The food scene in Jakarta these days reminds me of something Heidi Klum always says on every episode of the ’Project Runway’: one day you’re in, the next day you’re out. It seems that only a while ago one of my favourite restaurants in Grand Indonesia, Waraku, went out of business. And now, no more than a couple of months later, another Japanese restaurant - Itacho Sushi - has taken its location! Itacho Sushi is a chain sushi restaurant who has gained success in some Asian countries.

THE VISUAL

Conveniently located on level 3A of the mall’s sky bridge, Itacho Sushi is pretty flashy and easy-to-find. It is decorated with a subtle Japanese feel to it, using wood-like materials and a sushi bar-like structure (that I apparently can’t describe with any other explanation…). The most interesting piece of Itacho’s interior is perhaps the chair; every backside of the chair has a ‘pocket’ where the waiter can put the order ticket - cute! On the other hand, one thing that bugs me is the waiter’s uniform. More specifically, the newsboy cap; it feels a little bit out of place. But maybe that’s just me being hypercritical.

THE FOOD

I ordered three types of sushi: Fatty Salmon Sushi (IDR 22k - 2 pieces), Roasted Scallop (IDR 30 k - 1piece), and Roasted Salmon Roll (IDR 38k - 2 pieces). Pictures are in that order. The fish cut itself was actually pretty good - fresh, delicious, and properly sliced. Roasted scallop was somewhat forgettable, but it wasn’t a big deal. My problem with all of them was the rice. The flavour of the rice was nice and the temperature was also okay, but in my personal opinion, the texture was all wrong - as if it needed a little bit of more cooking time.

Tuna Don Set (IDR 85k) comes with tuna don, hot soba noodle (interchangeable with soba), potato salad, chawanmushi, green salad, and fruit slices. It was overall a satisfying, hearty meal, which is all that matters - especially when you’re super hungry - but nevertheless I’m going to nitpick each item. Hahaha! I’m a picky eater and proud of it!

The maguro slices were, similar to the sushi, fresh and delicious. My problem was also the rice. At that point I seriously wondered whether sushi rice was supposed to taste like that, or I just picked a bad day to visit.

The hot soba noodle was nicely cooked and presented; broth was clear and rich; and the little negi slices added another texture to the dish. Classic.

My favourite part: chawanmushi! Chawanmushi! Chawanmushi! *chanting* A perfect hot cup of steamed tofu, spiced up with chicken, lotus seed, crabstick, and stock. I had no idea what made this chawanmushi so good, but I really, really, wanted another serving.

Fresh fruit… Enough said.

I have no pictures of the potato salad and the green salad. To be honest, the potato salad was ‘meh’ - all I could taste was garlic. And potato, obviously. The green salad had a potential to be a worthy addition to the dish - being the fresh element and everything - but the dressing was extremely spicy, particularly for a Japanese dish; I had a hiccup for 10 minutes straight. 

THE VERDICT

I’ve had my share of bad sushi and extraordinary sushi, and Itacho Sushi sits right in the middle. While the fish was fresh, the taste of the rice didn’t go well with my palate. However, I LOVE their chawanmushi and will gladly come back for more!

A.


Itacho Sushi
Grand Indonesia, Unit FD1-10, Skybridge Level 3A
Jakarta, Indonesia
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