Hokkaido Ichiba at One Utama and Mid Valley Gardens are two of the latest restaurants to be opened up by one of the largest Japanese restaurant chains in the country – Super Dining.
The group started out with their Raku Zen restaurants at SS 15 and other locations, then ventured into lower end conveyor belt style restaurants in Sushi Zanmai, a Japanese pasta chain in Pasta Zanmai, a higher end hotel-restaurant in Kura, and now, sitting between Zanmai and Raku Zen – Hokkiado Ichiba.
Hokkaido Ichiba, One Utama branch
The menu at Hokkaido Ichiba is rather extensive, there are sushi, sashimi, various bento, maki, ramen, udon, and even small side dishes that you normally wouldn’t find in ordinary Japanese outlets.
California temaki, anglerfish liver, spicy oyster ramen
For the two of us, we ordered an oyster ramen, a chirashi sushi, California temaki, and something that I haven’t eaten since 5 years ago in Vietnam - anglerfish liver.
The service was pretty brisk on a weekday night at One Utama, and we got our dishes within 15 minutes or so upon ordering.
The California temaki was Haze’s appetizer and reportedly quite tasty. The anglerfish liver though, was a tad too dry for me, though still retaining that distinctive taste that I can only describe as a blend of liver with a fishy (in a good way) undertone and has a texture between that of foie gras and pork liver. If you haven’t tried it before, this is a place to do so in an affordable way.
The spicy oyster ramen was a pretty decent dish as well, spicy and rather flavorful, though slightly lacking when compared to dedicated ramen shops such as Santouka or Marutama. This is perhaps due to the home made ramen used in other outlets, or the amount of effort poured into the making of ramen broth.
chirashi sushi, with scallops, amaebi, salmon, ikura
My chirashi sushi though, was a steal at RM 30. It has two amaebi (sweet shrimps), hotate (scallops), ikura (salmon roe), salmon, and a couple crab sticks. The ingredients were pretty fresh and I thought it was a very good bowl of chirashi sushi especially considering the price point.
Haze and KY at Hokkaido Ichiba Japanese restuarant
Overall, Hokkiado Ichiba really does find a niche in this pretty saturated Japanese restaurant market. The food is pretty good, prices reasonable (RM 77.70 for everything, including green tea). If you are at One Utama or Mid Valley Gardens looking for reasonably affordable Japanese food and not wanting to fight with the crowd at Sushi Zanmai, this is a place worth checking out.
Address:
Hokkaido Ichiba
Lot T-201, 3rd Floor, The Gardens,
Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 KL.
Tel: 03-2283 1060
Hokkaido Ichiba
Lot LG 101, Lower Ground Floor Promenade,
1 Utama Shopping Centre, No 1, Lebuh Bandar Utama,
Bandar Utama Damansara, 47800 PJ.
Tel: 03-7727 0020
A couple weeks ago we were invited for a food review session at Armada hotel’s Shokudo Japanese restaurant. We were checking out their “Speedy Lunch” menu which promises lunch sets that are served within 15 minutes and priced only at RM 15++ per order.
This type of deal from a hotel restaurant? I was curious to say the least.
temaki, Haze & KY at Shokudo, Armada Hotel
Shokudo at Armada turns out to be a pretty small Japanese restaurant. With maximum capacity of some 20 odd people, the restaurant on 1st floor has a very homey ambiance to it. A place that is well suited for a quiet dinner for two. (as such, if you are coming with a big group, do call ahead)
soft shell crab maki and chawanmushi
There are four dishes in the Speedy Lunch menu:
chicken/beef katsudon, unagi rice set, kakiage soba/udon
My favorite of the lot was the soft shell crab maki and chawan mushi set. RM 15 for the set is definitely a great value, and it tastes as good as anywhere, but if you have a big appetite, this might not fill your stomach all the way up.
Unagi set comes with about half an eel instead of the whole fish, understandable for this price point. Chicken and beef katsudon though, do come with very generous serving of meat.
For those who likes it light, the soba/udon dish would be a good option. The lightly battered tempura vegetable does go well with either udon or soba.
cod fish teriyaki, gyoza, california maki
Other than the Speedy Lunch dishes, Shokudo does offer a pretty comprehensive menu. There are good choices for sashimi, sushi, maki, temaki, teppanyaki, don buri (rish dishes), udon, and some side orders (like grilled salmon belly, shishamo etc).
The cod fish teriyaki and gyoza was fantastic, and california maki we tried did not disappoint too.
chicken kara-age, sashimi, tempura
Oddly enough, the dish that I can’t get my hands off from was the chicken kara-age (chicken skin RM15). This an a pint of beer would be perfect. Sashimi and tempura too were of pretty good quality.
Overall, the experience at Armada’s Shoduko was a positive one. Although food did not blow us out of the water, they were consistent and did not disappoint at all considering the price point.
If your office is not far form the heart of PJ, the Speedy Lunch here would be something to check out.
Address:
Shokudo Japanese Restaurant
Hotel Armada Petaling Jaya
Lot 6, Lorong Utara C,
Section 52, 46200 PJ, Selangor
GPS: 3.104199, 101.640964
Tel: 03-7954 6888
Restaurant O&S is one of those kopitiams that is always too hot, too humid, and too difficult to get a parking space. Yet despite all these “problems”, it is arguably the busiest kopitiam probably in the whole of PJ.
Over here, sharing a table is a norm, and most of the time you’ll have to wait for a few minutes before you even get to do that. If you want comfort and personal space, don’t bother going there, but if you’re looking for good food, this is where you belong!
yong tau foo at restaurant O&S
On my last visit we had the beef noodle and yong tau foo.
The yong tau foo here is self served. You line up, get a plate, choose your favorite ytf, then give it to the lady who would cut them up and add soup + spring onion for you.
