moshi moshi sushi

the jolly japanese journey continues in djakarta... errr jakarta with a visit to the smashing sushi groove restaurant tucked in the happening kuningan district.
my old friend new straits times correspondent amy chew had suggested the japanese joint famed for its ambience and amiable staff apart from good food. and to chew fat over past, present and future in the new year.
first off, the sushi groove is located in setiabudi plaza - a building with great collection of restaurants offering a spectrum of cuisine from east to west, north and south. and of course, the ubiquitous starbucks where i dawdled with a java chip frappucino before dinner.
what can i say, sushi groove had a funky fun look with two long communal tables with stools for an ecletic experience in dining. amy was slightly late so had the standard miso soup and edamame beans with chilled ocha.
the little lady turned up soon after and we turned our attention to the menu with help of the ever-smiling staff.
i settled for the ziggy roll when i noted it was my favourite combination of deep-fried soft shell crab with cabe rawit or birds eye chilli or chilli padi as we know it in kuala lumpur. but the cabe rawit was sliced too thin and would have been better if a bit chunkier.
actually i had this combination in another sushi joint in jakarta and it was called a kalimantan roll while there is a similar dish in kuala lumpur at shrooms in klcc. whatever it is called, it went well with the wasabi and more than provided the explosive zing.
amy opted for her favourite baby dragon roll that combined shrimp tempura with with unagi and crab salad with avocado and tobiko for a savoury experience. it was a nice and crispy experience.
especially with more wasabi than soyu.
we chewed more edamame apart from fat about the ways of the world when the lion roll turned up. it was the waiter's recommendation and we looked at it with anticipation.
the lion roll looked every bit like a group of lion dancers performing during the chinese lunar new year celebrations. a combination of silver cod and spicy tuna, the roll hit the right spicy fishy notes on its own and was heavenly when dipped with wasabi and soyu.
the place was getting crowded and chatty but the ambience with some light music plus the good food aroused our appetites further. we decided to make one last order and picked the golden gate roll.
bearing a slight resemblance to its more famous american namesake, the golden gate roll is fresh salmon and avocado topped with tuna. we thought we bit off more than we could chew but the roll surprised us.
the fresh salmon and avocado was heavenly especially with some wasabi. we took our time to savour the flavour, nibbling and chewing it as we sipped our ocha.
what a meal it was. and i must say jakarta is proving to be a gourmet's heaven. can't wait to try out the restaurants in setiabudi plaza and other parts of the sprawling city.