OKU Jakarta — Restaurant in Jakarta

Review for April 2022 visit

I’ve visited OKU twice, once during my friend’s bday lunch in April 2022 and just 2 days ago for a dinner with a friend. I’ve got to say I was quite disappointed with both visits but especially with the recent one. It’s a restaurant that pleases the eyes with its’ ambiance and food presentation, has great service, but unfortunately the food heavily underperforms for a restaurant at this price point.

Ambiance : 10/10 Very zen and calm, minimalist but luxurious, modern but staying true to Japanese design language, quiet, overall nice for a romantic lunch/dinner or a fancy family meal.

Service : 8.75/10 Standard friendly service, product knowledge is quite good, reservations were taken care of very well with consideration for special events, food waiting time was good, waiters were able to recommend dishes based on our preferences.

Food :

Sushi rolls : 7/10

Price : OKU Aburi Salmon Roll : 240k++ (was 220k++ in Apr 2022) Dragon Roll : 220k++ (was 185k++ in Apr 2022)

They were just okay. The OKU Aburi Salmon Roll during my 1st and 2nd visitwas just like any other “salmon hana rolls” at other mid-to-high end sushi joints, salmon was fresh, torch was okay nothing special just made the salmon slightly bitter and smoky, and caviar was just like normal tobiko, mayo was a bit overpowering. The Dragon Roll was even more underwhelming and was even comparable to mid-end sushi joints.

Truffle Gyu Don : 7.5/10 Price : 380k++ (was 325k++ in Apr 2022)

It was definitely nicely executed, but it was underwhelming for the price and similar to other truffle gyu dons out there tbh. Truffle sauce aroma was quite apparent, US beef was just okay it was firm yet soft and slightly juicy, the runny onsen egg enhanced the all of the flavours with its mild taste and runny texture.

5 Kinds Sashimi : 8.25/10 Price : 420k++ (was 330k++ in Apr 2022)

All the fish were fresh, none of them were fishy, but the cuts were very thin for this price and I’ve had better for way less elsewhere. Although the whitefish was rather impressive due to its absence if fishiness at all which is rare to find in JKT. Salmon and salmon belly was fresh but just okay. None of the flavours really impressed me tbh except the whitefish.

Sea Urchin Sashimi : 9.25/10 Price : 600k++ (was 480k++ in Apr 2022)

It was very fresh (no fishiness at all), creamy, savoury, umami, and it had generous portion. Although this was boxed sea urchin and they didn’t have the live option with the shell still intact, would’ve preferred that one since the boxed one lacks the refreshing ocean smell and taste. The shell they used in the picture is just a prop according to the waitress. Some of the most memorable dish out of all of them.

OKU Karage : 10/10 Price : 145k++ (was 125k++ in Apr 2022)

Incredible flavours, texture, and presentation. Best dish of them all. It was crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and when you bite there’s an explosion of the sauces inside bursting with so many flavours from their shichimi balsamic teriyaki sauce )(sour, salty, slightly sweet, all combined), PERFECTION. Best chicken karage I’ve had in my life, they should really open a chicken karage shop I definitely would come by often.

Maguro Sushi (Yellowfin Tuna) : 7.8/10 Price : 120k++ (was 90k++ in Apr 2022)

Fresh, soft, no fishiness at all, though cut was very thin for the price. I like how they already put the wasabi below the fish, makes the sushi more authentic. Shoyu cubes were interesting, salty, jelly textured, but didn’t work really well with the sushi imho.

Warabi Mochi : 9/10 Price : 115k++ (was 85k++ in Apr 2022) Soft mochi with red bean and green tea filling, wonderful juxtapostion of nuttiness and leafiness, earthy goodness, and balanced notes of green tea and red bean. Ice cream adds a nice sweetness and freshness from its cold temperature. Anmitsu sauce added an extra depth of flavour to it (sweet).

Iced Sencha : 3/10 Price : 60k++ Very watery, couldn’t really taste or smell the tea, it’s closer to mineral water than...

A pretty solid Japanese restaurant in Jakarta. We did in-room dining and the presentation was still impeccable. They use high quality ingredients and didn't disappoint.

If there is one thing that you should order, it'll definitely be the Truffle Gyu Don. The beef was tender and cooked to perfection. The truffle didn't overpower the entire dish, and the onsen egg mixed with the sauce was very creamy. The sauce itself was not overly sweet or rich. It also comes with tempura, sashimi, sushi and other side dishes. Most of them were pretty spot on, especially the prawn and scallop tempura. However, the tamago was a bit of a let down, as it was doused in too much sweet mayo. And some of the side dishes were also filled with cheese which ruined the entire bento set.

Another supposedly popular dish is the Aburi Salmon. We felt like it was a hit and miss. While the salmon was grill-torched to perfection, the mayo killed the entire dish. It was way too sweet and a little bit too spicy for Japanese sushi (maybe the sauce was adjusted for Indonesian palate). The sushi rice wasn't the greatest we've tried too.

Overall, it was still a pleasant experience and will definitely try more dishes in the future. The price point is a little bit high for Indonesia, but I guess the service and quality of the ingredients justified it. If they could perfect some of the small points above, it would definitely be a...

I had the Okukase and for quite a steep price, I'm actually not that impressed. I will rate each dish that I got out of 10.

Okukase Set Menu AJISAI SUNOMONO 10/10 - Super good appetizer, the uni and caviar combo was amazing Hokkaido Uni | Caviar | Squid | Scallop | Ebi | Tosazu Jelly ~ DOBIN MUSHI 2/10 - Too peppery, broth was lackluster, there was no sweet aftertaste that's suppose to come out from the seafood and mushrooms Ushioziru | Shiitake | Eringi | Prawn | Seabass | Yuzu ~ TOYOSU 2/10 - Bunch of nigiri sushi with cold and hard rice and two of them were Farmed Salmon (sorry but I'm against farmed salmon, such high end establishment should not use farmed salmon ever imo) Seasonal Sushi of The Day ~ LOBSTER CHAWAN MUSHI 9/10 - Delicious and thick lobster broth Japanese Egg Custard | Lobster | Sauce Americaine ~ CHOICES OF MAIN COURSE 9/10 - As usual, my fave at Oku, never disappoints Truffle Gyu Don Miyazaki Beef | Truffle Sauce | Runny Onsen Egg ~ Dessert of The Day 2/10 - Matcha Ice Cream coated in matcha-flavored white chocolate, tastes mediocre, nothing special, maybe a palate cleanser?

On top of the Okukase I also had:

Tempura moriawase which was great, can never go wrong with tempura

Oyster of the month was amazing

Black cod and otoro were super delicious and...