The tofu is smoother than baby’s butt, I never miss them. I haven’t had a disappointing piece of ytf from here, ever. Pretty reasonably priced as well.
yummy beef noodle, one of the underrated stalls here
The beef noodle at O&S is perhaps one of the most underrated stalls. I was introduced to this by Haze, who absolutely loved the broth (very sweet and flavorful). Meat, tripe, beef ball, and a few slices of radish completes the dish, and it would have been perfect had it come with tendon.
The beef noodle is only RM 5.50 to RM 6.50.
Haze and KY enjoying brunch
Other yummy dishes at restaurant O&S includes the prawn mee, laksa, kuih teow soup with coagulated blood, and more!
Address:
Restaurant O&S
Jalan 20/14, Seapark,
Petaling Jaya
GPS: 3.107713, 101.624919
Hours: morning till lunch
As a pork loving guy, there are two types of breakfast that will always make me happy. The first is of course, bak kut teh, and the other? Proper Hong Kong style dimsum.
And when it comes to dimsum, there are plenty of choices to be had in town, but few offers as many variety as Jin Xuan (锦选). Ever since it started operation a few years ago, the restaurant steadily picked up its pace and has become one of the most popular dimsum destinations among PJ dwellers.
these golden custard buns, heaven!
Situated at Damansara Jaya right next to the mall that used to be Atria, getting a parking space is usually quite a lot less troublesome than getting a table on weekends. They have, however, a decent numbering system and waiting area under the tent, and with a few opportunistic traders offering fruit rojaks and soya bean drinks around the vicinity, the wait is usually not too tough to bear.
dim sum goodness at Jin Xuan
Once seated, like all dimsum places, ordering is usually not necessary. Servers carrying various types of dimsum will appear right in front of the table, all you need to do is to pick what you want and start eating.
Like in conveyor belt sushi restaurants, the pricing of each dish is determined by the type of plate used, this removes the need for having the server jotting down what you get on a piece of paper like what some dimsum places practice. Quite a lot more efficient.
some of the fried stuff, the scallop with salted egg is a must try
There are a few broad categories of food you can order here. Steamed dimsum, deep fried dishes, various types of bao (steamed buns), porridge/chee cheong fun, and even a few non-dimsum related dishes.
and of course, they have the whole selection of everything dimsum
Most of the dishes at Jin Xuan that I’ve tried were very yummy, with a few that are fantastic, or if you like – must tries.
To me, the number one item on the list must be their fried scallop with salted egg. I’m not sure if you can get this anywhere else, this is the only place I had this dish and absolutely love it.
The “lau sar pau” is another yummy dish that I always have. Another salted egg based item, but in liquid form flowing out all hot and tasty when you bite it down. yums!
Other commendable dishes are their fried chicken wings, porridge, and the classic dimsum items.
Prepare to spend about RM20 per person and an hour of your morning and I’m sure you’ll start your day on a good note.
Address:
Jin Xuan Hong Kong Dim Sum restaurant
59, 61, 63, Jalan SS22/19,
Damansara Jaya,
47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
GPS: 3.12708, 101.61549
Mee Pok (面薄), the dish that appears to have a wrong spelling at first glance (mee pork anyone?), is one of the “newest” hawker dishes that I got to know. Growing up in Penang, I had never heard of it, and did not know the existence of this simple yet wonderful dish until Haze brought me to Tang Pin Kitchen at PJ SS2.
Tang Pin Kitchen at SS2, the Hailam coffee/tea is beautiful
Tang Pin Kitchen is situated on the same row of shops that also houses Lobsterman, Teow Chew Meng, and Bibichik. I’ve drove past it several times heading to these other restaurants, but it wasn’t until a few months ago that I started frequenting this place.
Parking is usually plenty easy to find, though it can be a little tough to get a table on busy weekend mornings.
mee pok, not for the faint hearted
My go-to dish is always the wholesomely delicious mee pok (RM 6). Why delicious? Simple, the abundance of lard and minced pork covering the yellow flat noodle. One does not simply deny lard. The sauce consists of a mixture of vinegar, oil, and chili. Mix em all up and you get a little bowl of excellence.
The dish is is also served with a side of clear soup and a few slices of fish paste. The fish paste is exactly the sort you’ll find from 60s Teow Chew fish ball restaurant, since they’re run by the same people.
gyoza, hailam tea, tao fu far, and fried noodle
Other than mee pok, there are also choices like curry mee, soup noodle, fried chee cheong fun, fish ball, fish paste, porridge, and more.
We usually share another side dish to go with the mee pok. Gyoza (RM 6) and home made fish noodle (RM 7) are pretty tasty. Their Tien Pin toast bread is a must try too especially if you’re looking for just a light breakfast.
pork belly appetizer, century egg with shredded pork porridge
Directly behind Tang Pin Kitchen is the related Restaurant Tien Pin. The menu choices is a little bigger, and you can actually order everything that’s available at Tang Pin Kitchen as well.
I’ve tried their pork belly appetizer thingy which was delightful, and the century egg with shredded pork porridge, which while very tasty, should also be about three times the serving size. Then again, I’ll have to pay another visit to check this place out more comprehensively, perhaps over dinner one of these days.
Address:
Tang Pin Kitchen
No. 24, Jalan SS 2/24,
47300 PJ Selangor
GPS: 3.11326, 101.62090
Tel: 03-7877 2376
Branch: 97 Ground Floor, Jalan, SS19/6 47500 Subang Jaya
Restaurant Tien Pin:
19,jalan ss 2/30 47300 PJ Sel
Tel: 78752120
Branch: 13A-1 jalan S 10/3, seksyen 10, jalan bukit, 43000 kajang
