Otosan Japanese Restaurant & Suki: Zomato Foodie Meet Up!

Last week, I was invited to a foodie meet up held by my favourite foodie website, Zomato. Thank you so much for the invitation, Shabrina! The meetup was held at Otosan Japanese Restaurant & Suki in Jalan Sabang, Central Jakarta.

This is the first time I have ever heard about Otosan. Talkin' about suki and/or shabu-shabu, any other names would pop up in my head other than Otosan. This even made me more excited since I would get to try new menu at a totally unfamiliar restaurant.

We were greeted warmly by Zomato team and Ivan, the owner of the restaurant. Between menus, Ivan always spared the time to explain the origins of the dish, and I really appreciate that. I love it when I know what I eat and how it was created, it makes me feel like I'm in the middle of a date with my food. *hug food*

Lychee Kult

 This is totally perfect for a hot summer-y day like that day!

Salmon Soyu Don

Oh, how do I even start with this. Beside from the slightly (and when I said slightly, I mean it, it was really really slightly) overcooked rice, this dish was just perfect! The salmon was nicely-cooked, with a sprinkle of fried garlic on top, which gave it a hint of crunch and saltiness. The rice and butter combination melted in your mouth instantly. Ivan said they managed to get the recipe right after trial-and-error for about 20 times. 20. I hope those 20 precious pieces of salmon didn't get to be thrown away.. *drools*

Yellow Submarine

  That yellow coat on top is supposed to be mango sauce, but it didn't tasted like mango at all. In a good way.

Okinawa Roll

Suki: Enoki mushroom, Chikuwa, Oborosuki, Horenso, Beef slice

Suki situation *waddup*

Suki with Tom Yam broth. Soo-keeeh.. *in Bill Compton's voice*

They have three kinds of broth. Spicy, sweet and tom yam. The broth was made with fresh salmon bones, so they tasted a tad lighter than other usual suki broth you may find in other restaurants. Ivan said it took them 40 times trial-and-error to achieve the perfect broth that they have now.

Cawan Pudding

This is exactly my style! Silky steamed egg pudding with maple syrup and cheese. It tasted like creme brulee, but no burnt caramel-on-top part (not that that burnt caramel part was bad either).

Summer Spring Roll

The perfect roll to refresh your taste bud after the attack of suki broth and the awesome buttery salmon soyu don.

Kyoho Kult

This beverage consists of Yakult and real grape nectar. The grapes were soaked in water (or was it honey? Or was it sugar water? I forgot) for days until all the sugar leaked and voila, the perfect nectar was born.

I really enjoy my lunch at Otosan. I might be back for more Salmon Soyu Don and Cawan Pudding. The suki broth was a little bit light for my liking, I prefer something heavier like the one they have in Little Sheep Restaurant, but put that aside, nothing's wrong with the broth. The beverages are surprisingly so good and refreshing. I had three glasses of Kult drinks that day, because it was literally freaking hot out there and the drinks were that refreshing (or maybe I was that greedy).

I would totally recommend Otosan for those of you who are into Japanese fusion food and/or suki, this is totally the place that will suit you.

Have an awesome meal wherever you are! Godspeed <3

All the happy tummies :)
Photo credit: Ayu Pratiwi

Happy Eid Mubarak 1435 H

Saya dan segenap kru FARCulinary, hendak mengucapkan, selamat hari raya Idul Fitri 1435 H!
Mohon maaf lahir dan batin, semoga berkah di hari kemenangan ini.

Jangan lupa, di manapun anda berada, selamat makan!

GoCha Taiwan Delights

Pernah dengar yang namanya bubble tea? Bubble tea atau dikenal juga dengan nama pearl milk tea atau boba milk tea ini adalah minuman asal Taiwan yang (seingat saya) mulai masuk ke dan populer di Jakarta di tahun 2000-an. Sampai sekarang bubble tea pun belum kehilangan pesonanya, bahkan bisa dibilang semakin banyak brand bubble tea yang muncul di berbagai sudut kota Jakarta.

