I gave up and finally tried Obihiro Nikudon…

Obihiro Nikudon has been a Blok M sensation for almost a year now. If you look up “Obihiro Nikudon”, you will find tips and strategies to be the first in line, honest reviews revealing whether the food is truly worth your money and time, and even some crazy stories. People literally stayed a night in a hotel right across the restaurant because the queue war already starts as early as 6 in the morning!

I like donburi. My husband is even a greater fan. We live in Tangerang. Obihuro Nikudon has another branch (the first one, actually) in Gading Serpong. It’s a no-brainer decision to have a dinner there. A quick Google search revealed that the queue in Gading Serpong branch has already much, much toned down.

This “slapdash Japanese retro” concept no longer impresses me…

Despite a more humane crowd, we still had to wait for an hour though. After all, it was Saturday evening. Thankfully the queue system was very efficient. I was asked to scan a QR code that led me to a ticket monitoring screen. After I registered my name, I would get my ticket number. The ticket number itself was categorized by the amount of guests: couple or group.

I was free to go anywhere while I could check the real-time waiting list status. We didn’t have to loiter around for an hour just to wait for the staff to call out our name! Thanks to this convenience, I was able to do the actual queueing somewhere else and have a salt bread before the actual main course.

Inside the restaurant, it was much quieter than I expected. Unfortunately, we were seated right below the speakers. It blasted the usual Japanese city pop Spotify playlist: Mayonaka no Door, Plastic Love, and whatnot. Each table was divided by some kind of wooden construction, creating a sense of being ensconced. It’s not really tall people-friendly though, as my 183-cm husband’s head hit one of the planks twice.

We ordered Kabayaki Nikudon, Kimchi Nikudon and Karaage Salad. Husband was on diet and I was still not an avid eater, so both nikudon were in small size. As we waited for another twenty minutes for the food, complimentary oshibori was served to us.

The karaage salad was kinda…unexpected. The karaage was tossed with wakame instead of the usual cherry tomato and iceberg lettuce pairing. Not a fan of this combo. Chicken was just fine, the seasoning could be better.

What about the sought-after flame grilled beef bowl itself? Honestly…… biasa aja. It’s okay, that’s it. Nothing to write home about. Texture, biasa. Taste, biasa. Husband liked his nikudon more than I did though.

The complimentary dessert was also average. We had the choice to choose between caramel pudding, watermelon or kakigori. Both of us opted for the pudding. However, its texture was closer to a mochi than a pudding. The caramel sauce was nothing newsworthy. I much preferred Gyukaku’s jiggly milk pudding, or even AEON store’s.

Like the usual Japanese restaurant in Indonesia targeted for the youth and aiming for “authenticity”, Obihiro Nikudon made an attempt to create a quirky Japanese vibe. Retro-inspired posters were splattered all over the walls, along with shelves adorned with various trinkets and sake bottles. It’s a shame that they also hung AI-generated prints everywhere, showcasing Power Rangers in Edo period or Sailor Moon in ukiyo-e style.