Tag / mid valley
If you type Omakase in google, this is what you get:
o·ma·ka·se
ˌōməˈkäsā,ōˈmäkəsā/
noun
-
(in a Japanese restaurant) a meal consisting of dishes selected by the chef.
So then, SOU Omakase is exactly what the name of the restaurant suggests – a Japanese outfit at Mid Valley Gardens that prides itself on their Omakase menu.
sou omakase mid valley gardens
Lunch starts at RM 98++ per person, and dinner comes with a choice of 4 different course –
- SOU dinner course – RM 220
- starter, chawanmushi, Japanese garnish food, sashimi, grilled dish, mouth wash, main course, rice course with miso soup, dessert with Japanese tea
- Special dinner course – RM 320
- starter, special fresh oyster, Japanese garnish food, special sashimi, grilled dish, mouth wash, main course, rice course with miso soup, dessert with Japanese tea
- Special abalone course – RM 370
- starter, Japanese soup, Japanese garnish food, special sashimi moriawase, special grilled abalone, mouth wash, main course, sushi 3 kinds with miso soup, home made dessert with Japanese tea
- Tasting menu – RM 450
- degustation menu offered by chef FUKUCHI, 10 courses.
foie gras salad
For the purpose of our review, we went for the tasting menu.
But first, if you’re heading to SOU Omakase, do note that it is located near the entrance of the Gardens Hotel, accessible via the Mall but through a tricky back door, with the restaurant facing Bangsar area of the building. It is much easier if you choose to valet park at the Gardens.
I won’t with fancy Japanese lingo for these dishes, since I assume many of you are like me who are heaps better in your command of English language than Japanese, we’ll stick with simple descriptions.
The dinner started with a beautiful dish of foie gras salad, a small chunk of perfectly seared goose liver with some greens and caviar. The ingredients itself speaks business.
Netherlands oyster with homemade tabasco
Second course was Netherlands oyster with homemade tabasco, one of the best ways to get more zinc to your system. I do like the taste of their homemade tabasco sauce, slightly milder yet more complex in texture.
snow crab with Spanish mackerel and Japanese winter melon soup
Then there’s snow crab with Spanish mackerel in Japanese winter melon soup, our first warm dish of the night. The dish reminds me of some high end Chinese soup dishes, but one with unmistakenly Japanese ingredients. Warm and comforting.
mini sushi with chopped tuna belly and sea urchin
Then it was a mini sushi to get our palette going for more raw seafood. Chopped tuna belly with sea urchin, two of the more premium sushi ingredients that packs a punch in savory index, perfectly balanced with freshly grated wasabi, a few slices of seaweed, and expertly prepared sushi rice.
butter fish with eel in yam paste
Butter fish with eel in yam paste was next. This is a dish that I think some may have trouble getting used to the texture, it was soft and slightly slimy in texture from the eel and yam, but does provide an interesting experience especially when feeling it in the mouth.
We then had an aperitif, simple yuzu with soda to get our taste buds afresh for the next course – sashimi.
Sashimi part 1, served with shoyu moose and hand grated wasabi
– octopus, yellow tail, mackerel
This was undoubtedly the highlight of the omakase course to me. The sashimi came in two parts, and served with shoyu moose (soya sauce in moose form) and freshly grated wasabi.
Part one was octopus, yellowtail, and mackerel. Merely saying they are “fresh” would be doing these dishes a disservice. The sashimi were paired with different combination of seaweed to compliment its natural tastes, and those shoyu moose provides an interesting, if not very convenient way of handling the amount of soya sauce you want in the sashimi. A new experience to me.
Sashimi part 2 – the fat stuff, Otoro and salmon belly
Part 2 of the sashi were the fatter stuff – otoro (tuna belly), and salmon belly. Both premium cuts were beautifully presented, and tastes even better than they look. The otoro with its special condiment was especially delicious, I can definitely do this again, and again, and again.
cod with miso stew
Then it was time for a table top hot pot experience that came in the form of cod with miso stew. Cod never disappoints, and with high quality miso, certainly makes for a bullet proof dish. I can have this with a bowl of rice and call it a meal and be perfectly content.
beef, braised tuna collar, or lamb as choices of main
Main course came in the form of either braised tuna collar, sliced wagyu beef, or lamb cutlets. Each were pretty rich in taste but not entirely too different from each other in terms of theme. The braised tuna collar was a first for me, and turned out to be probably too heavy to be part of a ten course meal. I was stuffed by the end of this, in a good way.
