"Back to Basics" with a Twist @ Genji Japanese Restaurant, Hilton Petaling Jaya

Japanese cuisines ranks high on my favorite cuisine list, hence when an invitation came in from Hilton Petaling Jaya to sample their new menu at Genji Japanese Restaurant, I accepted the invite without hesitation. 

Led by Chef Richard Teoh, Head Chef of Genji, the restaurant now boasts a brand new fusion Japanese menu inspired by two of the biggest cities in Japan - Tokyo and Osaka. Osaka is well-known for its simple, mild flavours whereas Tokyo in contrast features bold, strong flavours in food. With its "back to basic" philosophy, the new menu focuses on delivering authentic dishes with a mix of traditional with bold and robust flavours. 

The sushi bar

Private tatami rooms

Fresh seafood is air-flown twice a week to the restaurant (Tue and Fri). The omakase kaiseki, which leaves your dining experience up to the chef, whereby he will prepare it in accordance to the fresh seafood selection of the day. A 7-course omakase kaiseki will set you back RM300++, whereas the 5-course sendai kaizeki  is priced at RM220++.

During our review, we sampled several items from the new menu.  We started off with a trio of appetizers, usually served with the omakase, which included maki tamago (egg roll with unagi filling), chuka kurage (marinated jellyfish) and ika tobiko ai (marinated squid with flying fish roe). Lovely selection served in dainty little seashell bowls.

Marinated squid with tobiko

The kimchi salad (RM26) did a fantastic job in whetting our appetites. The garden greens were tossed with the tangy kimchi and a spicy dressing.

The sashimi/sushi combo platter (RM240) arrived next. Stunningly presented, the fresh sashimi slices sat in a ice bowl and included salmon, tuna, toro (tuna belly), and avocado wrapped in kampachi. The sushi selection included ikura, sea bream, tuna as well as soft shell crab roll. A pure delight to devour.

Fresh sashimi

Oh sushi!

Kaizen mushi (RM30) is traditionally served in Osaka during winter time. The clear fish broth is mild and flavorful, and assortment of seafood (prawns, scallops, mussel, salmon) are steamed with vegetables and mushrooms. This is served with a ponzu dipping sauce with grated radish, yuzu zest and a dash of Tabasco.

The next dish is an example of what you would be served if ordering the omakase kaizeki. On the left is the kaki chilli mayo which Hubby declared as his favorite dish of the afternoon. A single US oyster is grilled with mayo and a hint of chilli padi - so succulent and flavorful with a touch of spiciness. I also loved the gindara teriyaki (cod fish) which is served on a bed of grated radish, Nameko mushroom and spinach puree. The fish was so flaky and delicious.

Oyster and cod fish - brilliant!

To end, we had the azuki banana dorayaki (RM30) - fragrant bananas and red bean paste wrapped in dorayaki (Japanese pancake, made in-house) with goma (black sesame) ice cream. Love the sweet, creamy ice cream.

Thanks Hilton PJ for the fantastic lunch.



Location: Genji Japanese Restaurant, Level 1, Hilton Petaling Jaya, 2 Jalan Barat, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Tel: 03-7955 9122

Website: http://www.petaling-jaya.hilton.com

GPS Coordinates: 3.102164, 101.640573



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Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul @ Paradigm Mall, Selangor

These days, we do not have to travel all the way to Penang to enjoy the famous hawker fare, with the emergence of sister outlets here in KL/PJ. Recently, a friend of ours recommended that we try out Penang Rd Famous Teochew Chendul which have opened up an outlet in Paradigm Mall - she's a Penangite and tells us that the food here is pretty authentic. 

We have walked past this outlet a few times in the past, but never stepped foot in as I was worried my kids would not be able to eat the spicy noodles. Turns out the noodles were not too spicy and the kids could enjoy it with us :)

The Famous Cendol

The outlet is pretty small, with limited tables and it is very popular so its common to see lots of people waiting for tables. We both ordered the Original Teochew Cendol (RM4.90) which arrived rather quickly. It is pretty good, creamy with a generous amount of cendol strands and red bean.

The noodles took sometime to arrive, possibly due to the limited kitchen space. We ordered the assam laksa (RM7.90) and Penang curry mee (RM7.90), both which we found quite mild tasting. The assam laksa was pretty good though a bit on the sweet side, however Baby C seemed to enjoy it very much. Penang curry mee is white when served, then you mix in the chilli paste and enjoy. I quite like the rich and creamy broth - this came with quite a nice amount of cockles, prawns, tofu puff and long beans.

Penang curry mee

I know it's a bit late now that Christmas is over, but here's some photos of the Christmas decor at Paradigm Mall. I saw on a friend's feed that they are reusing the bears but have changed their outfits to CNY ones. 

Dessert time - none other than Cielo Dolci's salted caramel gelato ;) Oh-so-good!

Followed by 7 sins of chocolate at Delectable by Su 

Such an adorable (gigantic!) bear at the entrance of the mall

Bear-y cute! :D

Price: RM25.60 for cendol + noodles.

Location: Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul, LG-08 Paradigm Mall, No.1 Jalan SS7/26A, Kelana Jaya, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. (near Tesco)

GPS Coordinates: 3.105378, 101.594757


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Obanhmi, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Bánh mì is a popular Vietnamese sandwich which is made of a Vietnamese-style baguette and native Vietnamese ingredients, such as cilantro, fish sauce and pickled carrots. Having heard a lot of good things about OBanhmi in Damansara Uptown, we made a date with our friend to meet here for breakfast.