Dari sekian banyak gerai bubble tea yang ada di Jakarta, bulan September lalu saya menyambangi satu yang terletak di bilangan Green Ville, Jakarta Barat. Kesempatan kali ini lagi-lagi datang dari Rumah Makan Jakarta yang telah berbaik hati mengundang saya dalam acara food gathering GoCha Taiwan Delights.

GoCha Taiwan Delights terletak di sebuah ruko dan tertata dengan manis dan apik. Di halaman depan ruko terdapat sebuah taman kecil nan imut-imut yang membuat tampilan ruko itu menjadi semakin segar. Dekorasi di dalamnya lebih imut-imut lagi. Di dindingnya tertempel emoticons colorful berukuran besar yang sangat imut.

Menu-wise, para pencinta bubble tea pasti akan kalap dan kebingungan untuk memilih mana minuman yang harus dipesan karena minuman yang disediakan amatlah beragam.

7 Top Drinks of GoCha Taiwan Delights

In Mandarin, it is read 'Ku Cha'. Ku = a Chinese slang for cool. Cha = tea.

Taro Milk Tea with Coffee Jelly toppings

Lychee Flavor Heineken

Sirsak Stroberi Yakult

Cookies Cream Milk Tea with Black Pearl toppings

Homemade Ice Coconut Jelly Yakult

Ice Blended Bubble Gum

Siapa yang menyangka akan menemukan menu berbahan dasar bir di sebuah gerai bubble tea? That was kinda a fun twist I did not expect! But to be honest the lychee flavored Heineken tasted more Heineken than it was lychee. But it was still decent enough for me! :)

Sebagai seorang penggemar rasa cookies and cream dalam minuman atau dessert, saya harus mengakui Cookies and Cream Milk Tea di sini juara! Ini tergantung selera masing-masing, karena teman saya yang ikut mencicipi bilang menu ini biasa-biasa saja, tapi bagi orang yang memiliki sweet tooth seperti saya, kekentalan dan intensitas cream dalam minuman ini terasa begitu memanjakan indra pengecap.

Rasa-rasa yang tidak umum seperti Sirsak Stroberi Yakult, Homemade Ice Coconut Jelly Yakult, dan Ice Blended Bubble Gum juga semakin memperkaya pengetahuan rasa yang saya miliki. Selain enak, saya juga merasa amat sehat setelah meminum sebagian menu yang disajikan hari itu. Hampir semua minuman berbahan dasar Yakult, dan disajikan dalam ukuran paling besar. Menikmati segelas besar Cookies and Cream Milk Tea tanpa topping akan menjadi pilihan alternatif yang saya sukai saat saya sedang malas makan makanan yang terlalu berat.

Selain menyediakan berbagai macam menu bubble tea, GoCha Taiwan Delights juga menyajikan makanan yang tidak kalah enaknya. Favorit saya adalah Spicy Taiwan Beef Noodles dan Salted Egg Prawn Rice + Vegetables. Kuah Taiwan Noodles yang tidak terlalu gurih dan segar terasa pas saat dinikmati bersama bubble tea. Saus telur asin yang dituang di atas udang goreng juga terasa amat lembut dan membuat ketagihan. Namun proporsi sayur dan udang menurut saya kurang seimbang. Request dari saya sih, boleh ga udangnya disajikan lebih banyak? :P

Taiwan Beef Noodles
IDR 32,000

Hotplate Seafood Tofu
IDR 35,000

Hotplate Chicken Tofu
IDR 29,000

Salted Egg Prawn Rice + Vegetables
IDR 39,000

Chicken Popcorn
IDR 25,000

Pengalaman saya dan teman-teman food blogger lainnya hari itu cukup menyenangkan. Selain suasana dan dekorasi GoCha yang memang mendukung untuk membuat pengunjungnya merasa hangat dan nyaman, makanan yang disediakan pun juga terasa renyah dan menyenangkan untuk disantap bersama-sama sambil mengobrol santai bersama teman-teman atau keluarga.

The happy faces! Thanks to bu Irene and husband who allowed us to experience the delightness of Taiwan! We were totally delighted :)

See you next time, and enjoy your meal wherever you are. Godspeed!