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:
- i. Better, fresher food overall.
- ii. Premium food like tempura, coconuts, sashimi, oyster and scallops are replenished very fast.
- iii. More attentive and efficient LOCAL staff (waiters, cook)
- iv. Tatami rooms for private gathering
- v. Longer dining period (3 to 4 hours)
- vi. Made me feel like returning!
- i. Almost non-existent dessert section, only jellies and some normal ice cream served (No Haagen-Dazs here).
- ii. Very dark environment if going for dinner
- iii. Hot environment because of the barbecue, will sweat.
- iv. Less photography freedom (not allowed to take photos of the restaurant) – I was stopped by the staff when trying to take the buffet counters’ photos
50% discount only from 16/03/2009 to 30/04/2009
Buffet Lunch NP RM65++ 11:00am to 2:30pm (3.5 hours)
Buffet Hi-tea NP RM55++ 2:30pm to 5:30pm (3 hours)
Buffet Dinner NP RM75++ 6:00pm to 10:00pm (4 hours)
Buffet Supper NP RM65++ 10:00pm to 2:00am (4 hours)
Yaki-Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant,
Ground Floor, Federal Bowl,
Jalan Bukit Bintang,
Off Jalan Bukit Bintang,
Bukit Bintang Central,
55100 Kuala Lumpur (next to Plaza Low Yat)
Reservation: +603-2142 8111
Aiya, no call me again meh…haha. I don’t mind if there is no dessert, since after enjoying all the other food, you will be 110% full. Oh ya, I like the BBQ part too.
kokweng’s last blog post..Broga Hill, Semenyih
Wow, you are quick to post this!
I enjoyed my dinner there too. It was superb. I wouldn’t mind going there again for a second time. =D
Foodees’s last blog post..Yaki-Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant
Oh… new place???
New Kid On The Blog’s last blog post..Rainbow Modern Western Cuisine
vk: Not really a new place anymore.. it opened for quite some time already. Recently famous for the 50% discount thingy
bro….the food pics…. overkill….. * I’m dead. *
Ahaha too bad I will be leaving soon, or else I would try out this!
CLF’s last blog post..Happy & Exhausted!
Wow… Looks like a good alternative to Jogoya!
Thomas’s last blog post..After I’m Asleep…
vk: Hmm, I dunno since I never been to Jogoya.. but if looking at the non-promotional price of RM75++ I think Jogoya is a better choice
the buffet looks nice huh….gonna try it! luckily u posted and commented..now I am sure will b a satisfying buffet for tht price.
Agnes’s last blog post..My life
AHHHHHH MUST GO ADEEEE ROARRR!
Aiyoh! You should have posted this earlier leh. I went to Rakuzen@ Raja Chulan instead. Yeeeeeee….this one cheaper leh and more varities!
cariso’s last blog post..Korea Palace BBQ Restaurant
vk: Hey, Rakuzen is actually the ultimate Japanese Buffet I wanna go leh! I heard the food over there is GREAT
That’s a lot of varieties they’ve got there! How come Penang don’t have such restaurants?? Sienz….
allie’s last blog post..Penang Hawker Food | Koay Teow Teng @ Pulau Tikus Market
vk: Haha, why you always complain about Penang restaurants lah :P
I am really amazed with the variety of food at this place. Looks like a good choice for my April trip.
ck lam’s last blog post..CK Lam featured in Guang Ming “We Eat”
Hey vkeong, thank you for introducing such a great place! I think I’ll surely give this a try soon! :) Just a mathematical question, how did you arrive to RM46.25 from the RM75++ price? I was calculating, if the 15% tax is on NORMAL price, it means RM11.25 + 75/2 = RM48.75 isn’t it? Haha, sorry I’m just a very analytical person. But I’ll definitely book it this weekend!
iamthewitch’s last blog post..The ideal honeymoon
vk: Yeah you’re right, it’s supposed to be RM48.75, my friend did the calculation and I think she calculated wrongly lol. I should’ve checked :P
We went on same day o….. My friend said u r the one who use flash, hehe :P (My friends in ur photo too :P)
mimid3vils’s last blog post..Earth Hour
vk: haha is it? there are many ppl using flash there la :P maybe that’s not me ;)
Thanks for the post. This is real good and will make up for my disappointing outing to Tenji where it was closed for a private function without notice.
Chin’s last blog post..California Pizza Kitchen – Suria KLCC
omg the food there looks so good!!!
Duckie’s last blog post..Lunch at Audees (re-visit)
vk: yeah the sashimi and sushi are pretty good. unagi is nice too but you have to cook yourself
Thanks for introducing this place. I usually stay in Parkroyal so I guess it is walking distance. Will try to visit this place next trip I am there..Hopefully the 50% is still on then :)
Elin’s last blog post..Drunken Clams
vk: The promotion is on till 30th April, so you still have 1 month’s time to go :)
Thanks for the post… I think is worth to go..
