Toridoki, Japanese Yakitori Restaurant, Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur

Japanese cuisine is one of our favourite of all-time and whenever we find or hear of new restaurants that is newly opened, we would make our way there.

This is our second time visiting Toridoki and although their focus is chicken, in which they make use of all the parts for yakitori, we love how they grilled it to perfection, with its juiciness and its flavour and chewiness of its chicken still remain.

As we are not somewhat big-eaters, we ordered and shared. For starters, they offer their complimentary dish and the dish that we had on that day was Otoshi. This was a dish served cold.

Otoshi

Soon after, our dishes arrived, one by one. Nanaimo is an interesting dish as it's chinese yam. I was hesitant when my partner-in-crime decided to order it as I have never been a fan of yam at all. It's partly because I have never tasted one that I like at all.

This was definitely a surprise for me when I took a bite. I can taste the yam yet the flavour isn't over-powered that makes me want to stop eating after having first bite of yam. In fact, they mix it well with other seasoning ingredients that I fell in love eating Nanaimo from Toridoki. They have won my heart over a dish that I have never liked at all.

Nagaimo Garlic Butter RM 12.00

Our next favourite that we never fail to order when we come here is their Sasami, which has a hint of wasabi in it sprinkled with shredded seaweed.

Sasami (wasabi) RM5.00

Onigiri has been one of our favourite too. I love having my Onigiri charcoaled over the fire and when I eat it, I can taste the hint of burnt rice while covered with bonito flakes.

Camembert Cheese Yaki Onigiri RM 12.00

After that, we had Bonjiri, a chicken tail and known to be one of the richest taste parts, and Negima, chicken thigh and Japanese leek, which we ended up ordering 3 times. 

Bonjiri RM 5.00

Negima RM 5.00

I can't wait to make the next visit again and if you do not already know, they have started coming out with their monthly special menu promotion, which you should try if you are there.

Add: No.40, Jalan 24/70A
        Desa Sri Hartamas
        50480 Kuala lumpur
Opening Hour: Mon to Sun: 5.30pm to 12.00am
Tel: 03-6206 4676
Website: https://www.facebook.com/toridokikl/timeline
               http://toridoki.net
Budget: $$
Other info: Cash and Credit Card including Amex accepted
                  Service and GST charge

Nomi Tomo Sake Bar, Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur

A friend of ours has been wanting to visit this place since they opened and so do we. We planned and let it known to our group of friends to join us. It's always nicer to drink with friends unless special occasion calls for it.

We had dinner at Humble Chef first, which I shall share about later and then walked over to the other end of the shoplot where Nomi Tomo is.

For those who haven't been there, there is no signboard for you to look out for from the road or shops. If you are familiar where Aliyaa, Jarrod & Rowlins and Huckleberry Food & Fare, you are on the right road. Theirs is on the third floor, above Huckleberry and can only be accessible by a small communal lift. Thankfully, all 8 of us could fit into the tiny lift.

As we exit from the lift, we are welcome by the Japanese decorations on both sides. I love how they decorated their counter and a mini fountain with clay carafes hung on the wall with array of all the beloved sakes displayed. So happened that I saw glasses of sake bomb on their counter, if you would like to order it.

We were then led to a table behind and behold, more sake and Japanese beer behind us. I have never seen more sake in my life and impressed by their selections that they bring in.

Overwhelmed by so many choices, we had one of the owners helping us out in selecting the sake that we think we will like. Before that, one of their waiters present to us a tray of different type of clay glasses that we can choose from. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to take a photo of all the unique glasses.

For our first order, we choose Junmai, Rikishi label. We wanted something energising and still light in flavour and we had ours chilled in a bucket of ice in which the bottles can be placed at the centre of the table.

Junmai Rikishi label RM170 (720ml)

Fret not, there are some light Yakitori if you are hungry. Some of us end up ordering it and later as time goes, we ordered our favourite Edamame. This goes so well with our sakes. Eventually, we ordered another different bottle. Yujo has a slightly stronger taste and smoother too. Rikishi was light, refreshing and a little on the sweet side. Both aren't flavoured sake since most of us prefer the actual taste. 

One of them even ordered the Japanese orange flavoured beer, which is an IPA (Indian Pale Ale). All I can say is that she didn't like it and neither did I and our other girl friend. The guys love it though, including my hubby. We, girls, find the beer taste more on the bitter side.

Yujo RM184 (720ml)

Dai Dai RM 28

Edamame RM6

It is a nice place to hang out, enjoy your sake and Yakitori in the process. In conjunction with Christmas, they are currently having a promotion, whereby if you order a bottle of 720ml sake, you will get an exclusive set of Nomi Tomo sake glasses. Promotion started yesterday, 23 December and is on first come, first served basis. It is limited to one set per order only.

