If you’re craving good and authentic Japanese food around Jakarta, then you have to go to Ootoya! You’ll be able to find some of their restaurants around Jakarta’s most prominent malls like Grand Indonesia, Aeon BSD, Senayan City, Pondok Indah Mall, and others.
For our visit, we went to their restaurant located in Grand Indonesia. It’s quite crowded during lunch as I have to wait in a queue. But it was faster than expected, the restaurant ambience is quite simple that reminds you of a traditional Japanese restaurant.
They have seasonal menus but I like to stick to some of the classic and favourite dishes they have. You can either order their menu ala carte or in a set consisting of chawan mushi, rice, and their distinguished miso soup.
Most of us picked the set menus, as that alone is already quite fulfilling for one person that we can’t really opt to pick out any other appetizers or sushi. I have visited this place for quite a while for some delicious authentic Japanese food here. Some of the menus that stood out to me are their Saba set menu, Demi Hamburg set, Tori Kurozu set, Herb Karaage set, and Sumitori Jyu.
The Saba set consists of a grilled mackerel fillet that is so juicy. They also provide you with soy sauce that can heighten the taste of the saba as it can be plain eaten on its own. The Demi Hamburg set is one of my favourites! It’s minced meat with demi-glace sauce, it crumbles right in your mouth and you can really taste the beef too!
Tori Kurozu set reminds me of a mother’s cooking. It consists of assorted vegetables, and big pieces of karaage dressed in a semi-sweet and tangy sauce. It’s very fulfilling and the karaage is very crunchy despite having been dressed in the sauce and the vegetables are crunchy and delicious too. The Karaage set is quite ordinary, the karaage is crunchy like the ones in Tori Kurozu but without the sauce. Sumitori Jyu is a dish served in a lunchbox with rice and grilled juicy chicken. It was delicious, the chicken is very juicy and flavourful, and you can see the slightly smoky flavour of the chicken.
Overall, Ootoya is one of my favourite Japanese restaurants in Jakarta. The staff is very attentive and the price is quite cheap for such a delicious and fulfilling meal like that. If you happen to be craving Japanese food, make sure to check them out once in a while! For more information and the latest news, you can check their Instagram @ootoya_id
