Some Lunches

Sitting at Starbucks on my leave week to do my dissertation, i decided to take a break and blog a little. Besides, the music on the speakers is just tormenting! I will have to leave really soon if they don’t stop playing it. It’s a James Blunt CD! I keep hearing that ‘Goodbye My Lover’ song, maybe it’s on repeat, i don’t know, but i really feel like strangling someone. And don’t get me started with that song, “You’re Beautiful”….imagine serenading that song to someone. Love tip #1, DON’T!

Starbucks Azuki Frappucino

Have you guys tried the new Azuki Frappucino? Available in both cream based and with espresso shots. I tried both. For the true red bean lover, the cream based one would be one to pick, coffee lovers otherwise. I like this drink, and i have found myself sometimes…yearning, craving for it…

(no coffee experience would be complete without a stick or two…like cheesecake!)

Anyways….

Here are a few of my japanese set lunch escapades. I just love a good nihon no hirugohan . Power packed lunches i call it because they usually fill me up so bad that all i can think of after that is a nice nap. Well, it sorts of defeat the purpose of power packed lunches, as it turned out to be non-productive lunches. Well, here are a few of my belt loosening adventures.

Rakuzen Japanese Restaurant.

I have this almost every other week, as I go out on Thursdays to visit the Matsushita Factories. Therefore this place is situated some place in the middle, more specifically Subang Jaya. This restaurant has been known to be a good average priced japanese eateries. Their set lunches comprises of the normal japenese bento sets…with the exception of pork as it is a halal joint. So no Tonkatsu and Katsudon here. What I have in the picture is their chicken curry don, what i would really prefer is beef ones but since chicken was all they had, so be it. This cost about RM18.00 if i remember correctly. There’s a unagi kabayaki which is pretty decent as well, at about RM26.00, well grilled and tender on the inside. This restaurants greets you with enthutiasm, unlike my weekend visit to Nippon Tei at Times Square which had seasoned (i really mean seasoned!) workers there, that are half-heartedly in their welcoming greetings, a “Welcome” without looking at you. What’s that about? Anyways, back to rakuzen. I’ve been here for dinner as well, however, no pictures taken then. Again i’ve explained before that i can’t be taking out my camera to snap when my clients are around. But like my japanese bosses have said, this is one of the better japanese restaurants.

Kinpachi Japanese Restaurant

Another restaurant located in Subang Jaya, one that alternate between Rakuzen. However, this isn’t as popular and reason being that the food isn’t great, ok i’m a bit harsh…isn’t ‘that’ great. It’s quiet unlike Rakuzen, perhaps it’s situated away from the action. Well, if i don’t feel like bumping into my customers during lunch i would opt for this place. Their Wafu Hamburger isn’t too bad. But their ramen is horrible…hard and seemingly unrefreshed, ramen is a no no here. I tried this lunch set the other day which i forgot the name, is a breaded (like tonkatsu) minced beef rice set. It was pretty decent as being minced beef, it’s tender, like wafu hamburger. Yup come to think of it, it’s a beef burger patty on rice! This was RM20.00. But really, give this a miss…my recommendation to you.

Hajime Japanese Restaurant

This is a classy japanese restaurant situated in Ampang. It is one of those fine dining place, that resides in an old bungalow. So you have ample parking spaces that is for sure. The place specializes in Sashimi and Sushi…and yummy delectable rolls. I just love a good japanese roll…Scrumptious and bursting with flavours thats how i would describe it. Japanese rolls have recently become very popular in KL, they add a touch of fusion to japanese dining. Avocados and cheese has been quite a popular ingredient in these delicious rolls.

You won’t find ramen and udons here nor can you find chicken teppanyaki and katsudons. If you like fresh sushi and sashimi, this is the right place to come to. From the exterior and even the interior, what promises to be an extravagantly priced meal turned out not so otherwise. It is quite a nice place to impress, as the place is surrounded by a feeling of zen, water trickling down from the man made rock gardens. But at the time i visited the place it was empty! Perhaps it is still new and lacked advertising and promotion. Afterall, i wouldn’t have found out about the restaurant if i had not gone to my centre to submit my proposal.

