Y! Grill. It is a world, of course — of cool blacks and whites, silvers and chromes, a world that awaits as you step outside the elevator on the third floor, a room with a view of flickering tapers and city lights, neat and rectangular, almost like Lego. And there’s Hosadaka-San, who having left Shima after turning it into Jakarta’s best teppanyaki restaurant for the last 25 years, has staged a dramatic return at the teppanyaki rooms of this current last word in fine dining, of which there are four. And these are gorgeous rooms of the necessary “minimalist” persuasion, well-suited in every way to those serene slabs of pedigreed fresh purebred Australian M9 Wagyu — the finest, and the only — beef they serve.
The food is brilliant, memorable, quietly seductive. The presentation is next to none. The starters enchant: an exquisite dish of momotaro tomatoes garnished with pretty chrysanthemum petals, lovingly drenched in celery dressing; two sheets of superfine wagyu rolls, one with daikon oroshi, the other with fresh wasabi; steamed asparagus in wasabi butter, which, though radiant, could have struck a better balance between butter, salt and wasabi; and best yet, a a ravishing foie gras chawan mushi — best I’ve had this or any year — with just a dash of citrus.
Six mixed sashimi come in a long vertical wooden salver and taste just as lovely: toro, kanpachi, shake, hirame, and a solid, yellow-fleshed fish whose name escapes me. The salmon skin hand roll — slices of cucumber enfolding salty salmon skin and bits of fish along with avocado, pickled burdock, shiso and rice so fresh it has a translucent sheen —is another wonder of complex yet somewhat reserved flavours. There are sweet interludes, of the E Bulli kind, and whatever people may be saying about the pitfalls of molecular gastronomy, a milky red globule of such unspeakable beauty, with two specks of mini edamame peering from inside, is no mean feat. Not to mention that it is made entirely of watermelon. Ditto the pretty watermelon caviar that accompanies it.
This brings us to the main event: instead of the usual boring fare of bean sprouts and chives (and a modicum of mushroom if you’re lucky), you get squash, baby carrots, half-charred spinach, turnip, caramelised onions and plump shitake to accompany your M9 wagyu (order medium rare, if you can). You can also request their house specialty of anchovy fried rice, whose every morsel delivers. Best to order Very Y, with tenderloin, at Rp 725,000 a piece, which is perfect for two — or as is often the case with tiny Indonesians — three. Is it good? No. It is divine.
Enterprising flavours extend to the homemade ice cream too: try the black sesame. Or buy a tub and take home. Service is as friendly and polished as can be expected.
The food is brilliant, memorable, quietly seductive. The presentation is next to none. The starters enchant: an exquisite dish of momotaro tomatoes garnished with pretty chrysanthemum petals, lovingly drenched in celery dressing; two sheets of superfine wagyu rolls, one with daikon oroshi, the other with fresh wasabi; steamed asparagus in wasabi butter, which, though radiant, could have struck a better balance between butter, salt and wasabi; and best yet, a a ravishing foie gras chawan mushi — best I’ve had this or any year — with just a dash of citrus.
Six mixed sashimi come in a long vertical wooden salver and taste just as lovely: toro, kanpachi, shake, hirame, and a solid, yellow-fleshed fish whose name escapes me. The salmon skin hand roll — slices of cucumber enfolding salty salmon skin and bits of fish along with avocado, pickled burdock, shiso and rice so fresh it has a translucent sheen —is another wonder of complex yet somewhat reserved flavours. There are sweet interludes, of the E Bulli kind, and whatever people may be saying about the pitfalls of molecular gastronomy, a milky red globule of such unspeakable beauty, with two specks of mini edamame peering from inside, is no mean feat. Not to mention that it is made entirely of watermelon. Ditto the pretty watermelon caviar that accompanies it.
This brings us to the main event: instead of the usual boring fare of bean sprouts and chives (and a modicum of mushroom if you’re lucky), you get squash, baby carrots, half-charred spinach, turnip, caramelised onions and plump shitake to accompany your M9 wagyu (order medium rare, if you can). You can also request their house specialty of anchovy fried rice, whose every morsel delivers. Best to order Very Y, with tenderloin, at Rp 725,000 a piece, which is perfect for two — or as is often the case with tiny Indonesians — three. Is it good? No. It is divine.
Enterprising flavours extend to the homemade ice cream too: try the black sesame. Or buy a tub and take home. Service is as friendly and polished as can be expected.
Address:
3rd floor, Wisma Nusantara
Jl. M.H. Thamrin
Jakarta Pusat
Tel. 3193 6026, 3192 5805
Jl. M.H. Thamrin
Jakarta Pusat
Tel. 3193 6026, 3192 5805
Price range: Around Rp 3,900,000 – Rp 4,500,000 for 4
Operating hours: 11:30 – 14:30 (lunch);
18:00 – 22:30 (dinner)
Dress code: smart
Atmosphere: cutting edge contemporary
Alcohol: fine wine list
All major credit cards accepted
Reviewed: December 2007
Operating hours: 11:30 – 14:30 (lunch);
18:00 – 22:30 (dinner)
Dress code: smart
Atmosphere: cutting edge contemporary
Alcohol: fine wine list
All major credit cards accepted
Reviewed: December 2007
Source: VIVAnews.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment