Kin Gyu 金牛 KL: Sukiyaki & Shabu-Shabu ft. Halal Japanese Wagyu

Kin Gyu 金牛 is a Japanese restaurant located in Desa Sri Hartamas, specializing in Wagyu cuisine and washoku, also known as traditional Japanese cuisine. This hidden gem, run by a Japanese owner, is the sister restaurant of two other popular Japanese restaurants in the same area, Shin Nihon and Toridoki.

Somewhat resembling a speakeasy, the restaurant does not have any signage boards - locate the "Golden Bull", take the stairs up to the first floor, slide open the large wooden door and you have arrived.  Once inside, you will be led into one of 23 cosy private rooms available.

The menu features salad, niku dishes, niku sashimi, stewed dishes, grilled dishes, fried dishes, hot pot, cube sushi, Wagyu sushi, noodles, claypot rice, soup, and dessert. The Wagyu served in this restaurant is sourced from the Kyushu Prefecture in Japan and is certified Halal.

To start, we had the delightful Soymilk and cream cheese tofu (RM15), also known as mocchiri tofu. Served cold, the tofu was rich and smooth, and was a delicious combination of slightly sweet and savoury flavours. Freshly grated wasabi gives it a hint of spiciness.. so yummy!

Next up... chawanmushi! A sure winner with the kids. The Chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) here at Kin Gyu was incredibly smooth and delicate. Choose from Wagyu steamed egg custard (RM16) or Scallop and urchin chawanmushi (RM18). The former is seasoned with soy sauce and topped with minced beef, white mushroom and you will also find an unusual surprise within - chunks of Camembert cheese.  The Scallop and urchin chawanmushi, with gingko nuts and white mushroom in uni sauce was delish.

Sesame Wagyu, Watercress and Arugula salad (RM35) - a great, simple salad of sliced, boiled Wagyu beef with watercress, arugula and tomato in a sesame (goma) dressing.

For a taste of raw Wagyu, sample the Wagyu carpaccio (RM50), sliced thinly and drizzled with soy sauce flavoured olive oil and topped with yuzu, aonori (dried green seaweed) and kelp.

If you're a fan of karaage, you will definitely enjoy the Deep fried beef tongue (RM25). The beef tongue is first braised in garlic soy sauce, then deep fried to crispy perfection.

Shredded French Fries (RM15), served with dried green seaweed and salt - a fantastic snack, so addictive... you can't stop once you start!

One of the must-try dishes at Kin Gyu is the Sukiyaki hot pot (RM250). Sit back and watch as one of the staff cooks the sukiyaki tableside. For 2 - 3 person set, you will get two different cuts of Wagyu - the rib eye and chuck. The staff starts off by gently grilling the leeks and then adding some of the warishita sauce and then cooking the rib eye beef. You can choose from three different dipping sauces - whipped egg sauce, raw egg and dashi sauce - to which the beef will be added for you to enjoy. Then, the staff will meticulously arrange the other ingredients into the sukiyaki pot, such as vegetables, mushrooms, wheat gluten and kudzu starch noodles. There is also a pot of dashi stock, which you can add to the sukiyaki if you find it too sweet. For us, the taste was just right. Truly enjoyable.

Check out the marbling on the Wagyu rib eye.

Check out this short video of the sukiyaki hotpot at Kin Gyu:

Another highly recommended dish is the Gyu kabayaki hitsumabushi (RM100), wagyu beef soup rice - which is our kids favourite dish here. Thinly sliced wagyu beef is cooked over charcoal grill, giving this dish a delicious smoky flavour. The beef is topped on Japanese rice and cooked in a claypot. To enjoy this dish, you can eat half as it is and for the second half, you can pour over Japanese soup stock made with dried bonito flakes, dried sardine and mackarel flakes onto the rice before enjoying. We all loved it with the stock, so yummy and such a comforting dish!

You can also add various condiments to your soup rice, such as sansho, sesame seed, spring onion, wasabi, and seaweed.

End your meal on a sweet note with desserts such as the Rice cake mochi ball with red bean paste (RM18) or matcha ice cream (RM13).

Directions: To get here, locate the "Golden Bull" (above Guardian) and climb to the stairs to the first floor where you will find a large wooden sliding door that will lead you into the restaurant.

Click here for the full menu.


Opening hours: 5.30pm to 12am.

Location: Kin Gyu, No. 8-1, Jalan 24/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur. (Complimentary valet parking available)

Tel: 03-6206 3515



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