Japanese Yee Sang @ Hokkaido Ichiba, The Gardens Mall, KL

Last weekend, we met up with a good friend for lunch at Hokkaido Ichiba / Kita No Zen in The Gardens Mall. We ordered our food, chatted away, food arrived and we ate our lunch and then we got talking about CNY and yee sangs... and I said "Hey they do yee sang here too, wanna try?"

Japanese yee sang

We ordered the small yee sang (RM38) which is enough to feed 3-4 persons. They also do a larger version. It arrived looking very pretty, with a salmon rose crowned in the centre. Other ingredients in the yee sang include jellyfish (chuka karage), shredded/julienned vegetables such as radish and carrot, tempura bits, pickled ginger, seasoned seaweed, and marinated scallop lips (chuka hotate). Wow this yee sang is soooooo tasty.. I guess it's because it contains so many of my favorite ingredients!

Kids first yee sang this year :)

After lunch we headed over to Moo Cow for some froyo... and just as we sat down, we heard the sound of drums.... oh a lion dance has just started! How lucky. Kids love watching lion dance performances.

And when the crowd dispersed, kids asked if they could go downstairs to see the lion head upclose. The PIC was so nice and let the kids pose and touch the lion head. Another lucky, happy moment! :)

Opening times: 11am to 10pm daily. Hokkaido Ichiba is closed for first 3 days of CNY 2015.

Location: Kita No Zen, Hokkaido Ichiba, T-201, 3rd Floor, The Gardens Mall, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2283 1060


If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)

Hanare Weekend Buffet + Plan B Roasters, Intermark KL

The Unc was back for a short break, and as always, one of the things he was craving for was Japanese food. And where better to satisfy our craving than at the best Japanese buffet in town (in my books) - at Hanare Japanese Restaurant at Intermark Mall, KL.

The buffet is available every weekend from 12 noon to 2.30pm and is priced at RM148++ per person.

Chef Akira-san at the sushi counter

Here's a short summary of what's different / same compared to our last visits. You can read these posts here, here and here which documents our previous visits.

What's different: 
1. In the past, the buffet was available only on Sundays, but now it is available on both Saturday and Sundays. Reservations are recommended since it can get pretty busy.
2. More variety - lots more sushi, appetizers, dessert options.
3. Sashimi is not sliced to order, except for chutoro. In the past, you will need to place your order and wait for the chef to slice and plate it up. No more long waiting time - they are laid out nicely and you can help yourself to as much as you like! The sashimi at the counter is constantly replenished by the sushi chef.
4. Speaking of chutoro (tuna belly), it is no longer free flow and each person is limited to 3 pieces only. You will be given a token to redeem your chutoro at the sushi counter. I admit, I was a little upset at first but the really fresh (unlimited) salmon and hamachi sashimi made up for it.:)


What's the same:
1. The price - still RM148++ with free flow green tea.
2. The same great quality of food. The sashimi are super fresh and thickly cut and we love the Wagyu beef, king prawn and scallop from the teppanyaki counter too.
3. Good service - green tea refilled and plates cleared efficiently.

Chutoro.... sadly, it's limited to 3 pieces per person now

Oysters

Lots of sushi, makis 

Unagi

Shishamo

 Had lots and lots of sashimi... :)

Teppanyaki... Wagyu, scallops and prawns are our favorites!

They replenish this pretty often... and everytime they do, it disappears in 2 mins! :D I "may" have been responsible for some of the disappearing acts. Excellent marbling.

Wagyu teppanyaki..... so so good! Buttery-goodness!

A few desserts on offer too, my fav being the green tea ice cream.

After lunch, we stopped by at Plan B Roasters by BIG for some coffee. Affogato and double espresso.

Verdict: Totally enjoyed the buffet at Hanare. Great quality and good service.


The Hanare Japanese buffet is available every weekend from 12pm to 2.30pm. Priced at RM148++ for adults.

