Mikan Japanese Cuisine & Bistro Re-vishifted

Wow. It's been a year plus now since I ate at Mikan Japanese Cuisine & Bistro. You can read about my last visit here. I saw Groupon Malaysia was selling Mikan cash voucher at 50% discount. Every RM 50 voucher will be sold at RM 25 a piece. So, I paid RM50 and got a total of RM 100 worth of Mikan cash voucher. It's time to revisit Mikan again.

Before I could utilize my vouchers, I got email from Groupon that Mikan has been shifted to Damansara Perdana. Time extension was given. Phew. I left only 5 days before the vouchers expired. So, two weeks ago I asked my cousins Joyce and Jas to tag along with me.

The shop was only 80% complete according to the co-owner, Casey. There's still a little bit of touch up needs to be done. I left the ordering to Casey, which is somewhat like an Omakase. I didn't even see the menu.

Coincidentally Nicole was there too. It's been a while I didn't camwhore with her. So, a #selca is a must, especially she just got her long hair cut short that day itself.

Back to the food. For starter, Casey recommended Kinoko（木野子） Salada (Mushrooms Salad). Using cooked Enoki and Shitake sprinkled with Ebiko tossed with cherry tomatoes, Japanese cucumbers and lettuce dressed with special sesame salad dressing. There's a mix of warmness from the mushrooms and coolness from the vegetables. The dressing is nice for a Japanese style salad. Nice playing of different texture. Substitution of meat with mushrooms made this salad healthier to be eaten.

Kinoko Salada (RM16++)

Moving on is Shake Sashimi (Salmon Sashimi), which according to Casey he just collected it fresh that afternoon. If, it's that fresh, I will want taste of it. True enough, the salmon sashimi is so fresh that just a dab of soya sauce is enough to make it taste good. What I like is that Mikan is not stingy at all with their sashimi, the cut is thicker that some of the Japanese restaurant I've been too where I only get very thinly sliced sashimi. Ah, it's salmon orgasm in my mouth.

Shake Sashimi (RM16++)

The current trend of Japanese cuisine in Malaysia is the use of mentaiko sauce in the dishes. We had two mentaiko dishes that night. Mentai Tamagoyaki (Grilled Eggs with Mentai Sauce) and Hotate Mentai (Scallops with Mentai Sauce).

The Mentai Tamagoyaki looks simple but it's quite hard to make it taste good especially the right texture for the eggs which is not over or undercooked. The chef in Mikan did it just right. Top with the flavourful mentai sauce. Yums.

Mentai Tamagoyaki RM12++

The most expensive dish that night is the Hotate Mentai. Why? The scallops are air flown from Hokkaido and it's the biggest scallop I've ever eaten in my life. My mouth can only fit in half of the scallop. The Hotate Mentai here beats all the other versions that I've eaten in so many other Japanese restaurant chains.

Hotate Mentai (RM45++)

Last but not least, something that I rarely see in any Japanese restaurant here in Malaysia. Behold, le Braised Pork. Although it's not some expensive pork like the Black Fur Pork from Japan is used the chef was able to make the Braised Pork so juicy and tender that it will just melts in my mouth. The broth is the best. Tasted just nice, not too salty nor too greasy. A few pieces of pork lards were put in there to just bring out the aroma. It's a must order for pork lover. Although I've ate quite a lot of the braised pork but I don't feel 'jelak' at all.

Braised Pork (RM32++)

We also had Mushroom Skewers (RM4.50++ per stick) but I didn't take any photo because Casey told us to eat it quick while it's warm. Not much flavouring was used but the natural sweetness of the mushrooms made up for it.

It's such a wonderful dinner. High quality ingredients are used and the price is quite reasonable. Also, there's pork served now after shifted to Damansara Perdana. I will surely come here quite often from now on.




Address:

Mikan Japanese Cuisine & Bistro
LG 03, Plaza Emerald North
PJU 8/3A, Damansara Perdana
Petaling Jaya

Tel: 03-7713 5288
Lunch: 11.30 a.m. - 3.00 p.m.
Dinner: 6.00 p.m. - 10.00 p.m.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikanjapanesecuisine

View Damansara Perdana in a larger map

Menya Musashi (麺屋武蔵), 1 Utama

I've been reading rave review about the ramen in Menya Musashi, 1 Utama. It's quite new and it's inside the 2nd floor of Isetan, 1 Utama. This floor houses many other Japanese eateries from sushi, ramen, Japanese cuisine, Korean BBQ and also Puran Bi (Plan B).

I came here around 5.30 p.m. which is a bit early for dinner because I don't want to have to queue up when this place is usually packed during dinner hours. I chose to set by the open kitchen where I can see the action going on while the staffs were dishing out the ramen. It was quite fun watching them work.

Musashi is actually the name of a legendary swordsman in Japan during the Shogun era. He was very skilled in kendo and almost no one has defeated him before. So, to put his name in the menya (noodle house), it must mean that the ramen here is unbeatable.