Horlic’s last blog post..印尼巴厘岛酒店捡到一篇有意思的短文 – 你知道作者是谁吗？
Wah, you guys can really eat so much food! Someone commented that Rakuzen food is good and I agree totally. I didn’t know they serve buffet? As for Jogoya, they also have promotion of buy two free one until 30 April 2009 but only on Mondays to Thursdays.
Becklee’s last blog post..What did I finally do?
I think we are the only group using DSLR :P
mimid3vils’s last blog post..Earth Hour
vk: haha is it? I noticed quite many ler
i not sure how to go that place…
can any1 teach me how to go there?
vk: hi zkai7, you can take a monorail to Bukit Bintang, and walk towards Federal Hotel/Low Yat Plaza. You will see it there
Fwoargh!! This is the best of many worlds… BBQ, Japanese and buffet!! Is fresh coconut juice a standard offering at buffets now? Or is this owned by the same Tenji/ Jogoya folks?
550ml jar of faith’s last blog post..White on white, Chong Thoong Kee, TTDI
vk: I don’t think it’s owned by the same people, but one thing for sure is, if the coconuts are not there, customers will make noise haha
Oh my…I’m so going to go there cause my friends and I were just thinking what place that we can go for the gathering. The snails, prawns and crabs caught my attention.. ! I’m going crazy seeing your food photos, so TASTY !!!!!!!
elaine’s last blog post..动力火车 -《继续转动》
I find this places especially japanese buffet are not very friendly with cameras for one. secondly the discount price sounds very very tempting but I always find the quality of the fooddrops and not as good as those ala carte ones! just my one cent opinion~~
Big Boys Oven’s last blog post..
This restaurant is just next to Plaza Low Yat. Great food, spacious environment, fast replenishment and tempting price. But some sauces are too salty.
yup…. at least i got this infor from you for my april visit to SUngai Wang for a project! Looks much better than Kampachi and Tao!
ahKOK’s last blog post..Farewell Lunch at OXO Cafe Queensbay
I’ll be visiting Yaki-Yaki this friday >< Can’t wait to go there and try out all those tasty foods XD
just read mimi’s post on this! must be good la then.. :P
cumidanciki’s last blog post..Earth Hour and the 2 Sultans..
Food is something I am obsessed with. Never had the opportunity to try the Malaysian varieties, though have heard they are sumptuous. Can you put out some recipes.
the food no enough!
wahh…. d food seem like so nice… wif eat until u r full, it’s so worthy…. but i din hav time 2 try it….. exam is cuming…. sad…..
I heard the food is not as nice as the non-promotional period . Is tht true ?
vk: I dunno Jiang, I didn’t try the non-promotional buffet :)
Thanks anyway … Trust your taste buds … Will update when i’ve tried it. Thanks for the nice posting
vk: Thanks to you too :) Hope you will enjoy the buffet
They have good and expensive ingredients but don’t have good chef to cook it. The ramen texture if good but why use Tom Yam or Chicken soup; it should be sukiyaki style. Deep fried Soft crab is over cooked, the tempura is Japanese style. it looks like fried by goreng pisang stalls, such a waste. Why pour Thai Chilli sauce on the Abolone slices…. spoilt the original taste. Black Sesame Ice Cream is good.
Very hot, female toilet is out of order, all scene happens in UNISEX toilet (female have chance to view male doing their small business). Should do something to improve.
harlu ~i guess this would be my next stop for japanese buffet ~~thanks to my mui who intro to me ..haha ..i had a bad experience with Jogoya regarding the coconut..looking forward to the bufffet ^^
Ever tried Ninja Jones at the Gardens? heard the wagyu beef was nice…
been following ur blog for sometime. a very informative food blog u have here :)
Juz went to Yaki-Yaki, Ramen not up to the standard, they put onion oil inside the soup of Ramen, make it taste quite weird.
Cooked Food that serve there is not Hot, not even Warm.
and just like wat Meow said, Tempura counter like goreng pisang stall, tempura prawn and soft shield crab doesn’t impress me.
And Unagi….i can’t find any of it there(except the unagi sushi and unagi california roll.) Coil fish is not fresh enough, their beef have more bones than meat.
Black Sesame ice cream really taste good
Abalone is REALLY nice
sashimi is really fresh
alot choices of drinks available
and the “SiFu” at the sashimi counter really likes to talk to customer, but mostly Female Aunty customer XD
I agree with Meow coz I saw the same things happen yesterday. Soups are too salty. BBQ meals are tasteless. Tempura flour is too thick and prawn is over cooked. The kunnyaku jelly really hard to chew. The cooked snails are too tough to eat, even the crabs are not well prepare to eat with free hand. And, the female toilet is still out of order.
Lastly, children need to pay 50% of the adult normal price.
So, Rakuzen is still my favourite Japanese restaurant.
