Typically I don't prefer self-cooking restaurants, mainly because it requires a bit of work and usually the taste isn't optimal if you don't cook it right. But this is a pleasant exception. I don't eat that many self-barbecue restaurants, but Kintan is arguably the best I've ever been in.
So you firstly choose your meat cuts and type. You can pick set menus with 3-5 cuts in each one, or individual cuts if you really know what you want. The menu itself lacks thorough explanation, and the waiters seem clueless as well (they'll just repeat the name of the Japanese/Korean meat cuts when you ask, which is totally pointless), so you'll have to do some research. Most of the meat are short ribs or rib-eye though.
The differences mainly lies is meat thinness, cut types, body parts, and grade. They have a wooden shape of a cow to help you with different beef parts..
Kintan also serves a number of wagyu beef selection, and they seem to be quite serious about it.
Okigaru
Kalbi (short ribs), harami (that's the meat around beef diaphragm I think), and rosu (rib-eye)
IDR 150k/person
Look at how fresh they are. It's a mixture of very thinly cut meat and butterfly-cut ones. I notice some of the cuts are actually Korean.
The size can be enough for some people, but it can be a little too few.
The second set is, according to the waitress, Kintan's favorite.
Manpuku
Kalbi, harami, rosu, and oxtongue
IDR 198k/person
This one packs more punch. I appreciate that they have tongue as well, on top of the extensive list of beef cuts.
Every set menu comes with rice and a few salads.
The salad consists of kimchi, spicy tofu, edamame, and some sesame salad.
Don't underestimate the sesame salad. I went with my a few friends and we all liked it a lot, to the point that we ordered a bigger bowl.
If you'd like, you can still order some of Kintan's specialty rice. I had the rice with egg & negi (some sort of Japanese onion).
Creamy half-cooked egg with a lot of negi (which doesn't really have any discernible taste, but adds to an interesting texture). The creaminess of the egg and the negi can be a complementing combination with seasoned meats.
So we were given two sauces to dip the meat in.
Both miso sauces have a savory-sweet character, but the darker one is sweeter than the other. These sauces are one of the reasons why the food is very nice. Both can be used on any meat, depending on your preference. I'd marinate my meat for a few moments first before grilling.
If you want a more buttery & garlicky taste to your meat, order a separate garlic with butter from the menu. It's also very good.
Then you simply grill your meal.
What I'd recommend is to not grill your meat for too long. I know some people like their meat charred, but since Kintan uses very high quality meat it's better to have them medium-done (or medium rare for the thicker cuts) to taste the beef character properly.
Generally, the meat blew me away with the tenderness & flavor. In most yakiniku places, the meat quality itself is sort of neglected and the flavor relies on the sauce. But Kintan's main offering is the meat. And they don't come with too much fat; these are real, high grade pieces beef we're having.
Just don't forget to take your meat at the right time. Sometimes in yakiniku places we lost track of which pieces went in earlier than which, so some of them end up overcooked. That's still okay but, like I said, medium/medium-rare are the best.
Another dish that is recommended to me was...
Suprise Hormone (that is such a weird name)
Beef intestines
IDR 59k
This is such a strange and unique dish. I'm glad I ordered it, just for novelty reason.
Unfortunately it's too chewy and tasteless for me. Maybe it's because the sauce don't seep into the intestines due to its physical character & texture.
After a meal, you get almond pudding as a part of the set.
It's really good as well. I basically finished this with 3 bites, and would have easily ordered a separate one if only I wasn't feeling so full.
Surprisingly the whole place isn't too smoky despite the grilling. It's rather warm further inside the restaurant, but nothing I'd complain about.
Generally the decor is very simple and nothing extravagant. I felt the restaurant was a little too cramped though, especially since it's always full.
I paid for about IDR 290,000/person for the whole meal. Kintan is pricey, but you get what you pay for and a little more. I don't think most people will be full with just one set menu portion, so maybe you'd have to order another separate individual dish on top.
There are some possible improvements, the biggest one being the unhelpful and unfriendly staff. They can't explain what's in the menu, they don't know which sauce is what, and they'll sometimes commit mistakes (one time I had my garlic-butter seasoning after all my meat is finished) without apologizing (the waiter just shrugged and walked away when I complained).
But in terms of meat quality, taste, and experience, Kintan is one of the very best yakiniku restaurants you'll find in Jakarta right now.
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Location: Pacific Place, across Pancious, where Ta'Wan used to be.
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