Sake for your Sake
Located in the heart of the lively Senopati, Jakarta, SAKE+ is a sophisticated restaurant and lounge set in the warm ambience found in any respectful Japanese sake bar. Just by the front entrance, a neat sugidama—a globe of cedar leaves traditionally hung outside a brewery—provides a very inviting reception to sake enthusiasts. Walking in, you’ll immediately notice the amazing racks upon racks of sake, neatly categorized by type and region of origin.
Numerous other traditional Japanese decorations also add to the authentic mood of SAKE+; wooden-accented ceilings, ropes wrapping neatly on parts of the main wooden pillars, traditional lantern-like painted sake flasks in different sizes, decorative traditional sake pints and hanging wooden pots, to name a few.
On the first floor of SAKE+ is the main bar, with more rustic Japanese decoration balanced by a number of popular spirits from around the world behind the counters. The bar is lighted somewhat softly, and instead of regular wooden bar stools, had comfortably wide sofas with armrests and cushions, which I thought was perfect for any lively, social bar scene. Also on the first floor, just behind the bar, a pair of decorated wood and glass separators lead the way to a spacious dining room with unobtrusive natural lighting by day, and softer artificial lighting by night.
The centrepiece of the second floor is an open kitchen where diners can observe the chefs at work and serving the food directly to their plates. An open tray by the tables had some of the day’s freshest marine produce, such as salmon, oysters, and other sea creatures, drenched in plenty of ice. This tray is mainly for decorative purposes; and an interestingly good one at that. The second floor also has a general dining area and a private dining room, which requires a reservation in advance on most days.
While the food at SAKE+ includes a wide variety of traditional and modern Japanese food, I would definitely recommend the Chef Omakase, a set menu of five to ten dishes, depending on party size, which contains anything! A special offering from the chef, the Chef Omasake contains dishes created depending on the best available ingredients. Serving premium dishes that are different each time, the Chef Omakase is highly popular with guests who like to be surprised with the best Japanese cuisines SAKE+ has to offer.
During our visit, Chef Asano Hiroaki was kind enough to prepare for us—in the open kitchen, no less—some of his signature selections from the Chef Omakase choices, including Salmon Belly with salmon roe, a.k.a red caviar, a generous serving of delicately cut sashimi with more red caviar, a delicate salmon sushi plate, and delicious prime pork cuts curiously served in a graceful tall cocktail glass. All of these fantastic dishes were prepared before our eyes. Watching Chef Asano expertly prepare everything was extremely satisfying and added a lot to the overall dining experience at SAKE+.
If you enjoy sake, or are interested in learning about the fermented rice-based alcoholic beverage, SAKE+ has got everything in store for you. Aside from the extensive sake collection, you’ll also see a myriad of ceramic cups specially made for drinking sake, called ochoko, and be able to taste the different variations and mixes.
One of the most popular light sakes in SAKE+ is Ozeki Hana-Awaka, a refreshingly bubbly, low-alcohol sake perfect for after-work rejuvenation or the casual social scene. Another well-liked sake is Ozeki Yamadanashiki. The latter term refers to the type of rice that is dubbed the best sake-making rice. This sake tastes clean and refreshing with a dry aftertaste.
In terms of alcoholic fusion, my personal favourite is the Kyuri+. First of all, the presentation is unique, with a tulip-shaped glass pitcher holding a cocktail combination of dry sake, gin, cassis syrup, strawberry and lime juice. Now comes the best part—kyuri refers to a Japanese cucumber, so instead of the conventional ceramic ochoko, we have hollowed cucumbers to drink the cocktail from. As a twist, bite off some of the kyuri with your sip for a refreshingly sweet taste. The pitcher comes with a separate ice container to put more ice cubes in and prevent the ice from spoiling the sake at the same time.
