Akira Back’s Signature Tuna Pizza
After Australian Luke Mangan made a splash with the opening of Salt Grill in Altitude last year, the latest celebrity chef to set up shop in Jakarta is Akira Back. Back was born in Korea but is best known in America, where he moved to as a teenager to embark on a career as a professional snowboarder. After years of being one of the top shredders in the world, he switched tracks to a career in the culinary world by working as a sushi chef.
Backs skills soon landed him the gig of head chef at the famed Yellowtail restaurant in Las Vegas, where he cemented his reputation as one of country’s most innovative Asian chefs (a reputation he put to the test as a contestant on Iron Chef America).
Now, in addition to his highly successful American restaurants, Back has opened eponymous eateries in New Delhi and Jakarta. His Indonesian debut is located in the Penthouse of the MD Place building, home to sinetron production powerhouse MD Corporation. The venue definitely delivers on the fanciness factor, with dramatic architecture featuring contrasting wood and stone surfaces, intricate honeycomb motifs, strategically placed lighting and uninterrupted views of surrounding Kuningan.
You’re definitely paying for those views, as well as the luxurious imported ingredients that go into just about every dish. Akira Back is a fine dining restaurant with prices to match, but if you’ve got an overstuffed wallet or a corporate charge card to abuse, Akira Back will deliver a sublime eating experience.
While the thrust of the menu is Japanese, almost every dish includes some playful accents from Korean, American and French cuisine. The appetiser of choice, for example, is Back’s signature tuna pizza (Rp. 145k). Served on a delicate tortilla crust, it features luscious slices of sashimi-grade tuna lightly dressed with tangy ponzu mayonnaise and just a touch of truffle oil.
The AB tacos (Rp. 155k) is an elevated version of the popular Korean fusion tacos from America, with tender slices of wagyu kalbi beef and a spicy ponzu tomato sauce coming together to form an intensely flavorful bite. We were also blown away by the decadent seared foie gras appetizers (Rp. 265k) which pairs the rich duck liver with an unagi croquette and a kochujang red pepper miso. The trio of umami-laden flavors in the dish are smartly contrasted with a drizzle of spiced acacia honey.
You can skip the standard sushi rolls, which utilize high-quality fish but are otherwise unremarkable. From the rather zany list of signature rolls (one contains Pop Rocks!) we’d recommend the Holy Cow (Rp. 195k) which pairs terrifically tender beef tataki with plump, briny shrimp tempura, creating a mini surf-and-turf sensation.
Jidori chicken
From the mains, the 48 Hrs Wagyu Short Ribs (Rp 450k) were incredibly tender but came in a rather disappointing portion for the price. However, we loved the Jidori chicken (Rp. 199k), which utilizes one of Japan’s most prized bird breeds. The succulent, flavorsome chicken comes served in a pool of buttery truffled potato puree with a subtle teriyaki sauce along the perimeter .
The quality and inventiveness of the cooking, as well as the top-notch service and atmosphere makes Akira Back worth a splurge for a special occasion.
Akira Back
MD Place Penthouse Level, Jl. Setiabudi Selatan No. 7, Setiabudi, Jakarta
T: 021 29040777
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