WAKI JAPANESE BBQ – THAMRIN, Jakarta

WAKI Japanese BBQ Dining restaurant in Thamrin area, a place where quality meets value.

When it comes to yakiniku or Japanese BBQ, AnakJajan think that many of you can easily agree that most of the restaurants in Jakarta are quite intimidating in terms of pricing. To answer those needs, we got you a new and legit recommendation for affordable Japanese BBQ with high quality meat, that is Waki Japanese BBQ.

Located near BNI City Station & All Seasons Thamrin, the restaurant has a sleek and neat design with wooden accent and Japanese theme mural drawing. At first we were hesitate about the price but it turned out that the food menu is reasonably priced.

As the name suggests, Japanese BBQ is their specialty, therefore you can find varies of from normal to premium cut all, aside from that expect to find other dishes as well like appetizer, soup, rice, noodle, rice bowl, etc, all menu contains no pork & no lard.

Waki Salad IDR 45k
To start the meal, AnakJajan their signature salad topped with tofu and katsuobushi with creamy sesame dressing. It was very refreshing and surely a combo that simply cannot go wrong.

Kimchi IDR 29k
Love the fact that they serve homemade kimchi, it makes a great companion for BBQ. Their kimchi was an enjoyable one with well-balanced flavor and not too tangy.

Capjae IDR 95k
The Korean style stir-fried glass noodle happens to be available in Waki as well so we decided to give it a try and it was nicely done, savory, flavorful with subtle sweet taste.

Chijimi (Korean Pancake) IDR 49k
Their rendition of Korean style vegetable pancake is served on sizzling hotplate with WAKI original sauce. It was uber tasty, the pancake was thin with crispy edges.

Kalbi Soup IDR 39k
Kalbi Soup is basically spicy short rib beef soup, it comes with red broth in medium level of spiciness. The soup was very bold in flavor, it calls for rice as companion.

Spicy Gyu Tan Don IDR 69k
The restaurant serves donburi or rice bowl as well for quick dining option. AnakJajan found the gyutan don tasteful with bold seasoning, the gyutan itself was tender with all the flavors fully absorbed into it.

Waki Platter For 4-5 IDR 379k
Now let’s move on to the main highlight, the BBQ!! Waki set platter is just a perfect option for those who wants to try various meat in one go. AnakJajan had Waki Platter for 4-5 with combination of Tongue, Kalbi, Jyo Kalbi, and assorted vegetables.

First impression, plating on point! Love how festive the way they put all the ingredients together in appetizing way. First the thinly sliced Gyutan or tongue, it was grilled to perfection, very tender with amazing texture.

Then the Kalbi, it was so good with melt-in-the-mouth texture. But our most favorite one would be Jyo Kalbi since it was uber tender yet juicy complemented with nice savory and sweet seasoning. So sooo good! Considering these are just their regular cut, AnakJajan can easily say that BBQ game in Waki is strong because know how to play it well.

Tokujyo Tongue (thick cut) IDR 219k
Tokujyo Tongue is thick cut of premium tongue marinated in savory sauce. The tongue was juicy and tender with addictive and playful bouncy texture.

Ippon Kalbi IDR 79k
The presentation of this one is rather different and unique, the long strip of meat is marinated in homemade onion sauce in a pot. It was one of Mr. Jajan’s favorite, he enjoyed the meat texture and charred aroma from caramelized onion sauce on the meat.

Saikoro Kalbi IDR 99k
Grilled diced beef tenderloin, just by looking at the shiny glossy fat in the meat, we can tell that it’s going to be tasty and it was! Juicy and tasteful!

Tokujyo Kalbi IDR 249k
Saving the best for the last, Tokujyo Kalbi or premium A4 Japanese beef shortribs, look at the sexy shiny marbling. It was seriously the best among other cut we had, so sooo tender, juicy, and it literally melts- in the mouth easily. All meat in Waki are lightly seasoned already which plays a major role in making the meat even more delicious. Considering the quality, AnakJajan gotta say that it’s seriously reasonable because for the same quality, it can be twice or triple the price out there.

Matcha Ice Cream IDR 25k // Black Sesame Ice Cream IDR 25k

A meal won’t be complete without having dessert, so we opted for ice cream and mochi ice cream which were enjoyable especially the Black Sesame Mochi Ice Cream.

Black Sesame Mochi Ice Cream IDR 35k // Matcha Mochi Ice Cream IDR 35k

Overall, great quality of meat, reasonable price, amazing flavor, Waki has easily become our favorite place in town for Japanese BBQ. If you’re a BBQ lover, put this place in your list, we’re sure you’ll enjoy it as much as we did.

Address:
Waki BBQ
Jl. Tanjung Karang No.5
Central Jakarta 10230
Phone: +6281290109624
Opening hours: 11.00-22.00
Instagram: @wakibbq

Map: