Lunch @ Watami Japanese Casual Restaurant, One Utama

Yesterday I went to One Utama shopping mall with my sis to do last minute pre-CNY shopping. We managed to catch a movie before our lunch, and it was around 3pm only we started to feel the hunger.

We walked pass a restaurant which replaces Italiannies Pasta Pizza restaurant, there were not many people around and I guessed was due to the odd hour. My sis suddenly remembered her friend actually recommended this fusion style Japanese restaurant, thus we decided to give it a try.

The menu

Chicken Katsu Don. We added the egg ourselves when the sauce & gravy start to boil. We were so 'chicken hand duck leg' (Cantonese), the waiter then lend us a helping hand, lol.

The steaming hot chicken katsu, but I'll rate it with higher mark if the chicken skin not so thick & fat. RM17.90

Okonomi Satsuma RM14.90- This is really tasty and delicious! Different from the ordinary Okonomiyaki where the base is made from flour , this is made from fish cake. The waiter actually recommended this to us because we don't eat beef, the main ingredient in their signature Okonomiyaki. I love this okonomi satsuma a lot, suddenly wanna learn to cook this myself, lol

Anago maki RM16.90- Tempura eel sushi, not very special but taste good

Irodori Unagi RM7.90- delicious! but too small portion ><

We finished our meal with matcha parfait RM11.90, so satisfying!

Wanna learn more about Watami? This is it's official website. It actually has set menu for 2 & 4, where you can enjoy japanese style salad or pizza, sushi, hotpot, dessert etc... I'll definitely go back to try it next time.

ps:All photos above captured by my Samsung Galaxy Ace GT-S5830 :)

Lunch @ Hokkaido Ichiba (Kita no Zen), One Utama Shopping Centre

Last Sunday, I went to One Utama shopping mall with my sisters for shopping and lunch. I really appreciate my weekend nowadays, especially on days that I no need to work locum/extended hours. We planned to dine in at Hokkaido Ichiba (Kita no Zen)as suggested by my eldest sister as she knows we love Japanese food!

We decided to have early lunch/brunch to avoid the usual long queue. That's the first time we tried Hokkaido Ichiba in One Utama, as it's newly opened, very near to the relocated KFC. We did try Hokkaido Ichiba in the Gardens, Midvalley mega mall and the queue is always very very long. It's under the same management as Sushi Zanmai, but of a more high class version I suppose. The decoration is nice, looks more grand than Sushi Zanmai.

The menu

Ice Green Tea - Free of Charge. The service is good, we get green tea refill many times without being requested, and is FOC.

Cranky Salmon Maki, very tasty!! The salmon is fresh and juicy. RM16.00

I just couldn't stop from eating it, one after another.

Turkey Cheese Okonomiyaki , much much more nicer than the one I tried at Sushi Zanmai, the Gardens, Midvalley. This one is fully seasoned with sauce and mayonnaise, yum yum ^^ The okonomiyaki is served hot, with bonita flakes dancing on top of it. ^^
RM20.00

Chicken Teriyaki Zen (Bento set) RM22.00

Needless to mention, the teriyaki chicken is nicely marinated. The chicken is soft and juicy too.

Chawan mushi - The japanese egg custard. The egg custard is very soft and slurpy. ^^

Chicken Katsu Don- RM18.00. Nothing much to describe but just a simple word- GOOD!

All the prices above subjected to 10% service charge and 6% government tax. We spent RM88.15 in total for 3 pax.

Hokkaido Ichiba (Kita no Zen)
LG101, Lower Ground Floor Promenade,
One Utama Shopping Centre,
No.1 Lebuh Bandar Utama, 47800 Petaling Jaya.
Tel: (603)77270020 Fax: (603) 77280030
Super Dining Sdn Bhd

A Satisfactory Meal @ Sushi Tei, Tropicana City Mall

2 days ago I went to Tropicana City Mall with my younger sister to watch The Smurfs. After enjoying the hilarious movie,we decided to have dinner at Sushi Tei. I been to this same restaurant last year to treat my friend a dinner on his birthday, I remember the food quality was above average and quite expensive. As my sis has been craving for Japanese food for a few days, we decided to give it another try.

We stepped into the restaurant around 7.30pm, the usual dinner time for most of the people, so not surprisingly the restaurant was quite full. Initially we planned to sit around the sushi bar but already taken by other people.

As usual, I have my hot green tea (RM2). The waiters will refill your tea continuously without being requested, good service!

Potato Salad, a dish that I'll definitely order in a Japanese restaurant. RM7.80. (More expensive than Sushi Zanmai & Sakae Sushi)

Okosama Sushi- RM8.80 for this whole plate, a more economical choice

Specially requested by my sister- Special Unagi Roll, our favourite. RM27.80. This is expensive but super delicious, much tastier than Zanmai and Sakae, needless to mention Sushi King or Genki. The unagi was still steaming hot when served to our table, I could see the smoke. I believe they are freshly grilled upon customer's order.

Yum yum Salmon Sushi- RM4.20

Salmon Mentai Sushi- RM6.80, another MUST try sushi, finger licking good!

The whole meal cost me RM68.90 inclusive of 10% service charge and 6% government tax, my treat for my sis after getting my half month bonus (actually already finished spending all the $, lol).

Bangkok Trip- Dinner at Fuji Restaurant, MBK

Just back from Bangkok yesterday, really have had a great time there. I'll say Bangkok is a shopping paradise for girls, haha. We could spend few hours in Naraya store, and I still regret for not buying more bags! Hopefully I can re-visit Bangkok as soon as possible, and definitely not in October for the next round, really don't plan to be caught in the rain.