Long wooden tables and high steel chairs make up the interior of this establishment. Obanhmi is opened by two Hanoian best friends Daniel Nguyen and Chris Bui. We quickly study the blackboard menu on the wall and place our orders for an O School (RM10.70), O Sunny (RM12.20) and O BBQ (RM11.20) sets which come with a drink. They have recently added a couple more new sandwiches to their menu - O-Ga with chicken teriyaki and O-Roasted Pork.

O School

My first thought was that the bánh mì looks good - love the vibrant colours and fresh cilantro that tops each sandwich. I took a bite and was relieved that Vietnamese-style baguettes are crisp yet light and airy, and not at all hard. Each bánh mì is packed full of ingredients, including pork pâté, homemade mayo as well as pickled carrot and radish.The O School (the original Vietnamese baguette) is made up of lemongrass chicken, chilli and ham,while the O Sunny, which was my favorite is basically the O School with an added fried egg - tastes so good!  The O BBQ is served with BBQ pork, a sunny-side up egg and Vietnamese chilli sauce - this was Hubby's favorite (a really meaty one, this is!) but I found the meat to be on the dry side. 

There is also a O.M.G which is twice the load of O Sunny (only RM11.20) - great value if you're a big eater. We also ordered a O Susu for the kids - which is a baguette served with condensed milk. Our friend also ordered some O Rolly (RM7), deep fried Vietnamese spring rolls with minced pork, mushrooms, shredded carrots and mung bean noodles.

O Sunny - my fav!

O BBQ

Vietnamese Iced Lemon Tea

Cold Vietnamese iced coffee

O Rolly - Vietnamese fried spring roll

Sit at the back of the restaurant and watch the baguette making session 

The menu

Verdict: Really tasty banh mi!


Opening times: Tue-Fri 8am to 8.30pm, Sat-Sun 10am to 9pm. Closed on Mondays.

Service: Fast.

Location: Obanhmi Shop, 33, Jalan SS 21/56B, Damansara Uptown, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Tel: 03-7732-8540

GPS Coordinates: 3.137934, 101.621903

Website: https://www.facebook.com/OBMshop



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Lunch @ Soleil, Petaling Jaya, Selangor

I keep a list of "Restaurants I want to visit" on my iPhone and we finally struck Soleil off the list during my birthday week. Soleil can be considered a fine dining restaurant, serves modern European cuisine and specialises in seafood dishes, something which their head chef Evert Onderbeke is known for.

Chef Evert used to head the kitchen at the now defunct High Tide (one of the best we tried at that time, we thought) and later on he worked on for a bit at Cuisine Gourmet by Nathalie. So naturally we had pretty high expectations for our lunch here at Soleil.

My favorite dish of the afternoon

The decor is minimal yet classy with lots of natural sunlight. They have a pretty small menu here and you can choose from a la carte, set lunch (RM75 for 3-course) or signature lunch (RM125 for 3-course). They also have a changing specials board. We decided to go a la carte since we're on a celebratory lunch ;)

After placing our order, we saw a familiar face - Effendie, the ex-restaurant manager from Sage KL is now at Soleil. We were served some nice, warm bread with butter and black salt while waiting for our food.

Bar area

For starters, I ordered the Marinated Crabmeat with Avocado, Momotaro Tomato and Basil Sorbet (RM40). Beautifully stacked with Chef Evert's signature garnish, the pea shoot. Clean, refreshing flavours, I certainly enjoyed this - it scores high on both the taste and looks department. I especially like the basil sorbet which gives this a unique touch.

Meanwhile, Hubby had the Pan Fried Hokkaido scallops with Sauteed Belgian Endives and Mustard Mousseline (RM40). The scallops were well-seasoned and plump,though we wouldn't mind a bigger portion of scallops.

For mains, we both chose from the specials board. Hubby had the mushroom risotto with pan fried veal sweetbread (RM85). The risotto was nicely done, and being a first-timer with sweetbread, I thought it tasted very similar to chicken. When I saw mussels on the specials menu (in the starters section), I knew I wanted that for my mains. The Dutch mussels (RM45) were steamed in white wine,herbs butter and lemongrass. However, they were not as good as I expected them to be and the mussels were pretty small compared to the ones I had here.

Pretty, like a butterfly!

For dessert, I had the Passion Fruit and Mango Cannelloni with Pineapple Cremeux, Citrus Crumble and Mango Sorbet (RM26). It looked really pretty on the plate and the overall combination was pretty good with lots of different textures going on.

Hubby's pandan crepe (RM26) came looking like a parcel (tied with a pandan knot) and once opened, revealed caramelised bananas. This was served with a refreshing coconut sorbet.

Verdict: Nice ambiance with beautifully presented plates of food. A great place for a celebratory meal. 


Opening times: 12.00pm - 2.30pm; 6.30pm-10.30pm. Closed on Mondays.

Pork-free.

Price: Total bill RM290 (visited in Nov 2013).

Location: Soleil, 22A Jalan 17/54, 46400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-7932 5989

Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Soleil/326050024194499

GPS Coordinates: 3.12599, 101.637093



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