I ordered the Kuro Musashi Ramen, one of the 3 unique soup base from Menya Musashi. For this black soup base, it is consist of black-fried shallots with garlic. The other two are Shiroi Musashi and Akai Musashi. They gave a very generous amount of chashu (braised pork belly) that is very balance in term of the meat and fat ratio. Yums. Of course, nowadays every ramen shop will have the marinated soft-boiled egg, which is cooked to perfection. As expected, the soup here is not very salty as in Santouka, which is a Hokkaido style ramen. The noodle is very springy. I will say, their ramen got my approval as one of the best in Klang Valley.

As always when I eats at a ramen shop, I'll order their gyoza to gauge their quality. This is like ordering fries in McDonald's to gauge the standard of their outlet. The gyoza was not too bad but also nothing to shout about.

I think one the secret why their noodle is so springy might be the way the rinse the noodle before they serve it. Watch the video below to see how it was done. =P

Forgive me for the picture quality because it was spur of the moment that I went here to eat, hence picture was taken with my Nokia E7, which has the worse phone camera I've every seen. =P

I happened to bumped into Ying Zi's post about Menya Musashi in Raffles City, Singapore. She took video of how they cook the noodle from inside the kitchen. Click here to find out more.

Address:

Menya Musashi
2nd Floor Isetan 1Utama
Bandar Utama
Tel: +603 7713 7777
Dining Hours:
Sun - Thu 11.00am - 10.00pm (last order 9.30pm)
Fri, Sat & Public Holiday 11.00am - 10.30pm (last order 10.00pm)

Itacho Sushi (板長壽司), Terminal 3, Changi Airport, Singapore

Hello everyone. I've arrived safely in Singapore although the flight is not exactly a smooth ride due to minor turbulence because of bad weather. Once I've reached Terminal 1 and switch on my mobile phone, I got a SMS from my sister telling me to take the shuttle train to Terminal 3 to meet her for lunch at Itacho Sushi (板長壽司).

For those of you that watches programs from Hong Kong TVB would be very familiar with Itacho Sushi because they are the sponsor for some of the TVB's popular game show such as the Super series (将门人). Itacho Sushi is owned by Taste of Japan Group from Hong Kong. It seems that recently they've expanded to Singapore. I didn't get to try it when I was in Hong Kong but hey, I can do it now in Singapore.

I started off with Avocado Crab Salad SGD$6.30++, I'm a fan of avocado and salmon roe. If I see the item in the menu has any of these two ingredients, chances is high that I will order. Very refreshing salad, the avocado is nicely ripe. The only downside is that the crab meat is not real crab meat -_-

Cod Fish Liver SGD$9++, yums. Although it's not as creamy and flavourful as the Ankimo (Monk Fish Liver) that I had in Tomton but still this not too bad.

Currently there's a promotion on Yellow Tail (Hamachi). One piece of Yellow Tail nigiri sushi only cost SGD$1.90 instead of SGD$2.40. I tried the one with Black Truffle Sauce. Hamachi itself is already a nice fish, with the black truffle sauce, it's just added a new dimension to it.

Uni (sea urchin) SGD$8.20++ and Ikura (salmon roe) SGD$3++ gunkan sushi are my favourites. I will say that the uni and ikura here are fresh. 一乐也.

Last but not least, Wagyu Beef Roll SGD$13.60 (I forgot which prefecture the beef is from, most definitely not Kobe). It's not easy to find beef sushi in Malaysia, cooked one yes but not raw beef. Never thought beef sushi can be this nice even my mom and sister give a thumb up. Tender and fresh.

Overall, the quality of the food here it good albeit the so call crab meat. Price is quite reasonable for the quality ingredients it's serving. Go for their promotional items and one can saved up quite some money.



Address:
Itacho Sushi
Outlet 1 : ION Orchard #B2-18, 2 Orchard Turn
Outlet 2: Plaza Singapura, #02-35, 68 Orchard Road
Outlet 3 : Bugis Junction, 200 Victoria Street, B1-05
Outlet 4 : Changi Airport T3, 03-30/31
Outlet 5 : JCube 02-35
Singapore, Singapore

Today 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

Santouka Ramen, Pavilion

There seems to be many ramen shops mushrooming in Klang Valley these few months. One of the famous one is of course Santouka. Originated from Japan, Santouka specialized in Hokkaido style ramen. A few moons ago I went to Pavilion for a Moet & Chandon event and I came from work without having anything to eat. So, I decided to try out the famous Santouka Ramen in Tokyo Street at Pavilion.

I ordered their popular and limited Tokusen Toroniku Ramen. The toroniku chashu made from pork cheek meat is only sold in limited serving. If not mistaken, only about 50 or 100 bowls will be sold per day. This is due to the limited supply of pork cheek. A pig only has 200-300g of usable pork cheek meat.

I heard many people complained that the soup here is a bit too salty. Instead of turning away from it, I know I came to the right place because Hokkaido style ramen is saltier than other style of ramen in Japan. If you prefer less salty ramen, I recommend you Yamagoya Kyushu style ramen in Duta Solaris. I'll blog about it in another post.

The good thing here is that they will put the sides for the ramen in a separate plate. You have a choice to add in as you eat but I like to put everything in.

