Surabaya Trip - Kayu

What kind of shop come to your mind when someone mentioned Kayu?

When WG told us he was bringing us to Kayu, the first few images popped up in my mind was wooden furniture shop, wood craft shop... Turned out? Comtemporary Japanese dining place. OK, I admit that I had my prejudice, because I have not came across any Japanese restaurant without a Japanese name.

Quietly tucked at the 5th floor of Srijaya Building, this is a place easily missed if not guided by local. The restaurant was opened around 2 years ago. Over the years, it has earned its reputation even among the native Japanese.

Under the recommendation of WG, we ordered this salmon marine ($7.2) - sliced marinated salmon served with salad and orange, completed with yuzu dressing. Usually, we love to eat salmon sashimi just as it is, but at Kayu, we simply couldn't resist dipping 'em into this refreshing yuzu dressing. It was almost like an automatic reflex!

This platter of sushi, carefully arranged in a curvy shape, is called Dragon ($9.5). Grilled eels crowning the california roll which filled with avocado, Tobiko Roe and vegetable. We love it that there were extra sauces on the plate which we could easily wipe 'em up with the sushi.

This was another standout dish, and it was not listed on the menu, only the regular patrons who knows it order this. The yakiniku beef was medium well done and served with salad as the side. The meat was rendered tender and impressively fragrant. It invoked fond memories of us tucking into a bowl of piping hot and impeccable yakiniku rice at a busy fish market in Japan.

While we enjoying our edamame ($1.8), the little ones at the table were busy digging out the beans from the pods, and diligently peel off the semi-transparent skin.

The tip of the pod was conscientiously cut off for our sheer convenience. I thought this was a heart-warming service for the customers. 

Gyu Suki Nabe ($12), a pot of sliced beef and vegetables cooked in Sukiyaki sauce. Beneath the vegetables and beef was the perfectly done udon noodles, chewy and tasty. The portion was so big that it can feed 3 persons easily. This was a fair dish slightly on the saltier side.

Seafood lovers will love this Aburi Sushi ($10) - assorted lightly grilled seafood sushi. In Japan we learnt that authentic Japanese sushi already has a hint of wasabi in the sushi, hence there is no need to add much more wasabi . These sushi were made authentically, which really impressed me.

Ended our meals with desserts. We wanted to see how cream brûlée ($3.8) was interpreted in this Japanese restaurant. It was served with fruits and a scoop of our choice of ice-cream. We had one with orange flavoured ice-cream and another with green tea flavoured ice-cream. The grapes and strawberry was frozen and served icy cold, which added a refreshing twist to this creamy dessert.

So why Kayu? You may ask. Well, we noticed that the settings in the restaurant was adorned mainly with wood furnishing, perhaps that explains why. Dimly lit up with yellow lightings, It invoke a homey and comfy ambience, perfect for a relaxing meal. It is not easy to come across an authentic Japanese restaurant in Indonesia, this one had certainly made it to my 'must go' list during my next visit!




Srijaya Building, 5th Floor
Jalan Mayjend Sungkono No. 212 – 214
Surabaya, Indonesia
Tel +6231 5622503