三只猫’s last blog post..鼎香黄金煎弄包, Cheras
one word to say…
BANNED!!!
less choices.. no dessert… (only serve jelly) no soft shell crab (ask da person, they replied out of stock), less choices of fruit,
too stuffy …. also da soup is tooo salty!!!
eh i wan to ask about that , is it Saturday and Sunday 50% discount also ?
vk: Hi johnny, Sat and Sun also got 50% discount. I went on a Saturday :)
ohh okok thank you ^.^ ..and if i wan to eat dinner is it must go at 6.00pm ?
vk: not really, we reached around 6.45 and we still can eat there
been there on last sunday, hmm…no scallop!!! coconut replenish slow like turtle…. lemon pcs for oyster just got 1 bowl after all …. was informed out of stock!! salad served without mayonnaise nor thousand island…out of stock tooo….tooo bad….!!!
Hi vk,
what you mean by “Less photography freedom (not allowed to take photos of the restaurant)”? can we take photos at our own table?
hooikiang’s last blog post..Bangkok 5-8 March Part VI
vk: hooikiang, you are allowed to take photos at your own table. But if you want to take the environment and the food at the buffet counter, be prepared to be chased away by the staff
I really love the pics! looks delicious! just curious, what camera are u using? its super duper clear!
vk: Hi Aski, I am using Canon 400D with external flash :)
I want to comment your so call pro’s and con’s
# Pros:
i. Better, fresher food overall.
(i agree with you on this)
ii. Premium food like tempura, coconuts, sashimi, oyster and scallops are replenished very fast.
( The food above replenished VERY SLOWLY! I dunno, it was fast for us
iii. More attentive and efficient LOCAL staff (waiters, cook)
efficient? are you sure about that? Yes, if compared to Tenji
iv. Tatami rooms for private gathering
v. Longer dining period (3 to 4 hours)
vi. Made me feel like returning!
# Cons:
i. Almost non-existent dessert section, only jellies and some normal ice cream served (No Haagen-Dazs here).
ii. Very dark environment.
(Not really.) I went at night T_T
iii. Hot environment because of the barbecue, will sweat.
(this only applies if you are sitting in front of the BBQ pot. If not, its totally cooling) isn’t it all the time you will be sitting in front of the BBQ pot?
iv. Less photography freedom (not allowed to take photos of the restaurant)
(A lot of people taking photo like no tomorrow.) i was stopped by the staff when i tried to take a photo of the food at the buffet counter, TWICE. go figure
vk: Hi Yucky2 (nice name lol), please refer my reply in bold above
pic look nice,should try this commnig weekends!!
and hightly recommend japannese buffet @estin hotel,damansara.
very nice and price is cheap:)
vk: Thanks brand for the recommendation :) Always on the lookout for nice Japanese buffet haha
our gang visit on 5th April food is ok but ……when talk about coconut need to Q up and each time only can get 2 only and the toilet …………..very very bad it can’t flush so dirty……….please take note
was there on thursday for supper but it was a wash out as it seems to me that their supper session is just to clear whatever that’s left to salvage whatever profits they can. Many of the food are not replenished and even the drinks aren’t. The asian fare is also empty most of the time. Will go there again for dinner and try it out again though.
Are you sure you just walk in & not pre-invited by them to write for them? I’ve read bad comments from other blogs & tried to give it a try after reading your blog, and what we saw is just a pile of shit which is totally opposite from what you said even though it’s only 8.15pm on saturday night. And I totally agreed to those comments starting from yucky yucky @ 10th April 2009. It was so unlucky I did not noticed their comments before I agreed with you and give it a try.
vk: Hi anon, whenever I am invited to a restaurant, I always state it upfront. Do you think I’d be chased away by the staff while trying to take photos if I was invited? I am sorry for your bad experiences but my friends and I certainly enjoyed ourselves there.
i think it taste good but is so hard to make a reservation through phone..They don’t pick up their phone..
vk: You can try to dine as walk-in guest. We didn’t make a reservation either.. but it could be different now since it’s already famous
yikes!!! after c-ing all the comments i feel like canceling my plans to go there!!! i planned to go there tis saturday……. sob sob….. So, can anyone tell me should i go or not???
vk: Like any other Japanese buffets, the quality seemed to have plunged after it got famous. I guess I was lucky to have a good experience.. If I were you I’d have the same concern as well but I will go to see it for myself. For less than RM50 I think it’s still quite a good deal. Sashimi seems to be the most consistent food there
Just vist this restourant last weekend ..
Sorry to say it was not as good as the photo.. The food display is very nice as the photo…but actual taste is really not worth for the money ..
Sashimi – Consider fresh
Sushi – Too bad.. the rice really no quality
BBQ – Beef is very good. Saba – Not fresh at all… Unagi .. cannot eat at all.
Other BBQ – No taste and not much viriaties
Soup – too salty
Fruit – No varieties
Coconut – You hardly get one.. One aunty comment “The coconut need to plant only can get one’
Other drink – Ok .. got varieties
Ramen – No taste
Other food – Tempayaki, tempura, chicken, duck : Normal only .. not much taste …
Well.. one more thing .. you need to ‘ASK’ for the food : Fresh oyster.. remember ask for more.. Most disappointed, the have no Lemon :(..