Besides shopping, we did try some famous delicious food recommended by my friend and relative, and here goes my diet plan again, haha. On the first night, we had dinner at Fuji Restaurant, MBK shopping centre. We had to wait for around 15 minutes before seated.

It was dinner time, the place was quite crowded but the service was not bad.

Fake food being displayed. Look at the Fuji Bento Set, so nice! And the price is cheap, can't get such a sumptuous portion with this $ in KL.

Ice green tea, my must-order drink at Japanese restaurant. Fuji brand green tea, not bad.

Hot green tea

Okonomiyaki, yum yum!!! Highly recommended by Sze Min, and I just can't stop loving it! Owww, I really miss the great taste, wanna hunt for it in Sushi Zanmai this weekend. Hope that it'll be equally good.

Takoyaki- Octopus balls. Taste good too! Only 80baht for this, unbelievable!

Pork Katsudon- my sis finds this quite tasty, but she still prefers the one she tried at Tampopo Restaurant, Takashimaya, Singapore.

My Chicken Teriyaki set, delicious!

Love the Miso soup which comes with the set, lots of mushrooms, tofu and seaweed in it.

Forgot it's name... but the bowl quite funny right? Erm...

Pork Teriyaki

This meal cost us around 800 ++ baht only, I really hope it will have some branches in KL with equally good deal, lol!

Tampopo Japanese Restaurant @ Takashimaya, Orchard Road, Singapore

Just back from Singapore recently, this time we got free accommodation at my relative's house, so it helps to save a lot. On the first day upon arrival, we unpacked our stuffs as soon as possible and headed straight to Orchard road. Orchard road is packed with bunch of people and tourists, as usual. After some shopping (window shopping for me), we wanna had dinner at Pepper Lunch, a Japanese type of fast food restaurant. To our surprise, it's being replaced by another Japanese restaurant named Tampopo. With some hesitations, we went into the restaurant, thinking of exploring a restaurant which couldn't be found in KL.

The chef at Tampopo is a Japanese, he served the food to us himself, with his warm smile. The customers beside us are Japanese too, eating the famous Ramen highly recommended by the chef. I dun really like ramen or udon, so I chose Chicken Cutlet Set, and it didn't disappoint me!

Chicken Cutlet Set. S$17.30++ The set comes with a bowl of rice, miso soup with sumptuous filling , watermelon and refillable hot green tea. I love the chicken cutlet the most, the chicken is so juicy and tasty that you can eat without any sauce. The outer layer is crispy yet not oily.

Chicken Katsu Don Set. S$16.30 ++. Much better than chicken katsu don which I tried before at Kura Restaurant & Sushi Zanmai.

I wish Tampopo will have its branches in KL soon~~

Dinner Treat @ Sakae Sushi, The Curve

Few days back when Huey Im told me she will be coming back to Malaysia for holiday, I promised to give her a dinner treat. When we met up at The Curve last night, Huey Im suggested to have dinner at Sakae Sushi, a place where I have dined out for more than 10 times I guess. Since the opening of Zanmai Sushi, I seldom go to Sakae Sushi for meal but it's still a good place for Japanese cuisine.

Order food with computer is much more convenient especially for a hectic restaurant like Sakae

We went in around 6.15pm, purposely chose to go in before buka puasa time. The restaurant already flooded with customers although it was still early. I really wonder how much the owner earn per month, lol. We ordered a lot of sushi until we can't finish some of it, what a waste haha.

Huey Im's favourite- Salmon sashimi. I didn't dare to eat this until 2008, when I tried my first bite and starting to like it until now. But I still prefer raw salmon with sushi rather than salmon alone @@

My favourite unagi!!! Unagi with teriyaki sauce is always the best combination

First time tried this- Lemon Sorbet. Very very fine ice-cream with lemon flavoring. When we almost finised the dessert, I could feel the bitterness of lemon which is what I like. Yummy ^^

Japanese Spring Food Fair @ One Utama

This evening I went to One Utama with Yin for Japanese Spring Food Fair & sushi dinner, yes, I love Japanese food! This food fair is organized by Shojikiya and held next to Gelato Fruity Ice Cream @ New Wing, One Utama.

All the sales persons are wearing Kimono, yellow in colour. Above photo shows a sales girl demonstrating how to cook miso soup. I tried it, not bad, so I bought a box of miso paste for me to cook soup at Temerloh. ><

Various types of snacks, so tempting

Choya Plum wine. I tried 2 types, 15% alcohol tastes better but we have chosen 10% because it's cheaper. If you spend RM50 or above, you get to buy one bottle (160ml) of choya wine with RM10, which is much cheaper than normal price. We finished the wine in seconds once we got home, haha.

These are what we bought!

My favourite choya

We had dinner at Sushi Zanmai again tonight, the best economic sushi restaurant in town. I've blogged about this before, but I'm still addicted to the sushi served over there. As usual, we ate egg sushi, potato mayo, salmon sushi etc. We also tried something different like soft shell crab maki.

A must try potato mayo, I've ordered endless time. The potato blend with egg and some crispy vege (cucumber? cannot really tell), delicious. Japan cucumber is crunchy and 'sweet', I love it! One for RM4.80, excluding tax.

Crab sushi, my all time favourite at Zanmai. One plate costs RM4.80

First time try this- Soft Shell Crab Maki, RM6.00.Not bad,the soft shell crab very crispy, but a bit salty and too much flour.