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One of my favorite Japanese restaurants in Jakarta has always been Nadaman at the Shangri-La Hotel, with a winning combination of quality food, service and presentation.

Nadaman’s menu highlights my favorite dish, teppanyaki, which includes different ingredients such as meat or seafood cooked on an iron skillet. For my family and me, it was somewhat of a tradition to stop by every once in awhile to eat it.

I was sad to hear that Nadaman had not renewed its lease at the hotel and unsure what to expect of its successor, Nishimura. But in dire need of some good Japanese food earlier this week, my parents and I decided to give the new restaurant a try.

One of the waitresses there told us that many of Nadaman’s loyal customers had vanished, including some Japanese expatriates who doubted that the new franchise would live up to its predecessor’s high standards.

They should think twice, because not much has changed.

Nishimura still features private dining rooms and a sushi bar, the interior design still makes for a tranquil atmosphere with its bamboo and water features, and the kimono-wearing waitresses are as friendly as ever. Even the brown bibs given to the diners have not been put away.

One look at the menu revealed that the dishes had also generally remained the same. In particular, I was delighted to see that I could still order the teppanyaki beef.

The appeal of teppanyaki is not only its splendid taste but also its presentation. The chef, in this case a friendly Javanese man, prepares the meal one course at a time in front of the guests. He cuts, stirs and seasons before dividing each diner’s portion onto different plates.

The teppanyaki at Nishimura starts off with the appetizer of the day, followed by smoked salmon, salad and onion soup — a slight change from the Japanese miso soup that typically accompanies the dish. While I enjoyed the salad, the onion soup left room for improvement and was a little too watery for my taste. Still, the portions were relatively small and as such were the perfect way to start the meal while we waited for the main dish.

After the onion soup came a round of assorted sashimi. As I tasted the refreshing raw slices of salmon and tuna, the chef was already preparing my tenderloin beef — medium to well-done, just as I had requested.

The soft but juicy beef came with three different sauces, grilled vegetables and a small bowl of thinly sliced garlic, which was really the secret winner of the evening. The chef had just fried it in oil and added some salt and black pepper, but the crispy little pieces of garlic were highly addictive and I couldn’t stop eating them. As a word of warning to future diners, however, it probably isn’t the best idea to finish the entire plate if you’re planning to go on a date afterward.

After the beef I was already feeling quite full, but more dishes were on the way. I finished the savory bowl of fried rice in no time, and the clear mushroom soup served in aluminum foil pleased my palate more than the onion soup earlier.

When it was time for dessert — one scoop of green tea ice cream — my stomach couldn’t take any more and I wasn’t able to finish.

As we were waiting for the bill — the teppanyaki beef course costs Rp 420,000 ($46) per person— I recalled that eating here always made me feel the same: Even though the food is almost too much to handle, I can never stop indulging because it is simply so delicious.

In that regard, the former Nadaman and the new Nishimura restaurant are fortunately the same.

Nishimura
Shangri-La Jakarta
Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 1
Central Jakarta
Tel. 021 570 7440