Dinner at Watami, Pavilion KL

I am constantly on the lookout for good Japanese food and as I've said on this blog before, I'm happy that there are so many places to choose from in KL as it will keep me going for a while!


As part of our ongoing quest to find delicious food from my mother country, The Boy and I paid a visit to Watami, a 'Japanese Casual Restaurant' in Pavilion. We had received a flyer with their menu on it and thought it looked appealing enough to try. The menu is extensive to say the least and usually that's a danger sign for me as typically, restaurants that try to do too many things tend to excel at none of them.


The clincher for me was the mochi cheese okonomiyaki on the menu. Okonomiyaki (Japanese savoury pancake) is one of my favourite Japanese foods and the mochi-filled variety my favourite of them all. Unfortunately, I've found decent okonomiyaki very hard to come by outside of Japan. So when I saw this on the menu at Watami I had to try it even if it was going to be average, just to satisfy my cravings. 


So on a casual Saturday night we strolled up to Level 4 of the constantly buzzing Pavilion mall and were quickly shown to a table. After a few minutes of deliberation (as I said the menu is big!) we decided on edamame and kani hotate cream croquettes to start, then okonomiyaki for both of us - Hiroshima style (with soba noodles) for The Boy, mochi cheese style for me.

Edamame (RM7.90)

The edamame arrived within minutes, pleasantly salted and warm as we had requested (you can choose to have them served hot or cold). As we happily munched our way through these delicious beans, the croquettes arrived.

Kani hotate cream (crab and scallop in cream) croquettes (RM12.90)

These are another food I love and usually request when I visit my grandparents in Japan. The traditional croquette (obviously not a Japanese word!) is potato and beef mince, but I love the decadent creaminess of the crab cream variety. The ones I usually have in Japan are slightly flatter circles rather than balls and have a drier crumb. 


But there was certainly nothing wrong with the ones we were served at Watami. They came out searingly hot and in my impatience I burned my tongue but they were delicious all the same. It was the first time The Boy had tried this dish and it got his thumbs up of approval.

Mochi cheese okonomiyaki (RM17.90)

When my okonomiyaki came out I was pleased to see it served on its own hot plate with an authentic metal spatula and topped with delicious okonomi sauce, mayonnaise and dried bonito flakes. I could almost imagine I was in Osaka sitting at the counter as the chef prepared the okonomiyaki on the hot plate in front of me. Almost.


I found the okonomiyaki to be slightly smaller than the ones you would expect in Japan. But there was plenty of mochi inside and plenty of sauce on top, which got big ticks in my book as there's nothing worse than being tight with the toppings. And it was delicious, I polished the whole thing off in a few minutes and was only sad to find myself too full for dessert!


I settled for a refreshing drink instead and ordered a Strawberry & Citrus Coola. 

Strawberry & Citrus Coola (RM9.90)

It was full of real strawberry pieces and had a delightfully refreshing fizz without being overly sweet. Perfect end to a wonderful meal with prompt, friendly service and all very reasonably priced.


We will be back again to sample more of the menu which also has sushi and sashimi, meat, noodles, salads and an array of Japanese desserts. Watami also has set menus for lunch (starting from RM17.90++) and dinner starting from RM40++ per person for dinner for 2. 


Details:
Watami Malaysia
Level 4, Pavilion KL
168 Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
www.watami.com.my 

Sushi Zanmai, Fahrenheit 88 KL

Sushi is one of my favourite foods. I know it's a bit stereotypical, my being half-Japanese and all, but honestly I think I could live on the stuff.

I've been fortunate that over the past few years sushi has really taken off in Sydney and among the many (some of them unfortunately very average) conveyor-belt sushi places and tiny shops at stations, there are some real gems.

Since moving to KL, I've happily discovered that sushi, and Japanese cuisine in general, is popular here and Japanese restaurants are ubiquitous. I'm yet to go anywhere truly incredible but I have been making a point to try the various sushi train/conveyor belt outlets nearby. They are a good option when you're looking for something tasty, affordable and fast that's a little nicer to your waistline than McDonalds!

The best one I've tried so far that's walking distance from my place is Sushi Zanmai, tucked away in Fahrenheit 88 on Bukit Bintang. I like to browse the shops in Fahrenheit every once in a while and can usually find a new dress or top to buy - the shops makes a nice change from the likes of Suria KLCC and Pavilion and they're so cheap!

I paid a visit to Sushi Zanmai on my most recent browsing trip through Fahrenheit, though I actually first discovered it last year when I was visiting The Boy in KL before moving here.

As soon as you walk inside, you forget you are in a shopping mall. The restaurant is beautiful, done largely in black and white with muted lighting which gives a classy feel. Sit at the counter and you can see the fresh fish behind the glass where the sushi chefs are hard at work.

