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Of the five restaurants recently opened at Isetan The Japan Store’s 4F The Table, Sushi Azabu would be the one that has the most prestige. An offshoot from the Michelin star restaurant from New York, Sushi Azabu promises authentic and intimate dining experience in its 40 seat set up.

Chef Saito, Sushi Azabu at Isetan The Japan Store KL

We sampled a 5 pieces of sushi from Chef Saito Makoto Sam during the launch and came away impressed. So a week after the event, we decided that a proper meal at Sushi Azabu was required.

The course menu here consists of three choices – Koi at RM 120 will get you appetizer, 10 pieces of sushi and miso soup. The Azabu course at RM 220 that promises the following:

• Appetizer
• 2 kinds of sashimi
• Chawanmushi
• Palate freshener
• Nigiri 7 pieces
• Maki mono
• Miso soup
• Dessert

Or you could go all out with the Omakase menu for RM 420 and let the chef decides what you should have for dinner. Obviously, we went for broke.

nasu nibitshi – fried eggplant

So these are the dishes we had for dinner on the 1st of March 2017 off the Omakase menu at Sushi Azabu.

Nasa Nibitshi was our appetizer, a deceptively simple dish consists of fried eggplant in some very light broth/sauce and topped with finely shaved bonito flakes. Light with very subtle flavor, it does the job well to leave us wanting for more.

sashimi – kampachi, tai, aji

Next was sashimi in the form of kampachi, tai, and aji; or yellow tail, sea bream, and horse mackerel. The quality was top notch, and somewhat surprisingly our favorite was the horse mackerel. The freshly grated wasabi too was a treat in itself and we wasted none of it.

chawanmushi

Chawanmushi was our next dish, the version here is simple, no fuss, but very well executed.

grilled Spanish mackerel

Grilled Spanish mackerel came next, we thought that chewing this together with the pickle yield the perfect combination of flavor that simply explodes in your mouth. This was a very well seasoned traditional dish.

stewed sword fish

Stewed sword fish came next, a dish that is new to me. The fish is topped with a piece of starchy cube that compliments this savory dish quite well, though I felt that perhaps the sophistication of this dish escapes me. Someone with more experience in Japanese cuisine will probably enjoy this more than me.

firefly squid with sweet miso

Then came the cutest dish of the night – firefly squid with sweet miso. A perfect balance of sweet, salty, and savory taste that is further accentuated by the freshness of firefly squid, this was one of my favorite non-sushi dish of the entire course.

The main dish was of course, sushi, and we got ten pieces of these goodness in the form of chutoro, cattlefish, snapper, golden eye red snapper, striped jack, sea urchin, fat tuna roll, and raw prawn.

At Sushi Azabu, they take the guesswork out of eating sushi. Chef Saito expertly apply the perfect amount of soya sauce on each piece, as well as the appropriate amount of wasabi his experience hands deemed worthy of the sea bounty. So you simply just.. eat, no dipping into the saucer or fiddling with wasabi, grated or otherwise.

sushi – chutoro, cattlefish, snapper, golden eye red snapper,
striped jack, sea urchin, fat tuna roll, prawn

The result was an experience worthy of the asking price. Each piece was perfect, and each offers an expression in some of the bests Japan has to offer. We thoroughly enjoyed and if I say I don’t miss it as I am writing this, I’d be lying.

miso soup & yuzu shaved ice

A relatively simple bowl of miso soup with prawn head helped wound us down, and we concluded the dinner experience with a simple dessert of yuzu shaved ice.

menu at Sushi Azabu KL

If you’re a sushi lover, this is surely a place to check out. I think I’m going to be back to try their more affordable menu one of these days.

Address:
Sushi Azabu
The Table, Level 4
ISETAN The Japan Store KL
Lot 10 Shopping Mall
Jalan Bukit Bintang
GPS: 3.146462, 101.711758
Tel: 03-2119 2625

Tonkatsu Anzu is one of the five premium restaurants located on the 4th floor of Isetan The Japan Store KL that serves one of my favorite ingredients of all time – pork.

We were lucky enough to be part of the launch event a week ago, allowing a sneak peek to what this space has got to offer.

Tonkatsu Anzu, The Table,  Isetan The Japan Store, KL

Tonkatsu Anzu uses only premium aged black pork from Kyushu, making it the first tonkatsu restaurant in Malaysia to have that distinction, which sets it apart from the likes of Tonkatsu by Mai Mason and Tonkatsu at Pavilion.

pork fillet, with that perfect strip of fat on top

The pork loin katsu set starts from RM 35 to the premium Gin-Jo-Pork Fatty loin katsu set at RM 55, and for those who may want to skip pork for whatever reasons, they also offer some seafood options, such as fried shrimp set (RM 52), salmon katsu (RM 48), and chicken katsu (RM 32) sets.

sycookie is very serious with photo taking, I love it with salt and some mustard

However, pork is the name of the game here and their version of tonkatsu is definitely on point. I love the light batter and those almost melt-in-your-mouth texture. My preference is to sprinkle some salt and have those fatty loin with the supplied mustard. There’s also tonkatsu sauce should you prefer a more complex flavor.

the menu at Tonkatsu Anzu

I think Tonkatsu Anzu did live up to the expectations and manage to set itself apart from the other offerings around town when it comes to Japanese fried pork cutlets, the slightly premium price is definitely worth it.

Address:
Tonkatsu Anzu
The Table, Level 4
ISETAN The Japan Store KL
Lot 10 Shopping Mall
Jalan Bukit Bintang
GPS: 3.146462, 101.711758
Tel: 03-2119 2625

At work, I am lucky enough to be working with a pretty tight knit group who also happens to enjoy good food. Every now and then, we have little lunch trips to various places that offers something out of the ordinary office lunches, which we really enjoy.

Several weeks ago, when it was our “Datuk K’s” turn to belanja, he introduced Nasi Beriani Asif to us, which has since fast becoming one of our favorite venues.

Nasi Briyani Asif is located behind Fahrenheit 88 in Bukit Bintang

Nasi Beriani Asif is located at the ground floor the less than glamorous 5-storey residential flat behind Fahrenheit 88 shopping mall in Bukit Bintang, facing the DBKL medan selera. Parking can be a bit challenging at the area, but not a huge issue if you are capable of side-parking your car in tight areas.

The restaurant is rather well set up and nicely decorated for where it is, it is also air conditioned and rather clean.

the lamb shank masala is a must-eat

Asif serves traditional Pakistani cuisine, and while nasi briyani is their main offering, the menu is actually quite extensive.

Lamb shank masala (RM 22) is a definite must order when you’re here. You get a whole big shank perfectly prepared and so tender the meat falls off when you scrap it with a spoon. It goes absolutely awesome with their long grained nasi briyani or naan.

chicken masala, garlic cheese naan, palak paneer, and grill lamb chops

Chicken masala (RM 10) here is pretty good as well, and as with their naan (RM 3-10) that tastes almost like a superior version of middle eastern style pizza of sort. Traditional North indian dishes is found here too, we tried their palak paneer (RM 15) and really liked it, cottage cheese in mashed spinach, I can have that all day!

Then there’s their grilled lamb chops (RM 20), slightly charred on the outside yet juicy within, perfectly executed.

a bunch of happy customers who’d be having food coma back at office after

While Nasi Beriani Asif may be priced a little bit on the higher side for the location, food quality is top notch and service is more than decent. We liked it, and have gone back there again several times since. If you’re into these sort of food, you’ll enjoy this place.

Address:
Nasi Beriani Asif
Jalan Padang Walter Grenier,
Off Jalan Imbi, 55100, Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.145463, 101.713254
Tel: 012-249 8764
URL: berianiasif.com

Ramadan 2015 on KYspeaks is just around the corner, so it’s about time to review another traditional buffet offering that is fast becoming a popular seasonal event in our country. Together with my colleagues Nik, Razi, & William, we went to JW Marriott last Tuesday to sample what they have to offer.

JW Marriott’s “Kampung Dining Experience” by the poolside

Lets get the most important details out of the way – the prices:

Poolside (June 17, 2015 onwards)  – RM 95.00 nett per adult and MYR 48.00 nett per child.

4th Floor (June 17, 2015 onwards) – RM 85.00 nett per adult and MYR 43.00 nett per child.

on the menu – roast lamb, ulam ulam, chicken rice

Both locations essentially serves the same 130 (mostly) Malay delicacies from around the country, though you get to save RM10 dining on the 4th floor by sacrificing the pool view and not being able to see the chef expertly carving that beautiful roast lamb.

ulam, salted fish, sayur kubis goreng, satey, kari kambing, ayam goreng berempah

The menu didn’t seem to vary much from my last visit a couple years ago, which is a good thing. You don’t really need to change something that’s already good.

The food can be separated in a few categories, and to start with I usually head straight to the ulam station that comes equipped with some half a dozen sambals, including sambal belacan, tempoyak, sambal mangga, sambal nenas, cencaluk, and budu. A spicy and pungent start to a traditional Malay fair is never disappointing.

ayam lemak cili padi, rendang ayam, black pepper beef, ikan masin talang masak lemak,
panjeri nanas, paru goreng, nasi briyani, Chinese mix vege

Appertizer consists of jeruk, kacang botol, kerabu mangga & udang, acar buah, ikan masin, telur masin, as well as several types of keropok (including the all important papadom). For those who wants something a little more global, there’s green lettuce with dressing, Thai chicken & glass noodle salad, potato salad, seafood cocktail, potato salad, waldorf salad, and even coleslaw.

After you get your stomach warmed up, there are a few “gerai”, or live cooking stations to check out. Here you find satey, rojak buah, ikan bakar (including pari, keli, kembung), nasi ayam (chicken rice), tandoori, mee (laksa, mee kari, char kuih teow), BBQ (the all important roast lamb!), bubur, and soup (including sup ekor, kambing, and more).

desserts, fresh fruits, and kuih muih

Then of course there’s the all important main dishes such as ayam masak kicap, ayam masak merah, ayam percik kelantan, kari kambing, sambal udang petai, fried chicken with dried chili, daging masak halia, sweet and sour fish, kurma ayam, labu masak lemak pucuk manis, sayur campur, rendang ayam, redang daging, daging kunyit, paru goreng berlada, sotong goreng kunyit and more.

Dessert is offered in the form of quite a few variety of traditional kuih, pudding, sago gula Melaka, some pastries, and the really awesome bread and butter pudding.

William, KY, Razi, Nik, & our host, Natasya

My two Malay colleagues gave these a thumb up, while William was busy eating to register a response. I personally really like the fact that we are keeping our traditional Malaysian cooking alive via these type of buffets. No longer were the days when hotels only serve fancy Japanese or Western cuisines, we are once again proud of real Malaysian dishes.

Thank you Natasya for the invite.

Address:
JW Marriot
183 Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.14765, 101.71372
Tel: 03-2715 9000

Located at Wolo Hotel in Bukit Bintang (just right across from Lot 10), Tous les Jours is the new kid in town with fancy dress and high society aura.

The location is great, and facade of this born in Korea French-Asian bakery rejuvenates this side of Bukit Bintang, upgrading it to be of equal to the Starhill/Pavilion area.

Tous les Jours, bukit bintang

Since it looked so beautiful from the outside, we just had to make a trip during lunch on a work week to see what this place is about.

The interior consists of area, an expansive ground floor offering coffee, cakes, and assortment of bread and pastry, with about half of the area spanning over two floors in terms of ceiling height.

bread, coffee, cakes, sandwiches, soup & salad

Upstairs, there are more seating areas and another bar in which you can order sandwiches, all-day breakfast, tartine, as well as soup and salad.

The product selection is immense, with the smell of freshly baked bread and coffee in the air, the ambiance is perfect.

lunch for three, covering most of the product type at Tous les Jours

We had Korean wheat and sweet potato cream bread, blueberry pastry, a cup of caramel latte, some cakes, macaroons, as well as a breakfast set and caramel latte.

Over all the quality of pastry and bread were very satisfying, and perfect for any carboholics. I was a bit impartial to the way the presentation of caramel latte, but the coffee did not disappoint.

Sheng, Joyce, and KY

Expect to spend about RM 20+ per person for enough food to fill the stomach, and for the quality and concept, I’d say this place is definitely worth visiting.

Address:
Tous les Jours
Wolo Hotel
Bukit Bintang
60000, Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.14716, 101.71140
Tel: 03-2201 3526