It is no secret that Japanese food is one of my favorite international cuisines. Sashimi, sushi, tempura, hand rolls, teriyaki, teppanyaki, I like them all. The culinary experience I had when I visited Tokyo 2 years ago is still fresh in my memory, as I lick my lips again…

Luckily, there are many good Japanese restaurants in this part of the world, and one of my absolute favorite would be Rakuzen, a place I visited on a regular basis ever since I came back from the States. In fact, the blog entry on Rakuzen at Subang Jaya is one of my first food articles. I bet you can imagine my enthusiasm when I was invited to a food review session at Rakuzen @ Chulan Square.

Sashimi Moraiwase

According to the friendly host and restaurant manager, Jack, Rakuzen Subang is where everything started, and this Chulan Square location is the second branch. Then there’s the Pyramid Zen, and I found out that they also run my favorite conveyor belt sushi place, Zanmai Sushi! I believe there is also a Zanmai outlet at Gardens, you can check it here.

the really zen like ambiance

Chef Ah Fai at Rakuzen is one of the top apprentices of the bald Japanese chef heads the Subang branch and has been making sushi & sashimi for more than a decade. For this review, he prepared the signature dish sashimi moraiwase, a sashimi salad, dragon roll, and assorted tempura. I was already drooling while taking these photos.

sashimi moraiwase, sashimi salad, dragon roll, tempura

The sashimi includes sake (salmon), maguro (tuna), otoro (tuna belly), ika (squid), tako (octopus), amaebi (sweet shrimp), uni (sea urchin), and a Spanish mackerel, everything imported from Japan and properly stored in their special -15 C fridge to ensure freshness. Order individually, everything would totaled to over RM 200, so the RM 150 dish offers very good value.

The raw fish were very very good, especially the otoro, fatty savory tuna belly that melts in your mouth; of course, the sea urchin is always one of my favorites too, texture of raw brain but with the tastes of that unique sweetness. It was very very satisfying, everything tasted perfect, with proper cuts and the right temperature too.

chef Fai and his creations

As for the sashimi salad, there were plenty of raw fish, squid, and a generous portion of ebiko (fish roe) on top of all the fresh vegetable, tomato, and cucumber in a creamy topping that tasted slightly sourish. This is perfect for someone who loves to have raw fish but doesn’t want to have the rice to go with it. (you can choose to fill your stomach with just sashimi and break the bank at the same time).

The dragon roll is made by deep frying a big tiger prawn and wrapped it with seaweed sheet, sushi rice, avocado, and topped with some Japanese mayonnaise. There were carrots, prawn, egg plants, and even the mint leaf in the tempura dish. I find the half fried mint leaf having a very interesting taste with a unique texture. I always eat the mint leaf served with sashimi anyway, try it!

Rakuzen at Chulan Square is just a short walk from Pavilion KL

It was a very sumptuous and satisfying lunch that is second only to the hospitality by the good chef and the restaurant manager Jack. The invitation was arranged by foodstreet.

Address:
Block B Lot 2A Chulan Square,
92 Jalan Raja Chulan, 50200 KL
Tel: 03-2145 6200

Tags:  cuisine,  dining,  eats,  fresh,  Japanese,  rakuzen,  sashimi,  sushi,  tempura,  zen

Posted by KY | 29 Comments »

Just before heading to Bangkok, I had the chance to do a review at Pearl International Hotel’s Sunday Japanese Buffet. Being a fan of Japanese food, I naturally accepted the offer without any hesitation.

glorious oysters, mussels, and crabs

The Sunday buffet is actually something new for Pearl International Hotel. I was a little skeptical on the quality and choices of food as the hotel does not have an in-house Japanese restaurant. However, I was proven wrong on both assumptions when I reached the hotel at around 12pm. A writer from NST was joining us for the review session as well.

wide variety of food, including desserts and fruits

The buffet is set up at Deli Corner, the restaurant right by the main lobby with seating capacity of around 200. The setting is rather large, with almost every type of Japanese food on the various buffet lines. From raw oysters, sushi and sashimi, to tempura and sukiyaki, the selection was impressive.

the raw stuff: sushi, sashimi, oysters, and chuka idako (baby octopus)

The proper way to start off with a Japanese buffet is, of course, by attacking the raw bar. I got myself a few pieces of raw oysters, some mussels, and a couple steamed prawns to go with a serving of sashimi. This is to ensure that the taste buds aren’t contaminated by the stronger flavored cooked item.

soba, sukiyaki, tofu, and green tea ice cream

The oysters, mussels, and prawns were very good. As for the sashimi, the standard is rather normal. Then again I’ve never had really outstanding sashimi from a buffet. The finer cuts are usually only catered to ala carte menu where a plate of sashimi moriawase costs more than a ticket to this buffet, so I guess it is only fair.

noodle, tempura, chawanmushi

I then moved on to sample some chuka idako (baby octopus), tempura, tofu, vegetables, and terikyaki sticks. I particularly like the way they serve chuka idako in a soup spoon. Very exquisite and yet easy to take, easy to eat, and without the chance to make a mess. These cooked food didn’t disappoint me, they are at least on par with the midrange Japanese restaurants.

ahh, some sake to go with everything, perfect

I had the chef made me a very delicious bowl of sukiyaki with beef too, and another serving of raw food before calling it a meal. At the end, I couldn’t resist the green tea ice cream for dessert, 2 scoops of sweetness, bliss!

Pearl International is situated right next to Plaza OUG at Old Klang Road

The meal is priced at RM 48++ per person, seniors can get in for RM 40++ and kids at RM 30++. Pretty decent price for the amount of offerings you get to have. Currently it is only on for Sunday buffet lunch, but do give them a call as the F&B Manager Lawrance Khoh told me they are planning to expand this operation looking at the strong demand. Give it a try!

