Akane Tokyo Cuisine, a Taste of Japanese Authenticity in Jakarta

During a business dinner, my sister, Nadia got a tip about a place serving great Japanese food with a large Japanese expat patrons. He gave such a good review that she immediately changed the venue of her Saturday lunch with a friend to the restaurant, Akane.

True to his description, Akane Tokyo Cuisine was looming with Japanese expats and their families. Lead by a Japanese chef, Akane serves ‘real’ Japanese cuisine. The lunch set menu is incredibly low priced, at only Rp. 86,000 (Around US$8.90). Set A: Pick 3 side dishes and one rice dish. Set B: Pick a rice bowl and a noodle dish. The most amazing thing about the set menu is the variety of things you can choose to savor, from sashimi, beef steak (highly recommended), yakisoba, katsudon (high recommended), mabo nasu don; all mouth watering. You also get chawan mushi, salad, miso soup and coffee jelly dessert with your lunch set. SUPER DEAL!

Set A: Pick 3 side dishes and 1 rice dish for Rp. 86,000 (US$8.90)

Set B: Pick 1 donburi (rice bowl) and 1 noodle dish for Rp. 86,000 (US$8.90)

Set A: Pick 1 donburi (rice bowl) and 1 noodle dish for Rp. 86,000 (US$8.90)

Curry Section (US$1 = Rp. 9,700 as of today)

OK. Here comes the food.

Chawan Mushi Appetizer

The next weekend she took me to lunch there. Chloe was extremely fussy that day. I was glad that I borrowed one of my mom’s maid to babysit her. She would not sit in the unfamiliar shaped wooden baby chair, and she would not eat. So, as the maid play with her around the massive water fountain in the hotel lobby, we enjoyed our savory, indeed, authentic homey washoku lunch. I ordered the chicken & lotus root rice, beef steak, agedashi tofu, and salmon Sashimi. Nadia ordered yakisoba and katsudon. We also ordered some delicious yakitori to share. There was a lot of food between the two of us. My sister couldn’t finish hers, but the glutton sitting in front of her finished most of her food!

The chicken & lotus rice was really homey and comforting. The beef steak is marinated with a soy based sauce that is sweet and salty the right way. The salmon sashimi was very fresh. However the agedashi tofu was so-so. The yakisoba that Nadia ordered was no doubt the best yakisoba I’ve ever tasted in Jakarta and the katsu on her rice bowl was very crispy, juice and accompanied by a tasty sauce. I’m sorry I don’t have a picture of her plate, will post it when she found it!

I really appreciate the ingredients the chef put in the soup: daikon, ground chicken, carrot and mushroom.

After a solid, delicious meal, the coffee jelly dessert sealed the deal!

My conclussion: the food was spectacular and the lunch packages knock it out of the ball park. It is quite a rarity, since the establishment is located in Crown Hotel, and restaurants in a five star hotels are seldom affordable. However, authentic Japanese restaurants such as Akane usually have very affordable lunch prices but expensive for dinner.

My sister had gone twice after that, once to lunch and another to dine. Apparently, during dinner, her friend confessed that he came here so often that he was actually a member to the restaurant. As a member, he has access to a special menu unavailable to the public. When asked why he had never taken any of his friend to Akane, he said, “This is my special secret date place. It wouldn’t be so secret anymore if I share, would it?” Well played, friend. I wouldn’t share either.