Sumibian — Restaurant in Jakarta

by far the worse Japanese restaurant I’ve ever dined at. Not because of the food (which was extremely so-so at best), but because of the poor (downright rude) service. asked a server to show me where the smoking area was, went there, and the next thing I knew, I got yelled (and weirdly, somewhat scolded) by one of the senior servers (judging by the looks of her) for lighting my cigarette there. mind you, I was told that it’s a safe space to smoke by the prev server - which I shared with her. instead of politely asking me to move somewhere else, the (senior) server kept on talking back, tone got higher, and escorted me out of the space (forcefully) to some private room for me to smoke there. she then left without having an ounce of decency to at least say sorry for yelling at a customer. bear in mind, you work in a hospitality/service industry.

understand that not everyone is comfortable with the smoke from a cigarette, hence why I asked where the smoking area was - in hopes of not intruding anyone’s space and dining experience.

please Sumibian - train your freaking servers. we are a paying customer - we are not dining there for free! that experience sadly (or rather, gladly) marked my first, and quite possibly LAST experience to dine at...

Its very disappointed on how the japanese gal handle my complain bout their grilled mochi.This is my 2nd time visit , bcos the previous visit was so remarkable , thts why i came back again...Used to love their savory grilled mochi.But today the mochi is over cooked / grill hence it became hard , like a rice crust.When i told e japanese gal , she took my food and said will check it out..But guess wat she did? She just handed it over to e waitress and asked to bring it back to me by telling..oh this is our standard...why didnt yourself tell me rite in front my face ? I know wat i expect so dont tell me this is yr standard..in this case you dont even hv standard cos it has no consistenty.I am glad that my cafe is better off than yours in term of standard of service .Wat a shame to know Sumibi is a japanese owned management restaurant..... I am in food and beverage industry for more than 10 years, so i know what is SOP. anyway good...

Sumibian has been a go-to for a long time, and part of me feels it doesn’t quite sparkle the way it used to. Despite that, there’s a comforting nostalgia that keeps drawing me back. The meat quality is solid, and the flavors of their dishes are pretty good. It’s not about outshining the competition; it’s more about that homey feel for those of us who grew up eating here.

Honestly, you can find better and cheaper places out there. But Sumibian isn’t about getting the most value for your money; it’s about reliving those childhood moments. So, yeah, I’ll drop by every now and then for a trip down memory lane. If you don’t have those nostalgic ties to Sumibian, you might find better options (and...