Sushi Kawana — Restaurant in Jakarta

I decided to try this place from a friend's recent recommendation. She mentioned that it was very good but the price is expensive. So I went there at lunch (Japanese restaurant usually provide better value set on lunchtime only) and ordered the Kaisen Don Set

The set include a sashimi don, salad, a few small chicken katsu, miso soup, chawan mushi, and ended with ice cream desert. Here's my review :

Sashimi don (5/5) It had several sashimi, eggs, pickles with real wasabi (not the usual fake wasabi we have been used to). It was the first time I ate sushi/sashimi with a real wasabi and I'm very surprised that it's very mild in comparison with the usual wasabi. The sashimi include shrimp, minced tuna, salmon, mackerel, mekajiki, unagi (cooked), ikura. Every single piece is very fresh and tasty, with no tainting fishiness at all. I loved it. The pickles are refreshing and there's kombu pickle that had strong umaminess, the bowl was a delight.

Chicken katsu pieces (3.5/5) It's a bit thin but it smell and taste good

Miso Soup (5/5) It's not watery, instead it's thicker than usual miso soup, and it taste fantastic. It had several small pieces of salmon chunk and they are so soft, it's perfect. The salmon may still have bone on it so pay attention. Overall this may probably be the best miso soup I've ever tasted

Salad (3/5) This may be the weakest link in the menu. The vegetable are quite fresh and topped with simple mayonnaise. Not that it's bad, but other japanese restaurant have more complex and appetizing sauces like sesame dressing or something others. It's still OK, just not on par with the other items

Chawan Mushi (5/5) Soft as silk, and it had several bits and pieces of ingredients inseide. I can taste a few pieces of salmon, mushroom, green peas, and there are others I can't tell what it was, but I can tell each ingredient is top quality, even the peas are so sweet!

Ice cream (4/5) Vanilla ice cream topped with berry sauce, it's a nice desert to end the meal

The ocha also tasted great and fragrant, everything is of top or decent quality. And the portion is quite plenty too. The price was indeed expensive, or at least above average than nearby japanese restaurants, but I think it's worth to treat yourselves sometimes a great meal with serious quality. I'm very satisfied for the amazing meal, thank you...

Not sure what happened to this place, but the best sushi restaurant in Jakarta is now with new management who has decided to "improve it" by making it a cheap quality sushi resto at the same premium prices.

Now instead of the classic japanese menu written in paper, we have a glossy fast food style, checkered menu w cheesy over produced pictures. The food quality also declined overnight to match the cheap presentation.

Instead of high quality cuts of fish, we have food blender chopped up "toro". Instead of nicely presented Ikura rolls, you have salmon eggs in a bowl w/ a spoon. (See photo... Why is the nori below the plate...??? The way Kawana used to do it 2 months ago was elegant. This is a cereal bowl.🙄)

If someone can please let me know where the usual Chef / management team moved to, I will be able to enjoy great food in Jakarta again.

What a shame. Hope it returns to it's former glory. In it's current state it's an insult to it's...

Went here yesterday. The atmosphere and concept of a private room is very good.

Unfortunately the service wasn't, the waiter struggled answering my questions about the menu. And also one older waiter always gives disrespectful tone and gestures, such as not closing the door back, "clarify" if I chose the omakase menu with "this price", and also when paying the bill, I did give my card and she was only saying "itu" towards the bill notes that on another side of table instead of asking nicely.

Toro maki was good. But the omakase wasn't really delightful. I would suggest that if the omakase menu contains fish bone, waiters should communicate it first, so that it won't be such a waste if the customer has a preference.

In summary, I expected much more considering the...