Last week I went to Japan… or a restaurant in Subang that felt like it belongs somewhere in a Tokyo suburb.
Together with Haze, Cheesie, and Taka, we went to Sumi Ka at SS 15, a yakitori place swore by Taka, who is actually a Japanese and not some Malaysia with a foreign name (such as Gareth, for example).
Sumi Ka Yakitori, with more Japanese than Malaysian customers
It was a Wednesday evening, so we did not bother to call up for a reservation. After all, how many people could possibly go to a restaurant that’s located on 1st floor in the middle of SS 15 on a weekday?
Big mistake, the place was packed, and all but a couple tables were occupied by Japanese. The place is filled with smokes not only from the grill but from the tobacco loving people, it had the smell of a proper Japanese restaurant, the cacophony of chatters in Japanese completes the foreign ambiance. I loved it.
We waited at the stairs for a good 20 minutes before getting a table by the corner. It was the correct decision despite the look of protest in cheesie’s eyes.
uzura tamago (quail eggs), sunazuri (gizzard),
nankotu (cartilage), bonhiri (chicken butt)
Since the language on the menu wasn’t very agreeable with me, I left the task of ordering to the pro. Taka got  us 7 different types of yakitori, 3 rice bowls, potato salad, and the customary cabbage salad too.
The yakitori were insanely good. We started out with uzura tamago (quail eggs, RM 3 each) and some sunazuri (chicken gizzard, RM 6). They were really good, but not exactly the type of ingredients that are difficult to grill well.
Then came nankotu (chicken cartilage, RM 4), which is actually the piece of “soft bone” from the center of chicken breast. The texture was superb, slightly crunchy and mixed perfectly with the little bit of meat on it.
Then there’s the bonhiri (chicken butt/bisho’s nose RM 3) that was just out of this world. There wasn’t any gross splashing of liquid fat in your mouth, it was just a mixture of fat, salt, skin, and meat that came together like an awesome symphony. You gotta try this one even if you aren’t particularly a big bishop nose’s fan.
kawa (chicken skin), lamb yakitori, gyutan (ox tongue)
Kawa (chicken skin, RM 3) was up next, again I failed to understand how massive amount of salt on grilled chicken skin could taste so good, but it was exactly the case. Baffling. I need more!
We also had beef and mutton yakitori (RM 4) that Haze described as the most awesome yakitori she has ever tasted. The gyutan (ox tongue, RM 6) was also one of my favorites. Just the right texture and that ox tongue flavor that carries the taste not particularly related with french kissing a cow.
potato salad, oyakodon (chicken & egg), yakitori don, tea rice thingy
Other than the yakitori, we had some yummy potato salad (RM 12) and a few rice bowls to help fill up the stomach. These tasted rather good too, authentic and true to the taste.
I learned that the chicken and egg rice bowl is called oyakodon (RM 14), which directly translate to “parents and children”. Chicken and egg, whole family murdered, just for our consumption, ahh, I love being a human.
Yakitori don (RM 14) proved slightly redundant, it was good but I think on hindsight we should have tried something else. The tea rice bowl thingy that Cheesie ordered was perfect to sorta wash off the greasy taste after all those grilled food though.
Cheesie, Taka, KY, Haze at Sumi Ka Yakitori
The meal was excellent, and I am going to get the list of restaurants to go to from Taka. This dudes really has good taste. By the way, don’t go to this restaurant, it is already packed as is, and Cheesie won’t be happy if she has to wait again, she’ll blame me. FML
You can instead go to Yakiniku at Cheras which is quite a lot cheaper to get your fix, they serve pork there. Go there instead, the food tastes decent, don’t go to Sumi Ka, leave the empty seats for me instead 😀
Address:
Sumi-Ka Restaurant
No. 19, Jalan SS 15/4
47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor
GPS: 3.075327, 101.588677
Tel: 03-5632 9312/016-224 9312
yarr! Boo blogged this place!! i wanted to go this week too but so far la subang. try like another planet so ended up in KL instead ;P
Authentic! Nice.
The chicken skin looks promising, had chicken skin satay in Kuching before, about 10 skewers and barfed and never had it after that.
Perhaps it’s time to check it out again. 😉
cumidanciki,
yah, you should seriously give it a try!
Huai Bin,
yeah you should! 😀
Cool. I’ll go and takes up your seat :p Rice tea thingy is Chazuke ((茶漬ã‘, ã¡ã‚ƒã¥ã‘) if not mistaken.
the lamb thingie rocks!!! max yum!!
Surprisingly affordable. By now, I think their business would have shot up the roof !!!
Good find. And SS15 is an enclave with good food hidden within, eh?
Simon Seow,
hahah nooooooo! ohh thanks for the chazuke!
Haze,
Yah, very! I want more!
