Omakase is a popular dining concept in a Japanese restaurant, which means "I will leave it to you"; hence, the Japanese chef will curate a special menu for you based on your budget and seasonal ingredients. Serving us that evening was Chef Patrick, who has been with Xenri for over 15 years.
Our 7-course omakase began with the lightly smoked Ayu with seaweed sauce. Ayu, also known as sweetfish is named so due to the sweetness of its tender flesh, with a ‘melon and cucumber aroma’. Ayu is best savoured during the months of June to September during the ayu fishing season in Japan. We enjoyed the delicate, sweet flavours of the ayu... a great start to our meal! To go with our meal, our server recommends the Tamano Hikari sake, served warm.
The highlight of our meal is the sashimi platter which features kinmedai, butterfish wrapped in seaweed, amaebi, salmon, kanpachi, shima aji, akami, and fresh ikura. The culinary team here never fails to impress me with their sashimi platter; always beautifully presented with fresh, quality choice of fish and seafood. Such a delight to savour!
The clear, light Hamaguri (Japanese clam) soup with mushroom and lily bulb is a great prelude to the deep fried and grilled items to come.
Rather than the usual tempura, the tiger prawn is stuffed with quail's egg, deep fried and served with a delicious sauce made from sea urchin (uni) and mirin.
Next to arrive is the Wagyu with asparagus. The beef was so tender, melt-in-the-mouth and juicy..... oh so good! Can I please have more? ;)
So far, Chef Patrick has served two of my favourite things.. sashimi and Wagyu and he hit the jackpot again with the next dish - the Hotate (scallop) fried rice with mushrooms. So simple and good!
And to end our omakase meal, we were served juicy momo (Japanese peach) which is currently in season.
Tamano Hikari sake
The omakase at Xenri is available from Fridays to Sundays (best day to visit is Friday though, as they receive their fresh delivery of seafood on this day).
Check out our kaiseki experience here.
Opening hours: Lunch 12.00pm - 2.30pm; Dinner 6.00pm - 10.30pm daily.
Price: Dependent on guest's budget.
Location: Xenri Fine Japanese Cuisine, 9, Lorong 4/137c, Batu 5, Jalan Kelang Lama, 58000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Limited street parking available)
Tel: 03-7783 8118
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One thing I love about Japanese cuisine, their presentation - so elegant, so artistic!
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