I don’t know why such a high end japan food center don’t know Fresh oyster need to eat with fresh lemon ..
Enviroment is not so good.. the table arranged in straight line.. cannot talk to friend also.. I agree this may be Japan style .. but Malaysia need to sit in round table and ‘Talk’ ma …
No extra spoon, folk, cup etc avaiable.. :(.. need to share with friend ..
Overall : Not worth to go ..
Hi VKeong, i think u r very lucky on that day, even i got a fren told me got alot of things to eat, and she went on that day too same as yours. Should said, those customers that went on the same day as yours are totally get a very good dining experience. But i went to yaki-yaki on Sunday 12th-Apr for dinner & i hoping to get the same experience as yours but im very disappointed. I ordered unagi, no stock. In sushi part, i saw only salmon, abalone and another 2types sashimi fish (dont know their name). No octopus, no fresh oyster(didnt saw tobasco sauce & lemon), no tuna, no ebi, no mussels (mayb their menu changed everyday) or mayb i have been late to the sushi bar becos i kept on looking for soft-shell crab at fried stall but no fried soft-shell crab after asked the staff. Scallop got but dont hav the type showed by your photo, just got scallop in soup butter, cos their chefs has made a big mistake by took out all the scallop from the shell without left any that attach to shell (according to the staff there…haha). The coconuts replenish very very slow and…LOL…coconuts war!!! Those coconuts are yet to poke the hole by staff and the customers already aggresively grab the coconuts (like never drink coconut b4 in their life). The chef like wat u said, yes, definitely friendly cos saw him explaining something to a woman. I did ordered site dishes but slow to arrived (mayb staff not enough or too much customers ordering). Got 1 staff very efficient, my fren ask me got xtra tissue, i said no and this staff listened by the time she collect the empty plates and she very quickly took some tissues for us. Drinks bar…not bad, at least got mug for u to take some hot drinks like chinese tea but saw a few used mugs(with drinks inside) on the drinks bar and no staff collect those used mug. Overall, very disappointed…that’s y i really could said u are lucky.
actually i also have bad experience going there ( although the BBQ is really nice). Same as some of the readers, they do not have unagi and raw oyster. Maybe yaki-yaki was not able to keep up with other japanese buffet restaurant in term of capital-i’m not sure. but definitely a disappointment as japanese restaurant, i do think that unagi and salmon is a must have.Hopefully they are improving…….
After much anticipation, I finally went to yaki yaki for their buffet supper on Sunday(coz the dinner buffet on all the weekends for April are fully booked) after looking at the delicious and mouthwatering photos posted here. To my horror, those food are really like leftovers from the dinner buffet. I came exactly at 10pm but many of the dishes posted here like the unagi, black sesame ice cream, snails, soft shell crab, cod fish, fresh scallops, oysters, mussels are unavailable during the entire buffet supper and even the sushis are scarce and limited.
Most of the cooked food were not heated up and the chicken herbal soup were so cold that no patron even dared to try it. I really do not get it why they can’t even afford the electricity to heat up those food?
The free flow of red wine seems tempting at first, but one sip will put you off due to the inconsistency and bad quality of the wine. My second glass even tasted sour-ish and far worse than even the cheapest (RM18 per bottle) red wine that I’ve ever bought.
The service there are poor and my plates piled up as high as mt. kinabalu and yet no one came to clean it periodically. I would need to walk around to hunt down the waiters so that they could clear the table and take down our orders for some dishes.
The only good stuff there are the coconuts which are replenish pretty fast.
I have not tried the dinner buffet before, but I personally felt that the supper buffet was a total disaster. I seriously felt cheated and the supper buffet is not worthy even after the 50% discount.
As a summary of my experience dining there for the buffet dinner, it is a total disappointment and HIGHLY NOT RECOMMENDED!
*As a summary of my experience dining there for the buffet SUPPER, it is a total disappointment and HIGHLY NOT RECOMMENDED!
This is a marketing business strategy…they purposely serve good foods at the begining stage of their promotions, with tis all those white mouse tried the seductive foods will start to spread out their good experiences to their friends or family as free advertising. However when we going for the late visit or latter stage during the promotion end up will experiencing those ‘pasar malam’ quality foods which considered cheated by them…don’t know what was in their mind…built up a good reputation by putting good effort but tarnished the reputation in another second! too childish kind of business minded.
Conclusion: HIGHLY NOT RECOMMENDED!!
Went last night.. was early (6pm) they serve oyster, argentina squid and so on.. Then as getting late (7pm) everything start to get finish no more oysters and even fresh coconut gotto grab fast (cheong)
Dessert Corner ~ Cheapo dessert onl,y jelly and unknown brand ice cream with no ice cream toppping (eg :chocolate syrup, peanut), no sweet delicacies like cakes
Conclusion: HIGHLY NOT RECOMMENDED!!
WHAT??? Everyone is BOYCOTTING in UNISON??!! LOL!!!
