Welcome to part 17 of Salt Bread Diaries! This week we’re trying Kooma, an artisan Japanese bakery that, compared to its peers, is still in a relatively humble spotlight. Still, it was said that their salt bread (or shio pan) was very popular and sold out fast every day. Kooma has two branches so far, in Plaza Senayan and Plaza Indonesia. I chose to visit the Plaza Indonesia branch since there were other two bakeries I have planned to review in that mall. Plus, I wanted to see the Devil Wears Prada 2 installation (it was kinda underwhelming though).
Kooma was the second bakery on my salt bread-hunting route. I intended to meet my friend Sasa first at Bakerman to have some girl chit-chat before cruising around Plaza Indonesia’s confusing floor plan. However, I made a miscalculation with my planning. The whole time I was sitting inside Bakerman, I was not aware that Kooma was literally across the concourse. I was completely oblivious of the crowd that already swarmed! There were around twenty people lining up. Panicking, I left Sasa at our table and ran to join the queue.
It was Monday at 01.20 PM, and the queue was getting longer and longer. Since the shio pan was the star, the stock had to be supervised and it could be purchased only at the counter. There were four shio pan variants: plain, scallion cream cheese, chocolate and truffle. Each customer could only buy two shio pan per variant.
But it seemed like that the availability was a mystery. I could hear a staff hastily informed a customer, “Only truffle and chocolate left!” I was a bit bummed out because plain salt bread has always been my priority, but I couldn’t complain. The disappointment didn’t last long though – by the time I reached the cashier, the plain shio pan was fully restocked.
I bought the only two available variants: plain and truffle. Kooma didn’t provide a dining area, so I ate mine at Bakerman. And boy, I seriously wouldn’t mind queuing for the second time. The shio pan was really good!! What really stood out for me was the texture – it was so chewy and bouncy. Slightly crusty at the bottom, the bread was not entirely the soft type…but it was not the crumbling flaky type either. I loved this “in-between” sensation. And the buttery flavor was solid too!! This plain shio pan had everything I asked for!
I didn’t want to overstuff myself in one seating, so I brought the truffle shio pan home. I put it in the chiller and ate it the next day. I reheated it with microwave though (I didn’t have an air fryer). The bread’s shape was in shambles, but the chewiness was still there! Usually, refrigerated salt bread became really hard like a rock, but that was not the case with Kooma’s shio pan.
Final thoughts:
Food: 9/10 | Service: 8/10
Finally…the salt bread I have been looking for!! Sold out really fast, make sure to come before 2 PM the latest.
Kooma
Plaza Indonesia – Level Basement | Menteng, Jakarta Pusat
Opening hours: 10 AM – 10 PM
