Moromi: New Sake Bar in KL

This weekend, we visited Moromi もろみ, a new, hip sake bar located in Bukit Damansara. Over here, they specialise in premium infused sake, made in-house. Flavours include Passion fruit, Fuji-San, Yuzu kyuri and Pineapple. Refreshing and easy on the palate 😋

Their small plates are great accompaniments to the infused sake; simple yet well-executed. Here are some of the dishes which we tried here:
✨ Grilled shishamo (pregnant fish)
✨ Spicy bluefin tuna tartare with seaweed crisps (my personal fav!)
✨ Saba shioyaki
✨ Ochazuke with fish and tobiko
✨ Unagi don

Book your table here: 

Opening hours: Tue- Sat: 3pm- l2am; Sun: 12pm - 9pm. Closed on Mondays.

Location: Moromi, 22-1, Jalan Medan Setia 2, Bukit Damansara 50490 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (located above Umameat) (Street parking available RM1 per hour)

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A Miyazaki Wagyu Kaiseki at The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur

The Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur is proud to present their first ever Japanese Guest Chef Hirohashi Nobuaki from the fine dining Wagyu Kaiseki restaurant, Ushidoki in Singapore.

The Osaka-born chef will be taking centrestage at The Library from 26-30 June 2018 and will be presenting an exquisite 4-course Wagyu Kaiseki dinner menu, featuring the creme de la creme of beef - the Miyazaki Wagyu.

With more than three decades of experience, Chef Hiro specialises in the art of preparing the perfect kaiseki experience. His love for wagyu beef has led him to curate delicate wagyu kaiseki cuisine that requires a set of distinctive skills and techniques to balance the flavours, textures and colours of his exquisite creations.

The three-times "Wagyu Olympics" champion, the top grade Miyazaki Wagyu A5 BMS12 highlighted in this promotion comes from Nishinoharu Farm in Kyushu Island and is fully certified Halal by JAKIM. The Wagyu cattle are raised with care by Norihto Nakanishi and raised on a diet of quality feed and fresh spring water from the Kirishima Mountains. They are usually butchered between 28-32 months, as the more mature cattle produce higher quality meat with superior marbling.

The stunning Miyazaki Wagyu will be paired with KID sake from Wakayama Prefecture. Sake Master Norimasa Yamamoto was present to give media guests an insight of the Heiwa Shuzou sake brewery (Heiwa means peace and shuzou means sake making) and an introduction to the sake pairing for the meal.

With peace in mind, guests were invited to "Kanpai" (equivalent to cheers) with the KID Junmai Daiginjyo (one of their bestsellers) to kickstart our meal. The sake, which is made using Wakayama's mild and clean water, was sweet, aromatic and easy to drink.

A refined Roast Wagyu Beef was served, along with asparagus, miso vinaigrette, yuzu zest and herbs. Chef Hiro uses top rump, which he cooks sous vide for 3 hours first, before roasting / searing. The beef had a nice, rich flavour which was complemented well with the sharp miso vinaigrette and zesty yuzu. This dish was paired with the KID Tokubetsu Junmaishu Karakuchi, which was served cold to match the flavours of the Wagyu.

My favorite dish of the afternoon was the Grilled Wagyu Beef, which perfectly showcases the beautiful richness of Miyazaki beef. For contrasting texture and flavour, Chef Hiro chose the shoulder as well as the chuck roll (zabuton), both grilled to a medium rare doneness. These were served with soya sauce soil (made by using the leftover soy beans), edamame, sweet corn and mountain wasabi. I especially enjoyed the beautifully marbled zabuton cut with a hint of wasabi. Rich, buttery and insanely good! To go with this dish, a dry sake, the KID Junmaishu was chosen and served at room temperature.

Comfort in a bowl, the Braised Wagyu Beef may look simple but was big on flavour. Cooked in a sweet sukiyaki sauce, the beef slices topping the steamed Japanese rice were tender and flavorful and was accompanied with the perfectly cooked soft boiled egg, black truffles and mitsuba. This was served with the KID Daiginjyo, the signature sake with a delicious aroma of vanilla and coconut.

Dessert was a luscious olive oil ice cream, with summer truffle shavings. Sublime. This was paired with the Tsuruume Kanjukuume, made using mild water and ume grown in Wakayama.

The 4-course Wagyu Kaiseki is available from 26 - 30 June 2018 for dinner only (7pm until 11pm) and is priced at RM350 per person with an option of sake pairing at RM500 per person. For more information and reservations, please call +60 3 2142 8000 or email dining@ritzcarlton.com.my. 

