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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Yuzu Japanese Restaurant, The Gardens, Kuala Lumpur

We've walked past Yuzu Japanese Restaurant tons of times in the past but strangely, we have never stepped foot inside. The Unc recently dined here with a friend and mentioned that the food was worth trying, so we found ourselves here the next time we were at The Gardens.

For a weekday afternoon, the restaurant was pretty busy. We sat in the non-smoking corner of the restaurant, which faces the sashimi bar. There is a lot of wood and bamboo used in the restaurant decor with some water features out front. With such a clean and contemporary look, one can't help but feel serene in these surroundings.




Lavender by the fish pond




It took us a while to browse through their extensive menu before deciding what we wanted to eat. In the end, we both settled for the set meal (available for lunch and dinner) as we wanted a complete meal.

To start, we ordered the Geso Tatsuta Age (RM10) to share since we are both big fans of calamari. However, what arrived on our table was very different from what was illustrated in the menu. We had expected the squid to be coated in a light tempura-like batter and deep fried. Instead, it was more towards KFC chicken batter, hence the squid felt a little crunchier than we would have liked. Looking on the bright side, it was quite a big portion for the price.



Since I had cravings for sashimi, I ordered the Sashimi Mori Set (RM65). This was one of the more premium sashimi set meals offered. The set came with an assortment of sashimi, silken tofu, mini salad, pickles, rice, chawanmushi, teapot soup and watermelon.



Unfortunately, the sashimi did not live up to my expectations. Served on a bed of crushed ice, the sashimi was undeniably fresh. I checked beforehand with the waiting staff when the sashimi are air-flown and she confirmed they arrived that morning. Albeit being beautifully presented, I was slightly disappointed with the portion and variety of the sashimi offered. The set came with 3 slices of salmon sashimi, 3 slices of butterfish, 1 slice of tuna, 1 sweet shrimp and some fish roe. Not much, right?


The salmon sashimi was good, and I enjoyed the popping flavours of the fish roe.


The chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) was silky smooth and delicious. I enjoyed the flavoursome teapot soup as well.



Hubby had the Wagyu Ishiyaki Set (RM65), which comprised of stone grilled Japanese beef, assorted tempura, silken tofu, mini salad, pickles, rice, miso soup, chawanmushi and watermelon. This was very good and much better value for money.


We ordered the stone grilled beef medium rare and it was excellent. As the waitress placed Hubby's tray on the table, the wonderful aroma of the sizzling beef made our mouth water. The soy seasoned beef slices were slightly caramelised at the edges and was delicious. Mushroom slices were placed below the beef to stop the beef from continuing to cook on the hot stone. The mushroom slices were very flavoursome.




The beef was so tender, it almost melted in our mouths.



The tempura was pretty good too, light and crispy.



Green tea is complimentary. Sashimi is air flown every Tuesday and Friday.

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Verdict: I feel that the set meals were slightly overpriced as the portions of the "main attractions" were measly. If we return, I would probably order from the a la carte menu.


Service: Good.

Price: Expensive. RM161 inclusive of tax and service charge for 2 persons. For an extra RM19, we can have a much more satisfying 3-course set lunch at Sage.

Location: Yuzu Japanese Restaurant, Lot T-236, 3rd Floor, The Gardens Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Isetan side)

Tel: 03-2284 7663

11 comments:

  1. the longevity of this place is quite impressive! i think it's been around since the gardens opened. and with all the competition it faces from the many other japanese outlets in this mall, it's really cool that it's managed to keep going =)

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  2. I dont really know how to enjoy Japanese food. Maybe Hubi would like these la

    P/s: alamak...the word verification "boodooph" *pengsan*

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  3. Sean: Wow never knew it was here since The Gardens opened. I guess they do cater to a different demographic compared to the kaiten Japanese restaurants.

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  4. Small Kucing: Haha for real? That's funny! You dont like Japanese food in general or just the raw stuff?

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  5. the sashimi set really not worth the money eh...

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  6. choi yen: Yeah, so small portion right.... feel cheated lol.

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  7. I wonder how desserts are like at Yuzu... hmmm

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  8. Michelle: No idea... but if you dont like their selection of desserts, you can always go to Hokkaido Ichiba for some Hokkaido ice-cream :)

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  9. its not cheap that i admit although if you order like 5 slices of salmon, its only like RM65 but any other fish and its cut throat prices.

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  10. Yuzu... I've been there 2 years ago. A history :D
    The portion is really a bit pathetic for the price! :/

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  11. the rolls had too much rice the last time i came here.. i doubt i'll ever eat there again man..

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