KINTAN Yakiniku, Pacific Place, Jakarta

KINTAN Yakiniku is a Japanese barbecue restaurant under Dining Innovation Group, a Japanese F&B company which manages many Japanese brands worldwide.

 KINTAN was opened around the same time with its sister, SHABURI, located just side by side in Pacific Place, Jakarta.

 Didn’t take picture of the interior (and exterior) but basically the place is quite dark, with many partitions that make the area looks small and cramped. Ambiance of Japanese-style restaurant is strongly felt the moment we entered Kintan. A good start, perhaps?

Kintan has good selection of menu, from a la carte to set menu, ranging from IDR 12,000 to 498,000. If you’re not in the mood for yakiniku or grilled stuffs, there are simpler menu like rice and noodle dishes to try.

Mampuku Yakiniku Set IDR 396,000 (2 pax)

This is the most recommended set menu that is served for minimum 2 person, means if you’re alone, you can’t order this, or if you really want, you can order the 2 person set for yourself. Actually they state in the menu that the price is IDR 198,000/pax, which I think is a pointless (and deceiving) information as you can’t order 1 person set anyway. #justmytwocents

The set consists of:

Appetizers Three, Choregi Salad, Sanchu, KINTAN Jou Kalbi, Harami, Yakishabu Sappari Oroshi Ponzu, Gyu Tan, Rosu, Rice, and Today’s Dessert.

 
The Appetizers Three are edamame, tofu, and kimchi served on a plate. They are nice to awaken my appetite before digging the meat in. However, I expected a more Japanese-style appetizer, and was a bit taken back by the kimchi.

 
The salad was served in medium bowl and I love the dressing. Japanese salad dressing is simply LOVE.

 
Sanchu is actually a basket of greens for wrapping the meat. Plus the gochujang-alike red sauce in separated container. Like, seriously? Both I and Mr. K were not too happy with these as we expected something more original, more authentic Japanese way of enjoying yakiniku. Seeing the kimchi and this, we somehow started questioning it.

 
Meanwhile, let’s talk about the meat. So, Mampuku Set consists of 5 different types of beef meat, and my favorite was the Gyu Tan (Beef Tongue). The meat obviously are very high quality ones and you can tell even from the way they look, the fresh red color and juiciness. I found them easy to eat and I didn’t even need dipping sauce anymore because the meat were so tasty and delicious by themselves. The Yakishabu meat has the best taste as they were very well-marinated and had an almost sweet juice coming out after being grilled.

 
There is a trick to enjoy these meat to the max, because Kintan uses premium ingredients, it’s advisable to care about how and how long you grill them. Some meat are meant to be grilled shortly, as not to ruin them by over-grilling. Just make sure to ask the staffs for how-to guidances if you want to have the best experience.

Surprised Hormone IDR 59,000

Another chef’s recommended dish, I tried the “Surprised Hormone” and was literally surprised to see it. Served in a little pot, it is actually very long when taken out. Hormone is actually beef small intestine, that comes with lots of fat and has rubbery texture when eaten. Hormone is popular as stamina food as it’s believed to bring more energy for the eaters. Beside that, in Japan, hormone is also popular among ladies as it is rich of collagen, which is good for the skin.

 
Yakiniku is never complete without beer so we tried the Bali Hai Snowy Beer (IDR 49,000) and some Green Tea (IDR 18,000) with free refills.

 
The almond pudding we had as part of the set was okay, tasted a bit bland and too soft for my liking, but at least the consistency was nice.