Hearing the name ‘Kamikawa’, the first thing to come in your mind is probably, ‘well, just another Japanese Restaurant in town’. Is it really? Here are the two wise words of the day: first, always think of everything as a fresh, unique start in order to be a successful optimist. The second one is: Kamikawa restaurant is definitely not that simple to describe.

The Restaurant resides inside the Sudirman Place, a new shopping, eating and entertainment centre curiously located in the Sudirman street corner. The front entrance appears dark and solid, enhancing its exclusiveness, and the receiving area is fairly large and eclectic in its design. The spaciousness of the room, along with the friendly staffs, makes the guests feel welcomed.

Kamikawa’s interior is dominated in black and red. The element of wood is persistent and the various oriental decorations contrasted with the fairly modern pieces of furniture add spice to the whole room. An enchanting view of the city surrounds the diners through large windows in the circular wall. The center of the room functions as a simple drinking/lounging area and sometimes a stage for music performances on weekends and special days. On the edge of the room is a VIP table to hold about ten people. The Restaurant’s capacity itself is around 130 people when seated.

Mr Iwasawa, the executive chef who had spent eight years in Indonesia and now speaks very fluent Bahasa explains that his creation of the Kamikawa menu is not exactly what one would call ‘authentic Japanese food’, and when you see his creations you may get the point.

The unique fusion dishes offered in the restaurant seems to urge those who are reading the menu to try an order of each. Take the Niku Miso Pizza for example. A marriage of Japanese and Italian food, the Pizza sports beef and miso - the soy paste usually used for soup in Japanese food- as its topping. There’s also the Oxtail soup with clam, the Gyoza filled with salmon and cheese, and even a Japanese curry mixture of vegetable and tempe, the traditional Indonesian soybean cake! Nope, this is no ordinary Japanese restaurant for sure.

Some of the menu items may be too new for those used to the traditional sushi and sashimi, but don’t be intimidated just yet. Upon tasting the dishes you’ll discover that the seemingly contrasting flavors blends smoothly and this new dining experience could be wonderfully tasty.  For instance, the Age-Buro, chicken and vegetable mix wrapped in soy bean curd, is playfully crispy on the outside, the chicken on the inside is creamy yet the vegetables used are still slightly crispy to provide that fresh crunch. The Take-Mushi, Japanese soup-pudding, served in a shot of bamboo, gives a new take on the traditional Chawan Mushi. And as for the Temari Unagi, We’ll have to disagree with Mr Iwasawa who claims he is not a superb chef in the Japanese food area. The eel is just sweet enough, just soft enough to be enjoyed with the excellently made sushi rice and the hints of wasabi in the background.

Before working in the Kamikawa, Mr Iwasawa had worked in various fields of culinary, Italian and Thai cuisines being a few, and his years of experience delightfully merge together smoothly in the Kamikawa’s list of cuisines. Some of you looking for over-the-top, explosive tastes may even be a little disappointed at the Kamikawa’s perfect harmony of flavors. The pleasantly mannered chef, though a little exhausted from handling the private party held last night in the restaurant, also explains the specialty juices of the restaurant. Each juice mixture has its own benefits for your health, such as the ‘power drink’, consisting of orange, strawberry, papaya and bean curd, which is good to relieve fatigue, and the ‘beautiful’ juice, which is strawberry, raspberry and blueberry mixture, which is said to enhance the beauty of your skin and eyes. It’s not often that an exclusive, non-health-food restaurant prides juices as its specialty drinks but when you consider your health as number one, it’s a noble idea indeed.

Kamikawa means ‘on water’ or ‘on river’, which is exactly what this restaurant expect its dining experience and business to be: Flowing steadily in harmony. If that’s the philosophy then what’s better to do then enjoy this flavorsome flow?