Sushi HINATA @ ST MARY RESIDENCES

The news of a newly opened Japanese restaurant housed inside St Mary Residences spread fast particulary to those whose offices are within this vicinity.

As usual curiosity kills and all of us in the office chose to dine in this restaurant when an ex-boss wife offered to buy us lunch.

Our arrival was greeted by a beautiful and sweet Japanese girl.

Cute yet cozy exterior and interior simply amazed us.

We were informed that all food are prepare and cook by the chef hails from the land of the rising sun.  Upon hearing this, our food expectations grow higher. 

Once seated,  a lady server gave us few menus written in English and Jap. There is no pictures to illustrate each food item and we had problem what to order. I wanted to have ramen but can't find it in the menu. We asked the server (from Myanmar) and each time, her reply was 'I don't know' or 'I will check with the chef'. And this really upset us. In the end,  the five of us opted for bento set.

included in our bento set are:-

Miso soup

unusual salty dark brown colour soup with 2 clams

and

Chawan mushi

delicate and dilute egg custard without chicken meat or other ingredient  

Appetizers

braised small potatoes, cut chicken meat, carrot and cut green beans (l)..my fave

fried tempura: green beans, white fish & black mushroom served with salt (c)...bland

stir fried fish fillet (r)...tasteless

main course

river eel sushi

I ended up finishing all thinly sliced eel only. Instead of chewy texture, the rice was tad dry, does not bind and easy collapsed/break even after they changed my first unpleasant platter.

We can't get enough of the fresh and sweet brined pickled ginger (in green plate) and had 3 plates. 

salmon sushi

everyone was expecting slices of fresh salmon topped the rice but instead we got this colorful sushi tucked with cucumber, tamago, salmon fish, a dollop of mayonaise and fish egg roe.

Compare to river eel, this is much better...moister and tasty. 

To end this meal with a sweet ending, we asked for ice cream but it wasn't available in the menu. Another set back. Ended up with our free flow of cold and hot ocha/green tea.

Overall, not only the food was disappointing but the service too. Our total bill was wrongly calculated and readjusted with refund.  Despite our constructive comments during the one hour lunch, it was well accepted by the servers with smile & apologies.

Sushi HINATA

A-0-1 Ground Floor

St Mary Residences

No.1 Jalan Tengah

50450 Kuala Lumpur

Tel:03-20220051

ROYCE!

Sound like a guy name right? Why am I blogging about him???  Nope, I never dwell into any boy or girl relationship or problem over here.  Only food,travel and other exciting activties will keep me at bay to write more!

ROYCE is actually JAPAN'S TOP LUXURY CHOCOLATE BRAND. Never heard of this brand? Me too, in fact. I am certainly looking forward to their exclusive X'mas promotion from 1 December 2011 until 31 December 2011. Click here to visit their outlets and grab these super classy chocolates at special prices (very affordable)  i.e.   Pure Kids @ RM59 , Chocobolo @ RM49,  X’mas cookies @ RM49 and liquor free chocolates i.e. Ghana Bitter @ RM45 and  Mild Milk @ RM45

THE STORY OF ROYCE

In the beginning, ROYCE began with baking cookies at a small factory. Soon the wonderful  smell wafted into the neighbouring community and soon a table was placed in front of the factory where cookies were sold daily. That was the beginning of a story where the people supported ROYCE through history to presnt day where ROYCE’ has become the No.1 chocolate brand in Japan. ROYCE’ chocolate is now enjoyed by chocolate lovers not only from Japan but from all over the world today.ROYCE’ continues to do what it does best – to continue making real good chocolate.

ROYCE offers exciting and delicious experience for Malaysians as just one bite of these smooth chocolate melts in your mouth, leaving you wanting for more!  ROYCE’, the top luxury chocolate brand from Japan, continues to offer fabulous mouth-melting experiences for chocolate lovers in the country to savour, indulge in and enjoy.  Founded in Sapporo in Japan in 1983, the established brand of ROYCE’ is dedicated to years of continually enriching experiences with chocolate by making real sumptuous chocolate of world-class quality simply for the love of chocolate. 