BTW, I kinda feel relieved tat i failed to book for dinner tis saturday…… Instead I booked SHOGUN.
yes i totally agree with cheatful…at their begining stage of promotion, every thing seemed to be so nice but at the end, what we got is pasar malam quality. I will never ever want to go there again, even though they give me FREE of charge. I went for their buffet lunch on sunday. Guess what, sashimi is limited to 4 pieces each time i queue up there, oyster out of stock, coconut need to pluck from the tree..all of us waited for almost 30min for the tiny coconuts, desserts sucks, service sucks and everyone, can you imagine while we were dining halfway, the whole restaurant went blackout for about 110-15 mins, and the whole restaurant was full of smoke.. really yucky yucky….yucks till the max..
Stay away unless if you like
a) cold cooked food
b) non fresh, slightly gone bad raw food to be bbq-ed
c) tasteless watered down drinks
d) a mad rush for coconuts (which i ended up not getting due to e.)
e) very rude and kiasu crowd, no one queues, mad rush for the food when replenished and management doesn’t give 2 cents
f) did i mention the long wait for the food to be replenished?
g) pasar malam ambiance at non-pasar malam prices
madmoz’s last blog post..Systems Test
WOW!! from all my past experiences eating buffets, Tis is among tha WORST!!!!! BTW, Malaysians are very kiasu, especially da aunty-aunty in buffets, some have no ethics at all!!!
teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiibleeeeeeeeeeeee
how come like this???!!
vk: I hope I am wrong but when some restaurants got the exposure required and got famous, quality drops. And we all know which restaurants have went through this
aiyooo…i dont know whether to go and try the food. i have already make reservation on this saturday 18/04/09. any comments from you all who already tried?
vk: loo, all I can say is good luck and hope your experience will be at least as good as mine… after seeing the comments I am totally disappointed with Yaki Yaki being unable to keep the good momentum going.
any dif with the supper and the dinner??
sat n sun oso got discount 50% ????? if i want i want to booking 1st or how ??
When I went I did have to fight for the coconut drinks. Mainly because they didn’t put it out as often as they used to – it’s 20 minute intervals now – and each person is only allowed to take two each at a time. One of the waiters actually smacked a customer’s hand when he reached for a coconut!
Apart from that, everything was great especially the fresh sashimi and triple handroll.
I went on a Monday at 630pm and managed to get a good bit of food to myself before the crowd started to come in around 8pm. If you’re planning to go in a big group it would be advisable to make a booking first.
vk: THANK GOD finally there’s a good comment
I went there 1st time, and decided to go again this week sat, cz i’m doin an AA style at yaki yaki. The service is better than Jogoya, Starhill.
But the food at Yaki Yaki is jz not as much as Jogoya, but the food is nice, especially shasimi salmon, unagi and etc,,, nyum nyum
ameries’s last blog post..My Love Swarovski Earring
if can improve maybe i will go again loh!
Yo! I was there last night and gues what? It’s very value for money especially the 50% promo is still on-going.
The food is definately fresh and their temaki is good. ;D
No herbal prawn though last night.
I was there from 8-10pm and management of the crowd was not too bad. Service is not too slow too.
I am satisfied overall!
vk: good to know you’re satisfied
come on, cannot be worse than jogoya ? OH GOSH? Another Jogoya clone? Joyoga has made and still is making Starhill a national embarassment !
I rather spend RM100 for non buffet good japanese food
I went there for lunch session today with few friends….what I can said is that eat food for survive in general(I am not the lucky one for sure in this round!!) but the credits still go for salmon, oyster, beef slice, black pepper lamb…..
disappointed is no coconut serve today and I have a short chat with the chef in the Sashimi section because I am curious why we need to ask for salmon and oyster, he is friendly as usual and told me that we need to request for the salmon and oyster because the section there no more place to put both….and yes…what i see the section is not that spacious after put the rest of not so tempting sushi :p
arh…..one more info that the chef told me – the menu change daily.
I wouldn’t highly recommend my friend having meal there pay for their actual price (or in fact they are good all the while when we pay actual price for??)
with the 50% disc, still worth for food there and hang out with friends when you have no more nicer place to go but just remember eating there early the promotion started as I believe they always do good at the beginning…this is my 2 cents.
anyway, thanks for vkeong for the detail explanations :)
Is total diff fron yr discription, variety is less compare what you show.
I prefer go to normal cheaper BBQ shop. All the sushi not nice. Overall conclusion is “BAD…………….” !!!!! How you can say is nice? I am very….very…. disappionted!!! No next time….
i actually planned to go there for me and my sister’s bday, but due to da complaints from above, we went to shogun instead. =p
Very DISAPPOINTED!!! very regret go to this restaurant, bad service, food not nice,bad environment, no coconut serve, i wont recommend my friend go to this restaurand, rather spend more go to jogoya, it is a total disappointment and HIGHLY NOT RECOMMENDED!
PLS dont go, u will regret if u dont believe me.
