Enjoy Japanese specialties in Kemang at Oishi<\/p>\n
Aida Greenbury, Contributor, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
It was a relief when a Japanese restaurant, Oishi, had the
\nguts to venture into the South Jakarta bule neighborhood of
\nKemang more than a year ago.<\/p>\n
Their menu sticks out amongst the usual \"pasta, nachos and
\nburgers\" being offered by most eating establishments in the area.<\/p>\n
The Osaka-style Japanese restaurant is strategically located
\non Kemang Raya, just opposite Kem Chicks. The traffic around it
\ncan be tough, especially during peak hours.<\/p>\n
At the entrance, the \"elastically challenged\" resin replica
\ndishes on display always managed to stop me -- something to chew
\nover. My mind rushes back to the dark alleys in Tokyo full of
\nsimilar front window displays. Somehow I feel it doesn't quite
\nfit in Jakarta's current climate where the streets are packed
\nwith people suffering from a once-a-day diet.<\/p>\n
But inside the restaurant, the atmosphere creates a completely
\ndifferent small world. It consists of two square rooms,
\ndownstairs and upstairs. The private dining rooms that can
\naccommodate about 40 patrons are on the second floor.<\/p>\n
The main area of the restaurant is downstairs and can seat
\nabout 80 people. There are two tatami rooms in each back corner,
\na long U-shaped sushi and teppanyaki bar and about ten individual
\ntables. Between the bar and the teppanyaki cooking tables there
\nis a narrow channel of flowing water, where the sushi chefs place
\ntheir creations -- ready-to-eat sushi and sashimi on small
\nfloating plates.<\/p>\n
Bright red and orange fish -- koi -- inhabit the glass covered
\nU-shaped channel, which has been carved into the floor,
\nsurrounding the bar. The staff are donned in Japanese costumes
\nand always greet me in Japanese, which I never quite catch. They
\nare friendly, give rather fast service, and don't mind providing
\nextra seasoning for your food.<\/p>\n
\"Since we opened in July 2000, we have gradually picked up
\nmore and more clients from different nationalities. The Japanese
\nguests usually come for an early three-course dinner. The
\nIndonesian and caucasian clients come both for lunch and dinner,
\nand they usually order their favorite combination of meal box
\n(bento) for lunch, and sushi, sashimi and teppanyaki for dinner,\"
\nexplained Singgih, the manager of Oishi Restaurant.<\/p>\n
Being a fish lover, my first choice was the gindara teriyaki
\nSet. The fish was succulent and flaky fresh. The richness and the
\nsweetness of the teriyaki sauce were in complete balance with the
\nfreshness of the salads and its traditional condiments. The other
\nteriyaki choices are beef, chicken or salmon. Stick with those
\nand you can't miss.<\/p>\n
Teppanyaki dishes are served with rice, salad, miso soup and
\ndesert. Watching the art of traditional cooking on a large iron
\ngrill in front of you while inhaling the fragrant steam doubles
\nthe joy of eating the food served directly from the grill to your
\nplate. I found the meat or the seafood were as good as they could
\nbe but the accompanying fried bean sprouts and garlic tended to
\nbe a little bit too dry.<\/p>\n
My favorite snack from the a la carte menu was the agedashi
\ndofu (fried Japanese bean curd). Soft bean curd cylinders, which
\nwere covered with tasty batter, were soaked in thick fish sauce
\nand sprinkled with bonito. The snowy colored bean curds melted
\nright on my tongue.<\/p>\n
The harumaki (spring rolls) were fried to perfection. The
\nother Japanese snack, tempura -- which was originally introduced
\nby the Portuguese, was light and crispy although the batter was
\nrather excessive. And the yakitori (grilled chicken on skewers)
\nwas grilled with the right amount of herbs and sweet tare (the
\nsauce used to baste the chicken).<\/p>\n
Out of curiosity, I also ordered the shishamo (grilled
\npregnant fish). It was quite an experience. The plate came with
\ntwo tiny pregnant fish on it; the fish were as big as your ring
\nfinger. They tasted slightly bitter and appeared over-cooked. But
\nwhile I was eating it, my thoughts were of environmental issues
\nrather than gastronomic reason.<\/p>\n
Their udon was tasty and down to earth. The noodles were firm
\nand thick and the soup had a warm after taste. A little
\ndisappointment with their nikinanban udon (beef udon) was that
\nthey included all the fat and the trimmings of the sliced beef.<\/p>\n
Overall performance? Oishi is a great place for a visit.
\nExcellent for Sunday brunch with the kids, as the staff are
\nfriendly with toddlers and the underground aquarium is
\ninteresting entertainment.<\/p>\n
They also offer delivery, which is a very good move. Nothing
\nis better than having Oishi's fresh tobiko, tako sushi (flying
\nfish roe and octopus) or simply California Rolls delivered to
\nyour door.<\/p>\n
\"We emphasize the freshness of our products. We import about
\n70% of our seafood and meat from Japan and Australia. Our salmon
\nis always transported chilled, not frozen. To wrap up our
\nauthenticity, we have a Japanese chef working with us who is
\nresponsible for the quality of the food we produce,\" added the
\nrestaurant manager.<\/p>",
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