Benihana

There is an eye-catching restaurant that we always wanted to try but never had any chance to. Until that fine day, we were in Grand Indonesia, looking for a new place for lunch. Mr. P suggested we should try the Benihana, which he told me about how famous it is in the United States. Founded by Mr. Hiroaki Aoki -more popularly known as Rocky Aoki- back in 1964 in New York City, the restaurant successfully attracted many people around the world, and nowadays, it has become an international brand, as the branches are spread throughout the continents.

And we in Indonesia are lucky enough that we have the very own branch in Jakarta. They don’t even have the branch in Singapore. Among South East Asian countries, only Indonesia and Thailand hold the prestige, at least up to the moment.

The restaurant has a very bold Japanese style, with massive Zen inspired theme and minimum lighting. Once you enter, it’s like you’re brought to a completely different dimension, and the deeper you walk inside, the stronger the Japanese ambiance is. 

The restaurant is famous for its teppanyaki dishes, so they have special dining areas with teppanyaki chefs cooking right in front of the guests. And also separated rooms for more privacy, preferable for guests with business meetings or something like that. 

We picked up the table next to the window, as the view was very astonishing. In the middle of the room, they have this Japanese garden decoration, which looks totally stunning, complete with the stone statuettes and hanging lamps. Don’t you think it’s breath-taking? Personally, I think this is very elegant, classy and colorful in the same time.

There is also a separated bar area which is more casual, where you can eat or drink, as they also provide the teppanyaki pan as well. I think it’s probably more packed at night when salarymen and workers finish their works and enjoying some light meals with fancy drinks. 

For the main course, we chose the Individual Set, which comes in 4 options. It’s a great price because you practically get everything, including rice, soup and salad. Of course I ordered Chicken Katsu Curry and Mr. P settled with Salmon Teriyaki set. Mrs. A ordered the Chicken Fried Rice, which looks so tempting but I didn’t try. She said it was good but not special. The food itself, I don’t think they’re amazing or extravagant, but well, maybe we should try the infamous teppanyaki another chance.

Overall, we think we’re impressed by the restaurant, more about the place and ambiance. The food were okay, but not special. But again, we didn’t try their specialty menu, which is teppanyaki, so maybe we’ll come back again for another review.

As for the service, it was standard, they certainly can do much better. And the price is okay. We thought it would be so expensive considering the place, the brand, and everything, but it is not. And for quality, it’s all worth the money you spend.

*All prices are subject to 6% service charge and 10% government tax