What we have in the picture are some great rolls, i forgot the names, but the first is a picture of a cheese maki, salmon wrapped around some ebiko, grilled cheese, cucumber. The next one is an idako salad which i enjoyed very much, crispy cajunish idakos with the vinegared salad…yummy! Next to the salad, is a unagi roll, again with cheese, a nice sauce that’s in between italian dressing and mayo (probably they mixed it together), and drizzled with some teriyaki sauce…There’s a salmon broth that i ordered but didn’t have a snap of it, but that went cold too quickly, but it was pretty ok. Overall it was quite a delightful experience, not out of this world, but i wouldn’t mind going there again. The bill came up to about RM90+.

kameya japanese restaurant

I went to Kameya on Saturday. Despite it being situated quite strategically in the heart of Bukit Bintang, I have never thought of stepping in to give it a go. Before i begin, i would like to first apologize for the absense of pictures here. I didn;t bring my Cybershot and plus i left my handphone in the car. So read on if it stills interest you. One thing that struck me at first was the picture of the familiar red racoon, ah then i found out that it was part of a japanese restaurant chain in KL. The same owners of Dontaku, Oh Sushi, Hanabi and a couple of others. I went there with Diedre, we were led to a bench style sitting table with square cushions for you to sit on. I guess it’s a more authentic feel to a traditional japanese restaurant. We flipped through the menu. We ordered green tea which came in an oversized pot and we ordered a small ceramic bottle of warm sake as well. The sake was RM15.00. Nothing like a warm sake to give you that warm sensation down your throat.

For the dishes we ordered a Buta Enoki, Unagi and Age Dashi. She ordered a salmon rice ball as well. Buta Enoki is actually thin pork slices wrapped around a bunch of enoki mushrooms or known to some as straw mushrooms. I like this dishes as it was grilled with sweet sauce and this blends in very well with the pork and mushrooms. Gosh! Wished i had taken a picture!! this dish costed RM18.00. Warning though! This dish takes longer to prepare as we had to wait 30 minutes for it to arrive at our table. That is way unacceptably long! The other 2 dishes were pretty normal, unagi being unagi…that dish was RM23.00. It was ok, but i would prefer it on the grill for another minute or two for that slight burnt taste that Rakuzen does so well. Age Dashi here is ma ma…if i remembered it correctly this dish cost RM10.00. The rice ball was good, filled with salmon bits. This is my first time having a rice ball, of course if you really take a good look its actually a bigger version of sushi..

The total bill came up to aboutRM86.00. Not so cheap. The place has many japanese and foreigners. They looked like tourist though. I guess it’s situated near the shopping complexes that’s why. The food is acceptable and i guess if you around that area, it does pretty ok to satisfy your japanese food craving.

Location :
B3 Ground Floor, Federal Bowl, Federal Hotel, 35 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03 2142 0153

Behind Federal Hotel, next to Low Yat Plaza. Has a red signboard.

Myojo Chamera Tonkotsu – Myojo Pork Soup Ramen

RM4.70 at Isetan. I’m sure everyone would be familiar with this brand. Their Mee Goreng Pedas rocks and simply one of the best. This one has a more milky & richer colour to it, with a touch of sesame. The soup is great! I added a few drops of sesame oil just for that richer taste. However, if you prefer the clearer types or less flavourful, like shoyu & shio, then this is not for you. This time around I added some wakame, tofu, spring onions, egg and bacon. Egg, I can’t stress enough the importance of an egg in an instant noodle meal.

The combination is mind-blowing as it really set me back for a really good lunch! The noodle texture is まま,so-so. Not as thick as I would like it to be. The soup was pretty good, of course thanks to my enhancement of boiling it with a few strips of slightly fried bacon. The natural fats and oils from the bacon gave the soup a porkier flavour. The meal stuffed me quite a bit…man was I full!

I recommend braised pork or even roast pork if you have some! Not recommended for heart patients.

3.5 Stars

Sashimi overnight

 I join these food forums online, and recently I was asking whether sashimi could be kept overnight.

Japanese Food Forum

“sometimes i buy sashimi off the supermarkets. I was wondering if i could keep it overnight in the freezer then probably defrost it the next day and have it for lunch? I mean I’d suppose the freshness would probably deteriorate a little, but is it ok to do that, to eat it as it is? Would it have that fishy smell? Main reason is, after 8pm, the sashimis and sushis go for 50% off at ISETAN…and that’s quite a bargain!Anybody can help me out here?”

Khean Yuen

 “I’ve eaten leftover sushi the next day for breakfast after it’s just been in the fridge.  Of course it suffers somewhat  - but it’s never stopped me!Very often, the fish in sushi has already been frozen once before.  So I don’t think the fish or sashimi would be negatively affected.Some of the ingredients will probably fare better than others – why don’t you go ahead and give it a shot?”

Debbie  

 “Dear Kyuen,
I wouldn’t bother to freeze sashimi overnight. If you frequent Japanese markets, you will see that the same piece of fish sits in the case for several days. Depends on the fish, but bluefin tuna will stay decent for about two weeks. Yellowfin only holds about a week before it tastes too aweful to be edible. Other smaller tuna, bonito, albacore and skipjack are not edible after a day, not dangerous, but the taste is very bad and the fish are too soft for sashimi. Probably, no other fish is as durable as bluefin, but yellowtail and similar firm fish will be edible for maybe 3 or 4 days. These times are times after the fish is caught, not after you bought it. Generally, when the segments of flesh start separating, the fish will be too strong tasting for sashimi. Halibut is very durable fish, will last a very long time, but not recommended for sashimi since it is a bottom fish and very wormy. The worms are probably harmless given that halibut is a saltwater fish therefore the parasites are not adapted to land animals but just rather revolting.”

Vicki 

To Vicki and Debbie. ありがとうございます。

How To Cook Oyako Donburi

This is another easy dish to make. Great for a quick dinner and it’s delicious as well. For my version,

I added some bacon for that extra smoky saltiness, even tastier now!    

• What you need are 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons of Mirin, a tablespoon of Japanese soya

• sauce, chicken cubes, bacon diced to bits, spring onions, shitake mushrooms, ½ cup of dashi.

• Firstly, heat some oil and cook the chicken and bacon together.

• Add the mushrooms, dashi, mirin and soya sauce.

• Beat the eggs and add them into the wok.

• Let it just set a little, do not overcook the eggs.

• Scoop the eggs mixture and place it above a bowl of steam Japanese rice.

• Sprinkle some chopped spring onions…Voila.

 This is one of my regular Sunday lunches as sometimes I just get too lazy to go out. What I usually do is, I would cook the rice, enough for about 4 persons. I would then keep the remaining uneaten rice in the freezer or fridge, then when I feel like eating say the above recipe I would just have to reheat it in the microwave. This saves the hassle of cooking the rice every time you want to eat this. It looks bland, but it’s tasty and healthy!

isetan’s sushi & sashimi

IsetanWhere to go for good cheap Japanese Food? どこでやすいにほんのおたべものそいますか。 

The answer is ISETAN ,after 8pm that is. All the sushi and sashimi goes for 50% off. Splendid! A box of Nigiri Sushi would go for RM4.75 after the discount. What a bargain! You get like 2 さけsalmon, one たまご (egg), two vinegared さばmackerels and 1 まぐろ(tuna) and 2 little ones with cucumber. This is just one of them of course, there are many other combinations for you to choose from. Just get yourself a can of ice-cold beer from the cold section there and you are on your way to a good meal for under RM12.00. Yes, no pesky government tax and service charge. Ain’t that something else. Sashimi would be slightly more expensive, going at RM30.00 to RM40.00, but with a 50%! It’s not so bad anymore. I wanted to have their Unagi sushis as well, sort of like a Unagi Platter but I decided on having a variety, as having 2 boxes would be too much to stomach.   Please note, that ISETAN’s sashimi is very fresh.  I know, because they are my client and they ship their fresh produce very frequently under the name Chidori Sushi. So there you go. It’s even fresher than the ones you eat in Sushi King, you know the pale looking sushis on the conveyor belt and they charge like RM4 to 5 bucks for 2 nigiris?  

In case you don’t already know, sashimi simply means Raw in Japanese 

I’m fortunate that I work close to ISETAN, thus, sometimes I just go there and grab a box and a beer, it just so damn satisfying. I don’t recommend this for first dates of course, you el cheapo you. However, it can be quite romantic if you grab some sushi & sashimi, some drinks and just find your cosy corner somewhere on this planet and just enjoy each other’s company with the absence of the hustle and bustle. 

They have something like that in Jusco stores as well, check out the newly renovated Mid Valley one. More stuffs now! Check out that cute SAKANA song played on repeat the whole day at the fish section.

