SAKANA DELONIX, Karawang

Two weeks ago, we made our first trip to Karawang, West Java, to visit the newly-(re)opened SAKANA restaurant in Delonix Hotel. SAKANA itself is a renowned brand under KAWANO Group (along with Honzen, Bistronomy, Tontoki, and many others) serving spectacular Japanese and International cuisine in a contemporary setting.

Currently there are 3 SAKANA restaurants in Jakarta and surrounding areas: one in MidPlaza 1 building, another one inside Soekarno-Hatta airport (international departure hall of Terminal 2 D-E), and this one inside Delonix Hotel.

２週間前に初めて西ジャワ、工業団地カラワンにあるデロニックスホテルで新たにオープンした酒菜に行って来ました。酒菜は　KAWANO Group　の傘下のレストランであり（本膳、ビストロのミー、屯登木など）、MidPlaza店、スカルノハッタ空港（ターミナル２D-E）に続いた3店目の酒菜です。

It took us around 1,5 hours to reach the hotel (with a good traffic on Saturday noon), including some wasted time searching for the place. We’ll write about the hotel later in separated post so if you are interested, you can check back later 🙂

道路の空いている土曜日のジャカルタから色々迷ったりして１時間半掛かりましたデロニクスホテルでしたが後に別でレビューを書きます：）

If you have been in SAKANA restaurant in MidPlaza before, you’ll notice that they have quite an interior to suit authentic Japanese atmosphere, with a touch of warm colors. Here in SAKANA Delonix, the theme is very much still the same authentic Japanese ambience, only made much more simple and calm in a contemporary style, yet giving a touch of laid-back feeling. The lighting is kept minimally and even during daytime, the place is quite dark, except the bar area and few seating area near the Zen-style garden at the back of the restaurant.

MidPlazaにある酒菜に来店したことがある方にはお分かりだと思いますがMIdPlaza店は昭和をイメージした日本風でユニークなインテリやデザインと感じますが、新たに開店した酒菜は禅を意識したゆったり穏やかな京風・和風デザインでした。店内は暗くあまり日差しが入ってこないのですがバーエリアや縁側からは心や疲れを癒す枯山水がとても良かったです。

If you think the ambience is less Japanese for you in the main dining area, you can opt to sit in private tatami rooms. It is amazing to see that such room exists in this place, it was totally unexpected!

縁側からは個室になっている和室が２部屋あり、広々しい部屋で、まるで日本にいるような感じがします。忘年会・新年会にはぴったりの和室です！

SAKANA’s menu is impressive in term of selection. I mean, the selection is simply crazy. We can find simply everything about Japanese comfort food, as well as International dishes like pasta and even Indonesian dishes. The price is also considerably very affordable so this can actually be one-stop restaurant that we can visit again and again without having to worry about being broke, LOL!

デロニクス酒菜のメニューには和食から、パスタ、インドネシア料理などまでものすごい種類の料理がありました。お値段も非常に手頃な価格で一文無しになる心配全く無かってです（笑）！

While we were waiting for our food, we tried their new mocktails menu which are (interestingly) named according to the SAKANA Delonix’s staffs’ names, cute! Tried 4 of them and my personal fave was the Mey-co. The combination of fruits (kiwi, papaya, mango) were surprisingly unique and refreshing, mixed with Blue Curacao which tasted citrus-y, it was simply a thirst quencher as well as eye candy.

特に一番興味深かったのはモクテルでした。なんとデロニクス酒菜のモクテル名は全て本店で働いているスタッフさんの名前でした（可愛い）！４種類飲んでみた内メイコさんが一番のお気に入りです。メイコはキューウィ、パパイヤ、マンゴーなど４種類のフルーツコンビで最後にブルークラカオの仕上げにより新鮮で柑橘な一品でした！見た目も良く喉が乾きます！

Delonilita IDR 34,000

Melon, pineapple, lemon.

Bananaina IDR 38,000

Banana, yogurt, lemon, orange, condensed milk.

Mey-co IDR 35,000

Blue Curacao syrup, kiwi, papaya, mango, soda.

Hevitable IDR 32,000

Orange, carrot.

Spam Katsu／スパムカツ  IDR 58,000

We admitted that we took all the liberty to take photos of this beautiful dish and probably took too long, but when we finally had our first bite, it was still as crunchy as it could get, amazing! I enjoyed them as they were as I found them quite salty already, but there was separate dipping sauce prepared that made them even saltier. As an appetizer, this is a great option to be enjoyed with alcoholic drinks.

