No ‘Maki-believe’: Takumi serves the real deal

We Dhakaites are no strangers to Japanese food. Since the early 2000s, restaurants like Samdado and Izumi, and more recently Tokyo Express and Izakaya have introduced us to Japanese flavours. 

While the older establishments take pride in serving authentic Japanese cuisine, many of the newer ones across the city offer toned-down versions with Bangladeshi twists. In a food scene where ramen bowls are served with sausages and canned corn, and maki rolls are slathered in sauce and mayonnaise to suit local taste buds, Takumi feels like a breath of fresh air. 

Tucked away in a quiet corner of Gulshan 2, Takumi opened its doors on 1 January 2022, and quickly earned a reputation as one of the most authentic Japanese dining experiences in Dhaka. With more than half of its customers being Japanese, the restaurant does not compromise on its authenticity.

With their menu ranging from Cheese Katsudon to Shoyu Ramen, Takumi can match any of the Japanese dishes that we come across on social media that one finds on the streets of Tokyo. 

Takumi achieves this by using ingredients imported and personally curated by the owner, who is not only a Japanese citizen but also a chef. Chef Nahid Hassan, who has been with Takumi for five years now, was personally trained by the chef patron himself; thus, inheriting not just the expertise but also the ability to maintain quality while keeping the menu fully halal.

The restaurant's dedication to ensuring the authenticity of the food makes it a serious contender in the Dhaka food scene, offering dishes we see in popular Japanese food vlogs that are not available in our city, including popular Tokyo street food items like Takoyaki, a ball-shaped snack made of batter stuffed with diced octopus, and garnished with tempura crisps, bonito flakes and green onion – a perfect appetiser before you dive into one of their main dishes.

Special Shoyu Ramen

The famous Shoyu Ramen is made of a clear and light chicken broth, created by slowly simmering chicken meat and bones for six hours. "Boiling chicken makes that broth cloudy/dark, which we use for another dish", stated Chef Nahid.

The broth is combined with Takumi's special house-made soya sauce, with perfectly boiled noodles, topped with thinly sliced signature beef and chicken. The soft-boiled egg with the runny yolk adds a richness that pairs perfectly with the simplicity of the broth. This ramen is like a warm blanket on a cold winter evening.

All Takumi ramen are available in three portions – small/special small, normal and large/special.

Price: Tk600-1250 (available in 3 sizes)

Seafood Yakisoba

Grilled noodles, with a fragrant aroma of carrot, cabbage, onion slices and mushrooms, garnished with pickled ginger and Aonori (Japanese seaweed flakes). 

Although there are many different recipes, the yakisoba sauce went through numerous evolutions, and the Takumi version was a perfect combination of sweet, salty and tangy – umami is the right word to describe it. The perfectly grilled octopus and fish sit as jewels amidst the noodles and vegetables, with each bite an explosion of smoky and savoury goodness.

This popular dish is specifically designed to be enjoyed on the streets of Tokyo from the small food vendors and can be treated as an appetiser to be shared among friends and family or as a main.

Price: Tk950

Cheese Chicken Katsu Don

This was my personal favourite and when served in front of me, it looked exactly like the dishes we see on the food channels and vlogs featuring Japanese eateries. A perfectly fried chicken cutlet, fried eggs and melted cheese, resting on a bed of sticky fried rice – very few things in life put a smile on my face, and this hearty bowl of food sure did.

It comes with sides of egg soup, kinpira (thinly sliced root vegetables simmered in sweet and savoury soy sauce), cucumber and radish pickles and tamagoyaki (fluffy layered Japanese omelette) – which is a hearty portion for someone like me with a big appetite, or if you have a small appetite like my wife, you can pack the unfinished half and have a nice lunch the next day.

Price: Tk850

Special Creamy Ramen

This "creamy" broth (Tonkotsu) ramen is made by boiling chicken meat and bones at high heat, which perfectly emulsifies the chicken fat and meat, giving a deep and rich broth, which is a sensorial journey of its own. The creaminess gives a very "milky" texture to the broth, and a complex savoury and spicy taste.

This is one of those dishes I was sceptical of trying, but I am glad I did, as the Tonkotsu broth is unique and a dish difficult to master, which Takumi effortlessly managed to achieve.

Price: Tk600-1250

Sukiyaki

We are all familiar with the Chinese hotpot, and Sukiyaki is its Japanese cousin. Featuring cabbage, mushroom, tofu, leek and noodles, this is a dish that can be easily shared among 3-4 people.

The star of the dish, however, is the A5-graded Wagyu beef, which is hand-carried directly from Japan by the owner of Takumi. This dish is prepared at the table and is available on pre-order, as putting together the ingredients takes time.

The homemade warishita sauce ensures that the flavour of the Wagyu shines through and does not compromise the fresh taste of the vegetables. With Takumi being one of the few places in Dhaka that serves Wagyu beef, this dish is a must-try, and this being a shareable dish helps, as the price can be split among friends.

Price: Tk6,000

With Takumi's uncompromised quality of food and authentic offerings, the restaurant regularly sees full houses from Thursday to Saturday, while also catering to a large base of online customers through food delivery platforms.