 

Kogetsu Japanese Restaurant – 湖月 (Hyatt Saujana)

もうにほんのレストラン、because I love Japanese food! わたしはにほんたべものそいちばんすきです！Anyways, this time we did a little travelling instead of the usual KL area. This time it was at Hyatt Saujana, near Subang airport. A hotel with a golf course and of course offering different cuisines under one roof. A plus point though for Kogetsu, that it is located outside of the hotel. It is actually by itself, like a house. Pretty authentic and traditional I should say. I wanted to slide open the what seemed to be wooden doors but with technology nowadays, I figured we could use a little help and pampering. Yes, the door automatically slides open, just like the ones at shopping malls, not very traditional, hmmm. The inside deco somewhat seemed like they have not changed the furniture in there since they opened, or it could be that they wanted that authenticity, who knows. It is definitely not your contemporary restaurant like Rakuzen. Oh another plus point, it’s situated just next to the lake and a view of the green green grass of the golf course. So I suppose you might wanna grab a seat just beside the windows.

It was lunch time, so you might expect sweaty golfers there talking really loud and drinking beer. Having their ひるごはん (lunch) there as well were Japanese housewives and some かいしゃいん　office people. The price of the food here is of your average Japanese restaurant, RM15 to RM50 for main courses. There isn’t much to choose from I’m afraid. Some set lunches, dinners and your common Japanese favourites. Compared to Kampachi, Zipangu and Iketeru, this is probably like a school canteen. I think Oishii or Donatku has even more food. Perhaps they decided to employ a more specialised set of food in their menu or maybe that there isn’t that many patrons to cater to. I had the lunch set with soba, sushi and tempura, priced at RM45. Kind of everything rolled into one, again it came with chawan mushi, pickles, miso soup, salad and fruits. The chawan mushi was horrible, tasteless and texture was way too lumpy for my liking. I ate 3 spoonful and gave that up. The tempura was ordinary. Sushi came 3 tiny cucumber ones, a maguro, a yellowtail and a mackerel. I was hoping for salmon in at least one of them. I was a tad bit disappointed. The cold soba was delicious though, with tempura crumbs. よっかた！そばそおいしいですね！My colleague had his favourite Unagi, (my favourite as well) he complained it to be too small. I couldn’t agree more, it was just a tiny slice, going French perhaps? It better be super tasty then. My clients declared that they weren’t raw fish lovers, thus 2 of them ordered tempura sets, 1 ordered a salmon teriyaki set and 1 ordered a bowl of garlic fried rice. Hmm…not very adventurous people are they, this lot. The salmon was pretty minute as well. They didn’t comment much on the food, so I figured that it was pretty normal, as when you are in the company of 4 girls, you would notice that they like to share what the other is having…when it is NICE. Simple observation skills that I picked up along the way of entertaining. The service was bad, for that few customers in there, the waiters were pretty disorientated. Not filling tea cups, not attentive to customer’s attention and just rude some of them. One of the waitress just came from behind and lifted my unfinished bowl of soba and said ‘are you done’? Could she at least have said ‘excuse me, sir?’ I mean bloody hell, you are in the restaurant business and you are in a hotel where service is suppose to be better. So that set me off quite a bit. I would have loved to tell her off but since I was in the company of my clients I decided otherwise.I guess perhaps dining there at night would be a better experience as probably the lake or the golf course would be lighted up, giving couples a romantic feel to it. I have definitely tasted better Japanese food, although you can’t really taste the difference when it comes to Japanese cuisine. Service as I mentioned earlier is below par. I suppose I will give this a miss in the future.

Zipangu – じぱんぐ

Zipangu – じぱんぐ Due to my over population of clients around the P Ramlee/Sultan Ismail area, I tend to eat in Shangri La a lot. No, I’m not complaining. でもHowever, it does get a bit dull sometimes. Same old thing when there are so many other new stuffs to try out there. You know, having the sense of adventure and experiment.