Very disappointed too!! My hubby said, this is really YUCKY YUCKY! Their seafood are just tasteless, not much choices at all!
Food quality – terrible, service – terrible, replenishment – terrible…everything about this place is terrible!!I would rather spend that bit extra to have a better buffet dinner..this is certainly the first and last time at yaki x 2..even the name sounds terrible!
Went there today with group of 8. This is my second visit considering my first visit was a good ones . ( Early of the stage when they open , they serve good food )
Today they serve rubbish . What can i say are :
– FOOD SUCKS , NO COCONUT FOR THE WHOLE NIGHT
– ORDERED BBQ FOOD DIDNT ARRIVE & WHEN ASKED AGAIN .. GUESS WHAT ? THE WAITER SAYS ORDERING MACHINE SPOILED INSTEAD I CLEARLY SEEN HE HAND WRITTEN THE ORDER HIMSELF
– NO COD FISH ( FIRST VISIT HAS VERY GENEROUS OFFER OF COD FISH )
– SOUP SERVING IS DARN COLD THAT U CANT TAKE IT WITH ONE SIP
– BEVERAGE DIDNT REPLINISH
– SUSHI AREA HAS THIS LITTLE SMALL MOSQUITOES
– COOKED FOOD UNBEARABLE
apart from this i still have complain on , coffee machine out of order which is a bad sight , many food varities that i get on first visit wasnt there anymore eg chawan mushi , cod fish , fresh steam fish , varities of bbq stuff
I think with all these continue to go on , no one will want to visit them anymore
CONCLUSION : Not worth ur money to go . PLS STAY AWAY .
Yesterday, 29/4/2009, time 6.45pm, I and husband went to YAKI.YAKI.
This restaurant make us damned damned dissapointed. Our happy mood spoiled because of this cheap restaurant.
During we arrange the booking, the receiptionist didn’t told us that the food is not complete.
but when we reach there, the front desk waiter said that today no serve SALMON, OSYTER and COCONUT. What…?!!!
Japanese Buffet Restaurant NO SERVE Salmon, so, serve what? NASI LEMAK, BAT KUT TEH or ROTI CANAI?
Main point we go there is enjoy the salmon and osyter.
We also went inside and visit, very very dissapointed, environment no good, some more the food not fresh & didn’t replinish……
I went to JOGOYA & SHOGUN before, compare 2 restaurant, this is the worst worst one…
Fortunately, we didn’t enjoy the buffet there.
I can said that I won’t be there anymore and my friend also….
CAUTION: Friend, please don’t go YAKI.YAKI, otherwise your wallet and mood will be hurt…
yesterday is my fist but also the last time i visit . thats terible terible terible : 1. mood spoiled , no value for the food , the environment like after war no refill can’t ever close to red meat area like pasar ( wetty ) n the dishes remain only waste parts . Conclusion : wa can’t TAHAN ………
i went there recently and witness the place myself.i n my bf was damned disapointed at the environment and the food.whatever we see in this wedsite some of the thigns i went i couldnt see at all.unagi sushi, abalone, raw oyster and even the coconut it out of stock.no soft shelled crab even the tempura prawn take long time to replenish.the waitress is damn busy and it take long time to ocme to serve us.the desert is not replenish faster only 2-3 varieties.tell you what paying such amount it better you go jogoya at least u can see alot of expensive food n is replenish faster alot of desert to choose from .and the bbq things is worstall the thigns stick on the pan is hard to turn them over once u turn it spolit all the food making you doesnt want to eat at all. i regret going to that place and rather going to bak kut teh better
I was there the same night as Alice Tan few comments above.
We made reservations for dinner, when we arrived the front desk (very disorganized) informed us there will be NO OYSTER, NO SALMON & NO COCONUT. had they been informed during the reservation, it would be fine.
We request for discount/compensation for the lack of servings, after more than 30 min of standing arguments, the manager refuse to show up to solve the situation, because “he was in the middle of an interview session”.
I am quite sorry for the front desk receptionist, for having a manager that dare not to take up responsibility, clueless of what to do having surrounded by dozens of angry customers.
At the end, the front desk staff spokes to one of the chef behind sushi bar, and informed us “we have found 3kg of salmon, and will serve them”.
…Do you smell something fishy here?
If I were there with a few, I would just walk away. But we have planned this gathering for long…ah well, shouldn’t have gave them chance but that would be the first and last time ever.
Soup was cold. Prawns in the noodle was fresher than the ones for BBQ. Menu orders arrive after the last call announcement.