この美しい一品の撮影に時間を掛けすぎてしまったことを認めますが（汗）、一口お試ししてみたらこの一品の味とカリカリした食感がたまりませんでした！少し塩辛かく、ディッピングソースで塩辛さも増しますがおつまみとしてお酒との組み合わせは最高でした！

Ika Natto／イカ納豆  IDR 39,000

The squid slices were very fresh and smooth, while the natto was very enjoyable. Since I am not already a convert (used to dislike natto like, SO MUCH), I wanna say if you don’t like natto, give it a try again and again. XD

イカは非常に新鮮で滑らかでした。納豆との組み合わせは文句無しで（最近まで納豆が嫌いでした（笑））、もしも納豆をその時嫌いであってももう一度食べますXD（笑）！

Tonpeiyaki／とん平焼き IDR 48,000

Pan-fried omelet with pork filling, this is basically like okonomiyaki served omelet way. Beside pork, we could see cabbage and bean sprouts inside. Taste-wise, it was quite similar with okonomiyaki. The downside was that the cabbage cuts were too thick and they were not cooked until soft. It might be just us, but we prefer a softer and thinner-sliced cabbage for this kind of dish.

正直インドネシアでとん平焼きを食べられると思いませんでした。私からしてみればとん平焼きは広島風お好み焼きをオムレツみたいに包んだ一品でした。中には豚肉の他にキャベツ、もやしが見えます。味的には広島風お好み焼きに似ていましたがキャベツが少し太く硬かったです。

Oden Enkai Mori ／おでん宴会盛り IDR 97,000

Claimed as SAKANA’s most favorite and best-selling item, we just couldn’t miss the oden. Oden is considered as Japanese winter dish and is best enjoyed warm. In SAKANA, we can choose 3 types of portion based on the amount of ingredients (3, 6, or 12), and this one is the complete (12 ingredients) version.

デロニクス酒菜によるとおでんはベストセラーです！ここならでは絶対欠かせな一品です。こちらのおでんは３つオプションがあり、具材３、６、１２種類の選択が可能です。我々は１２種類を試食してみました。

What I love about their oden is the simplicity. Yes, oden is indeed a simple stew dish that is served with light broth, but the effect is great, heart-warming dish that is perfect for everyone. The 12 ingredients oden didn’t only look so beautiful (presentation, colors and arrangement), it also brought back a lot of memories and the warmth of homemade dishes, simple as that.

私はおでんのシンプルなところが好きです。マイルドな煮物で心が温まり誰でも楽しめる一品です。この１２の組み合わせは美しくもちろんお味も文句無しで、家庭料理の懐かしさを感じさせてくれます。

Shabu Shabu

Thanks to this particular visit to SAKANA Delonix, I have been consuming a lot of shabu shabu, nabe, sukiyaki, hot pot -you name it- dishes ever since. I had never been a soup person and prefer grilled stuffs more, since I prefer bold and strong tasted dishes rather than a light-tasted ones.

Good news is everyday from 15-31 October 2015, SAKANA Delonix has the promotion of Shabu Shabu All-You-Can-Eat for IDR 128,000++/person, with beef or pork selection, including rice.

このデロニクス酒菜で最も食べてしまった一品でとても感謝しています！それ以来普段焼肉派の私はしゃぶしゃぶ、鍋、すき焼きを良く食べて回っています（笑）。

 今デロニクス酒菜では１０月１５−３１日までしゃぶしゃぶ食べ放題キャンペーンをしています。価格は一人IDR128,000++でご飯付き、牛肉・豚肉を選べます！

We were so delighted to be able to try this shabu shabu with delicious pork slices that Ako-san (the great master cook of Kawano Group) brought specially for us that day.

Kawano Group最高の料理人、亜子さんに豚肉のしゃぶしゃぶを用意していただき感謝でいっぱいです！

And the fresh, colorful vegetables, tofu, mushrooms and noodle.

新鮮でカラフルな色合いの具材。

While I rarely eat shabu shabu with pork as the main meat, I found it surprisingly much more delicious than beef. The pork slices were perfect, not too thin and not too thick, so they were still tender after cooked, very easy to eat.

豚肉で初めてしゃぶしゃぶを試食してみましたが牛肉より断然美味しかったのでびっくりしました。豚肉の薄切りは太すぎず細すぎず、煮ても柔らかさを無くさない食べやすい最高の一品でした。

Must say we totally fell in love to the soup, despite its clear color, the soup was rich and tasty! The mix of sweet and savory flavors really amazed us and it reminded us to the superb soup of Hakusai Nabe from Tontoki. Oh yes, you can always ask the staffs to refill the soup whenever you need it.

汁は薄い見た目ですが味は濃く美味しいです！甘くて香ばしい風味は屯登木の白菜鍋を思い出させます。汁はいつでも追加してもらえます。

Few days after my visit here, I missed this so much and decided to visit SAKANA in MidPlaza for another shabu shabu experience. Too bad I didn’t get the same taste and it was in fact, quite disappointing. So let me tell you something. This shabu shabu is definitely MUST EAT if you happen to visit SAKANA Delonix and you won’t regret it!

数日後にMidPlaza酒菜でしゃぶしゃぶを食べましたが同じ味ではなかったです。デロニクス酒菜のしゃぶしゃぶは絶対のオススメです！

Chicken Katsu Curry Udon／チキンカツカレーうどん  IDR 72,000

Although the photo probably doesn’t do the judge, the actual serving portion of this udon is quite big. They probably don’t serve the curry udon “the proper way” like we can find in Honzen (another Kawano Group’s joint) where they serve curry udon with tempura and a bowl of rice, but this one is already satisfying the way it is. But again, this is not only “curry udon” but more as “chicken katsu curry udon” so I should not compare them in the first place.

