[REVIEW] OKU Japanese Restaurant: Layers of Surprise

One of the perks of writing for a lifestyle website in Jakarta means get to be one of the firsts to try new places, and sometimes the most exclusive places too, like this one I'm about to share with you. Taking place in what used to be Casa D’Oro, Kempinski Jakarta has launched OKU as their newest addition to Jakarta’s fine dining scene. 

The captivating zen garden at the back

The name OKU itself implies the peeling back of the layers of an onion, that represents the culinary journey you will experience from one dish to the next. Helmed by Chef Kazumasa Yazawa (or Chef Kaz for short), you will not find the regular Japanese omakase dishes that you might expect in a premium Japanese restaurant.

Instead, you will find smoky organic, eggs, black fried karage, and stuff disguised as other stuff. "A modern take on Japanese dishes with traditional flair", the official statement says. Although honestly, after peeking at some of the photos I had my suspicion that this would be another rendition of the trendy off-the-beaten-plate ways of serving simple things, and making it unnecessarily extraordinary. So let's give it a try, shall we? 

Chef Kaz at work

The first that came to me was the Oku Karage. Three black nuggets sitting on two black mini logs, on  a a black stone slate. I'd have to give it to Chef Kaz for the visual tease. What the hell is that? ANYONE would think. 

*tap tap*

I tapped the surface. Hard. Is this a black sea shell they're making me eat? 

I took a bite, and was pleasantly surprised. These crispy things were apparently deep fried ‘chicken thighs’ --black from the use of squid ink in the batter--topped with shichimi togarashi and injected (?) sweet and savory sauce that makes the whole thing explodes in your mouth. Not unlike the sensation of eating a klepon, my Indonesian kampung-self would say.

Oku Karage

Next comes the smoked organic Ajitama, half-boiled egg commonly found on ramen noodles, that uses an inverted glass dome to contain the ‘smoke’ and to be uncovered in front of the guest. You would say, jokingly, what a fancy egg (at Rp. 50,000++/egg it sure hell is fancy), but after seeing how some ramen places brag about their 'award winning' half-boiled egg, the Japanese are notoriously serious about everything. And boy, was this egg glorious.

Ajitama (half-boiled egg) with shigure egg

I also tried Oku’s version of the grilled eel or unagi, served on top of a bed of shells, and garnished with edible flowers (that actually adds no taste). The incredibly succulent unagi with a sweet kabayaki sauce gives a pleasant contrast with the crispy crackers, made from glutinous rice. At this point, my Asian self was achingly yearning for a bowl of warm rice on my plate, if I hadn't remembered that many of the food items in OKU are meant to be shared, and treated such as tapas. 

Chef Kaz’ knack of combining the best of both worlds also apparent in his cold angel hair pasta with grated karasumi or botarga (cured mullet roa) that has the reputation (and price) of Alba Truffle. 

karasumi pasta

And what is a visit to a Japanese restaurant, no matter how avant garde, without a plate of shareable sushi, the Aburi Salmon, lightly-charred fresh sashimi, rolled, stuffed with a little rice, and topped with home made aioli. This sushi is not yet in the menu, and so far is the most 'ordinary' menu that day, but I could definitely taste the freshness and the quality of ingredients used. 

Aburi Salmon

What also caught my attention was how they hold back from the overly used soyu on the table; instead, such as that on my plate stone slab of my Aburi Salmon, chef Kaz adds a few layers of jellied soyu on top of the freshly grated wasabi. Brilliant way of adding soyu to your food without overpowering the taste.

The jellied soyu with freshly grated wasabi

Masqueraded by Japanese simplicity on its overall look and feel, OKU is anything but simple. It takes its guests to an enthralling culinary journey, layer by layer, and lets them have a lasting experience, to ultimately come back for more.

as published in What's New Jakarta, with some changes. 

Location: Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta

 Phone: (+62) 21 2358 3896

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: @OKUJakarta

www.kempinski.com

Opening Hours:

Lunch: 12:00 – 15:00 (Monday to Sunday)

Dinner: 18:00 – 22:30 (Monday to Sunday)

Bar: 12:00 – 00:00 (Sunday to Thursday); 12:00-01:00 (Friday to Saturday)