IO, Jakarta – Thinking of enjoying dishes from the ‘Land of Cherry Blossoms’ on the weekend? In Senopati, South Jakarta, is a Japanese restaurant whose menu specializes in ‘fusion sushi’.
Yellowfin has been serving and entertaining guests since it was established in 2011. Its mission is to serve high-quality food and beverages to all customers, at an affordable price, using fresh ingredients to create a Japanese-style menu that is suitable for the Indonesian palate.
Even after 7 years in business, and its position as one of the first Japanese eateries established in the Senopati area, Yellowfin does not feel complacent at the top. In 2016 Yellowfin changed its management team, and totally redesigned its entirety as a restaurant, keeping only part of their old menu. They ended up creating a new ‘fusion’ menu, adjusted to satisfy its new market segment. Even though it focuses on fusion sushi, Yellowfin has not abandoned the authentic Japanese sushi menu.
‘We changed our dishes, design, and even our service standard, but without losing our original distinctly Japanese sushi menu,’ Sabam, the owner of Yellowfin, proudly revealed. At its establishment, Yellowfin followed the fusion sushi trend set in the United States. However, after moving to a new management, Yellowfin now focuses on the fusion sushi popular in Indonesia, by using spices more suitable for the Indonesian palate.
‘We started to use mayonnaise, specifically spicy mayonnaise – we even have some items on the menu that use green chillies as a main ingredient,’ he said. An interesting thing about Yellowfin is its fusion sushi menu, their specialty of the sushi dishes they serve.
Yellowfin’s owner said that the restaurant was established in the Senopati area because it was already crowded with restaurants with Korean menus. He felt himself at an advantage, because his research showed that Senopati at that time did not have any restaurants that specifically served Japanese food. As a pioneer of Japanese restaurants in the Senopati area, South Jakarta, Yellowfin pays great attention to each item that they serve on the menu, as well as constructing a comfortable interior design for all guests.
Apart from serving sushi dishes, Yellowfin also has other varieties on its menu for guests to choose from. Yakitori, ramen, even wagyu beef are among the options available to guests. The variety is not just limited to foods: beverages include sake, wine, and other alcoholic beverages, all available at Yellowfin.
As a family restaurant, Yellowfin is quite serious about maintaining good relations with its customers. ‘With our solid team, we customarily maintain our relation with each customer by sending direct messages to them, updating them on new items on the Yellowfin menu; we also update all social media accounts with ongoing promos or events at Yellowfin,’ Sabam said. On weekends, Yellowfin provides live shows to entertain customers. On Mondays and Thursdays, there are live music shows.
With a maximum capacity of 103 daily, Yellowfin is ready to provide comfort and safety to all visitors. ‘We have 3 special dining halls of different capacities each – one can seat 10 people, the second can seat 16, and the smallest can seat a maximum of 6 people.’
Salmon meunière is another favourite on the menu offered Yellowfin. This simple and elegant dish combines Western and Japanese ingredients in the best fusion Yellowfin can offer. The word ‘meunière’, literally meaning ‘the miller’s wife’, refers to a special technique and sauce, i.e. first dredging it in flour, then cooking it and/or serving it in lightly browned butter with lemon juice and parsley.
To complement your weekend, Yellowfin is one of the best restaurants that you must try. Sushi variants are different from those in other Japanese restaurants. The restaurant opens from 11.00 ~ 12.00 on Mondays to Thursdays, closing at 02.00 on weekends. (Aldo)