Kampachi at Pavilion

The owner of Sushi Express at Great Eastern Mall told us once that his usual sushi place is Kampachi. They had a couple of restaurants, the flagship being at Equatorial. Last weekend, we decided to give its sister restaurant at Pavilion a try.

To be honest, we were disappointed. Not only that the price there seemed double to what we would have expected to pay, the quality was not that good either. The place was quite OK and the food were presented well enough, but that did not compensate for the high price.

We tried their wagyu beef, as well as some rice dishes. It was just OK. Nothing spectacular. The children's meal was rather unique however, presented in cosy little containers. The boys has some chicken teriyaki. They did not complain so, it should be fine taste-wise.

Would I be coming back? Don't think so, but I am willing to give the main branch at Equatorial Hotel a try. I prefer my wage somewhere else anyhow.

Yuzu Japanese Restaurant, KLCC

The original plan was to look for dinner. Some Thai food, tom yam soup and steamed fish to be exact. We went to five stalls and two restaurants, and all of them were closed. Aidil Adha is a bigger deal in Kelantan than anywhere else in Malaysia. And as the majority of the Thai food stores were run by Kelantanese, most of them would be back home up north.

Since it was just me and Anita, we pressed on to our other destination, KLCC. After the errands were done, it was time for dinner. We have been eyeing the new Japanese restaurant on the top floor of Suria, Yuzu. It was certainly well made up, taking the place of what was previously a Sundanese food outlet, right next to Little Penang Cafe.

The ambiance was relaxingOur drinks, Apple Mohito and Shirley Temple.The setting was modern, but the ambiance was authentic. The waitresses were even in Kimonos. We ordered from the oversized menu. For started, we went for salmon sashimi platter and mango and soft shell crab rolls. For the mains, I had my usual pick, salmon don and saba (mackerel) teriyaki. Anita had some wagyu beef. As for drinks, we had a couple of mocktails, I had apple mohito and Anita had Shirley Temple.

The food was actually very good. The sashimi and mackerel were fresh. The wagyu beef was exquisite. Even the mocktails were gorgeous. The rice on my salmon don was a disappointment however. I was expecting a more starchy rice, but the one we had were rather plain. A minor complaint really in the scheme of things.

The salmon sashimi platter for starterThe mango and soft shell crab rollMy salmon donAnd also my mackerel - saba - teriyakiAnita's wagyu beef. Now you see it .....Now you don't. All done inside 5 minutes.Another thing we noticed was that the service could have been better in term of speed. The pace was, should I say pedestrian. We waited for quite some time for our drinks, and our starters took longer than expected. Be prepared to wait if you asked for the wagyu beef. And mind you, the restaurant were hardly full, and we entered before Maghrib, before the supposed peak hour.

Would we come back? Of course. I would avoid ordering don (rice) however. And I believe that the gozen set might be faster to prepare, so go for that. The restaurant is located on the top - fourth - floor of Suria, near the middle of the mall. Also, be prepared for a tight squeeze as the table arrangement was not conducive for children and prams. More information on the restaurant can be found here.

Lunch at Rakuzen

I was treated to a nice lunch today, right across the road from the hospital. A Japanese restaurant called Rakuzen. A very unassuming place but the food was much better than expected.

Everything was kept simple, and our host were nice enough to book a room for us. I had nabeyaki udon and some salmon with rice. Very nice.

Since this would probably be a regular haunt for me in the future, I wouldn't call this a review. But it was nice none the less. Apparently it was a very popular joint amongst the hospital staffs. On the way out, the waitresses knew my colleague by the name and said, "see you tomorrow". Hmmm! I wonder why?

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