ELLE AND JESS: NEW in Town: WAKUWAKU Japan Cafe

December 10, 2014

NEW in Town: WAKUWAKU Japan Cafe

Some of you might have already heard about WAKUWAKU Japan. But for those of you who haven't, WAKUWAKU Japan is an entertainment channel that has been broadcasting Japanese TV programs in Indonesia since February 2014! For more info, read our review about it here.

And now ladies and gentlemen, WAKUWAKU Japan has spread their wings by establishing this Japanese-themed cafe:

WAKUWAKU Japan Cafe!

Before you think something like, "Oh well, just another cafe with charming decor."

It's not!

WAKUWAKU Japan Cafe has something really unique and exciting to offer their customers– which we think is very important if you want to stand out from the crowd, especially in these days where cafe business is growing so rapidly.

What they offer to you is... the opportunity to experience the real Japan.

Who wouldn't like to relax on the tatami, sip a cup of Ocha (or a spoon of Matcha ice cream) while enjoying the beautiful view of Japan's four seasons?

You can now do ALL that and more in Jakarta, thanks to WAKUWAKU Japan Cafe! (´▽`ʃƪ)♡

Putting sakura ceiling on our Christmas wish list!

Here's a closer look to the indoor seating area. Covered by tatami mats and cushions, surrounded with LCDs showing the beautiful and soothing scenery that will complete your Japanese culinary experience. :)

The MENU

For food, we ordered Tai-Chazuke, Sake-Chazuke, Chirashi Sushi, and of course, Matcha Shiratama Anmitsu and Imagawa-Yaki for dessert! (ˆ ڡ ˆ)

A lovely waitress with our freshly-brewed Houjicha (roasted green tea)! All the waiters and waitresses there gave a very pleasant service. :)

Fyi, they give you a FREE REFILL on the tea! *wink*

And if you're feeling a bit cheapo or you're just not that hungry, you can order their tea only and get FREE Shiki-Oriori cake (click here to know what it is)! How awesome is that?
Kampai to the free cakes and tea drunk!! Lol.

Pour yourself a cup of tea (and even better with a slice of cake) to make this rainy day less dreary. ♡

The FOOD

After the food arrived, we wanted to shove 'em right into our mouths, but they were just too pretty that we couldn't resist not taking any pictures!

In case you are wondering why there is a "Kaffein" word there, WAKUWAKU Cafe is a collaboration between WAKUWAKU Japan with Kaffein Cafe.

Elle's Sake-Chazuke (Salmon)

Jess' Tai-Chazuke (Snapper/Ikan Kakap)

As expected, the food tasted as good as they looked! It was no surprise because they imported the chef and food ingredients straight from JAPAN! And while we are on it, all the cutleries and equipments they use in the cafe are also Japan-made!

The toppings.

Sake-Chazuke and Tai-Chazuke are both warm, comforting type of food. The way to eat them is to pour the hot water (here at WWJ Cafe they use fish stock) over the rice like we did in the pictures.

Treat yourself and try them please! The fish stock in particular, was very light yet rich in flavor. Perfect companion during this rainy season. :)

Our tips: Eat them while they are hot. Don't take too much time in taking pictures!

Ah, did you know? The Jap initially used Ocha for the hot water, hence the name: Cha/tea + Tsuke/submerge, but nowadays people are starting to use fish stock. Also, they usually eat Chazuke after the main courses.

What seems to be everybody's favorite: Chirashi Sushi (or "Scattered Sushi")! We also love it to bits! :D

And while we were enjoying our meals...

JENG JENG JENG! Look who came to the cafe!!

IT'S ULTRAMAN!!! (✧۝✧)/

It was very entertaining and weird at the same time, seeing Ultraman posing with the food and photographed by many people while we were eating quietly at the next table from him! Such a rare event, lol!

And so, we decided to take a pic together before he took off saving the world! x)

Okay, we then continued to... dessert!! This Matcha Shiratama Anmitsu was so heavenly, we could die! The mochi was oh my God! So soft and melt in your mouth! Mixed with matcha ice cream and red bean and anmitsu, &*#^$%@*@&!!! That's all we could say...

Like most Japanese culture, this furoshiki-wrapped sweets is very unique! Shiki-OriOri with its cookie-texture represents Japanese four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. All of them taste yummy, we really enjoy them!! Especially when knowing the backstory of each cookies. ^^

As you can see from the picture above, they have an outdoor seating area as well! But we didn't manage to take a look as we went straight to the WAKUWAKU Cafe Opening Event on the ground level of the mall after we've finished our desserts! ↓

It was so crowded because JKT48 was going to perform that night!

Not only is the event beautifully decorated with Japanese theme, there are also Japanese street games to keep you entertained and get to know Japan a little bit more.

Us. Failing so many times at this game. (Thanks Osafune-san for the pic ^^)

Oh yes, you can also borrow Yukatas for FREE to take some pictures! We chose this fake sakura tree as our backdrop ^^ Hopefully we can take pictures with real sakura in Japan soon!! *fingers crossed*

Found these funny-looking masks near the Yukata corner :D

All in all, we had a GREAT time that day! From the delicious food, nice ambience, lovely service and surprising event at the WAKUWAKU CAFE, to the fun and delightful WAKUWAKU Cafe opening event! Thank you, WAKUWAKU Japan and BinaBlog for inviting us!