Forget sushi and sashimi, it's time to try some other Japanese seafood dishes and indulge your senses with crustaceans (like prawns, shrimps and lobsters) or as Japanese call them, ebi.

Guests craving traditional Japanese food should check out the "Absolute Ebi" promotion at the Shangri-La Hotel's Japanese restaurant, Nadaman, running until April 30.

"At first, this promotion was only meant to run from March 25 until April 12. But since we've had a growing number of requests, we decided to extend it until the end of this month," Chef Koji Yoshimoto said.

The chef and his team have prepared six dishes from various crustaceans while retaining the beasts' unique textures and tastes.

Lobster lovers can satisfy themselves with two lobster dishes: Iseebi Chili Sauce (Lobster with chili sauce) and Iseebi Onigawa Yaki (Broiled lobster with teriyaki sauce).

Iseebi Chili Sauce is served with broccoli and cream and seasoned with spicy sauce, giving it a sweet and spicy flavor, while Iseebi Onigawa Yaki uses teriyaki sauce.

For soup lovers there is Ebi Yuzu Miso Yakinabe (Broiled prawns in a hot pot) and legendary miso soup with jumbo prawns, mushrooms, leek, tofu and prawn stock.

While the taste is delicious, the food presentation is also excellent. For example, Ebi Nanohana Yaki (Broiled prawn with nanohana) resembles flowers; moulded and broiled with eggs and vegetables, the prawn meat becomes yellowish like Japanese flowers.

"Most guests usually order and like Ebi Nanohana Yaki," says Yoshimoto.

Of all dishes in the "Absolute Ebi" promotion, only Shibaebi Kakiage (Deep fried prawns) uses imported Japanese grey prawns. The dish itself consists of chopped prawns mixed with tempura flour and vegetables. This is deep-fried until crispy and served with tempura sauce.

"We cannot replace Shibaebi, because this prawn has a tender and distinctive taste. The other dishes use local products, including from Tangerang, Bali and other shrimp producing areas in the eastern part of Indonesia."

Another deep-fried dish is Ebi Fuwa-Fuwa Age (Deep-fried soft prawn balls), made from minced prawn and mashed yamato imo (Japanese potato).

All food served at Nadaman uses authentic Japanese recipies, however Yoshimoto admits his team has modified certain dishes to meet the local tastes - since around 60 percent of his customers are local, and not Japanese.

"For this promotion, we have asked guests to make comments. And from the feedback we got, we decided what could be made. Most Indonesian guests like seafoods like prawn and lobster."

Yoshimoto says his restaurant wanted to offer healthy foods to guests through the promotion.

"Seafood is good for the health and we also use less cooking oil to prepare it."

Besides ordering prawns, guests can also order regular dishes, such as Kamadaki Gohan (Flavored steamed rice in an earthenware pot) and the quick lunch plate consisting of five meal sets.

Guests can enjoy the "Absolute Ebi" promotion at lunch (from 12 p.m. to 2.30 p.m.) or dinner (from 6.30 p.m. to 10.30 p.m.).

Not only can guests pick and choose from a complete menu, they can also decide which rooms they want to dine in as the restaurant has three tatami rooms, four teppanyaki rooms, two Western-style private dining rooms and one sushi room.

Nadaman

Hotel Shangri-La Kota BNI Jl. Jendral Sudirman Kav.1 Jakarta 10220 phone (021) 570 7440

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