Invitation arranged by FoodStreet.

Address:
Batu 5, Jalan Klang Lama
58000 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-7983 1111

Tags:  Buffet,  dining,  food,  idako,  Japanese,  sake,  sashimi,  sukiyaki,  sushi,  tempura

Posted by KY | 33 Comments »

It actually took me more than three years working at KLCC to discover Ozenki Ozeki Japanese restaurant, situated just a stone’s throw away from my office at Menara TA. I couldn’t resist the temptation looking at the giant menu outside the restaurant and decided to give it a try just a while ago, and went there again with the noob Nicholas before he left KLCC to greener pasture.

the menu is huge, literally.

Other than the ala carte menu, Ozeki offers some unique set lunches. I always chose the RM 28++ combo, you basically get to choose 2 main dishes from 6-7 different choices, with salad, soup, rice, fruits, and a couple condiments accompanying the set. The mains include sushi, sashimi, tempura, saba shioyaki (grilled mackeral), salmon shioyaki, unagi kabayaki, chicken teriyaki, and beef teriyaki. There are also noodle set lunch and normal set lunch.

fresh Japanese food with decent pricing

While the 2 mains might look a bit smallish, they are actually plenty enough for lunch. In this outing, I had the grilled salmon and 5 pieces of sushi to go with some rice, soup, salad, and a rather delicious piece of tofu as appetizer. The noob had unagi and sashimi instead.

the menu inside is the same size as this one outside

Overall, the food was pretty good, and for this area in Klang Valley, a pretty good value. Service was friendly and professional, interior decoration and ambiance were nice, and most importantly, the ingredients were fresh. I’m feeling like going there again this week. Anyone?

Ozeki is situated at Menara TA, just a couple minutes from KLCC

Address:
Menara TA One, Ground Floor,
No. 22, Jalan P.Ramlee,
50250 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2166 4263

Tags:  Japanese-Food,  KL,  klcc,  menara-ta,  ozeki,  salmon,  sashimi,  sushi,  tokyo-cuisine

Posted by KY | 20 Comments »

As a gesture of appreciation for helping a buddy out, I was promised a good dinner at Mont Kiara a few weeks back. After the assignment, as we were figuring out what to have, I spotted this nice little place called Zakuro on the ground floor of Plaza Mont Kiara. Since I’m such a fan of Japanese cuisine, the decision only took a planck time.

Ahhhhh, Sashimi Moriwase, yumm

To satisfy my stomach for this occasion, we ordered a Sashimi Moriwase, some tempura, kaki furai (deep fried oyster), and the BBQ squid. The free appetizer was, I believe, a slice of pumpkin, and our we ordered a bowl of fried rice and normal Japanese rice to go with everything else.

nice ambiance with comfortable chairs as well

The food took a while to come, but I guess that was only because they took the time to prepare with attention to details. The sashimi dish was arranged with some very good cut of fresh salmon, surf clam, tuna, butter fish, and some other stuff I can’t name.

The BBQ squid and tempura were similarly satisfying, crunchy and juicy respectively, and prepared with fresh seafood. However, the most delicious item has to be the kaki furai, this was only the first time I had tasted oyster prepared this way. The oysters served here were really hugey, the crunchy texture of the breading contrasting with the juicy and not overly cooked oyster was just perfect gastronomically satisfying stuff.

sashimi, tempura, squid, and oyster

The bill came to be RM 140 for everything. The sashimi was RM50, tempura & the oyster dishes were RM25, and the squid RM12. Pretty reasonable price for the quality of food as well as the rather nice dining environment.

Address:
C-OG-02 Plaza Mont Kiara
2, Jalan 1/70C, Mont Kiara
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-6201 6626

Tags:  ika,  Japanese-Food,  mont-kiara,  oyster,  restaurant,  sashimi,  zakuro

Posted by KY | 9 Comments »

Of so many Japanese restaurants in Klang Valley, this is probably the one I visit the most. They might not have the best food, or the greatest ambiance; but Omitsu Koshi at DJ certainly offers above average Japanese dishes with very, very affordable price. Cheaper and definitely worlds better than certain conveyor belt sushi chains.

good food with pretty nice ambiance

We ordered a Sashimi Set and a Ramen with Gyoza set for dinner, and of course, some hot green tea which goes well with Japanese food. Other than set lunch and dinners, this restaurant actually offers a variety of other choices, such as udon, Japanese fried rice, sushi, and even porridge.

Jap food, slurps!

It actually took a while for the food to come as it was a busy Saturday evening. The Sashimi set came with plenty of salmon, tuna, octopus tentacles, and baby octopus. There’s also sushi rice, miso soup, and a few slices of fruits. As for the hot babe’s set dinner, it came with charsiu ramen, 3 pieces of gyoza, fruits, and even a plate of fried rice (a bit excessive actually).

we were definitely enjoying it!

The food were fresh and tasted authentic, like how Japanese food should be, not excellent like Raku Zen, but above average. While the servers did not try to impress you with crudely memorized Japanese phrases like some other places, they were mostly helpful and provided decent service. It was a very satisfying meal, after the customary 5% government tax and 10% service charge, the bill came to only RM 36.80. RM 19 for the raw fish set, and only RM 13 for the other. Great value isn’t it?

Omitsu Koshi is situated right next to Atria shopping complex

Address:
Omitsu Koshi
No 17 & 19, Jalan SS 22/23
Damansara Jaya
47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Tel: 03-7722 2779

Tags:  cheap,  damansara-jaya,  Japanese-Food,  omitsu-koshi,  ramen,  sashimi,  set-dinner,  sushi,  value

Posted by KY | 14 Comments »