Price: Total bill RM515.05 for 3 pax.

Location: Hanare Authentic Japanese Cuisine, Lot G06, Ground Floor, The Intermark, 182 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2164 2133 / 03-2164 2633

 *******************

Opening times: Mon - Sat 8am - 8pm. Closed on Sundays.

Location: Plan B Roasters by BIG, Lot G-03 Ground Floor, The Intermark, 348 Jalan Tun Razak, KL

Tel: 03 2161 2368

GPS Coordinates: 3.161620, 101.719670

If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)

Ichi Zen Japanese Restaurant, Tokyo Street + Christmas Decor @ Pavilion KL

Do you have a favorite cuisine? Usually when we eat out, my kids will choose Japanese food. We visited Pavilion KL last week to check out their Christmas decoration and at the same time, we had lunch at Ichi Zen, located in Tokyo Street on Level 6.

Ichi Zen is owned by Edo Ichi Group, which owns Edo Ichi in Publika and several other Japanese restaurants. The restaurant here was busy when we arrived, so they asked if we were okay with being seated at the sushi counter. No problemo. Usually when we have Jap with the kids, it's easier to order a set since it comes with chawanmushi, rice, miso soup and fruits which they like.

Baby C requested for tempura, so I went for the tempura set (RM28). Hubby went for the tonkatsu set (RM28). We also went for an extra plate of sashimi, which you can order for RM10 with every set lunch. We were both happy with the sets - my tempura had a light, crispy batter and came with 4 prawn and assorted vegetable tempura. The sashimi was also fresh - for RM10 it's definitely good value - 3 slices of salmon sashimi and 2 slices each of tuna and butter fish.

Tempura set (RM28)

Nice tempura

Smooth chawanmushi

Tonkatsu

Beautiful Christmas decoration at Pavilion KL - definitely the best in town and my fav!

With my two cuties :)

Giant Santa

For dessert, we stopped by Chapter Two again for some mille crepe cake - this time we went for tiramisu and chocolate (RM12.90 each). Still as good as I remembered it!

Opening times: 10am to 10pm daily.

Service: Good.

Price: Total bill RM88

Location: Ichi Zen Japanese Restaurant, Lot 6.24.1B, Level 6 Tokyo Street, Pavilion KL Shopping Mall, 168 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2142 8333



If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)

Baby Sumo Birthday Week #2: Rakuzen Japanese Restaurant @ Publika, KL

The birthday celebration continues.... and since both my kids love Japanese food, we visited Rakuzen in Publika. Rakuzen has been around for many years, but this is actually our first time visiting, although we do visit their sister restaurant, Kita No Zen in The Gardens Mall on a weekly basis.

The restaurant is pretty spacious, and we were seated in one of the booths. Service is fast and efficient. Similar to Kita No Zen, they offer a la carte menu as well as set lunches. There are around 20 set lunches to choose from, and with the set lunches, you get miso soup, chawanmushi, pickles, appetizer and fresh fruits for dessert. Really good value for money.

Hubby went for the salmon sashimi zen (RM23) which came with the standard plate of 7 fresh, luscious slices of sashimi.

My kids favorite - saba teriyaki. We love the fatty belly part - so yummy when grilled, almost melt-in-the-mouth. Saba teriyaki zen (RM23).

I went for the Sake oyaki zen (RM30), which is something I cannot get at KNZ - essentially this is a chirashi topped with 3 types of salmon - thick slices of salmon sashimi, salmon belly as well as ikura (popping delicious salmon roe). Totally satisfying!

Thanks Hubby yet again for the birthday lunch!

Please visit their website for full list of restaurant locations and opening times.


Opening times: 12.00pm - 3.00 & 6.00pm - 11.00pm daily.

Price: Reasonable.

Location: Rakuzen, No. 6, Lvl G2, Publika, Solaris Dutamas, 1 Jalan Dutamas 1, 50480 KL (near MPH entrance).