“Due to increasing demand, ROYCE’ is presently moving into a regional expansion plan and has exciting activities in the pipeline for Malaysia and Asia overall. The principle of ROYCE’ has been and will always be to painstakingly source for high quality ingredients, and to retail its products at prices that are affordable for daily consumption,” said Mr Yasuhiro Yamazaki, President of ROYCE’ Japan.

Made from the finest selection of cocoa from around the world, the team at ROYCE ensures that quality of chocolates takes place in the best conducive environment located in Hokkaido where the climate and the clean air are most appropriate for making confectionaries.  “High quality production procedures and strict hygiene standards are strictly adhered to with guidelines in place at our factories in Japan. By taking these measures, we are confident of offering our customers products of the highest quality and hygiene.

At ROYCE’ we always produce confectionery with uncompromising standards in order to deliver the best in chocolate for everyone,” added Yamazaki. The signature mouth-melting delicious NAMA chocolates from ROYCE’, for example, are made from fresh milk taken from the livestock in the Hokkaido region. The chocolates are always kept at cool temperatures from production to cold rooms in each city; and delivered fresh to your doorsteps as the ROYCE’ expert handling procedures and packaging materials ensure optimum temperatures are maintained at all times.

REVISIT SUSHI ZANMAI IN LOW YAT PLAZA

DELISH, FRESH & AFFORDABLE are the best descriptions about the food served in Sushi Zanmai, a pork free Japanese restaurant, an eatery I enjoy my dining experience on a frequent basis.

Each time my friend asked me to introduce Japanese food, I'll suggest this restaurant as top choice simply because you don't have to burn a hole in your pocket to pay for good food.

So, here we are indulging assorted types of food courtesy of a friend who volunteered to settle the bill.

Dessert (oops..forgotten the name) it was freshing with concoction of cold green tea at the bottom + a layer of cream + a dollop of green tea ice cream + topped with a scoop of soft red beans

Grilled Unagi...a must to order

Ebi Tempura ...another compulsory dish to order Sashimi Platter .... top notch and fresh Unagi Pizza ...crust not soft or chewy Cold Jelly Fish

To check out what I ate during my 1st visit & restaurant contact details, click here

BONITO COLD SALAD

This is a simple and nutritious salad to whip up your appetite especially during hot summer day.

Cut boiled potatoes, zucchinis and carrots into cubes

*zucchinis/cucumber are rich in mineral and helps control in eczema, prevent splitting of finger nails, good for rheumatic conditions , reduce high blood pressure & etc

1 packet of mayonnaise and bonito flakes

* Bonito flakes or known as katsuo-bushi are thin shaving of dried tuna. It is usually use to make dashi soup or toppings in various dishes. Unlike fresh tuna, bonito flakes contain minuscule amount of protein, sodium and cholesterol

Put the mayonnaise into the bowl of cut greens and mix it well. Garnish with bonito flakes

2010 CHRISTMAS DINNER @ ANGUS HOUSE

A friend invited me for a Christmas dinner. Hence, we met up and decided to venture into Japanese Charcoal Steak in Angus House which is located on the 6th floor. This outlet was packed with diners but the waitress grant us entry provided we sit and dine at the bar counter which was not a problem for us.

In order to get our food fast, we ordered two sets comprises of appetizer, a soup, a main dish and a dessert each.

MIXED SEAFOOD WITH CHEESE & FRIED VEGETABLES TEMPURATucked inside the oyster shell was fresh and succulent cubes of prawns, squids and crabs and top with generous amount of cheese. Fried vegetables tempura was just ordinary.

TURKEY SOUPSoup was clear & simply refreshing which is up to my liking while the turkey ball was flavorful and irresistible.

GRILLED LOBSTERLook at this crustacean! The meat was so juicy yet tender evident being cooked at the right temperature. I enjoy every bite of it without dipping any sauce.

RIB EYE STEAKThis piece of beef meat was cooked till medium rare with bloods in the centre after being cut. No beefy smells at all but soft, juicy and yet tantalizing with the special Japanese sauce.

TIRAMISU HOHOHO!!! The cake was light and fluffy made with chocolate + mocha flavored cream cheese...delish

EXPRESSO PANNA COTTA
Soft pudding goes well with thin almond crips

No coffee/tea is included in the set meal except drinking water.