J2Kfm,
they are! very packed as is
So how? Can I borrow Taka to help me with the menu? I don’t think I have any friends that can help me read the Japanese menu…. 😛
J,
hahah don’t ask me, ask Cheesie, she can speak Japanese too.
shucks…have problem pronouncing the restaurant name…but nvm…as long it serve great food…will go and hunt down
yummy.. japanese satay 🙂 Subang.. shouldn’t be too far fr PJ! but have to brave the crazy traffic here
via,
hahaha yah, you’ll be fine don’t worry all!
Leo,
not if you know which roads to take 😀
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee awesome yakitori! *drools*
obviously a place catering to jap expats though. there’s a place something like that in kuching, but they’ve made it more… non-native-speaker-friendly.
Wah, got ox tongue…something very different from the one in Cheras. Have to find a time to go there, so that can spot ‘fehmes’ people. Haha!
wah you try this place already ah?!! I also wanna go!
Irene,
haha yeah in this restaurant everyone speaks Japanese :S
JD,
yah, make it happen! Who famous what famous? Japanese AV stars? lol
eiling,
haha go! make it happen!
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ooo interesting, i had to use google translate. :S
Kenji,
oOo I had to use google translate. 😀
hi! i wanted to ask if the price for the kawa and the rest, is it RMx per plate or RMx per stick? lol.
lyfedancer,
hahah they’re all per stick!
not some Malaysia with a foreign name (such as Gareth, for example)
hahahahahahaahha
subang japanese food usually quite good wan 😀
aud,
hahah but it’s true! 😛
chicken skin not healthy ehhh..so oily…but nice to eat la…where got nice food healthy one right? You found some faeces with those chicken ass…have a great day…
hi ky.. looks like i will be fighting for seats as well. great review, will go there soon.
kumfye,
hahaha shit on chicken ass not so appealing ok! lol
connie,
ok please go there when i am not, like, during office time. 😛
hi KY, you may not know me, but thanks for sharing this! The food was delicious indeed. Not like any yakitori we would get from the usual japanese food chains.
sueann,
you’re welcome! you made my day 😀
oooh I just saw this place like last week and thought wow what a well hidden restaurant this is- not until u posted it here.
Yiling,
hahahah not so hidden anymore.
The menu is in all in Jap writing (eg 牛タン) ?
Any of this wording (eg gyūtan)?
I can still order if the menu show 2nd option.
snoopy,
i think there’s some english in it. not very sure.. i didn’t order. 😀
it’s ok. i called up to make reservation and at same time, the lady answer my question. cant wait to try it! thanks anyway.
snoopy,
good luck dude hope u like it 😀
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Sumi Ka food is good but overpriced and after spending RM70 on 10 sticks of yakitori for 2 pax, I was left still hungry. Their portions are not large – I have tried the special saba for RM35 and the tubodai for RM68 and the portions are small for the price. Also, they all taste quite similar/unison taste like Chinese bak kuah or grilled pork meat.
if you love yakitori, this is a great place for authentic Japanese, but be prepared to pay but I personally think the whole Japanese yakitori thingy is over-rated in terms of taste
Piyu: you’re right, it’s not a cheap place to eat at all but I wouldn’t call it “overpriced”, it’s expensive alright, there’s a slight difference 😀
We’ve been to Sumi-Ka a few times over the years and the reason why I choose to go back is because there is a lack of yakitori joints in KL. Our horrid dining experience a few nights ago takes the cake and I don’t see myself dining at Sumi-ka in the near future. As always, it was a busy night, with all tables filled to the brim. To summarize:
(i) Staff had an attitude, were rude and unpleasant;
(ii) Cutting me off mid-sentence when I was ordering, whilst putting a palm up to say “Wait” (in Cantonese) and leaving the table abruptly;
(iii) Orders did not arrive despite repeatedly following-up;
(iv) Ventilation was bad;
(v) Popular food such as chicken soft bone was sold out quickly.
The Japanese Chef was fine, but all of the staff who have been working for years now (I recognize them) seriously have a bad case of attitude. Even though the restaurant is always packed with customers, there’s really NO reason why the staff should let the fame get into their head. There is absolutely NO reason to be rude to customers, especially when we are in fact, the reason why the restaurant still has business! By now, they should be an expert in managing crowds and orders. In all honesty, I regretted not telling off the staff who were rude. There were 3 main floor staff and all 3 were extremely unpleasant.
Due to the awful service, I will not be returning any time in the near future and will not be recommending this yakitori joint to anyone.
DL: seems like their reputation and business might have gotten into some of the service staffs’ head. A complain to the owner would most likely fix that tho, seeming that Japanese usually treat this quite seriously. I hope it doesn’t go south.
Hi KYSpeaks,
Would you be interested to do a review for Shinjiro? We have several outlets and brand. Torii and Pizzolo also. Do let me know if you’d like to do a review.
Thanks
Sue: Thank you for the invitation, I’ll see if time permits yah.
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