Torigen

I know I've done many articles about Japanese cuisines and I'm still not done yet.. I'm still have several Japanese restaurants to review, hope you not get bored =)..

This time we headed to Torigen Japanese restaurant located in Wijaya.. See from the outside this place is sooo Japanese..


Not only from the outside, once you step into the restaurant, you can really feel the environment here is very much like the Japanese style.. The whole place was decorated with Japanese ornaments..


The place is decorated with raw decor materials dominated by Japanese wood furniture which project a homey and comfy feeling..


The place is also spacious.. In the side of restaurant, you can see the traditional Japanese bar displays several sake selections and the teppanyaki bar..


You can see the authenticity of the restaurant from their patrons.. The restaurant is also frequented by the Japanese.. So, I'm quite sure the food taste here certainly authentic..


We started with Tamagoyaki (18K), a Japanese rolled omelette.. Yup, I know it's just simply an egg, but I love this thick tamagoyaki a lot, I can really taste the mix of sweetness and savoury and also the fluffy texture..


Next came Niratama (33K).. Basically it's like a okonomiyaki/Japanese pancake with chives and seafood on it drizzled with generous mayonnaise and okonomiyaki sauce.. Tasty..


They have several ramen selections, we didn't know what to choose but the waiter suggested us to try Chanko Miso Ramen (47K) and it came with corn, slices of pork belly, half an egg, and the usual other stuff..


I quite like it, the soup was salty but not too salty.. The noodle looks plain but it has a good chewy texture..


The portion is fine with me, but it's not enough for E so he decided to ordered Curry Udon (55K).. The dish was pretty good, and there were plenty of beef and curry sauce on top too..


And for the udon itself was thick and chewy blended very well with the smooth, savory, thick and mild curry sauce.. Yum!


After the dinner finished, they gave us this fruit and jelly on vanilla custard as a compliment.. It was a nice finish tho..

I really felt like I was in Japan, Torigen is really an authentic Japanese restaurant with a good taste of Japanese foods, the service was prompt and friendly as well.. If you are a Japanese food lover, do give this place a visit.. It's worth a try..


Torigen
Jl. Wijaya I No. 53
South Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 7233977

Penang Place

I passed by this restaurant several times in Plaza Indonesia, and never had a chance to try it yet.. One nite, we decided to pay this restaurant a visit.. Surely like its name, Penang Place they're introducing a Penang Nyonya style cuisine..


The place is nicely decorated with somewhat modern and simplistic furniture..


The interior of the place exudes a soothing, classy, and modern ambiance, complete with dim lighting..


The menu is quite extensive with an excellent selections of Penang/Malaysia dishes.. They also try to expand their menu to some Indonesian foods..

First up was Tempe & Teri Orek (8.8K), a stir-fried tempe and anchovies with sambal belacan/spicy prawn paste and peanuts.. This is one of their Indonesian dishes, the sambal wasn't to spicy but it went well with the crunchy anchovies..


Next came the Fried Fish Lemon Sauce (29.8K), a deep fried fish fillet sauteed with lemon sauce.. It's nice, the fish was fresh and not fishy..


I was craved for something gravy, so I ordered a Kway Teow in Fish Gravy - Kway Teow Siram Ikan (20.8K), a stir-fried rice noodle topped with mixed fish and veggies gravy.. The gravy was yummy, generous with ingredients, and very flavourful..


Last but not least, E ordered Indian-style Fried Noodle (26.8K), haha looks nice yaa with fried wonton crackers on it.. It's a fried yellow egg noodle with beansprouts, tofu, potato, tomato, egg, and seafood. And the best part was their slightly pungent sambal/chili makes great condiment to the already tasty ensemble.. It's sour, spicy, sweet, and tangy come through in this dish.. The meal was satisfactory

The food was pretty good here, and the serves are decent for the price.. Nice to try tho..


Penang Place
Plaza Indonesia 3rd Fl. F-12
Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30
Central Jakarta
Tel. (62 21) 3107620/651