So we had Zipangu again on Thursday. As usual for some reason it was packed again at lunchtime. Executives busting their company’s expense accounts, yours truly with no exception of course. As usual we were greeted by this young Japanese waiter or captain, I’m not too sure. Once we asked if our guests have arrived, he replied yes ‘they are alive’ (he meant to say “yes they have arrived”). Ah, Japanese and their ‘L’s and ‘R’s, and don’t forget ‘V’s and ‘B’s as well. Anyway, we were seated near the sake collection at the end of the restaurant. Near an in built ‘zen’ rock garden, with constant water flowing down a glass panel. And as usual we flipped through the set lunch menu, as it comes with pickles, miso soup, a tofu dish, tea, chawan mushi, coffee and of course your main dish. The waitress was pretty hands on with the menu and that is good. I like a friendly waitress without an intimidating approach. You know, like you are pressured into ordering something expensive. I ordered the ‘Unagi with Sweet Sauce and Tempura’ set priced at RM100.00. Pretty steep eh for a set lunch. My clients ordered Salmon with Butter Sauce, all of them ordered that for some ‘unadventurous’ reason. Their’s cost RM65 each. I gave them suggestions to try Mackerel or Beef but they like Salmon. I guess they decided on a safe choice. The tea came first and next came the chawan mushi with some cold steamed morning glories on the side. I’m not a greens fan thus, I gave that a miss. The steamed egg was alright, the saltiness was just right, the texture very homemade instead of a perfect ‘tau fu fah’ like texture. In some ways that is good, authenticity I suppose. The dishes didn’t come out in an orderly time, we waited about 20 minutes for the first dish to arrive, then another 15 for the next which was mine. Pretty long for a restaurant of this magnitude. I suppose it was lunch hour and they were pretty packed. I was starving! It was past 2pm, no fault of theirs as the clients arrived late this time. The unagi was great, the teriyaki flavors made the eel really fragrant, it was grilled to perfection as you can taste a slight burnt in the sweet sauce which gave it a delicate smoky flavor.. yum.. and the texture gave it a very firm bite without feeling that you are eating too much bones ( I get that sometimes when I eat unagi from some places). The dish came with three pieces of sliced unagi and ample rice. The tofu dish was soaked in some marinated soy sauce and garnished with spring onions, a hot dish, I kinda enjoyed that. I enjoyed the meal. I regretted adding the tempura on the side because seriously it was way too much. Tempura doesn’t defer much in variations, dump the daikon in the dashi’ed’ soy sauce and just dip the deep fries. The thing about Japanese deep fries are that they have a clean and healthier look, only a slight hint of browness. Of course I am comparing it to Yau Char Kwai and Goreng Pisang.

Ah..I was mega stuffed! Pants needed a size up. Nevertheless. I live by this principle, “there’s always room for dessert”, I had the Japanese classic offering, Green Tea Ice cream with Red Bean Paste. To end this gastronomical event, a cup of freshly brewed black coffee. Ah…a splendid lunch. Another bonus featured was I had a chat with a Japanese waitress name Haruka (ha, me and my thing for Japanese women…I can’t help it, they are so darn polite and well…pretty) Coffee served by a beautiful Japanese woman taste so much better, don’t you think? No need sugar. Now I am getting a little corny and lame…

I didn’t of course, try my client’s food. Anyways, I am not a big fan of grill salmon, to me salmon should only be eaten raw aka sashimi style or smoked. Smoked salmon, cream cheese, some mayo and some bread is heaven food for me. They serve that there, I am sure of it!

My suggestion is coming during lunch for their sets, dinner will set you back double. Of course if you have the Shangri La Platinum card that’ll give you 50% of the whole bill, ain’t that something else. In a nut shell, among the hotels, this is one of the priciest for Japanese food, service is ok but they have messed up orders before, the waiters/waitress mainly consist of H&C interns or fresh graduates but very presentable looking, food is above average.. Try their beef too, it’s pretty good, willing to spend? Wagyu Beef at 250.00 for a piece.

AN excerpt from the Shangri-la website, ZipanguFashioned after the modern ‘
Tokyo style’ brasserie, Zipangu offers a perfect harmony between contemporary design and authentic cuisine. The city’s most avant-garde one-stop entertainment and food outlets, Zipangu features a dedicated cigar lounge, a walk-in wine and sake cellar, individual sushi, grill and kappou counters as well as private, semi-private and a-la-carte dining areas.

Modesto Express & Shojikiya on a にちようび

Hanged out at Hartamas Shopping Complex today. きょわわたしがピザそたべました。Had pizza at Modesto Express. A coke, fries and a big slice of pizza of your choice for 12.50++. I had the Pizza Daviola, Diedre had the Hawainna (that’s what they call it). It wasn’t too bad. I guess it’s a pretty good concept, you feel like a slice but not the whole bloody pizza. If you just order the slice, it’ll only set you back for 7.00. The Daviola has beef pepperoni, tomatoes, chillies and cheese, a simple classic. The pepperonis were a tad bit overcooked but the bread and the sauce blended pretty well together giving it a soft yet juicy bite. I don’t think I need to tell what is in the Hawainna pizza. Ah damn.. I forgot to take pictures again!! However, all is not lost as I will go there again. 

