After a long day at work, I believe there’s no better way to unwind than by indulging in deliciously prepared food, and I knew exactly what I was craving. d’zuka, a seafood restaurant recommended by one of my colleagues, and after searching trough the internet I became instantly intrigued, eagerly anticipating my visit.
Located at the Gading Prima housing complex, you will easily find d’zuka, a Manadonese restaurant famous for its Grilled Tuna. Despite the location not on the main street of Kelapa Gading, you won’t have a hard time finding this humble eatery.
The first time I went there, it felt like I was visiting my grandparent’s house. Being located in the owner’s yard, the place felt nostalgic and homey. You might feel the same when you visit this place.
The signature menu at this restaurant is Grilled Tuna and Grilled Tuna Jaw. I decided to order the Grilled Tuna along with the Blue Marlin satay that successfully caught my eye with its huge portion. As for the side dish, I opted to order their Corn Fritters (Bakwan Jagung). To complete my meal, a serving of steaming white rice is a must.
I had a chat with Via, one of the employees here, who shared some helpful tips for dining in. One key piece of advice I found important is to make a reservation and pre-order your meal to minimize waiting time. This is particularly crucial because the fish dishes require 20 to 45 minutes of cooking time.
Furthermore, fish stocks are not always available. During May, the tuna stock was empty due to poor seawater conditions (luckily, I visited when they already had tuna on hand). So, it is better to confirm your order via WhatsApp reservation in advance.
While waiting, I had the opportunity to see how grilled tuna and blue marlin satay are made, and it was quite fascinating. They will begin preparing the fish, as soon as you completed your order. Before it is grilled, the fish is seasoned with freshly squeezed calamansi oranges, and then smeared with their secret spices. It is then grilled for around 20 minutes until it is cooked to perfection.
After waiting for quite some time, my order finally arrived. The first menu I tasted was the grilled tuna complete with sambal rica on top. For each fish menu here, you will be provided with two choices of sambal, red sambal, or Sambal Rica and Manadonese Sambal Dabu-dabu. For those of you who can’t handle spicy, you can request to put sambal on the side.
The thick chunks of tuna with a bit of fat underneath stole my attention. When I saw this thick cut of tuna, I thought the meat was tough. But unlike what I imagined, the texture of the tuna meat is very soft. My first bite was filled with juicy tuna. The tuna meat itself has a savory taste with a smoky aroma from the burning process.
The red sambal is rubbed over the tuna and has a quite spicy taste from the fresh chili. Even though it’s spicy, it doesn’t detract from the deliciousness of this dish. Out of curiosity about the Dabu-dabu, I also dip tuna to this sambal. The Sambal Dabu-dabu has a spicy and sour taste from green tomatoes which adds to the freshness of this dish. Especially when eaten with warm rice.
Aside from the main dish, corn fritter has a sweet and savory taste, perfect for neutralizing the spicy taste of the tuna and sambal. Apart from that, the crispiness of the corn fritter adds texture.
The next dish I tasted was Blue Marlin satay. For satay size, this menu is fairly huge with thick slices of blue marlin. When bitten, the texture of this satay reminds me of the texture of chicken meat. Blue marlin fish meat is thicker than tuna, but that doesn’t mean it’s tough. This meat remains soft and plump when eaten.
The blue marlin satay offers a sweet and savory taste. But if you want it spicy, you can dip it in the sambal provided. A single serving of the satay comprises three skewers, making it the perfect portion for sharing.
The pleasant atmosphere and sumptuous food has successfully eased my mood. Overall I agree with my colleague’s recommendation, the food is worth trying especially if you love seafood.
d'zuka
Jl. Sumagung 3 Jl. Puyuh Raya No.1, RT.13/RW.19, Klp. Gading Tim., Kec. Klp. Gading, Jkt Utara, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 14240