Inaniwa udon and salmon sushi
Penultimate dishes were a simple salmon sushi, and inaniwa udon. I had thought I’d never finish the udon due to how stuffed I was, but somehow there were no trace of udon left a few minutes later. When the food is good, you tend to negotiate extra space in the stomach somehow.
jelly, mochi, and coffee ice cream
Dessert came in the form of jelly, mochi, and coffee ice cream. They were beautifully presented, and while did not disappoint, I did not think that they stand out among the other dishes in the course. It was an adequate ending to the 10 course menu, an certainly an omakase experience that is worthy of the restaurant’s name.
Horng, Yuki, & Haze at SOU Omakase
I’m really intrigued to try their lunch menu and see how they stack up to the likes of TEN & Oribe at similar price point.
Address:
SOU Omakase
Lot G247, Ground Floor
The Gardens, Mid Valley City
Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.118658, 101.675286
Tel: 03-2202 1133
Hours: 11:30 am – 3 pm, 6 pm – 10 pm
Tiffin’s by Chef Korn is a little restaurant located at the Mezzanine floor of North Court at Mid Valley, which is rather hidden from plain view unless you purposely walk up to the newish hidden area of the mall a level above the GSC cinemas (but at opposite end).
The restaurant is an offshoot of Erawan, considered as one of the best Thai restaurants in town by many (I haven’t had to opportunity to try it out myself yet), to be a more accessible outlet to the general public by the same Chef Korn Yodsuk.
The menu consists of mostly Thai street food offerings, but with higher grade ingredients and sometimes a bit of a unique twist. The restaurant does serve pork and is definitely not halal.
beef ball noodles with Thai iced tea
For our impromptu lunch for two, I ordered the stew pork knuckle rice (RM 19.80) while Haze had the beef ball noodle (RM 25.80). We also ordered the grilled pork neck for sharing (RM 23.80).
The grilled pork neck is served with homemade sauce and glutinous rice, and I reckon it’ll be a fantastic dish to go with beer or wine, and if you really finish up the glutinous rice, it could probably make it as a standalone meal as well. We really liked it.
Stew pork knuckle stayed true to the street cred that it should have, except for the portion being larger than what you’d find by the roadside in Bangkok. There’s also preserved vegetable, kailan, and egg with the pork.
stew pork knuckle rice & grilled pork neck
The beef ball noodle includes Australian tender shin meat, poach beef, and beef balls in a homemade recipe broth by Chef Korn. It was certainly different from your run-off-the-mill beef noodle, but one that perhaps take a while to fully appreciate.
The prices at Chef Korn is on the higher side compared to the likes of Go Thai and other such Thai Street food restaurants, but the quality of you get in return does make it a fair exchange.
If you’re up for some non-halal Thai food, this would be one of the places to check out.
Other dishes found here includes tomyam noodle, pork noodle, green curry, pineapple fried rice, and more.
Address:
Tiffin by Chef Korn
T068 & T069, 3rd Floor,
Mezzanine (North Court)
Lingkaran Syed Putra,
Mid Valley City, 58000 Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.118675, 101.676085
Tel: 03-5501 7368
For someone who dines out quite a lot, I’m almost always in a lost when it comes to eating in shopping malls. Out on the streets, pasar malam, or random restaurants? I’m good at those, but under the giant roofs that house hundreds of shops? Good luck.
Manmaru Udon at Mid Valley Megamall
So when we found ourselves at Mid Valley the other day, we did what most people do, randomly wandering around to find something to eat.
In this instance, facade of a restaurant is important, and that’s how we got into Manmaru Japanese Udon Restaurant, despite the fact that I’m not exactly an udon fan at all.
Signature Supreme Udon
As it turns out, other than a good variety of udon, Manmaru also serves starters, salad, yakimono (grilled or pan fried stuff), agemono (deep fried stuff), and nabe (Japanese hot pot).
