Yaki-Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant @ Jalan Bukit Bintang

Update: (22nd Dec 2009) I have received comments saying that Yaki Yaki has been renovated and turned into another buffet restaurant called House Of Buffet. I got a gut feeling it’s the same owner.

Attention: Lots of complaints received about Yaki Yaki Japanese Buffet. Please remember to read the comments. According to many, the quality has went down hill and food are being replenished slowly. I think I was lucky to have a pleasant experience eating there when the promotion just started.

After witnessing the huge success Tenji Japanese Buffet has managed to achieve by offering 50% discount on all dining period, many other Japanese buffet restaurants are doing the same too. Xenri, Daidomon and now the newly opened Yaki-Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant too.
These promotions or competition you might say, are definitely good news for Japanese buffet lovers. Anyway, yesterday was the day Earth Hour was celebrated and we happened to be at Bukit Bintang area wondering where to have dinner. We looked at Starhill’s Jogoya and it cost RM88++ per pax, pricey.. Then we suddenly remembered Yaki-Yaki next to Low Yat Plaza.
We decided to give it a try because it was quite cheap for a buffet @ RM48.75 nett per pax (including service charge and tax) We didn’t make any reservations and dined as walk-in guests.
After we got our table and paid the full amount, we were guided to a round table just next to the beverage area. Each table has its own captain in charge, and any orders for barbecue are to be made through him. To ensure the food is maintained at its freshest, Yaki-Yaki only serves the food (for barbecue only) when an order is received.

After making an initial order for some scallops, unagi, beef and Chicken with Wine Soup. We took a quick tour around the restaurant to see the available choices. Yaki-Yaki has Japanese (sushi, sashimi, tempura), Chinese (cooked seafood), Western, seafood, skewers (mushroom, satay, sausage) and dessert sections.
The first thing I had was of course some sashimi, raw oysters and an Unagi sushi – just to test the freshness. The sashimi was definitely fresh and very enjoyable, that alone was enough to make me a happy person lol.

Mussel with mayonnaise, sushi and steamed prawns with herbs. The prawns (freshwater type) at Yaki-Yaki are very fresh, another good news for me. Among all prawns in the buffet, I found this cooking style the nicest because the herbal taste wasn’t too strong and you can still taste the prawns’ sweet flesh.

Perfect half boiled egg the Japanese way, called Spring Water Egg.

I think Jogoya started it, and thanks to them the newer Japanese buffets serve these mini fresh coconuts. Very sweet and refreshing! Oh you don’t have to worry that they will run out, Yaki-Yaki replenished them very quickly and generously. No need to compete with the other diners for it lol (you know what I mean hehe)

The first food to arrive from our barbecue order – Scallop with Butter Cream sauce. It was nice to see the butter melt and cooking the scallops when they are placed on the barbecue. But too bad the same couldn’t be said for the taste. By the way, the time needed to cook the food is written in the menu itself. For example the scallops need to be barbecued for 3.5 minutes, while fish typically needs 4 minutes. Better bring a long a friend who can read Chinese because the timings are all written in Chinese.

Miso Beef, lots of fat in this one.

Because they are sliced to thinly, they cook pretty fast in 1-2 minutes. And they tend to stick to the grill too.

The melting of the fat will make the fire burn even stronger. I managed to remain calm and took some photos while my gang was freaked out trying to put off the fire, lol.

Left to right: Beef, Lamb and Chicken Satay, they were very spicy! Funny that only Chicken Satay was not in skewered form.

The list of food can be ordered for barbecue includes: Chicken Slice with Honey sauce, Miso Chicken, Lamb Belly Tender, Beef Striploin, Hokkaido Sanma Fish, Shishamo, Argentina Squid, Crab with Butter Cream Sauce, Japanese Rich Ball and Mochi and etc.

A plate of delicately prepared Japanese tofu, some more mussels and cooked scallops.

Tempura Soft Shell Crabs, no doubt one of the most popular items in the buffet. But luckily Yaki-Yaki replenished them very frequently too. I didn’t have to wait long for it.

Tempura Prawns,very crunchy since I got them just after they were deep fried.

More sashimi, all were nice and fresh. Special mention to the sliced abalone with spicy chili sauce, which was great as well.

The Ebi (prawn) is a must try, very flavorful.

The Unagi with Japanese Tofu (upper left) was another yummy dish.

The cooked scallops at the sashimi section tasted much better than those for barbecue.

We didn’t enjoy the Cod Fish because it got hard, dry and salty after being barbecued.

Luckily the Unagi was very nice. But you gotta pay extra attention when cooking them because they get burnt very easily. Shown here is a portion for three.

Whole pomfret, Garoupa (head and tail only), huge clams and tiger prawns were available at seafood section. They were very fresh as well but weren’t really suitable to go on the grill except the clams. Reason being they tend to get really dry and tasteless after being barbecued.

Some food tasted much better if Yaki-Yaki’s recommended cooking method was followed. Firstly, place the clams in the small aluminum foil plates. Then, fill up the plate with some Chinese wine before placing them on the barbecue grill. Although this will make them take longer to cook, you will be rewarded with tasty clams infused with the fragrance of Chinese wine. You really gotta try it.

OK, enough of what I had and lets take a tour of the restaurant. First stop, Chinese food section.

Butter prawns

Cooked crabs

Snails

Cawanmushi and different types of soup

Chicken Herbal Soup

Fresh coconuts that come in large containers in front of the kitchen counter. I have to admit they weren’t displayed as fancy as those in Tenji or Jogoya but who cares as long as they are replenished fast, that’s what I think really matters. Other fruits like orange, apple, dragon fruit and kiwi can be found here too.

The place to get pomfrets, garoupa, clams and tiger prawns.

Raw Satays

Skewered sausages, which I didn’t try any. There’s skewered mushroom, sweet potato and corns nearby too.

The soft shell crabs prepared at the tempura station were not only for the diners but also for the sushi section. Half of the soft shell crabs being fried here would be sent to the sushi section used to prepare California Rolls. So, no pre-fried soft shell crabs were used at all.

Besides tempura, you can find ‘Yau Char Kuai’ and some other fried food here.

Sashimi and oyster section. This section is the best for me because most of the food tasted great.

Salmon Sashimi, orangery goodness!

The chef is very friendly and likes to talk to the customers. He will also give recommendations if you are unsure of what to eat. Cool guy.

He’s so friendly that he even volunteered to pose for me while holding a huge slice of salmon.

Mussels

Scallops

Herbal prawns, this dish is highly recommended. And next, the different types of sushi and other Japanese dishes up for grabs.

Sushi wrapped using bean curd.

A huge selection of drinks were available, from soft drinks to coffee, tea and fruit juice.

The iced Nescafe was pretty good!

Brew your very own coffee here.

A fridge containing Fruit Jellies is located next to the drink vending machines.

And lastly, the Sauce Station with some unique looking containers. OK, I didn’t write a lot because I feel the 50+ photos are pretty much self-explanatory of what is served in Yaki-Yaki. Overall, very good Japanese buffet and I actually enjoyed the warm, cooked food more than the barbecue.
For RM48.75 (promotion period only, and 5% government tax and 10% service charge on NORMAL PRICE) this buffet is very worth visiting and I highly recommend it if they can maintain the quality and freshness of the food. And I think many of you want a comparison of Yaki-Yaki and Tenji, so here goes:

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