Editor's Rating
If you visit Grand Indonesia Shopping Mall often, you have probably noticed this colorful new restaurant on the food heaven, 5th floor of West Mall called Okiro Bar. Located just opposite to Ron’s Laboratory & People’s Cafe, Okiro Bar is definitely easy to spot for its unique and colorful design.
Okiro Bar itself is a brand new concept from the already-well-known Okirobox, which specializes in specific Japanese food: okonomiyaki and takoyaki. Since Okirobox outlets are usually only focused for take-away only, this is the first establishment of cafe/restaurant concept where people can actually dine in and experience the real okonomiyaki cooking on their own tables.
Although Okirobox is already well known for its okonomiyaki, I think they are very brave to bring this up to another level by opening a bigger concept like Okiro Bar. The concept is very youthful, edgy, and “hipster” (the real “hipster”, not the “wannabe”, LOL!), which is very clearly seen from its vibrant and catchy atmosphere around the place. Honestly I really like the place as it is warm, young, and quirky, added with so much personalities that enhance the originality. Everything in Okiro Bar screams art and creativity of this generation.
There are 2 main dining areas, the inner area near the main counter where we can see live cooking show and directly eat there, or the outer area where the place is more spacious and look more like a lounge or working space.
Okiro Bar offers selections of Okonomiyaki, Monjayaki, Negiyaki, Takoyaki, Snacks, Omurice/Soba, Hamburg, Gyoza, and Desserts.
Prices for F&B starts from IDR 15,000 to IDR 250,000.
Enoki Fries IDR 22,000
This might look so typical fried stuff, but it was enjoyable! Crispy and addictive.
Takoyaki (Small) IDR 33,000
We can choose the fillings and I opted for Family Octopus as I wanted to try the most original one first. The small portion comes with 4 takoyaki balls and I must say the bonito shavings were given very, very generously. The takoyaki balls were actually big but very airy, giving an instant emptiness when bitten, definitely not how I want my takoyaki to be. XD Sauce was okay, though.
These takoyaki also come in 2 other serving portions: Medium (IDR 56,000) and Large (IDR 80,000).
A little bit about okonomiyaki, this food is often associated with Kansai region or Hiroshima in Japan, but I think that the ones provided by Okirobox are probably more into Kansai or Osaka-style okonomiyaki. Of course in the menu, they also have Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, but compared to the authentic one in Hiroshima Japan, it’s actually quite different.
While they have suggested menu available, we can also choose our own toppings and create with everything we like! One dough can only use 3 toppings and if you want more, you can order more doughs and add more toppings, and so on.
It’s advisable to order your own custom topping rather than selecting the options from EXPERTS menu because the price will be much lower. Keep on reading if you want to know why! 😉
Okonomiyaki
I chose my own toppings for this, so let’s say the Okonomiyaki dough is only priced at IDR 45,000 for a flour + cabbage + egg dough. For the topping, I choose 2 (from maximum 3 options I could take): Soba (IDR 10,000) and Pork Bacon (IDR 25,000). Total price for my custom okonomiyaki was only IDR 80,000.
(Note: If you go for Expert menu, the okonomiyaki dishes prices range from IDR 89,000 to 219,000, you’ll see the difference!)
The okonomiyaki was quite thin and not so impressive, in my opinion. The dough was still a bit soft and runny, although it tasted quite good. The sauce was a little too sweet for my liking, and texture was not thick enough. I think it would be better to stick to either Kansai-style or Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki to maintain consistency of the products.
Negiyaki IDR 50,000
Negiyaki is another version of okonomiyaki where there are lots more green onions involved in the dough. I was expecting something greener with stronger aroma and flavors from green onions but I wasn’t sure if this was eligible to be called negiyaki?
Walalala Monja (M) IDR 173,000
For the monjayaki, we tried one of the Expert menu, which is topped with Wagyu beef, mozzarella cheese, and made extra spicy. Monjayaki is rarely found in Jakarta, but we have a place since long time ago, where we usually eat monjayaki here in Melawai area. 😉
If we know okonomiyaki first than monjayaki, sometimes it’s surprising to see this “runnier” version of okonomiyaki. Originated from Tokyo, this is yet another version of okonomiyaki where the dough has more liquid than the typical okonomiyaki dough.
The best way to enjoy monjayaki is to eat them right away from the grill by using the small spatula provided on the table. This Walalala Monja was unique because of its presentation, the spiciness is good for challenge. MUST TRY.
Pork Belly Skewers IDR 23,000/pc
Beside all those mains, we tried the skewers too, as recommended we went for the pork belly. These were good, not smelly, and seasoned well but again, sauce was a little too sweet for my liking. Overall it was good.
For the drinks, there are many nice options like Beer Frappe, Mocktail, Milkshakes etc, but you should try the Refill Bar where you can take your own refills for Green Tea or Coffee or Tea or Chocolate Milk or Lemon Tea for only IDR 25,000/person. For healthier choice, there is also infused water available.
Got to try Snickers Milkshake, one of the signature milkshakes made using real Snickers bar, it was quite good with distinctive Snickers flavor. The Matcha Nutella was okay, but a bit bland.
Snickers Milkshake IDR 55,000
Matcha Nutella IDR 43,000
Finally, my overall thought about this place. This is a kind of restaurant/cafe where I can spend hours and hours sitting around, chatting and having fun with my friends. I love the atmosphere, the relaxing vibe, and the coolness behind everything. For the food they offer, I can’t say they’re bad, but I think they’re far from what I would call “authentic”. I myself have known Okirobox for a long time and used to go there whenever I needed okonomiyaki fix, but I have stopped doing that since the few years ago.
Now wishing Okiro Bar all the best and hopefully they will improve more on the food and bring more authentic Japanese okonomiyaki! Cheers!
*The Food Escape team are not paid whatsoever for writing this post.
** This review is written based on our visit on 26 May 2015.
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OKIRO BAR JAPANESE EDGY BAR
Grand Indonesia Shopping Town
West Mall 5th Floor
Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 1
Jakarta
Phone. +62 21 1258 1289
Opening Hours:
Mon-Sun 10AM – 10PM
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