If I have to name my current favorite place for sushi in Jakarta, Sushi Masa would be the one. Sushi Masa is one of the most talked Japanese restaurant in Jakarta at the moment. Named as a Japanese restaurant with the freshest seafood you could possibly get in Jakarta, my expectation become very high and I cannot hold myself to not to come here.

Located in Penjaringan, no one would have guess there is a Japanese restaurant in the middle of Muara Baru fish harbor. Sushi Masa is located on the 3^rd floor of the Grey Building. The building is noticeable from afar, but there is no sign post or whatsoever around. Oh by the way, the 1^st floor is a Norwegian Seafood Store. They have lots of frozen goods for us to buy. Even though the location wasn’t easy to reach, it didn’t stop people to come here. From what I heard this restaurant is always packed. So it is better for you to do a reservation first even when you are coming here alone.

I order quite a lot of food that night. I don’t really remember each name of the food that I ordered, but I really remember the taste of the salmon sashimi. It was so fresh, there is no fishy smell at all! Most importantly, it melts the perfectly once it touch your mouth.

The pictures tells it all, isn’t it? Even though it was very pricey (an IDR 35.000 for a slice of Salmon Belly Sashimi), I can not stop eating it because it was THAT good! I also order the Salmon Belly Aburi Sushi (IDR 40.000 per pieces) and it was phenomenal! The chef grilled it to a perfection without eliminating the salmon taste. Oh my God! I think I have died and went to salmon heaven!!!

Other than sashimi, they also served sushi and other Japanese dish. One of the recommend dish that night was the Tender Smoked Duck Breast (IDR 30.000 for 3 slices) and the Unagi Kabayaki (IDR 250.000). The waitress keeps recommending this again and again, so I decided to order it. The duck breast was just fine, I guess. I don’t find anything special with this one or maybe I was just over expecting it though. Meanwhile the grilled unagi was superb! It was tender, really rich in flavor and yummy!

I also order the Beef Hana Roll (IDR 105.000 for 3 pieces) and Gyu Enoki Yaki (IDR 70.000 for 4 pieces). I really love it! The Beef Hana Roll was a sushi wrapped with beef topped with ikura (fish eggs) and mayonnaise. I love how juicy the beef was and how the mayonnaise was given in the right amount, so it doesn’t overpowering the whole dish. The Gyu Enoki Yaki was also amazing! The beef was tender and nicely covered by the sauce. However one of the pieces was a bit dry and chewy but I doesn’t mind because it still taste nice.

My cousin order the Atama Shioyaki (IDR 100.000), Salmon Donburi Set (IDR 120.000) and Beef Teriyaki (IDR 130.000). I personally think they were just okay. I find the Atama Shioyaki (grilled salmon head) need a bit more saltiness. But a dash of shoyu on the sides make it better. The Salmon Donburi Set came with a miso soup. The salmon was perfect as always, while the miso a bit lack of taste for my liking. As for the Beef Teriyaki, it was a bit chewy and dry. The sauce poured too much and I can’t hardly taste the beef because of the sauce.

I also order some desserts. I tried their Hokkaido Mini Mochi in Caramel (IDR 40.000 for 4 pieces), Hokkaido Milk Pudding (IDR 60.000) and Chocolate Lava (IDR 50.000). The mochi was nice but I personally thought it was a pricey for 4 pieces of mini mochi. The pudding was smooth and sweet. The sour strawberry sauce balance it all out. The biscuits crumbles also gives a nice texture to the pudding. While the lava cake was a different thing. It was really rich in chocolate, gooey and addictive! My cousins and I even order some more of it.

My only note for Sushi Masa was their slow service and a bit rude waitress. My aunt order the Ebi Mentaiyaki (and turns out it was just meh) since the first time we sit down and order. But it came out after we ask for the bill. We asked them to cancel the order since it didn’t came out, but suddenly right after we canceled it, it came! And the waitress insist (with a high tone) that we have to pay for it. I mean, I know you probably tired of working and my family was annoying, but still, that is not how you treat your customer.

Do I think it is worth it? Definitely if you are a person who loves sashimi like me. Even though the prices here are not as affordable as other sushi joints, quality really do comes with a price. What can you say, when all of the fish served is imported.

Okay now I seriously gotta go, because I’m drooling all over my laptop.

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Sushi Masa

Grey Building 3^rd Floor

Jl. Tuna Raya no 5

Penjaringan, Jakarta Utara

DKI Jakarta, Indonesia

(+6221) 292 63 561

Opening hours: 11.30 AM – 2 PM, 6 PM – 10 PM

Food: 4,5/5

Ambiance: 4/5

Price: 4/5

Service: 3/5