The curry flavor was quite bold with strong aroma and taste, perfectly hit the spot. Love the chewy udon noodle as well as the crunchy katsu and generous spring onions on top!

写真では分かりにくいのですが、この一品の量はかなりの大盛りです！本膳の様なてんぷらやご飯のついた本格カレーうどんではありませんが大満足した一品です（第一個の一品はカツカレーうどんなので比較はできませんけど）。味わいは結構大胆で強めの味覚で文句無しです。歯ごたえの良いうどんにネギ大盛りが良いです！

Sushi Moriawase Hatten／寿司盛り合わせ８点  IDR 98,000

When I was younger, I visited SAKANA MidPlaza for the sake of their high-quality sushi and sashimi. Back then, there were not many authentic Japanese restaurants in Jakarta that serve great sushi and sashimi like nowadays. I think many Indonesians around my age can totally relate to this as we didn’t have many selections back in old days but we were glad we have already had SAKANA since few years ago.

若い頃にMidPlaza酒菜で高品質の寿司と刺身を食べた思い出があります。あの頃のジャカルタでは本格的な寿司や刺身を食べられる時代ではなく、私の年頃のインドネシア人にとってあの頃から酒菜がにあったことに歓迎していた事を覚えています。

For that very reason, I requested a nigiri sushi platter to remind us all how great SAKANA’s sushi are. The platter consists of 8 different nigiri sushi, arranged beautifully and best enjoyed alone (HAHA!). I was totally mesmerized by the fresh ingredients and well-seasoned sushi rice, just like what I could reminisce from the good ol’ days. If you like good quality sushi and sashimi, SAKANA should always be in your list, period.

酒菜の寿司の良き時代の思い出として寿司の盛り合わせを注文しました。全部で８種類の盛り合わせ！新鮮な食材にちゃんと味付けした美味しい寿司飯は良き時代を思い出させてくれます。

Tezukuri Zunda Ice／手創りズンダアイス  IDR 22,000

For the dessert, we tried their homemade Zunda Ice, which is made from mashed edamame or young soybeans, served with the real edamame bits as well. The taste was interesting, a mix of edamame and soybean taste which is quite light.

デザートには自家製手作りズンダアイス（枝豆アイスクリーム）を試食しました。もちろん実際に枝豆を使ったユニークな一品でした（結構薄め）。

Brownies with Vanilla Ice Cream IDR 38,000

Another dessert we tried was a seemingly-heavier one, which was a chocolate brownies served with vanilla ice cream. Surprisingly, the brownies didn’t only taste all sweet but had a nice bitterness infused since they use dark chocolate as well. I really love dark chocolate more than milky ones, and I always find bitter chocolate products are more seducing than sweet ones. The bitterness worked very well with the sweet ice cream, it won’t make you feel sick afterwards!

もう一品の試食したデザートで、チョコレートブラウニーとバニラアイスです。意外にブラウニーは甘すぎず丁度良いダークチョコの苦味を味わえます。今人的にはミルキーチョコよりはダークチョコが好みなので大好きです。ダークチョコとバニラアイスの相性は良く甘さで気持ち悪くならない一品です！

Overall, we had a pleasant late lunch and stayed for more than 4 hours only to try all these food slowly and enjoy them one by one, LOL. The dishes we tried were good, if not great, and we really had so much fun eating them, especially the shabu shabu. Had never imagined that I could be so hooked to this particular dish like how I am now, who practically hunts every shabu shabu places all around the town lately. XD

Last but not least, thanks for having us SAKANA Delonix, and hopefully we’ll come back soon! <3

その日、４時間もかけてゆっくり一つ一つ試食した結果、試食した全ての料理が美味しく、最高とも言えるもの数多くありました。中でもしゃぶしゃぶが一番印象的で美味しかったです。自分がそこまでしゃぶしゃぶにはまってしまうとは思いもよらず最近はしゃぶしゃぶを食べ回るようになりました（笑）！

最後に我々を招待をして頂いたデロニクス酒菜に感謝の気持ちでいっぱいです。どうもありがとうございました！又近頃に行きたいです！

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

*The Food Escape team are not paid whatsoever for writing this post.

** This review is written based on our visit on 10 October 2015.

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SAKANA DELONIX
DELONIX Hotel
Komplek Sedana Golf KM. 47
Sukaluyu, Teluk Jambe, Karawang Barat
Karawang
West Java 41361
Ph. +62 267 644370

Opening Hours:
Breakfast
Weekdays : 05.30 – 09.30
Weekend : 05.30 – 10.00

Lunch: 11.30 – 14.30 (14.00 last order)
Dinner: 18.00 – 22.30 (22.00 last order)