vkeong loves good food, travel and photography!
Japanese Food
RM32.80++ Shabu Shabu Buffet @ Nagomi, Menara Hap Seng
Feb 1st
I am sure you know the problem with steamboat buffets. The ingredients are often not fresh and the soup is usually laden with ajinomoto. Luckily Nagomi decided to serve Shabu Shabu buffet and despite being 50% more expensive than the average steamboat buffet restaurants, the price is justified because the expected quality is there.
For RM32.80++ per adult (exclusive of drinks, green tea is RM3) you get to choose from over 80 types of ingredients to swish in the dashi hot pot. Well, that’s what they claim. I did not count but the spread certainly did not look like it consisted of anything near to 80 choices lol. Among all, we enjoyed the tiger prawns the most. Although they were frozen, they were still fresh, tasted sweet and the shells could be peeled off easily after being cooked.
Yakotaya Japanese Dining @ Metro Prima, Kepong
Jan 14th
For an area that is surrounded by BBQ steamboat restaurants and sleazy massage parlours, you’d be surprised to find a nice Japanese restaurant such as Yokotaya in Metro Prima Kepong. Looking at their menu, there are two things for sure: the selection is very wide but price is on the higher side.
Unfortunately for us they were out of Unagi during our visit so we had to stick to other things especially salmon. And boy did we order a lot of that. First, it was a portion (~10 slices) of Norwegian Salmon Belly Sashimi @ RM28.80. It was fresh with a silky smooth texture, absolutely loved it despite its expensive price tag.
A unique looking platter that caught my eye is Salmon Zukushi (Salmon Favorites) @ RM34.80, which is basically made up of sushi, rolls and sashimi all entirely based on salmon only. For salmon lovers it is worth trying if your intention is to try a variety of stuff instead of ordering them separately.
Munakata Buy Two Free One Ala-Carte Japanese Buffet Dinner is back
Dec 24th
Munakata is one of the very few Japanese restaurants in town that serve Cod Fish as part of their ala-carte buffet menu. That alone is a major reason why I would still go back to them. While it is true that their ala-carte buffet menu is not as extensive as the rest, I have been to Japanese buffets many times enough to know that quality matters more than quantity.
After my last visit, Life Centre went under a much-desired renovation and many questions were posed asking if Munakata was still open, as the scaffolding pretty much hid the restaurant from sight hence creating an impression that they were closed during that period. Well, the answer should be pretty obvious now that you are reading this. Truth is, they were never gone and to sweeten that fact, Munakata’s “buy three, pay for two” ala-carte buffet dinner promotion is back again. If you are wondering, this is the same promotion I had when I first went to Munakata a few years back.
But firstly, let me address some of the common complaints I have received about Munakata. Variety wise, I have said this again and again – if you are looking for hundreds of things to order in your buffet, then please head elsewhere like Tenji or Jogoya. Food portion wise, I really can’t comprehend why would anyone even complain about it.
Take the sashimi for example. If you already know that per person’s portion is 3 slices and you were expecting maybe like 30 slices, you can always place another 10 orders. This is just simple maths, no? I really can’t see how this is a valid complaint. It is not like they are placing a restriction on how many orders you can place on each food. And just to be clear, I am not deliberately trying to defend Munakata. But the way I see it, some (read: *SOME*) of you just like to place the blame on others if anything goes wrong, either the restaurant or the blogger.
OK, enough of my long winded rant and let’s get back to business. Since this is my third post about Munakata and the buffet menu remains very much the same, I am just going to highlight on the items that are worthy of ordering. Don’t get me wrong though, I am not saying the rest are bad. But in a buffet I think you gotta be smart and get the good and higher valued stuff, right? Please be a smart consumer.
Salmon is the only choice of sashimi being served here, which is bad news for those who are expecting more like tuna or squid. Well the good thing is they still taste great and personally, that is all that matters to me since salmon is the only sashimi I truly enjoy anyway.
Sumo Japanese Restaurant @ Subang Business Centre, USJ
Oct 23rd
I only got to know about Sumo Japanese Restaurant after they approached me to photograph food required for their restaurant’s new menu. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, my photos aren’t great and I am not a professional, which is why I turned it down in the end. Even though the project did not kick off, I was glad I had the opportunity sample some of their food during the project’s initial discussions.
Anyway, I am not going to lie to you: the meals were complimentary but I honestly thought the food was good. Hence SL and I returned as paying customers a few days ago to celebrate my birthday.
Sumo serves very fresh salmon and that is also the main reason that got me hooked. The Salmon Sashimi Belly @ RM30 seems expensive for the portion but if you compare it with other Japanese restaurants, the serving size and price are actually similar.
The Rainbow Roll @ RM19.90 is a combination of tuna, white tuna and salmon served with a creamy and sweet Tobiko (fish roe) Mayonnaise sauce. The rolls have a slightly crunchy texture at the center and taste delicious on their own, but it is the rich dipping sauce that makes the dish so satisfying. Personally, I like this a lot and I feel it would suit those who have strong taste buds.