On my most recent visit I was only there for a quick bite quite late in the afternoon so the sushi train selection was quite sparse and I ended up ordering off the (very extensive) menu. Although Sushi Zanmai mainly offers sushi, you can also choose from a big range of other Japanese dishes like udon and soba noodles, donburi (rice in a bowl with topping like chicken or eel), tempura and bento (Japanese lunch boxes). 

I ordered aburi salmon, salmon roll and california roll, plus hot green tea (1RM) to drink. Every dish was beautifully presented, which is what really made it a memorable experience. 

Aburi salmon

Salmon roll

California roll

I think for the quality of food, the prices are very reasonable and the service was good too with staff attentive and all my dishes coming out quite promptly. 

I'll be going back there again soon to sample some more of their menu! 

Sushi ZanmaiLot No. 2-03
Fahrenheit 88
Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur
Website: http://www.supersushi.com.my/f88.html

Saisaki Japanese Buffet Restaurant, UOA Centre

The other night The Boy and I paid a visit to Saisaki for a Japanese buffet dinner. Located in the UOA Centre across the road from KL Convention Centre/Aquaria, Saisaki always looked crowded even during the week. We finally took the plunge after our new friends J&S recommended it as one of their favourites for a special occasion. After all, Valentine's Day was just around the corner, why not treat ourselves early?


Saisaki is quite a large restaurant. Open for lunch and dinner, it is a full buffet with a separate drinks menu. From the moment we arrived the service was impeccable with the staff all friendly and attentive. It was almost 8pm on a Friday night but plenty of people eating which was reassuring, as there's nothing worse than a buffet full of food that has been sitting in baymarines for hours.


We quickly ordered drinks - a beer for The Boy and a fresh watermelon juice for me. I should mention there are also dispenser drinks available as part of the buffet e.g. lemon tea, blackcurrant etc. which we actually didn't see until later but my juice was deliciously refreshing so I didn't mind. 


Our drinks arrived and I set off for the buffet. First port of call was the sushi area. There was a fantastic range of sushi, maki and sashimi available for self-serve, all looking bright and fresh and some of it beautifully decorative. I happily created a sushi platter all for myself (on a lovely plate too) headed back to the table to eat. 

The highlights for me were the aburi salmon, which had the perfect just-seared flavour, the chu-toro sashimi (fatty tuna) which was melt-in-your-mouth delicious and the inari boat for its bright colours and sweet flavour. 


The Boy came back with a plate loaded up with fresh tempura and a small dish of dipping sauce. While the prawn tempura was a bit batter-heavy in my opinion, the tempura eggplant and pumpkin were delicious, as was the yasai moriawase (mixed vegetables). 

It was time to move onto hot dishes, of which there were plenty, mostly Japanese but also some Chinese items mixed in (grilled phoenix feet anyone? Or perhaps sweet and sour chicken?) The Boy raved about the braised beef while I took a liking to the beef omelette. The salmon garlic rice is also a must, with deliciously crispy pieces of garlic scattered through fried rice with small pieces of pink salmon. It reminded me of my favourite garlic and shallot rice at The Rice Den in Sydney. 


There was also a teppanyaki station which we didn't try this time around, where you choose your own meat and vegetables and have them cooked to order on a hot plate; and a takoyaki station with all the necessary trimmings. Plenty of reason to go back again!


I have to admit that I actually had eaten so much sushi and sashimi by this point that I didn't have a lot of room left for the 'main' part of the buffet, as what room I did have I was leaving for...dessert!!


Yes. I come from a family of dessert lovers, people with sweet tooths worse than mine and my siblings' you would be hard-pressed to find. So did the selection at Saisaki satisfy my lust for sugar?


It had a pretty decent crack at it. There was a shaved ice station where you could choose your own syrups and toppings but The Boy and I bypassed it for self-serve ice cream. He had Pistachio & Almond and Chocolate Chip, while I had Green Tea, Choc Chip and Cookies & Cream. Yum yum yum. The Boy was very impressed with the Pistachio, and we both liked the chocolate - this is rare as I am not actually a huge chocolate ice cream person (I prefer to eat actual chocolate most of the time!)


There was also a lovely selection of mini cakes so I sampled a coffee cake and a vanilla cake, while The Boy chose a chocolate cake. The vanilla cake was a little too sweet on a full stomach but the coffee cake was very nice. I finished off with a pumpkin custard (made in a real pumpkin) and a mochi filled with red bean, one of my favourite Japanese sweets. 

When we left it was after 9 but still plenty of people eating their fill. The staff were just as friendly on the way out as they had been when we arrived and we left feeling pleasantly full and happy after an enjoyable dining experience. 


The price for the dinner buffet on Friday night was 65.90RM per person. Prices vary. You can pick up a price list from the restaurant or find out more on their website.

Restoran Saisaki Healthy Japanese Buffet:

Unit No. 1-9, 1st. Floor, Wisma UOA II,

No. 21, Jalan Pinang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel : 03-2166 3728 Fax : 03-2166 6728

www.saisaki.com.my