Newly opened Honzen allures with pricey Japanese cuisine<\/p>\n
Honzen is the newly opened upmarket Japanese restaurant right
\nin the middle of the central business district on Jl. Sudirman.
\nIt is located on the lower ground floor of the Kempinski Hotel,
\ndirectly opposite the hallway from the Umenadori.<\/p>\n
The noreng, a four-paneled cotton cloth with the restaurant's
\nname elegantly written in Japanese characters, hangs at the
\nentrance to the restaurant. As we pushed aside the noreng to
\nenter, we were conveyed into another domain. Japan. Kimono-ed
\nstaff moved around gracefully attending to the needs of the
\nguests. They greeted us in Japanese and with a bow.<\/p>\n
Immediately at the entrance on the right, is a large marble
\nslab on a pedestal, like a rostrum. This reception area is very
\nrustic, with artificial trees and sand. If not for the couple of
\nphone sets on the rostrum, we might have thought we were in
\nancient Japan.<\/p>\n
The setting before us was quite enchanting. The designers
\nsuccessfully created a traditional Japanese tearoom, with
\nunplastered mud walls with wooden wall panels and simple wooden
\nfurniture. The sushi bar on the right was separated from the main
\ndining area by glass blocks. Inside the lighted blocks were
\nsheaves of rice stalks.<\/p>\n
On the left was a splendid tatami room, which opened on three
\nsides. On the far side, the door opened onto a garden of sand and
\nartificial kicho plants. The other door opened into the tearoom,
\nwhich consists of a couple of elegant rectangular tables with
\nfour chairs each. Beyond the tearoom were another three tatami
\nrooms that seat four to 10 people.<\/p>\n
We were ushered into a tatami room that had three tatamis, or
\nseats, prepared. Normally, only cushions are used but these were
\nseats with backs, but no legs. There was a well beneath the table
\nso that we could put down our legs while sitting comfortably at
\nground level, instead of sitting on our knees as the Japanese
\ncustomarily do.<\/p>\n
Honzen specializes in sushi and sashimi, so we started lunch
\nwith an order of Futomaki (Rp 98,000 for eight substantial
\npieces) -- seafood and vegetables in vinegared rice and rolled in
\nnori (seaweed) -- and California roll (Rp 80,000 for two rolls),
\nconsisting of crab, avocado and crunchy vegetables in vinegared
\nrice and presented in a nori cone. The nori was very crisp and
\nadded bite and flavor to the rolls. There was free flow of O-cha
\n(Japanese green tea).<\/p>\n
The waitresses were attentive and helpful with an otherwise
\nforeign menu. They knew their stuff and were able to explain
\nclearly to us what some of the items were made of and how they
\nwere prepared.<\/p>\n
Sushi was followed by miso siru, a full-bodied soup made from
\nfermented soy paste, and steamed egg or chawanmusi. I missed the
\nwhite tofu cubes I normally find in my miso soup but my
\ndisappointment was made up by itafu (dried soy bean) strips and
\nlots of wakame (another kind of seaweed). The chawanmusi was
\nperfect in consistency, wobbling as it should. It was enriched
\nwith bits of meat and seafood, slices of black mushroom and one
\nginkgo nut. The mituba leaf and two tiny strips of lemon peel
\nadded a zesty flavor to the rich appetizer.<\/p>\n
Lunch sets are good value for money. Tekka Don, comprising raw
\ntuna on vinegared rice, soup, egg pudding and cold buckwheat
\nnoodles, costs Rp 50,000 while Unagi Kabayaki -- eel in teriyaki
\nsauce served with similar side dishes -- costs Rp 120,000.<\/p>\n
For our main course we continued with sushi and sashimi.
\nSashimi Santen Mori (Rp 180,000) was an assortment of very fresh
\nraw fish and seafood slices such as flounder, snapper, octopus,
\nsquid, prime tuna, salmon, mackerel, sea urchin and abalone,
\nresting on beds of shredded radish. An interesting item on the
\nplate was akame, which was to be mixed in the sauce dish with soy
\nand wasabi to dip the sashimi in. It acts as a kind of mouth
\nfreshener.<\/p>\n
Sushi Moriawase Jo (Rp 250,000) was an assortment of seafood
\nsimilar to the sashimi except each slice was served on vinegared
\nrice. I preferred the sushi to the sashimi as it was tempered by
\nthe roll of rice and a dash of wasabi. Both dishes were ample
\nservings and more than we could eat.<\/p>\n
For variety we ordered Unagi No Kabayaki which was fresh eel
\ngrilled with soy sauce. It was exquisite though a tad expensive
\nat Rp 250,000.<\/p>\n
For dessert we had to have maccha (Rp 18,000), or green tea
\nice cream, as it is found only in Japanese restaurants. It was
\ndelicately flavored and creamy enough without being overwhelming
\nso. We also had wagashi (Rp 22,000) a delicious Japanese sweet
\nmade of red bean paste wrapped in a white glutinous covering.<\/p>\n
What a memorable experience in Japanese cuisine! We were
\ncaptivated by the impressive decor as well as the excellent food.
\nHonzen is a place to celebrate a special occasion or entertain
\nguests.<\/p>\n
-- Epicurus<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/newly-opened-honzen-allures-with-pricey-japanese-cuisine-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }