I’ve been working at the proximity of Bukit Bintang for over half a year now, and I gotta say that compared to KLCC, this place has so much more lunch options. One of my relatively recent discovery is this little Japanese ramen shop on the first floor at Wisma Cosway – Ton Chan.
Ton Chan at Wisma Cosway
The interior decoration is not unlike other simple Japanese outfit, with plenty of lanterns and empty sake bottles. I spotted a few Japanese dining within, and that was when I decided that this is probably a place worth visiting.
Chasiu ramen with glistering pork & 3/4 boiled egg
On my first visit I ordered the Chasiu Ramen (RM 15), since it’s supposed to be a ramen restaurant, they should serve good chasiu ramen, the original stuff.
And what came was a bowl of ramen with five pieces of chasiu that stared at me so seductively it could make a grown man cry. Half of a perfectly 3/4 boiled egg, plenty of green onion, home made ramen, and their light but tasty soup made up the rest of the dish. It was a bowl of good ramen that ensured my return to this restaurant.
rice with pork, rice with chicken & egg, ramen
On my second visit with a few colleagues, I tried their braised pork with rice. Served with the same half an egg and a side of soup, the braised pork were seriously one of the bests I’ve had. It was fat, succulent, and super savory. I’m gonna have trouble choosing between this and the ramen.
My colleagues tried ramen and liked it, another ordered oyakodon (rice with chicken and egg) and gave good reviews to them too.
A meal at Ton Chan typically costs somewhere around RM 15-25, but you do get real Japanese food that are different from your typical sushi/sashimi shops.
Give it a try if you’re at the area.
Address:
Ramen Ton Chan
Lot 1.18-1.21, 1st Floor
Wisma Cosway
Jalan Sultan Ismail
50540 Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.150875, 101.711812
Tel: 03-2148 9389
Like many rakyat of Malaysia, one of my favorite foods hail from the land of the rising sun, sushi, sashimi, udon, ramen, soba and the like. The cravings would come up from time to time, and it happened again last week, just before lunch time on a working day.
Munakata Ramen, Chirashi & Udon set
Since I work at KLCC and there isn’t any good Japanese food joints worth spending money on in Suria, I often would go to Ozeki right across the road at Menara TA. They offer good lunch sets at very reasonable prices (around RM 30+), not to mention a decent variety too.
But when I arrived outside Ozeki, I thought on this particular day I’d walk further down and see what else is around the vicinity. A few minutes later I saw a signboard displaying Munakata Ramen outside Life Centre, and I said to myself, why not?
the best Chirashi sushi I had!
The menu for lunch consists of varies ramen, udon, and the like (apparently their specialty), but I had my stomach prepared for some raw fish already, so I picked the Chirashi Sushi and Udon set.
The set was priced at RM49, that’s quite a lot to spend for a lunch set. In fact I asked the server if I could just have the chirashi sushi without the udon since I knew I wasn’t able to finish everything.
“It’d still be RM 49 anyway”, she said.
I took the deal, I was already seated in the restaurant and gotten myself comfortable anyway.
green tea, salad, and a bowl of very good udon
Salad came, it was pretty ordinary, I prefer the version served at Ozeki to be honest. Then came the udon and chirashi sushi, accompanied by a serving of chawanmushi and some fruits.
The udon was very good, texture of the noodle and the subtle taste of soup topped with some crunchy bits of tempura-ish stuff on top, one of the bests I had. The real crown jewel though, was the chirashi sushi.
Just look at the picture. Prawns, salmon, ikura, octopus, high grade tuna, unagi, tamago, sanma, and a couple other types of raw fish meticulously cut into tiny pieces served on top of sushi rice. This dish definitely had the most ingredients ever, and the combination yield the best chirashi sushi I’ve ever had. It was excellent!
Now was the set a tad too expensive?
Yes.
Was the serving size a bit too much?
True.
Choices of raw dishes in set lunch rather limited?
Absolutely
Would I have this again?
Definitely! I need to have this chirashi sushi again!
P/S: Munakata also offer ala carte buffet dinner at RM 60 or RM 70+
Address:
Life Centre 20 Jalan Sultan Ismail
50540 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
GPS: 3.15378, 101.70870
Tel: 03-2166 7441
Hyotan was discovered accidentally during a fateful night. It was drizzling, and I had Japanese food in mind. I wanted to go to either Rakuzen or Jyu Raku at SS15.
As usual, there were no parking spot along S15/5A where those two restaurants are located. We were steered further and further away from where we wanted to be, and came up to an empty parking space right outside Hyotan that happens to be on the same road, another Japanese restaurant at SS15 that I somehow failed to notice all these while.
Hyotan Japanese Restaurant
Since we were already facing Hyotan and that the exterior looks pretty good, I thought we should just give it a try, judging book by the cover might not work, but judging restaurant by the exterior usually has a slightly higher hit rate.
My confidence level went up a notch when an old Japanese chef greeted us on the way in, always a good sign.
chirashi sushi, always one of my favorites
I ordered Chirashi sushi (RM28), basically a collection of seafood items sitting on top of a bed of sushi rice in a friendly bowl. Hyotan’s version includes butter fish, sake (salmon), unagi (eel), maguro (tuna), hamachi (yellow tail), tamago (sweet egg), and ebi (shrimp), and crab sticks. There’s also a bowl of miso soup despite this not being a set.
It was good, the fish was fresh and I particularly like the unagi here. That said, I still think rakuzen’s chirashi sushi with it’s excellent ika (squid ) edges out this one slightly.
yakitori and bento set at Hyotan
Haze ordered some set of which name I couldn’t remember. It came with sake, unagi, salad, tempura, chawanmushi, saba, bamboo shoots, and some other smaller dishes to go with rice. It was a pretty big set and judging by the look on her face while she was noming in, she was definitely happy with it.
Haze and KY at Hyotan
On top of that, we ordered 10 sticks of assorted yakitori to share (RM 48), while this isn’t Sumi Ka, the yakitori were still plenty awesome!
We had chicken liver, genko nuts, okra, quail’s eggs, chicken skin, chicken, mushroom, gizzard, some spring onion look alike thingy, and a hot dog thingy. Most items were at least on par with some of the bests I had, and for RM 48 it was a very good value too.
Hyotan is definitely a place worth revisiting. The ambiance is nice, the dishes I tried were good, and well, it’s easier to find parking compared to the other 2 outlets mentioned too. Just about the only complain I have for Hyotan was the fact that yakitori took a bit longer to served compared to the other dishes. Perhaps that’s just a one time thing.
One more places for Japanese food at SS15 for you!
Address:
Hyotan
63 Jalan SS15/5A,
47500 Subang Jaya,
Selangor
GPS: 3.081059, 101.592636
Tel: 03-5636 0326
Almost 4 years ago, I went to Tokyo as a stranger in strange land. The city was so packed with people it felt like rush hour at LRT station at all times. The language was incomprehensible, fashion was weird, everyone was so courteous and everything was uber orderly.
I arrived there at late March partly to coincide with the Hanami season (viewing of cherry blossom, or sakura). A friend had to reserved a spot at Ueno park from a night before just so that we get to picnic under the trees at the most famous hanami spot in Tokyo. We had loads of fun (despite my inability to communicate with most of them), it was an experience.
iketeru Japanese restaurant at KL Hilton
With that experience, I knew exactly what Hanami meant when Jean of KL Hilton contacted me for a food review at Iketeru for their Hanami Bento promotion. As to what would be in the bento, I had absolutely no idea.
I’ve heard good things about Iketeru, but this was the first time I went to this Japanese restaurant located on the 8th floor at Hilton. As you would expect from a 5-star hotel, the restaurant is beautifully decorated and has a very nice ambiance.
shrimp, octopus, and tempura, sea bream & tuna sashimi
Anyway, lets get on with the Bento.
There were nine dishes in all on the rather big bento box. As a rule of thumb, you should always start with dishes that are more subtle before moving to the stronger tasting ones. This applies to all sorts of cuisine and not just Japanese food.
The Tai (sea bream) and Toro (tuna belly) sashimi were of the finest quality and served with grated wasabi. That opened up my appetite pretty good.
The shrimp, green bean, egg custard, and octopus were very delicious too, but that little bowl of marinated something next to the shrimp (I couldn’t quite remember, a type of seafood it must be) was a bit too strong tasting for me, I’ll place that in the “too authentic” category. The small portion of tempura were just nice, and includes one of my favorite items, the Japanese pepper.
spring chirashi sushi, chilled sesame bean curd, teriyaki trout
The chilled sesame bean curd with bonito soya sauce tastes as exquisite as the way it was presented, and I love the little bowl of simmered bamboo shoot, eggplant, and especially the Japanese yam too.
The only grilled item on the bento was the teriyaki trout, and while trout isn’t exactly my favorite fish for grilling (I love salmon belly), this was rather good too.
Spring Chirashi Sushi serves as the main dish. I could taste plenty of tuna, ikura (salmon roe), amaebi (sweet shrimp), and even mushroom and a bit of vegetable in it. Very good combination.
nanohana blossom (vege), soup with bamboo shoot, mochi & fruits
The unsuspecting plate of vegetable is actually boiled nanohana blossom with mustard sauce. Nanohana has the unfortunate name in English as “Rape”, it tasted similar to “kai lan flower” but smoother and more refined.
Instead miso, we had clear soup with bamboo shoot and seaweed, subtle tasting, but a very good way to cleanse the palate before moving on to the final item, dessert, which consists of mochi with red beans that tasted as good as it was presented, and some fruits.
KY & chef Ricky Kamishi, Li Zhi & Jean from Hilton
Chef Ricky Kamishi joined us for a while and told us about the idea behind this Hanami Bento. I shouldn’t bore you with the whole experiencing “four season” through food and philosophies like that, but the guy is cool, and with a sense of humor too.
The bento is available all throughout March this year as some of the ingredients are seasonal. Priced at RM 220++ per box, it might come across as a bit steep for the common salary earner, but that is pretty much average for something of this quality and setting.
KL Hilton is located right next to KL Sentral
These shots were taken with my aging and pretty bulky SLR, Olympus just launched their latest micro four third camera – the Olympus PEN E-PL1 which combined the portability of a compact and prowess of an SLR. I’m gonna be getting one for review, but in the mean time, check out their microsite at evolvewitholympus.com.my
Address:
Iketeru Japanese Restaurant
8th floor, 3 Jalan Stesen Sentral,
50470 Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.135331,101.685762
Tel: 03-2264 2264
I was invited for the third Friday Wine Lunch at the Japanese restaurant Tykoh Inagiku last Friday. The Friday Wine Lunch series is hosted by Pernod Ricard Malaysia, and I was invited by the good people at Millennium Associates. As I tend to look like a lobster after half a glass of any alcohol, I took half a day off from work to attend this event, and it was well worth the effort.
Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserved Riesling, and Reserved Chardonnay from Jacob’s Creek
I didn’t know the existence of Tykoh Inagiku prior to this event. Located at Menara Keck Seng right next to Westin Hotel at Bukit Bintang, the restaurant has a pretty classy set up with comfortable chairs and tasteful furnishing while not being exuberant.
We were served Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserved Riesling, and Reserved Chardonnay from Jacob’s Creek, accompanied by some pretty fine Japanese dishes.
We started out with Sea Urchin and Fresh Tofu with Ponzu Jelly to go with Reserved Riesling. The appetizer consists of a generous portion of sea urchin on tofu with a little piece of kiwi, and a dash of smelt and salmon roe, you can feel at least 4 different textures play in your mouth. Pretty creative.
Fish Stock Soup with Takenoko (Bamboo Shoots) and Mushroom also includes seaweed and a very small slice lime to freshen up the taste. It was a fresh departure from the standard miso soup, I like it quite a bit and actually had two bowls (since there was an absentee). The soup reminds me of the set we had at Ninja Jones.
The Reserved Riesling goes particularly well with our third dish, Sashimi Salad. The fish were either raw or slightly seared and served with different accompanying ingredients in a very fine-dining style. Something closer to fusion than pure Japanese, but I think it worked out pretty alright.
Grill Lobster with Miso Sauce & Char Grilled Wagyu Beef with Wasabi Sauce
I chose the Grilled Lobster with Miso Sauce as my main. Half a lobster grilled with miso, cheese, mushroom, asparagus, and a few other condiments. I find the lobster meat fresh and very delicious, but the miso sauce slightly too salty at times. Luckily the Reserved Chardonnay does well to cut through the grease a bit.
As my luck goes, there was an extra portion of Char Grilled Wagyu Beef with Wasabi Sauce unclaimed, and of course we did not let it go to waste. The beef was done medium well and very, very succulent. Wasabi sauce provided a tad of spiciness while leaving the original taste intact. If you go to Tykoh Inagiku, this is the dish to order, and it would be a good idea to have the beef with Cabernet Sauvignon.
Yours Truly, the dessert, and Lionel of Millennium Associates
Lunch was capped off with Lemon and Yuzu Sorbet and Macha Dumpling. The sorbet was so sour it practically cleaned my tongue anew, an experience not dissimilar from the lunch I had at Lafite. The taste of strawberry with powdered green tea and macha dumpling with the renewed taste buds was much better than having them straight after the hearty main dish.
Menara Keck Seng is located right next to Westin Hotel
As always, this Friday Wine Lunch session was marvelous. For RM75 per pax, I think it’s a steal. Do contact Millennium Associates if you are interested in the next session (usually held on the last Friday of the month).
Address:
Tykoh Inagiku Japanese Restaurant
2nd Floor, Podium Block, Menara Keck Seng
No. 203, Jalan Bukit Bintang,
55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
GPS: 3.147919,101.714913
Tel: 03-2148 2133
More photos can be found on my flickr set
