Lunch at Sagano

It was not often that I was pleasantly surprised. Especially when it comes to food. My brother-in-law was right in the middle of his two weeks in Malaysia before returning again to Turkmenistan. The perils of working for the oil and gas industry I supposed. Good thing that he was not married. But this being the only weekend he had to spend with the family, he decided to treat us for lunch.

We love Japanese and Razak, my brother-in-law loved his oysters. Usually we went to PH Hilton for the Japanese buffet. They do a really good spread for weekends. Very popular and unfortunately by the time we rang them yesterday, they were already fully booked. There was alternatively Marriott Putrajaya. But in Sunday, the Japanese outlet there do an alternative spread. We decided to about that. We opened our trusty KL Food Guide and there it was. Sagano at Renaissance KL. Never been there, but they had tables available. So that was where we had lunch.

We were surprised. The spread was what we wanted, sashimi, oyster, tempura, tappenyaki, chicken teriyaki and even my unagi kabayaki. They were also children friendly, with special plates and cutleries for the boys. And the best part was - with adults, two kids can have the buffet free of charge! Only on Sundays mind you!

A quick peek at one of the private roomsWe definitely went for everything. The staff were friendly - all Malaysians, who understood exactly what we ordered for. I grabbed a whole rack of sashimi - twice. Razak got his oysters. The boys got their teriyaki. Nobody complained. The staffs were super-friendly. Apparently there were private rooms for an extra charge if one wanted privacy and a more personalised service.

Before long, the boys have gone hyper on miso. The started running around the place. Good thing that the place was not packed. Maybe, we better get the private rooms next time we come.

Compared to PJ Hilton, the outlet may lack the finesse in terms of the extra quality of a five star hotel, but to be honest, the reasonable food selections, friendly staffs and the kid-friendly atmosphere will definitely make us return. Apparently, if we wait a bit longer, there will be activities for children at the main hotel lobby - face-painting, games etc from 2.30pm, in time for patients to have hi-tea. Maybe we would try that in the future. In the near future.

SAGANO JAPANESE RESTAURANT, West Wing, 1st Floor, Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel, corner of Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2162 2233