Location: The Library, Level 1, The Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur, 168 Jalan Imbi, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2142 8000

GPS Coordinates: 3.146901, 101.715438

Website: http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/malaysia/kuala-lumpur


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Sake Pairing Dinner: SAITO x Tatsu, InterContinental Kuala Lumpur

Sake pairing is getting increasingly popular as more restaurants worldwide collaborate with sake producers to showcase the versatility of sake and the food it compliments.

Last week, we had the pleasure of attending a 6-course Sake Dinner at Tatsu Japanese Restaurant at InterContinental Kuala Lumpur, whereby Japanese food is paired with sake from SAITO. It was an interesting evening as the principal from SAITO, Mr. Daiki Tojo was there to enlighten us about the brewery and the different sake that it produces. We were honoured to be educated about sake by a master of the industry.

Originating from Kyoto in Japan, SAITO is an authentic Japanese sake made using the highest quality water and rice. They are positioned fifth out of over 1600 sake breweries in Japan. They use Fushimizu (natural spring water from Kyoto which is medium hard), which results in a mild, smooth and easy to drink sake.

The quality of sake is determined by the rice polishing ratio; the more polished the rice is, the better quality the sake will be. For example, the SAITO Super Premium Junmai Daiginjo, which is the highest sake range rom SAITO, is made up of rice with a polishing ratio of 35% (ie 65% polished off with 35% of each grain remaining).

Meanwhile, the food paired with the sake was prepared by the Tatsu team, led by Japanese Head Chef Tommy Kuan. To start, we had the Oyster Tempura with Yuzu Dressing, paired with SAITO Yuzu Hikari. This sparkling sake was refreshing with a clean finish and citrus flavour,  and is best served with fried food such as tempura. Furthermore the yuzu dressing in the dish is a good match to the yuzu flavours in the sake. A good alternative to champagne, this sparkling sake can be served as an aperitif. My favorite sake of the evening.

For the next course, the Kanpachi Rolled Avocado, was paired with the SAITO Karakuchi, a dry sake with 70% rice polishing ratio.This is usually available as a house sake as it pairs well with many different types of Japanese food. The Kanpachi rolled avocado was excellent; firm, fresh fish wrapped around creamy avocado and baby sprouts for textural delight. Served on the side are firefly squid with ohba dressing, a specialty at spring time.

Taranome sprouts, which comes from the Japanese angelica tree is another ingredient in season now in Japan. Eaten in spring, the shoots are often fried in a tempura batter. It has a mild bitterness so it pairs well with the SAITO Junmai (with 70% rice polishing ratio), which is a rich and dry sake with a fruity aroma. Served with the taranome sprouts are maitake (mushroom) tempura and shishito (Japanese chilli).

Next, we moved on to the premium sakes, starting with the SAITO Junmai Daiginjo with a 50% polishing ratio. This full-bodied, elegant sake has a rich flavour with a gentle finish and a lovely fruity aroma. It is made using the highest grade Yamadanishki rice, also known as the "King of Rice" which is best suited for brewing sake.

This sake is best paired with sashimi, sushi or carpaccio, hence Chef Tommy served us tuna sushi from Japanese bluefin tuna, particularly the akami and chutoro cuts. The sake should be served either cold or at room temperature to preserve the fruity aroma.

Yuzu Sorbet, to cleanse the palate

The best dish of the evening was the Japanese Wagyu A5 Teppan Batayaki, using Wagyu beef from Miyaki prefecture. According to Chef Tommy, the cows are slaughtered in the 35th month when they're deemed to be at their optimum.

This beautiful, highly-marbled cut of meat is paired with the SAITO Super Premium Junmai Daiginjo, also made with Yamadanishki rice  (35% rice polishing ratio), with an elegant, fruity aroma (think bananas and peaches). Another one which I love as it has a smooth, sweet finish.

Wagyu A5, served with asparagus and mixed mushrooms, crispy garlic chips, sake and butter soy sauce (oh and crispy Wagyu fats).

For dessert, we had the Baked Fuji Apple with Matcha Financier, Peanut Butter Soil and Raspberry Sorbet, served with a sweet Umeshu. The caramelised apple is a good match for the sweet umeshu. A fantastic end to our meal.

An amazing evening of the finest Japanese cuisine and sake.. thanks InterContinental Kuala Lumpur for having us!

For those interested to sample the above menu, Tatsu will be offering the 6-course Sake Dinner Menu from 1 April to 16 May 2018 at RM350 nett per person (food only), with an option to add RM150 for sake pairing.

Opening times: Lunch Mon-Fri 12.00pm to 2.30pm; Sat, Sun & PH 11.00am to 2.30pm; Dinner 6.30pm to 10.30pm daily.


Location: Tatsu Japanese Restaurant, Level 1, InterContinental Hotel Kuala Lumpur, 165 Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2782 6118

Website: http://kualalumpur.intercontinental.com/dining/tatsu-japanese-cuisine

GPS Coordinates: 3.160249, 101.717584



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