WAKUWAKU Japan Cafe @Kaffein, Gandaria City, Jakarta

WAKUWAKU Japan is a TV channel specifically broadcasting Japanese TV programs such as drama, anime, tokusatsu, movies, music, cultural programs and so on. And now, from November 28th 2014 until January 28th 2015 (2 months only), they are opening a special cafe at Kaffein, Gandaria City, to bring us the real feeling and ambiance of Japan.

If you have ever been in Kaffein before, you’ll notice that the indoor area is totally transformed into a Japanese-themed cafe, complete with tatami seating under cherry blossom (sakura) and lampions decoration. However, the tatami area is not big so it depends on your luck to actually get to sit there. XD

To me, I always prefer outdoor area whenever I go to Kaffein because it’s bigger and has nicer view. I chose to sit outdoor again this time and I was surprised to see that even the tables have printed sakura motives. So beautiful!

WAKUWAKU Japan Cafe doesn’t only offer true Japanese ambiance, they also offer authentic Japanese dishes, which are basically Ochazuke dishes (IDR 120K/set), Chirashi Sushi (IDR 150K) and Desserts (IDR 50K/set). 

Before I start with the food, let’s see how serious they are with the “real” Japanese concept.

In Japan, there is a tradition to “enjoy food with the eyes”, which explains a lot why most all Japanese food have nice arrangements and beautiful matching colors. In WAKUWAKU Japan Cafe, the meals are served in traditional Japanese chinaware (Arita ware, Mino pottery) and lacquer ware (Yamanaka-nuri) so the guests can enjoy their dishes with five senses.

Tai-chazuke uses tai or sea bream as the main star of the dish, and it couldn’t be more authentic than this compared to the other two options (sake a.k.a. salmon and tempura).

Basically ochazuke dishes are served with soup stock in separated pot, which later will be poured onto the rice to enhance the taste. You can also find many other condiments from seaweed, ginger, even wasabi to be added according to personal taste.

To be honest, I am deeply impressed by the quality of everything: fish, rice, soup, even the utensils. Later I found out that the ingredients are imported directly from Japan so rest assured, all you will experience here is truly Japanese-style ochazuke dishes that are quite common there.

The sea bream was super fresh, like, I could even feel the texture, almost crunchy. The soup stock was mild yet tasty, I basically used it until the last drop so as you can probably tell from the pic, I got my rice bowl completely flooded. XD

This cold red bean soup with rice cake (mochi) is a must-try if you love red bean and want something different from green tea related desserts.

The taste is sweet, almost too sweet (for me) but neutralized perfectly with a cup of tea. The rice cake was thin, chewy and tasted best when eaten with the sweet red bean soup.

A delightful dessert that is definitely not to miss when you stop by.

A harmony of matcha-flavored ice cream, rice-flower dumplings, and red bean paste in syrup.

This set of dessert was a total heavenly treat for me because everything in there has their own irreplaceable role in creating beautiful harmony of good and presentable taste.

I love everything in the cup, from the ice cream, jelly, mochi, red bean, even the syrup. This also comes with a cup of hot tea, so it’s actually a perfect set to enjoy some sweet dessert.

For the tea, they serve matcha (green tea), sencha (medium-grade green tea), and houjicha (roasted green tea). And if you come to enjoy the tea, for IDR 30K you’ll get free refill and the tea comes with a SHIKI-ORIORI cookie. With this cookie, we can enjoy 4 seasons: Autumn (brown sugar and kinako), Spring (shoyu and sesame), Winter (chocolate and sansho), and Summer (matcha). The SHIKI-ORIORI  cookies can be ordered for IDR 80K (8 pcs).

WAKUWAKU Japan Cafe only opens for public for 2 months, until January 28th 2015. So if you like everything related to Japan, please come and bring your friends!~ 😉