Pan Pacific returned to Jakarta this summer with the opening of its new hotel perched and spread across the top floors of the Luminary Tower in Thamrin Nine.
The restaurant location is nothing short of spectacular. As befits the city’s highest hotel, the restaurant is the highest in Jakarta (and, for that matter, all of Indonesia). Floor-to-ceiling surround windows offer spectacular views out in multiple directions over the city far below and this alone is enough to make a visit here memorable. The room is filled with natural light thanks to the windows. A private room and teppanyaki section are also available.
The dress code of smart casual could equally be applied to the décor too. The feel is modern and rather restrained: it wears its Japanese influence only very lightly, if at all. The overall effect is of understated, fairly simple contemporary design in black and muted colours. Rather than screaming itself, the colour choice and design ethos provide a simple setting to let the panoramic city views take centre stage.
That makes lunch an ideal time of day to visit, with bright skies outside bursting in. My recent visit was on a Sunday lunchtime. Keyaki serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The lunch offering is different on weekends than on weekdays, aiming at a more relaxing and slow-paced culinary indulgence.
The weekend lunch adds a twist to the standard idea of a buffet, combining a buffet with a select a la carte menu of popular dishes. This means that one can enjoy the buffet thrill of looking at all the options and choosing what most appeals, without sacrificing the enjoyment of excellent main dishes cooked to order. Keyaki offers teppanyaki cooking, but we were seated at a table not by the chef, so, during this visit, at least the teppanyaki experience was not evident.
From fresh lobster to scallops flown from Hokkaido, the inclusive a la carte menu offers a variety of seafood dishes as well as meat options. This is a small-plate concept, so one can sample a few different dishes brought to the table.
Fresh, high-quality ingredients are to the fore, while the restaurant’s Japanese identity makes itself clearly known through the cooking techniques and presentation, ranging from charcoal grilling to at-table sukiyaki hotpot bubbling away.
Meanwhile, the buffet area serves up a variety of sushi and sashimi, prepared on the spot. That was a highlight of the meal, although other buffet elements, from meat cuts to dessert, were also tasty and well presented. Indeed, while the table setting is simple, presentation is a high point at Keyaki from varied and pretty tableware to the high-quality glassware in which drinks are served: my wine was poured in a Riedel glass. While the cooking has flair, the buffet is full of safe choices in the sense that it offers pretty much what one would expect of a Japanese restaurant buffet.
During my visit, the music was turned up and a mixed crowd of customers helped create a relaxed Sunday lunchtime vibe. The staff were helpful and attentive, adding to that relaxed atmosphere, although also professional and neatly turned out. The whole vibe was relaxed, in fact: an airy, light, and spacious-feeling room, with other diners some distance away rather than uncomfortably close. Perhaps this is partly a result of the a la carte option, which meant that the buffet area never felt like the noisy scramble for food that it sometimes degenerates into at some restaurants.
The food, overall, was good and pretty much in line with what one might hope for: there is no value attached here to novelty or surprise for its own sake. On the drinks front, there was some imagination on display, starting with a very refreshing complimentary welcome non-alcoholic cocktail.
I was expecting sake, shochu, and beer, but a prominently displayed selection of French wine meant that the options went beyond those found in some Japanese restaurants. The wine was available by the glass, but the free-flow deal struck me as good value for a restaurant of this calibre in such a central Jakarta location, starting as it does from IDR 300K++ per person. For a long, lazy, and slightly boozy Sunday lunch, this could be an ideal pick.
Keyaki has been in soft opening mode over the Summer but is now formally open and feels like a polished operation. If going, it helps to be absolutely clear about the slightly hard-to-find location of Pan Pacific’s entrance within the Thamrin Nine complex.
Keyaki’s good food, professional service, and memorable location combined to offer an enjoyable and relaxed weekend lunch. I would happily go back.
Keyaki, Jakarta
- Address: Thamrin Nine, Luminary Tower, Jalan M.H. Thamrin No 10, Jakarta 10230
- Tel: 021-50820003
- Website: https://www.panpacific.com/en/hotels-and-resorts/pp-jakarta/dining/keyaki.html
- Instagram: @keyakijakarta
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