ShojikiyaThere isn’t much to look at in Hartamas Shopping Complex, somehow we just ended up there. However, we did discover something new this time, a Japanese mini market. いいですね、にほんコビニ! (I don’t know if that came out right) The place is called Shojikiya. Pretty neat. Loads of ice cream! Even my favourite Morinaga Eskimos Machas! Green Tea Ice cream. If you like Japanese curry Roux there’s ample supply too. I guess many things here are available at Jusco and Isetan stores. The prices here are pretty competitive and not priced exorbitantly. One thing lacking though would be the fresh produce, like sashimi and sushi. Oh well, would needs a store to be smelling like a fish market right? I didn’t get anything today except for an ice cream, 5.90 a cup, it’ll cost you 6.90+ for the same thing in Genki Sushi. Oh check out the instant ramen section as well, loads of flavours too. I didn’t get anything today, I don’t know why. However I do intend to head back there real soon! 

It’s located just next to Rakuzen. 

わたしはにほんたべものおたべたいです。 

Now back to some Ryder Cup action. Go Tiger!

Xenri Japanese Restaurant

Took out some clients to lunch this afternoon. I wish I could take pictures of the food today. However, I’ll probably look like some ‘jakun’ fella in front of my clients, hence I decided against it. Located off

Old Klang Road

, some place opposite Pearl Point. If you know where the Elken HQ is, well the eatery is there. Me and Tan San, arrived there at about 10 mins to 12pm. It was rather empty. Hmmm…not a very good impression. I was excited at the prospect of having fresh Sanma though, their current month promotion. We sat and waited for our clients to arrive. We had some おちゃocha first. The moment our client arrived, we had a look at the menu. I must say, the menu boast quite a number of variety for you to choose from. The prices are reasonable too, if not cheap for Japanese food. You have べんとbento sets going for 20 to 24 bucks for lunch. Many of them chose the seafood set, a bunch of seafood fried teppanyaki style. Quite a mouthful I would say, plus, the set comes with the standard Chawan Mushi, Miso soup, fruit and a sushi. One thing that stood up was the appetizer, a Maguro dish with ginger miso sauce, simply divine. The dish is about RM16 bucks for 4 pieces of Maguro. One thing I couldn’t stand is that the waiter came up to us after presenting the menu and explain to us that all the sets can be replaced by Lobster, would anyone care for our fresh Lobster? I hate to be put in a position, I kept quiet, and that idiot kept on insisting on his stupid lobster. Now which idiot doesn’t know that lobster is nice? I mean, I had 6 clients with me…if all of them were to order that! My boss would certainly have a one on one talk with me!! I mean be a bit more tactful la. Thank heavens they didn’t go for the lobster. I had my Sanma, at RM42 for the fish only. Come to think of it, isn’t that more pricey than the one I had in Iketeru? Well, according to that stupid waiter again, it is a live fish, unlike the frozen ones they usually serve. じゃ! Ok, then I will give it a try. I had it Shio-yaki style again. The best way to eat that fish anyways. I had to wait almost half an hour before my dish came. The others were almost done with their meal. I mean that SOB could have at least told me. Apparently he said mine was ‘special’. Good Heavens, if I’d knew! Was it worth the wait? I guess fish is fish…it was ok la…I gobbled the whole thing in seconds…The crowd was slowly coming in, with a turn of my upon finishing the fish and rice I discovered that the restaurant was packed. Probably Elken sales folks I figured. They pride themselves from importing loads of stuff directly from
Hokkaido, like tomatoes and scallops. Yes, tomatoes, apparently they are very sweet. The restaurants attempts at giving itself a classy look but falls quite short of it. I didn’t like the service, I drink my tea fast and when I want to drink I expect my tea cup to be filled up, since you don’t put the teapot there. I guess the food is pretty standard, nothing spectacular, the sashimi were just ok, not that fresh. I guess to me, sashimi should always be serve on a bed of ice. No…I have not found my favourite Japanese restaurant yet.