaurant.. I will definitely come back for more dim sum :)

Dragon Court Chinese Restaurant
The Media Hotel & Towers
Jl. Gunung Sahari 3
Jakarta 10720
www.themediahotel.com