Donburi Ichiya at Lippo Mall Puri

WASSUP GUYS?!

Okay I know I haven't posted in like, forever, so I'm sorry for that. I got too caught up with things.
Not gonna make a lengthy intro for a post this time; I am aware that [maybe] most of you guys prefer me talking less about me and more on the reviewed subject. So without further ado, let me introduce you to this brand new Japanese eatery at the also freshly opened shopping centre, Lippo Mall Puri - Donburi Ichiya.

What it looks like from the outside:

Something draws me to the decor of the restaurant, and it is the creative posting of various Japanese posters on the walls; they give me the sense of an authentic Japanese restaurant.

Like the name already suggests, the restaurant specializes in selling donburi (4 types: gyu don, yakitori don, kaarage don and salmon don) topped with different sauces (such as soy honey and spicy mayo) and toppings (like kimchi or corn). The menu variation didn't end right there though - the place also serves tempuras of for example, quail's egg. Tonight I picked the sweet potato tempura for my extra.

Sweet Potato Tempura, Rp. 7k

Sweet potato is cooked to tenderness, thin coating of tempura fried to crunchiness. Texture wise, it hit the right spot. Flavor is a bit bland though; a dip of the tempura sauce is strongly advised.

And the main course.....

Kimchi Gyu Don (soy honey sauce), Rp. 54k

Beef was succulent, kimchi tasted sweet and sour (like it's supposed to). The soy honey taste cannot be distinguished that well, mainly because the beef is already sweet enough it didn't need any more extra sweetness from the sauce. FYI, the sauce pick was recommended by the server.

 Salmon Don (with wasabi mayo sauce), Rp. 45k

I'm [almost] in love with this. How can a person not like a slightly torched chop of salmon flesh topped with a little bit of season? There's one factor in this dish however; the wasabi mayo did not pair up well with the salmon. Again another unsatisfactory pick from the server, phew. Also, in my opinion, for a dish of that price the salmon's portion must be increased or it may come to be way too overpriced.

                                

Yakitori Don (with garlic butter sauce), Rp. 36k

Now I've got some complaints for this one; chicken didn't taste as if it has been seasoned, and the garlic butter is lacking in portion. But for once, the server did a decent job of picking a sauce.

Kaarage Don with Melted Cheese (with soy honey sauce), 43k

Kaarage was crispy and cheese was enjoyable, but the dish lacked overall taste. It failed to make any obvious statement. Nevertheless, crunch and cheese can never actually fail.

I know this review is kinda short, but I think there's not much to say except that the food is decent and it's worth a try. There's one thing you need to keep in mind however - don't rely 100% on the servers on picking your sauces. It is more advisable to create your own combination of donburi and sauce. Will I come back here? Of course. But for sure, I'll be making different choices, and those of my own.

P.S: The torching of the food was veeeeerrrryyyyy interesting to watch.

Donburi Ichaya 

Lippo Mall Puri @ The St. Moritz, LG-80

Jln. Puri Indah Boulevard Blok U No. 1

Jakarta Barat

(021) 29111006