First Experience : Zhuma

In one lovely evening we are craving for something good after go walking. And here we are, at Cilandak Town Square, South Jakarta. It’s kind a mall full with restaurant and hang out place. We are walking, walking, gazing, and walking again until we find this warm good-looking restaurant.

Intense Japanese ambience.

It is wrapped by wooden look alike wall with some details and combined with glass and woven rattan. Low lighted at the front façade corridor, but you can see through the glass the warm yellowish lighting inside, makes you want to see and eager more.

Ornaments related to Japan.

Looks promising, we enter Zhuma. Greeted by big smiles from a friendly waitress, she takes us to non-smoking area as we requested. Once inside we feel the intense Japanese atmosphere. Pictures of Japanese people doing their errands are appeared everywhere, in their menu and on their wall, Japanese umbrella hanging on the ceiling, a wall full of black Japanese roof materials, wooden material everywhere, all of them are harmonized into one solid feel. We also see a little sushi bar accompanied by a little glass display showing fresh seafoods, ready to be rolled together. Unfortunately, the music ambience is playing some upbeats songs. We think it’s quite unsuitable with the Japanese atmosphere here.

You can also find beer and coffee here.

Ok, let’s start with the food, shall we?

There are many kinds of menu inside. Well, not too much, but enough kinds. You can find sushi, ramen, donburi, udon, and many appealing appetizers. Beer and coffee are also available here. It’s not too long for us to choose the menu: Red Ramen, Summer Roll, and Zhuma Special Roll. Too bad their Pear and Green are not ready yet. We think it’s going to be tasty.

Six pieces of Summer Roll.

Our first comer is Summer Roll, lots, lots of slices cabbage, cucumber, avocado, and a slice of salmon rolled together with Vietnamese rice paper combined with separated dressing. Here goes the first bite.

Let's dunk the Summer Roll to its dressing.

Veggie freshness fairly harmonize with avocado thickness (well, we would say the fat or dairy things as thick because we feel just like that) make a light flavor. The salmon’s weight, but not that heavy, are there to add some softness inside the roll and the rice paper adds some textures that wrap all of it. Don’t forget to eat them with the dressing! It gives more spectrum to the taste: a slight taste for each: sweet, salty, and sour. We would like to say Summer Roll has a light clean transparent taste, as the way its look. Stay away from shoyu! It will ruin the whole thing.

A bowl of tasty Red Ramen.

Noodles soaked in tasty broth. Red Ramen is also like that with additional half well done boiled egg, big pieces of leek, marinated minced beef, and black sesame seeds.

Mix it all and *slurph!

Broth, the broth is the key of all the dish. It has strong taste that built from salty, savory, and spicy flavor. Spicy here comes from pepper, we assumed. Not recommended for those who don’t like spicy things, but it’s worth to try.

Zhuma Special Roll in eight fine pieces.

A sushi dish without a sheet of ordinary greenish nori. It said that imported white sesame nori is used in. Here we go! Looks appealing, Zhuma Special Roll has wet texture from the beginning. Consists of veggies (yes, more veggies… We didn’t realize we order so many veggies after all menus come out), a slice of salmon and shrimp, this lovely sushi has a balance taste. The dressing, mayonnaise and sweet soy sauce, makes the flavor tastier and balance.

Find the balance flavor in a mouth full of Zhuma Special Roll.

Here’s a little tip: before you eat the sushi, we recommend you to eat a slice of pink marinated ginger (or you can drink some ocha to make your palate neutral), then add a little plump of wasabi to the sushi. Take some dressing and dunk it lightly to shoyu. Enjoy the greater taste! Best things we ever had today! Don’t dunk it too long or soaked it too much, or you’ll eat shoyu with a slight of sushi.

Along with the time you eat, the waiters will ask you politely to make sure all the food taste good and offer you some desserts after you finished your meal. That’s all the experiences we can share to all of you.

Further info just check out their Instagram @zhuma.japanese

See you again! Don’t forget to always finish your food!