Ri-Yakitori, The Gardens

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The origins of yakitori, embellished slightly.  Thanks, FBB, for your cameo appearance.

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My companion for the night, Boolicious, is pretty quick at posting, so for the full monty, go check out her blog on Ri- Yakitori.  I’m just here to tell you the stuff that she didn’t tell you.  Yes, Yang Ariff, that night, we were talking about….men.  If you think that food bloggers get together to talk about food, then what do accountants do when they get together?  Oh.  Okay, sometimes, there’s an exception to the rule. (Have you attended an accountants conference in PWTC?  I have, and it’s a bloodbath with calculators.)

sake

The above receptacle kept our sake cold. It can probably keep any type of liquid cold since the inner jar holds icecubes, but at a pricetag of over RM1,000 for one device, I’d keep the iced sirap bandung away and bring this thing out only for special occasions.

Ri Yakitori 1

I think we shocked the waitstaff with the amount of food we ordered.  12 skewers (chef’s selection) which worked out to be less than RM5 per stick, and that included various parts of chicken yakitori (upper thigh, lower thigh, wings, butt, skin), prawns, wagyu beef, shitake mushrooms and eggplant.  It’s a good deal, especially when the cheapest kushiyaki on the menu is RM5.   The kampung chicken egg with leek and chilli oil was good, and the taste of the leek adhered well to the creamy, sweet flavour of the egg.  I liked the mizuna salad with japanese white radish, flavoured intensely with bonito flakes and shredded nori.  We ended our main meal with a bowl of chicken porridge with tororo kelp that melted into the porridge to create a smooth and slightly slimy consistency, and agreed wholeheartedly that it was the best way to end the night.  Desserts were limited, and we almost skipped it, but I’m glad we didn’t.  The homemade ice cream (green tea and white sesame) with mochi (made a la minute) was delicious.

ri-yakitori

Yes, I was going to tell you about the men we talked about.   Unfortunately, I think the sake’s wiped out my memory. Perhaps that’s the way things are supposed to be when girlfriends get together.  Secrets remain secrets.  And Bald Eagle, you’d better not tickle me tonight coz I’m not spilling out everything.

Ri-Yakitori
7th Floor, The Gardens Hotel (Robinson’s side: take hotel lifts)
Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, KL.

Tel: 03-22681188

Open: 5pm to 1am (last order at 11.30pm). Closed Sundays.

Also check out: Masak-Masak, Life of a Lil Notti Monkey and Eat Drink KL.

Acknowledgement: Thanks to my BFF, QwazyMonkey, for teaching me his trade.

Zipangu (revisited), Shangri-la Kuala Lumpur

bonito entrails
Bonito entrails

I just ate oats and tuna for lunch. Unforgiveable, I know, especially in the land of milk, honey and sambal belacan, but with my work piling to Timbuktu, I figured I’d use my lunch hour to write a quick post instead. Zipangu updated its menu late last year, and in addition to a few new additions, the inevitable price increase was also evident.

I’m not sure what possessed me to agree to bonito entrails. If I remember correctly, we throw away entrails, and if the cat’s lucky, it gets a nice smelly meal. Perhaps I was hoping for a Zipangu twist, but no, it looked and smelt like entrails when the dish appeared. Coupled with the sliced yam bits, everything was slimy and salty. Thankfully, Bald Eagle was more appreciative of this unique dish and whacked it all up.

Seafood gratin
Seafood gratin

One of the new items on the menu, the seafood gratin was baked on a shell and served with a mentaiko (pollack or pollock roe) sauce. A little pricey at RM80. The texture was nice – browned and slightly crisp surface and mushy underneath.

shimeji mushrooms
Shimeji mushrooms

These slightly nutty flavoured mushrooms were served teppanyaki style and had a lovely smoky taste. Very enjoyable.

duck
Roasted wild duck

Not sure where one gets wild duck here, but I loved the texture of this meat…so tender and succulent.  Nice gamey flavour, if you like that kind of thing. Also a new item on the menu.

dancing crab roll
Dancing crab roll

foie gras wintermelon
Foie gras wintermelon

A perennial favourite in Zipangu.  Only RM30.

chasoba
Cha soba

The soba had a nice bite.  Toppings include sliced mushrooms, wasabi, spring onions and finely sliced fried egg.

salmon belly sashimi
Salmon belly sashimi

Thick cut slices.   Delicious!

rice cake rolled with ice cream
Rice cake rolled with ice cream

So when we first read it, we thought it would be something akin to mochi.  What arrived was ice cream wrapped in a pastry-like sheet made of, presumably, rice.   Nothing exciting, and certainly not worth the RM18 price tag.

Macha tiramisu
Macha tiramisu

There is a reason why I swore off japanese desserts a long time ago.  Although the tiramisu (cake form) fared better than the other dessert, I was still not blown away it.

Overall, I’d say that Zipangu hasn’t disappointed me yet in terms of food quality.  My only irk is that the prices are pretty hefty.  The total bill (before my prestige card discount and the 10+5% taxes) came to RM353.   I suppose one has to take into account the ambience and location, but with so many japanese restaurants mushrooming in the city, one could just as easily find a comparable restaurant with lower prices. What’s your favourite japanese restaurant?

My previous writeup can be found HERE.

Zipangu
Shangri-la Hotel Kuala Lumpur
11, Jalan Sultan Ismail
50250 Kuala Lumpur

Restaurant reservations: 1800 88 7881

Kissaten, Jaya One

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夢ぢには

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あしもやすめず

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かよへども

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うつつにひとめ

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見しごとはあらず

kissaten

Though I go to you
ceaselessly along dream paths,
the sum of those trysts
is less than a single glimpse
granted in the waking world.

-translated  from Japanese, Poem No. 658 in the Kokin Wakashu written by Ono no Komachi-

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The Mentaiko Spaghetti (RM18.90), cooked al dente, is nice. When tossed, the surface of each strand is lightly coated with roe which ensures that each mouthful is filled with a burst of flavour.  The Crunchy Stewed Pork Slice (RM6.90) comes in thin slices of rolled pork belly, almost gelatinous in texture with a nice bite to it and coated in a sweet sauce.  The alfalfa sprouts that come with the pork belly provide good contrast to the flavours.  For dessert, we had their Cheesecake (RM6.90) which was very mild flavoured and plain, suitable for those who like a lighter textured cheesecake.

Kissaten’s decor is attractive in its simplicity.  Stark white, it doesn’t feel cold at all.  The menu has an interesting mix of japanese, chinese and western food from burgers and spaghetti to lam mee and ramen.

KISSATEN Coffee and Restaurant (website here)
L12A-1-1, Palm Square
JAYA ONE
72A Jalan Universiti
46200 PJ

Tel: 03-7954 1990

Opening hours: 11am – 11pm daily (Closed Mondays)

Also check out: Black Tie White Lie, Masak-Masak, Sweets for My Sweet Tooth, Memoirs of a Chocoholic, Motormouth from Ipoh, Ling239, Shell Food Station.