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| Entrance from outside |
The restaurant is not big but we can feel a strong Japanese ambiance from the simple and calm interior. Once you go in, it’s hard not to notice the counter area with some chairs facing it, along with a narrow pathway that separate it with the more private seating areas (regular and tatami areas are available).
Yukashi serves authentic Japanese cuisine, from appetizers, sushi rolls, kushiyaki & yakitori (which are available only during dinner), main courses such as udon (hot or cold), single and sharing set menu. Prices range from IDR 35,000 – 220,000 for food and IDR 10,000 – millions for beverages.
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| Green Tea IDR 18,000 |
The first thing I ordered is the Tako Wasabi (IDR 35,000) which is categorized as a “single dish” (Toriaezu no Ippin), where the octopus bits are mixed with wasabi and served inside a tiny (like, seriously) pumpkin-shaped container. This certainly looks cute, and although I was surprised by how “stingy” the serving is, I understood well after I ate it. The raw octopus really absorbed the wasabi flavor perfectly, and the taste is strong! If you love wasabi, then make sure you don’t miss this one! 🙂
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| Tako Wasabi (IDR 35,000) |
For the appetizer, I opted for Yukashi Special (IDR 95,000), a cup of tofu, oyster, shrimp, and abalone with Ponzu jelly sauce. As this is served cold, I really enjoyed it as an appetizer. The ponzu jelly sauce is fragrant with a nice texture, it helps bringing out the flavors of the seafood.
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| Yukashi Special (IDR 95,000) |
For the main course, Mr. K of course chose something curry-related (errr..) and he picked Nishiazabu Gyuutan Curry (IDR 90,000), which is a great deal for what he got! There is a big plate of gyuutan (beef tongue) curry with complimentary fukujinzuke (pickles for Japanese curry) as well as a smaller plate of nikujaga (Japanese stew of meat, potatoes and onions).
The curry doesn’t taste like normal Japanese curry, in fact, it’s stronger and thicker in aroma and flavor, like a hybrid between Japanese and Indian curry. Nonetheless, we still think that it is so good, especially with the thick beef tongue!
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| Nishiazabu Gyuutan Curry (IDR 90,000) |
Since we visited Yukashi during lunch time, we also ordered one of the Lunch Menu, which is a Miso Katsu Don Teishoku (IDR 97,500). This menu is a big plus because I had never found Miso Katsu dishes in Jakarta before this. Miso Katsu is a specialty of Nagoya where the tonkatsu is eaten with miso-based sauce. Here we can choose to have chicken or pork katsu (obviously I chose pork), and since it’s a “don”, the katsu is served on top of bed of rice. The result is amazingly mouth-watering dish, not only from the presentation, but also the taste. The miso sauce is bold and kicking, goes really well with the thick meat, and brings the flavor maximally.
This set also comes with a plate of nikujaga again, kounomono (takuan a.k.a. pickled daikon radish and ume). The highlight is you’ll get to choose another part of the set, miso soup or udon as the side dish. I tried the udon and I was satisfied. This set menu is definitely a recommended one if you want a taste of Japanese teishoku experience! <3
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| Misokatsu Don Teishoku (IDR 97,500) |
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| Misokatsu is one of specialty dishes from Nagoya. |
And when there is sushi on the menu, we can’t ignore it just like that, right? Right? XD So we ended up ordering the Salmon Ikura Roll (IDR 75,000) which is super YUMM-O! The salmon and ikura are very fresh and soft, with (almost) unforgettable tastes that have been haunting me until now. The sushi roll might not be the best I have ever had, but I would come back for the sake of the salmon and ikura for sure.
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| Salmon Ikura Roll (IDR 75,000) |
To be completely honest, both of us were practically super full by that time, but we still had an order that wasn’t ready yet. I know it’s a bad habit to actually order 4-6 dishes for two of us, but well, I guess I have to control myself better next time.
The said dish usually takes around 20-30 minutes to prepare, or so we were told. And after we were done with our dishes, shortly later the special dish finally came. This so-called special dish is actually a Donnabe Takikomi Gohan, a Japanese rice dish seasoned with preferred ingredients then mixed in a claypot. There are several options but I opted for Jyako Bacon Donnabe (IDR 130,000).
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| Jyako Bacon Donnabe (IDR 130,000) |
Interestingly, this Donnabe Takikomi Gohan dishes are meant for 2 person servings, so it’s kind of big and comes with 2 empty bowls, 2 servings of kounomono (pickles), and 2 servings of red miso soup. Actually this dish is already enough for 2 person and can you imagine how we were gonna finish this after we had everything above? XD
Oh yes, jyako is small sardine, so this is a rice mixed with small sardine and bacon. After mixing everything in the claypot, put the mixed rice into the empty bowls and it’s ready to eat! The rice itself is already seasoned mildly with dashi stock and soy sauce, so it already has flavors. The saltiness from small sardine and bacon enhanced the flavor and make this dish very delicious.
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