Back’s clear distinction
Envisioning a restaurant that has a unique identity like no other, Chef Akira Back successfully elevates his restaurant to embody the spirit of independence and creativity within him.
Since its official opening more than a year ago, Akira Back restaurant has not wasted any time in becoming one of the biggest hits in Jakarta’s high-end culinary scene. This restaurant offers a unique culinary experience brought to you by the best chef in Las Vegas: Akira Back.
Akira Back Jakarta is located in the heart of the city on one the most elevated floors of MD Place building, where the restaurant occupies the entire floor. The spacious dining area can accommodate a total of 144 diners, with each seat and table strategically placed to provide maximum comfort. From the red brick walls, the massive live tree root ornament across from the sushi bar and the intricate honeycomb-patterned ceiling of the private dining area, to the lively music and intriguing front entrance centrepiece, the interior architectural decor of Akira Back Jakarta is focused on welcoming guests and making them feel they are right where they belong.
Commenting on the overall feel of the atmosphere and the menu, Chef Back compares Akira Back to his two earlier globally successful establishments: Yellowtail and Kumi. “Akira Back takes the reclusive and intimate feel of Yellowtail and the liveliness and bold ambience of Kumi and creates an entirely new place; perfectly balanced between the two.”
With five VIP rooms to be used for group meetings, small gatherings or family occasions, Akira Back is the place to indulge in culinary enlightenment, as well as to enjoy warm association with friends and family.
One of the dishes carried over to Akira Back is Chef Back’s iconic Tuna Pizza. This is the one dish that anyone visiting the restaurant absolutely must not miss. The Tuna Pizza is essentially slices of tuna sashimi with truffle oil and micro shiso leaves on top.
Leading the culinary team, Chef Back are constantly developing new and exciting creations based on his unique vision combined with extensive regional knowledge. The fruit of such synergy is embodied in delectable dishes such as the tacos with marinated wagyu kalbi and spicy tomato ponzu, which is a well-balanced dish that combines rich and tender wagyu kalbi with the restaurant’s homemade Japanese citrus-based ponzu.
The signature roll at Akira Back Jakarta is also one to look out for. One of my personal recommendations includes the Skinny Legs, which also happens to be one of the latest additions to the menu. “Skinny” explains that it is a roll without rice, instead using ika geso karage – this is a very authentic Japanese pub cuisine that consists of squid legs marinated in soy sauce, ginger, honey and garlic. On the bottom is plain daikon while tuna sashimi is on the inside. The sauce is slightly adjusted for Indonesian tastes—a mixture of sriracha sauce, ponzu sauce, tobiko and sashimi chilli oil.
A wide variety of sakes and wines are offered by the bottle or glass, with expertly mixed cocktails such as the Stardust, a signature cocktail with infused gin, star fruit and liqueur. As for the dessert, the Akira Back shortcake is a strawberry shortcake with strawberry-flavoured homemade ice cream, Pop Rocks candy and Grand Marnier chantilly cream.
Another new creation at Akira Back Jakarta that embodies a high-level fusion is the yuzu cheesecake. The intriguing presentation looks more like a deconstructed cheesecake instead of being regularly stacked. Yuzu flavours are infused in the cheesecake with mango jelly and yuzu juice on the side. The plate is garnished with chocolate soil with mixed fruit and fresh berries. The inspiration for this extremely delicate dish was a ripe yuzu fruit falling from its tree onto the ground below.