Service for some of the waiters was good though, that was the only thing that is good.
i was so surprise to saw what u all comment it …
picture is look like nice .. but …
vk: Trust me, my experience was good. But then the quality dropped so badly after that
i decide go there with my friend on 31.05,but i see many bad comment i scare ……….is true happen in yaki yaki?????
joyce…if you want to treasure your $$$, time, mood and happiness, please NEVER EVER go to yaki yaki…you WILL regret it
hihi…saw your blog post bout yaki yaki…personally i when there before last week and i’m quite happy with the restaurant, specially the sashimi part….
may i add/link your blog url to my blog site at friendster? i did’t have a complete set of pic for the restaurant and i’m not good with pictures…
let me know if you dont feel like doing it… i’ll remove the link from my blod post … thx ya ^.^
sammm33’s last blog post..很 “豪” 。。。哈哈。。。
i been there the chef at sushi-bar are very friendly. Food are nice except the chinese cooking parts.
too pricely and food not replenished most of the time. Coffee machine also down.
Anthony Wong’s last blog post..Acer Aspire 6935
y ur promotion food is different for normal price food
Yesterday Yaki Yaki send me SMS saying got special “Promotion” for 50% off for weekends lunch and dinner..i straightaway delete it…for sure is bluff people..such a lousy place
has anyone been there during lunch time or tea time? I wonder if the situation is different as I read most of the comment here were mostly dinner time.
Plz do nt ever plan or even think to go to this Yaki- Yaki …. even itz 90% discount !!! Itz the worst buffet i ever visited. Wasting time and will caused bad mood…
wow, that bad huh?
……..I was thinking to give it a try since Ipoh didnt hv such stuff. But seems all the negative comments pouring in, I guess I’ll just make a change to other Japanese Restaurant…..
I wanted to go there when they newly open but din have a chance to because I’m having exam that time..
Heard a lot of bad comments later on and made me dun dare to walk in.
I went to Jogoya few times, Tenji too.. And I don’t really like Jogoya, especially their bad customer service!
What I want to say is, I rather spend RM50 or RM100 on good quality non-buffet Japanese food!
Jean’s last blog post..我的歌：Travis – Selfish Jean
I am fortunate enough to dine at yaki-yaki restaurant yesterday, overall the food is fresh, especially the BBQ part, yeah.. indeed i am the BBQ lover, love to eat the beef slices, it’s 100% delicious..
The worse Japanese Buffet i ever been to… yiak… No unagi atall.. no salmon displaying…no coconut .. YIAK!!!! Plz dun ever think to throw ur money there.
hmm the person above you had a good experience. I guess luck is important when visiting Yaki Yaki
not exactly..the above person did mention that he enjoyed BBQ and state the the food is “fresh”…a good japanese buffet does not constitute of BBQ alone and fresh can mean anything..he should go to a BBQ buffet instead which I believe will be a much more pleasant experience
hmmm…thot of going there with my girlfriend coz both of us ‘HANTU’ Japanese food especially buffet…but after read all comments above i feel bad & lost a bit interest for the place. Wish the management can solve the problem ASAP. Hoping forward to hear a GOOD NEWS about yaki yaki..
PEACE
Just came back from yaki-yaki and decided to see what others had to say about it. surprisingly many complaints i see. surprised becoz i actually tot it was better than jogoya. maybe im not the kind of person that fancy TOO MUCH varieties.
I had so many fresh oysters i lost count, they were BIG, FRESH and definitely unlimited, right before i left around 10:15pm i told myself i had to have 2 more before i leave, and they have plenty! Still fresh.
No coconuts were served, which was fine becoz i tot their fresh juice was good enough.
BBQ was definitely awesome, love the salmon, beef and lamb.
Being a seafood lover, i had varies cooking types of prawns and crabs…which were ok to me.
N yes, the sashimi chef guy was super friendly. so were the most of the waiters there.
All in all, i had a great time there.
Your experience is like one in a million lol. But I am glad to know you had a great time :)
I have been to Yaki Yaki on 3 separate occassions, it is true at one point the food was terrible (Apr-June) but after so much complaints the management finally took steps to make things better.
I just went last week and I have to say there was a vast improvement from my last visit in April (which I actually quite disapointed), this time things have changed, and surprisingly there were a large number of customers the day I went.
I hope the management continues to listen to their customers so that they can give more quility food which is value for money!
may i know any promotion on aug 09
Hi Carmen, the promotion is until 2nd of aug ^^ 50% discount for all…
i had made a reservation for tomorrow, really hope the food will be really fresh like Stephie said lol xD
tomorrow will be my 2nd visit actually..
for my 1st visit, i think overall it is ok and the unagi n coconut are very nice indeed ^^
but so bad, i heard this time they don’t serve unagi >.< haizz…
the only reason can make me go again is gone but since my lovely boss wanna belanja us then i think it’s ok lol
i been to Jogoya before, i feel they are just almost the same, except for more variety of the dessert in Jogoya
but not worth for me to pay so much for Jogoya buffet (last time the promotion was 50% for guy only and we were 2 girls n 1 guy) lol
anyway, i heard this time yaki yaki increases its variety of food, lol
vkeong… r u the boss of yakiyaki ?
kenneth : hahaha
yaki2 shud be renamed yucky-yucky..
went there on april, coconut took 1.5 hrs later to be available. they nid to pluck from tree. miso beef unavailable. oyster they keep it. u must ask only they will take out for u. pity those ppl that duno and thought it is unavailable. best of all is, went for lunch session, and the cashier informed us that many ppl today so cutdown our session by half-an-hour. so no choice la we already went there. paid the Same price per head btw. went in there, after 2 hrs, the restaurant is like only half full. feel cheated. YUCKS !
