Rooftop bars & dinings always fascinate me, and I always try to make a point to visit one where ever I travel to. On my most recent trip back to Jakarta, I took my special guest, Mr. T to visit Henshin, on 67th floor of The Westin Jakarta, and it was one of the prettiest vantage points to enjoy golden sunset in the city!
In the late 1800's the first fleet full of Japanese male farmers began arriving to Peru, a land they said to be full of gold. They migrated there to become contract farmers with the promise of better income. Eventually, after years of assimilation, Peru has the second largest population of Japanese, after Brazil, these people are also known as Nikkei Perūjin, Peruvian citizens of Japanese origin or ancestry. Henshin bar & lounge and Nikkei dining are inspired by this piece of civilisation history, and while unrelated to Indonesia, it brings a fresh twist of Japanese dining to the local F&B scene. Fyi, Henshin is the rooftop bar & lounge on the 67th floor, whereas Nikkei is the fine dining that takes up the 68 & 69 floors, with the latter dedicated for private dining.
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| The indoor lounge area |
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| Transparent Henshin-stamped sake barrels |
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| Bird's eye view of skyscraper-studded Jakarta's CBD |
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| The outdoor lounge, around 6.30pm on Friday |
We visited on a perfect Friday afternoon, the weather was lovely, not cloudy and not too humid. I'd recommend coming in early, as the bar & lounge are quite popular, especially after work hours. We were blessed with a spectacular golden sunset view in the horizon, and what better way to enjoy this view, other than with some tasty craft cocktails! After trying out at least 6 different cocktails, my favourite goes to the Sakura Maru, a cocktail named after the first emigration ship from Japan to Peru.
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| Left: Sakura Maru Right background: Higo de Inca (IDR 200,000) Right foreground: The Last Ronin (IDR 200,000) |
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| Left: Sakura Maru (IDR 200,000) Right: The Modernista (IDR 185,000) |
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| Left: Shogun (IDR 185,000) Right: Eden of Kyoto (IDR 185,000) |
At 7 pm, we proceeded to level 68 for dinner at Nikkei. Guests could choose anything from the a la carte or the Nikkei Tasting Menu. The a la carte menu features cold starters such as Peruvian ceviche (citrus marinated seafood cold cuts), hot starters, fried sushi, soup, sashimi, nigiri, maki (rolled sushi), seafood / meat mains, rice noodles & dessert. However, the tasting menu caught our attention, because they offer some items which are not offered a la carte. The price ranges from IDR 990,000++/person (5 course), IDR 1,800,000++/person (6 course), IDR 2,500,000++/person (8 course). Who says Jakarta is cheaper than Oz? LOL! Notice the price jump from the 5 course to 6 course is almost double, but we decided to choose the 6 course in the end, because it includes the signature Henshin Wagyu (which costs IDR 840,000++ a la carte).
Here's what a IDR 1,800,000++ or AU$ 200 for 6 course Japanese Peruvian fine dining could get you in Jakarta:
Amuse Bouche (picture below)
Cold Jellyfish salad, taco & vegetables
Sashimi Nikkei (picture below)
Assorted fresh sashimi of otoro (tuna belly), hamachi (yellow tail), snapper, scallop, ankimo (monkfish liver), tamagoyaki, served with wasabi shoyu sauce.
Parihuela Cappuccino (picture below)
Shellfish, lobster, dashi bisque, milky cream foam
Vieira Apatalda (picture below)
Scallop, avocado, tiger's milk, black habanero oil, chullpi peruvian corn
Hamachi al Miso (picture below)
Roasted yellow tail, aji amarillo, root vegetables
Henshin Wagyu (picture below)
Wagyu, sweet potato puree, baby carrot, edamame.
Turron de la Pepa (picture below)
Anise biscuit, peanut foam, popcorn ice cream
6 cocktails and 6 courses and 5 hours later, we spent at least around AU$ 600 in total that evening! That bill easily made it the most expensive dining experience I've ever had with Mr. T., who fortunately thinks "it's worth the views & experience". I personally liked 5 out of the 6 cocktails that I had, the only one that did not taste quite to my liking was the Shogun, which we both found to be too smoky, but I understand that some people like it that way. As for the tasting menu, I had a somewhat higher expectation. Especially since Henshin touts to be Japanese Peruvian, I was hoping the tasting menu would showcase more of the exotic Peruvian cuisine. If I were to be honest the sweet potato puree from the Wagyu dish (don't get me wrong, the wagyu was great, but at this price tag, we'd expected something that actually would blow our mind) and the Dessert were most memorable. The serving sizes, as expected of fine dining, were petite, but we still left with full bellies at the end of the evening. Nonetheless, the upscale prime venue, the panoramic view, the good & attentive service made our experience that evening a memorable one. If you're looking to celebrate a special occasion, or to impress that special someone, Henshin will definitely deliver all that.
*) All prices are subject to 21% Government Tax & Service Charge
Henshin (rooftop bar & lounge, 67th floor)
OPENING HOURS
Sun - Thu: 17.00 - 00.00 | Fri - Sat: 17.00 - 02.00
Entry - 21 years and above
Nikkei (Japanese Peruvian dining, 68 & 69th floor)
OPENING HOURS
Daily: 12.00 - 14.30 (Lunch) | 18.00 - 23.00 (Dinner)
Entry – no children below 12 years old
Entry conditions:
Professional photography is not allowed
Dress code - smart casual
Facebook: Henshin Jakarta
Instagram: @henshinjakarta
The Westin Jakarta
Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said Kav.C-22 A
Jakarta - 12940
Indonesia
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