Tajima Yakiniku

My gym instructors always say "Burn them calories!", well, yes I will definitely, only sometimes I have a different interpretation of 'burning', such as this:

Talk about burning calories (read: meat), can you name me one venture of Gading Food Culinary that does not get the market hooked? Well, apparently, the F&B group, which runs and manages popular eateries in Jakarta such as Fish & Co., Marutama Ramen, Sticky Candy, Song Fa Ba Kut Teh, Chicken & Egg and co-owns Altitude, also runs a Japanese Yakiniku and grill restaurant, Tajima Yakiniku.

Tajima Yakiniku's history started in 1972, with a humble beginning as a butcher house and an affordable yakiniku eatery, something that was rare, even in Japan back then. The Master of The Meat, Tajima Masayuki, trusted Gading Food Culinary to operate its highly cherished brand to the customers in Jakarta, Indonesia

Today, Tajima already has 2 outlets in North Jakarta and in the heart of the city, within less than two years of running in Jakarta. Now, I'm about to share with you, what we had, when he had dinner at Tajima Yakiniku's first outlet in Jakarta, at Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK). It was dinner time, and despite the constant stream of hungry people congregating to PIK for a meal, not all places are packed, competition is as tough as a hardened rubber in this area. So I was quite pleasantly surprised to see that Tajima was packed on a weekday and there were many Japanese patrons. These are the basic tell tales of good food.

The photos below were captured after all the guests had left (yeah, we lingered that long after our meals were finished).

While waiting for the meat and the stove to be set up, our appetizers started arriving at the table...

Karubi Kuppa (spicy soup with beef, vegetable & rice). I am a huge fan of this Karubi Kuppa, it's not congee, but it's soft and tasted rich from the beef broth, tender beef and stirred egg. If I were down with flu, this is definitely a comfort food that'll bring warmth to my tummy.

Karubi Kuppa IDR 52,000

Baked Mushroom - a few thick stalks of enoki mushrooms, soaked in a spices and butter bath, covered in aluminium foil and cooked on the grill. If you dislike vegetables, mushrooms is definitely a tastier and equally healthy option.

Baked Mushroom IDR 38,000
Right: Tajima's Special Potato Croquette IDR 15,000 /pc

Cijimi (Japanese pancake with scallion & carrot) -> love this cijimi pancake!! Look at that cheese on top, I enjoyed it so much either with or without the sauce.

Cijimi IDR 38,000

To be honest with you, one of my greatest fears about eating at a BBQ or a grill restaurant is the trouble and confusion of having to pick the meat. Of course naturally, one wants the best quality cut, but they come at a steep price tag. Lucky for us, we didn't need to make too many decisions, as there are a few sets to choose from. So, since there were 4 of us, we picked the Family Course, a set that comprises:

- Appetizer

- Salad

- Namuru

- Soup

- Shio sauce 3 kinds of meat

- Yaki sauce 3 kinds of meat

- Nikumaki Gohan or Soumen

- Dessert

Tajima Yakiniku, Family Coourse (for 3-4 pax) IDR 599,000

Japanese Wagyu Premium Beef - Matsuzaka Gyu (super prime gyu).
This was my first time ever trying Matsuzaka wagyu, one of Japan's top 3 wagyus, besides Ohmi and Kobe wagyu. The raw thin slices of extremely marbled wagyu already depicts a tale of royalty-like treatment of the cow when it was still alive. The Matsuzaka beef were "fed with beer to increase their appetites and raised with intense care, sometimes even receiving individual massages". This wagyu really IS that premium, that a slice (probably can be finished in 2 bites), would set you back IDR 100,000 (roughly USD 9, the price of a decent meal set!). But the price speaks for itself, Matsuzaka wagyu is a whole different level of tenderness and juiciness. As I enjoyed each and every bite, I felt like I was in cloud 9!

Matsuzaka Gyu IDR 100,000/slice

Sukiyaki Beef Set (meat & vegetables)

Did you know that when eating sukiyaki, the Japanese like to dip the cooked sukiyaki meat into raw eggs, before eating it? The reason for doing it is, apparently, to 'water down' the strong sukiyaki broth, so it won't be too salty when the meat gets inside the mouth. I tried it and I personally do not think that I need to do the same thing, as I found the taste of the sukiyaki meat just right and not too salty.

Sukiyaki Beef Set IDR 188,000 (couple) or IDR 358,000 (family)

At Tajima, there are only 2 types of dessert: matcha ice cream or ice cream mochi. It wasn't tough to choose, we just ordered all of them! Haha...

Matcha ice cream IDR 15,000 | Matcha ice cream mochi IDR 30,000

Tajima has a special place in list of favourite yakiniku/bbq/grill restaurant, I'm not sure why, but everything we had here just right all the right places on my taste buds. Another visit is sure to come, when I've found the right company to eat with (because, too bad my family are not into yakiniku / grill, *sigh).

*) Prices are subject to Government Tax & Service Charge

Tajima Yakiniku

1st outlet:

Rukan Crown Golf Blok D No. 25,26,27 (click to open in maps)

Level 3 (same building as Fish & Co.)

Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK) - North Jakarta

Ph: +6221 29424980

2nd outlet:

ANZ Square, Thamrin Nine

Lobby Floor Unit L/E-F

Jl. MH. Thamrin No. 10

Central Jakarta

Ph: +6221 30027390

tajima-yakiniku.com

Instagram: @TajimaYakiniku

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