Tommorow I am going to Yaki Yaki to celebrate my birthday !!
Is there any special discount and promotion ????
Emmmm a bit worry…..
Hopefully I can get my UNANGI …. my favourite ……..
Friends, I have not been to Yaki-Yaki but after reading thru some of the comments above, it had confirmed my suspicions of its tremendous similarities to Jogoya. Hence I will not waste my time or $ on Yaki-Yaki. Anyway, I will tell you all that when I was at Jogoya recently, there were cockroaches running around on our table as we were out getting food. I had managed to take a photo of it & brought this matter to the staff but they just shrugged it off. I had also submitted my complaint on their web-site – but again, no response (no surprise there!).
Anyway, you may read the full review here:
http://jmerb.blogspot.com/search/label/Cockroach
thanks for d photos…mayb will think bout it…how’s the current price?:)
This is current promotion of yaki yakiya now.
http://s740.photobucket.com/albums/xx45/oceanwind85/?action=view¤t=sept-poster.jpg
Last Week i just eating at this restaurant. I eating at lunch time, There alot customer and almost full house. Lunch promotion so cheaper now, RM18.90++ only. But no serve sashimi and osyter at this promotion, so sad to me.
i had dined in yaki-yaki today. it was the worst customer service i’ve ever had by the current supervisor – Queen. showed her disrespectful to customers very well. lunch time should be 11am-2.30pm. but at 2.10pm she started to collect plates that still serving food on my table without asking my permission. when i was complaining to her, SHE DIDN’T EVEN CARE and ran away. at the end, i “forced” to get out of the restaurant and by the time it was only 2.15pm. in conclusion, it was the worst experience for me in F&B industry in malaysia. it wasn’t worth for us to spend money (service tax) to get this kind of bad customer service. customers should be very happy during and after enjoying their meal. thanks for attention to all consumer. spend your money intelligently by choosing the right restaurant with right customer service. we have consumer rights.
anyone knows about this month’s promotion??
This month them no Have any special promotion. And Hi tea and Lunch is upto RM28.90++ per pax .
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yakiyakiocean/3979327131
Actually, I am working at yakiyaki also. ^^
Ocean, may i know how much per person for the friday night supper?
Pennee, now our supper is running 10% discount in RM39++ now. You can call up 03-2142 8111 to take reservation.
just for ask,when will get for promotion again??
This promotion until month of end. And next month we still no yet planning.
For October promotion that cost RM28.90 include sashimi and osyter or not ? Actually what is the difference for Sept and Oct promotion except from the price change ? Any changing in menu ?
This Month we have serving sashimi already. And now have 4 kind of culture can be selected already.
Thx for ur info^^ I really appreciate it^^
How much per pax for this saturday(dinner 6pm-10pm) ?
Our dinner period is start on 5.30pm~10.30pm and this coming saturday is RM 66.70net per pax.
You can call up to make reservation 1st. Our contact NO 03-2144 8111
wan to ask if wan celebrate birthday .. got any promotion for it ???
i want ask that november got any promotion…thank you
anyone knows about this month promotion???
Dec have any promotion??
have any promotion on Dec 8?
how much per person on Dec 8??
please reply by faster….
thank you….
=.=” TOTALLY speechless.. today i go there, i only saw some paper stick on the door.. about “renovation”…
When the Yaki Yaki will open? close down or what?
i went to yaki yaki yesterday… even worst. they didn’t turn on the lights in front of the entrance. i was surprised. when i walk in, a security guard chase me out and says “sudah tutup”.
=.=” ervin… the yaki yaki is close… u didnt see the paper?? ” renovation ”
you just lie.. see also know they didnt open
wai kit. i only noticed the paper after i walked to the side of yaki yaki. sweat. really no luck.
It’s been replaced by House of Buffet. I believe it’s the same owner.
wat house of buffet?izzi same v yaki yaki?got bbq?
next year promotion ?
jing, I believe Yaki Yaki is no more, House Of Buffet has replaced it
oh no, who can get me other buffet place suggest ! tq
now de yaki-yaki are replaced by house of buffet ,,,den ]
got any changes anot ??I mean de food ..still got bbq anot ?
I’ve just been HOB recently for “Hi Tea”. Oh No!
what a food we had. Just eat those left over food from lunch. Pizza, So called turkey, fried chicken (cold n hard) cold noodle n some left over shell seafood. Luckly its only 2 tables. If more,…I don’t know what are we going to eat. May only pizza??. Yes they still have BBQ, but limited choice. Paying RM45++, well I think its
not worth it for hi-tea.
is the restaurant still “alive”?? has it been closed or it just moved to somewhere??
I believe this has closed