The MOMO Restaurant & Bar

The MOMO Restaurant & Bar is the latest addition to the bustling food scene in Senopati. The Fat Corner was lucky enough to be invited to their first week of soft opening.

MOMO differentiates itself from other Japanese restaurants in Jakarta by having an Izakaya concept, similar to that of Izakaya Issei (read our review here).

Their angle to the Japanese Izakaya is more of a modern fusion one rather than a traditional one. You will immediately feel the liveliness once you enter the restaurant as you are welcomed by their contemporary ambiance and decoration.

Definitely not your typical Japanese restaurant. 

We were ordered a generous amount of food, courtesy of the owner, to try most of the things available in the restaurant. Since there were many types of food served I will only cover the ones that made the most impression on me; both good and bad.

The portions are generally smaller, which is normal to Izakaya.

I ordered the Espresso Martini to start of the very long night of indulgence. It came out quite diluted for my preference and the taste was just average.

This is the Tuna and Salmon Carpaccio – Thin sliced tuna and salmon with sweet and spicy vinaigrette, topped with dehydrated egg yolk. The taste of the tuna and the salmon is very fresh, which is essential for this dish to work.

Next is the Scallop and Uni Carpaccio – Thin sliced aburi scallop topped with uni and flying fish caviar, served with homemade ponzu. Who can say no to a combination of scallop and uni, this dish has the right balance and without doube a great appetizer for seafood lovers.

I am a fan of MOMO’s Mozzarella Fish Tube – Tempura fish tube filled with mozzarella cheese, served with curry salt. This was probably one of my favorite among the small dishes that they served, as I am sucker for fried food and cheese.

This Butter Seafood Egg Custard – Uni and shrimp with cod roe chawanmushi makes you forget the boring old chawanmushi you find in other Japanese retaurants.

Chicken Nanban – Cubed fried chicken topped with homemade tartar sauce, served in sweet and sour nanban sauce. Simply put, it is chicken katsu with tartar sauce. This made the first negative mark to the night’s culinary adventure. I found it very soggy and overpoweringly sweet.

Next came the Ox Tongue Stew – Slow cooked ox tongue in sweet tomato and demi broth. Being a fan of ox tongue I was slightly disappointed that the stew was overly watery that it tasted more like a diluted curry dish. Making the stew a little thicker would have perfected the dish.

Prime Beef Hotplate – Prime beef served with grated white radish and ponzu sauce. Given that the Ponzu sauce is one of my top choice among Japanese sauces due to its unique taste, I had a natural attraction to this dish. My only critic would be that the meat portion could be more generous. 

After which we were served the Beef Grill – Skewered beef tongue, strip loin, beef enoki, beef mozzarella, served with black pepper sauce. I thought that this dish was the worst performer of the night. The tongue was rubbery and the overall taste was just mediocre.

MOMO’s Curry Fondue – Curry blend with fried breaded shrimps, chicken balls, mochi and mozzarella – is a must-try. The curry sauce is rich and has a well-balanced taste. I was secretly expecting them to put the breaded choices on a stick like a typical fondue.

I was starting to get full by this point. Salmon Brick Sushi – Brick shaped unagi sushi topped with sweet cod flakes and black flying fish caviar. I found this particular sushi slightly bland, certainly a far cry to those you find in authentic Japanese restaurants.

Then came the MOMO Beef Hot Pot – Thinly sliced premium beef with vegetables, served in a choice of miso or spicy miso broth. We were lucky to taste the spicy miso broth. It was a very unique dish with a soup that is full of flavour. This dish will make me come back to MOMO for more.

Truffle Prime Beef Bowl – Thin sliced prime beef with truffle sauce, served with rice and topped with poached egg. This is unquestionably another star dish. The beef is juicy, perfectly complemented by the richness of the poached egg. Accompanied by a bold taste of truffle sauce.

Interestingly, MOMO’s owner mentioned that this dish was inspired by a restaurant in Singapore whereby the chef has worked with the well-known fine dining Japanese place – Tetsuya.

Beef Curry Spaghetti – Spaghetti, sliced beef, tossed with MOMO’s homemade curry sauce, topped with poached egg and cheese. Despite the colorful description, this dish turned out very bland for me and made it to the list of my least favorite dishes of the night.

 

Overall, MOMO has a great ambience and decent Japanese dishes. It has a bar in the middle and an extensive alcohol menu, perfect for happy hour. MOMO can sit around 100 people, but is likely to be fully booked given the buzz around it, so give them a call and make a reservation before visiting.

 

Food: |***  |          Ambience: |**** |    Price: This was a closed event for invited guests only.

Opening hours: Monday – Sunday 

Location: Jl. Senopati Raya No. 92, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta 12190, Indonesia.

Telephone: +6221 739 7459 / +62 87 889 808 005 

Posted by Fidodido