Tel: 03-6411 0822


If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)

Kampachi Japanese + Gelatomio Lounge, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur

When I was growing up, we would sometimes make trips to KL to eat Japanese food at the reputable Kampachi Japanese restaurant located in Hotel Equatorial. Their Sunday buffet was legendary and it was something we looked forward to as the food was always delicious.

Chirashi don

The Kampachi in Equatorial KL is no more (hotel under redevelopment), but one can still find Kampachi in Equatorial Penang & Malacca, Troika, Johor Premium Outlets, Plaza 33 and Pavilion KL. The latter has been around for many years, but last month we visited it for the first time when we had our Japanese cravings. The restaurant in Pavilion KL is spacious and service is good although the restaurant was very busy during lunch time.

Sushi counter

I ordered the Soba/Udon & Chirashi Don set (RM54) and Hubby had the Una Don & Shake Sashimi set (RM62). Out of the two sets, I felt that mine was better value in money.

I opted for cold soba which came with 2 deep fried tempura prawn, as well as a delicious chirashi don. The raw fish topping (salmon, hamachi, tuna, squid, ebikko) was fresh. The tempura was also nice as batter was crisp. Enjoyed this set.

At one time, you could watch the chef preparing the handmade soba noodles at the shop front. 

Hubby's set comes with grilled eel served over rice (Hubby commented the eel was really tasty but the portion was a little small), as well as 3 slices of fresh salmon sashimi. His set also comes with miso soup.

Nice, fresh salmon sashimi, but wish there was more!

After some shopping, we stopped at Gelatomio Lounge for some ice cream. There are around 50 flavours of gelato to choose from here and does not contain any animal fat, coloring or preservatives.

We went for a large cup to share (RM16 for 4 scoops), and went for 3 flavours - cookies and cream, caramel with chocolate and mint chocolate. The latter two flavours were pretty good, though I would have liked it better if the texture was creamier.

Opening times: Mon-Thurs 11.30am - 9.30pm, Fri 11.30am - 10.00pm, Sat 11.00am - 10.00pm, Sun 11.00am - 9.30pm.

Service: Good.

Price: Total bill RM146.15.

Location: Kampachi, Lot 6.09.00, Level 6, Pavilion KL, 168 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: +60 3 2148 9608

Website: http://www.kampachi.com.my

Gelatomio Lounge, P4.17.00, Level 4, Pavilion KL, 168 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (opposite Cotton On)

Tel. : 03-2144 8382
Website : www.gelatomio.com



If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)

Marutama Ramen @ Avenue K, KL

Marutama Ramen is one of my fav places to get my ramen fix. Usually we go to the Fahrenheit 88 outlet, but happy that we can now get it at Avenue K too.

The outlet is located on upper concourse level (same level as H&M Kids). The outlet is quite small, but service is fast and friendly.

Marutama is good if you like your ramen soup to be less rich. Not too cloying, hence you can easily finish the whole bowl. You get the choice of spicy or non spicy soup here, but I personally prefer the non-spicy one. Plus it's better for sharing with the kids.

The char siu is also pretty good and best of all, the EGGS! Simply perfect everytime. Most of the time, we need to order 2 eggs each.

I usually go for the ajitsuke tamago ramen (RM21) with 1 slice of char siu and 1 egg, and Hubby goes for the char siu tamago ramen (RM27) which comes with 4 slices of char siu. And a few extra eggs please. (ajitsuke tamago RM2 each)

We like to grab some ice creams from Simply d before we head home. So far, we've tried a few flavours and our favorites are passion fruit, mango as well as strawberry cheesecake. Perfect for a hot afternoon!

Opening times: 10am to 10pm daily.

Service: Good.

Price: Total bill rm66

Location: Marutama Ramen, UC-7, Upper Concourse Level, Avenue K, 156 Jalan Ampang, 50450, Kuala Lumpur. (same level as H&M Kids Department)


If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)