Ramen-ya or ramen shop in Japan will always have gyoza available. So, Santouka is also following the tradition. I found that the gyoza here is a bit too small for my liking but the filling is quite juicy.

Albeit, the ramen here is a bit pricey but what I ordered is a premium part of a pork. It's still cheaper to go to Singapore or fly to Japan to have a taste of authentic Hokkaido style ramen. If you happen to come to Pavilion, why not give it a try? You might start to love the salty taste of Hokkaido ramen.

Address:
Level 6, Pavilion KL
168 Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: (03) 2143-8878

Omakase Sushi Course at Yuzu, The Gardens

Ever since I found out that my American Express Credit Card gets 15% off the a la carte dish from Yuzu in the Gardens, it has became one of my favourite Japanese restaurant. Abate, that the pricing here is a bit on the premium side but the quality of the ingredients here are of top grade. Some of the premium fishes and seafood are flown in twice a week.

Usually, I'll order from their normal menu until the staff show me a menu written on just two pages of plain paper without any photos. It's the Omakase menu (Chef's recommendation menu). Even though it's only two pages, there are a lot of dishes to choose from. The price range from RM 28 to RM 180 plus.

So, I ordered Toro Tataki Salad (RM48++). First time I had toro made this way, and it's one of the most expensive salad I ever had. Tataki is half cooked grilling style.

Toro Tataki Salad (RM48++)

I felt adventurous that evening, so I ordered Shirako in Ponzu sauce but too bad they were out of Ponzu sauce, so I was recommended deep fried Shirako instead. Oh, Shirako is Cod Fish's Sperm Sacs. It tasted quite good, silky smooth and a texture like tofu. Also, there's no fishy taste at all. Try it if you like tofu =P

Deep Fried Shirako

My adventure doesn't stop there because the last and third order is Omakase Sushi Course (RM120 ++), which literally means "surprise me, Chef".

Appetizers are Beef Stew with Daikon and Stir-fried long beans with prawn. The beef is le tender and juicy, and the daikon (radish) soaked up the sauce and yet still holding up. While the long bean is not too wowing the prawn is quite springy.

The dish is Sashimi consists of Hamachi (Yellow Tail), Salmon Belly and Maguro? The wasabi given here is not your normal one but the one freshly grated. The fishes were cut thick instead of the normal kiamsap thin cut. It's very fresh and juicy with fish oil.

Next dish is Grilled Mackerel if not mistaken. While it's quite good but it's just a little bit over cooked. The sides that look like kiwi fruit is something like sweet potato but less sweet.



One of my favourite dish of this course is the Homemade Tofu in Special Sauce. The tofu is so rich in soy that it was like eating very concentrated taufufa and drinking soy milk. Even if I don't put in the sauce, I can finish it plain. Also, it's so silky smooth.

I'm not sure whether the chef is out of idea or he just forgot that he served me the same dish in the appetizer at this course. The only different is that the portion is bigger.



Oyster from US is in season, so the chef made a grilled oyster on this 6th course. Not too common eating oyster this made this way. A special dipping comes with it.





While waiting for the next dish, I was starting to wondered whether the waitress put in Omakase Sashimi Course instead of Omakase Sushi Course because there is no sushi yet. Then, it came. OMG. Chutoro! Ikura! Anago! All are premium sushi! The chutoro is so rich in fish oil that my hand was oily when I ate it using my hand. I don't eat sushi using chopstick. This is sushi heaven.

Lastly, I washed down the dishes with a clear and thirst crunching Dobin Mushi. Nothing beats a clear broth of shitake, enoki, Japanese leek and Ginko nuts after courses of fishes and meats.

Dobin Mushi

Last last but not least. Dessert. I like the creme brulle.



I think the Omakase Sushi Course is quite value for money. If you are not a big eater, you can share this course with another friend, which will only cost RM60++ per person. Next time I'll try the Omakase Sashimi Course. Oh, please know that you might not get the same dishes that I ate here when you order any Omakase course because it depends on the chef and what ingredients he/she thinks that is good that day.

P.S. Too bad Omakase Sushi Course is not a la carte, so there's no discount.

Address:

Yuzu
T 236, 3rd Floor,
The Gardens,
Mid Valley City,
Lingkaran Syed Putra,
59200 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-22847663

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Asahi Super "Dry" - Shift your Senses

I went to Double Tree again for another beer event.

This time is for a Japanese Premium beer. Asahi Super "Dry". The good news is that Carlsberg got the rights to brew the beer here in Malaysia in their brewery. So, we get the freshest Asahi Super "Dry" in ASEAN!

Asahi on a tap baby! Previously we can only get it in can and all the way from Japan. Now the beer only has to travel from Shah Alam. Fresh! The taste of it? Well, it's easy drinking without the bitterness and the after taste just a tiny bit of bitterness that one will be hard to notice.

It goes very well with tempura and calamari. So, if you are having Japanese food, try a glass of Asahi Super "Dry" draught and see the difference.

Oh, nearly forgot pics with pretty girls.

Fiqa

DJ Faye or Faith?

Bendan.me

Isabella.

Melissa.

Naomi.

Yiching and Christine.

And a handsome guy.

William San 辛伟廉