Since this is a primarily udon place, we had to try their udon, so why not choose the top of the range?
The Signature Supreme Udon (RM 28.90) comes with pretty good amount of prawns, scallops, and even abalone slices (not sure if it’s “real” abalone, but I don’t really care). The broth was thick, creamy, and actaully pretty delicious. I also enjoyed the udon noodle itself, having a pretty good texture.
By the way, the cheapest udon here starts at RM 11.90, with more than two dozen varieties to choose from.
ebi pizza & tuna carpaccio
The picture of their ebi pizza (prawn pizza, RM 19.90) looks too good to pass up, so I ended up ordering that. The thin crust pizza was loaded with cheese, had 8 pretty good size prawns, and all those mushroom, chunks of bell peppers, and spring onion. I really enjoyed it.
We also ordered one of their specials – tuna carpaccio. This starter actaully took the longest to be served, and while looking pretty decent on the photo, it was a disappointing dish. The tuna was a bit too “cooked” and the dish could use more olive oil. I’ll avoid this.
we had a pretty satisfying meal
That being said, Manmaru is a pretty decent place if you’re looking for udon or pizza, I’m assuming other standard dishes such as tempura and grilled items are worth trying as well. If I’m at Mid Valley again over meal time, I wouldn’t mind checking it out again.
Address:
Manmaru
S-045A, Mid Valley City
Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.120346,101.677834
Tel: 03-2201 1663
Web: hwww.manmaru.com.my
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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
I must be one of the luckiest guy around. In conjunction with my unceremonious birthday, I had a total of 6 free meals from my closest friends. Steamboat from Suan, late night porridge from ST & Kim, Wendy’s thanks to Douglas, Zanmai from Ringo, lunch at Ah Yip soup place from Lorna, and last but not least, Ninja Jones courtesy of my ex-housemate Kerol. What more could a man ask?
Wait, it’s actually 7 meals altogether with Eiling’s pre-birthday dinner at Il Divo Italian restaurant, which I have yet to blog.
beware of the automatic sliding door!
Anyway, we went to Ninja Jones on a weekday evening. The restaurant is located at NorthPoint, just across Mid Valley Mega Mall, you have keep to the right and go into NorthPoint’s parking lot lest having to walk all the way from the main mall via the not-so-well constructed pedestrian bridge.
The restaurant is located on the ground floor, with a pair of automatic sliding door leading to the dark but very well decorated interior. We were seated on the first floor. There were really some waiters dressed up as Ninjas, though none of them looked remotely Japanese.
chawanmushi, salad, soup, tofu
The menu is rather extensive, you can find kobe beef, sashimi, sushi, noodles, sake, and many set meals as well. I also like the fact that most entries in the menu is accompanied by a photo.
We ordered two set dinners for the night. Kerol had the Ninja set while I chose something that is priced just below RM 50 with a name that escaped me.
grilled chicken on hot stone, beef cubes, sashimi
Kerol’s set came with a lemon soup served in a teapot, soft shell crab salad, grilled chicken on hot stone, tofu, tempura, smoked salmon, and some sushi roll (my camera ran out of battery when they were served).
The soup carries a slight lemon taste to it and were pretty unique and refreshing, and I really love the grilled chicken. It was done in a minimalistic way and yet very very delicious. Of course, smoked salmon with vinaigrette never disappoints.
kerol enjoying her favorite cuisine
The set that I had came with salad, chawanmushi, miso soup, sashimi, rice, and grilled beef cube. The sashimi was fresh and really good, especially fatty cuttings they gave for the salmon.
However, the best item on my set had to be the beef. They were really succulent and carried none of the foul smell. I can only imagine how the Kobe beef version would taste like if this version is already so good.
Ninja Jones is located at North Point
The total bill came to slightly above RM 100. It was good ambiance, good food, and good company. A place worth revisiting
Address:
A-G-5, Ground Floor, Northpoint,
Mid valley City,
No.1 Medan Syed Putra Utara,
59200 Kuala Lumpur.
GPS: 3.120346,101.677834
Tel: 03-2288 1646