Address: 3rd Floor, No.2 & 4 Jalan Medan Setia 2
                Bukit Damansara
                50490 Kuala Lumpur
Opening Hour: Mon to Sat: 6.30pm to 2am
Tel: 03-2011 2839
Website: https://www.facebook.com/nomitomokl/timeline
               http://nomi.com.my
Budget: $$-$$$ (depending on how big your group is)
Other info: Cash and credit card accepted

Robata Monkey, Jaya One, Petaling Jaya

Being a Friday night, I had wanted to go all the way to Hartamas for dinner. Unfortunately, it rained that evening and I dreaded the jam. While we waited for the rain to slow down, we were thinking of an alternative place to have Japanese food. 

There are a few nearby our area and Robata Monkey came to our mind. We have visited almost all the restaurants in Jaya One, but sometimes, due to wrong timing or budget, we never step in to Robata. Since hubby was feeling a little splurgy, we went ahead with our option.

It was kind of a late dinner for us, almost 9pm and thankfully, it wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be. We easily gotten a seat immediately and proceed to look at the menu. First impression of their service, fast and prompt and attentive. 

We were served with an appetizer, for a start, while we wait for our food to come. It is flaky and a little meaty, with sweet flavouring, which both of us loved.

Soon, our first dish arrived, which was the fresh, barbecued Irish Premium Oysters. You have no idea how much I miss my oysters. I love the texture that it was slightly cooked and still able to taste the juiciness of the oyster and the smell of barbecue. You have the option of squeezing a hint of lemon to give it the oomph flavour, which balanced out the palette. 

Yaki Kaki (Irish Premium) RM25

Our next dish was Mini Shake Ikura Don. It's a very small, simple dish, yet the salmon and roe were fresh and rice was cooked perfectly.

Mini Shake Ikura Don RM13

Next dish was Salmon Belly Yaki. We've not tasted good barbecued salmon belly, but somehow, the chef really knows how to do it well that it doesn't get overcooked. You could taste its moisture cooked salmon, that was retained well and its skin was super crispy, with slight burnt. 

Salmon Belly Yaki RM16

As we weren't full yet, we decided to order another dish and our alcohol drink. The last dish took a while, which we didn't mind and they came together with our drink. I like the fact that the servers here were trained on which dish should be out first or come out concurrently. 

This was our first time eating Saba Fish Ichiyaboshi. I'd say this was our main dish highlight  of the night. The saltiness of the fish was well-balanced and its meat was juicy instead of dry. Oh, we like this fish as it has lesser bones than the other fish.

Saba Fish Ichiyaboshi RM45

 Surprisingly, both of us love the sparkling sake. It is sweet with bright, tangy taste and light alcohol. 

Sawa Sawa Sparkling Sake (250ml) RM35

Overall, we had a good dinner and the bill came up to slightly under RM165 for two of us, including mugi tea and water. 

Add: L-12A-G, Palm Square, Jaya One, 72A Jalan University, Petaling Jaya
Opening Hour: 12pm to 12am
Tel: 03-7932 5168

Onigiri Nagatanien Minced Chicken Furikake

Finally, I am attempting to do a Japanese dish after doing so many Korean and Chinese dishes. As I love eating Onigiri and it's one of the easiest dish to make, I think I can make a decent Onigiri. 

Hahaha...my first try at shaping it into a triangle wasn't much a success. A second attempt will be coming soon....

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups of Japanese rice
• Furikake of your choice

Instructions

1. Pour the rice into the rice cooker and cook it.
2. Once done, scoop out some rice, about 300gm onto a big bowl.
3. Pour in the furikake and mix it well before splitting the rice equally into two parts.
4. Make sure you wet both hands before scooping the rice with your hand and shape it into triangle.

Hanamaru Udon, Mid Valley, Kuala Lumpur

Today is Aeon Member's Day sale at Mid Valley. I was happy to be able to go out and just do some grocery shopping other than window shopping. Unfortunately, after browsing at the grocery section for 1 1/2 hours, my tummy was growling. Uh-oh, looks like my Nestum breakfast didn't last long enough. 

Due to budget constraint, I decided to eat at Hanamaru Udon again. I was craving for Miso soup and since it is not in the list of "what shall I cook tonight", I am contend with having my udon. 

I ordered one regular Ontama Bukkake and the usual iced green tea. I have to say, I regretted ordering regular portion. There wasn't much at all. I was afraid that the larger portion would be too much for me. Oh well....

I really like this dish. The miso broth was yummy although I find it a little too salty for my taste. What I like about this dish is the egg. The egg looks so delicate like it's going to burst anytime if I am not gentle. When I bite the egg, the yolk was gushing out and the egg white just melts into my mouth. I'd say it was cooked perfectly, that the yolk is still runny and the egg white doesn't break easily when it is serve into the bowl.

It's definitely one of the better eggs that I've tasted so far. Try it if you are the type that's fussy about your egg.

Ontama Bukkake RM 8.90

Hanamaru Udon at Mid Valley, Kuala Lumpur

This morning we decided to have a brunch first before the movie starts. We were deciding between Ippudo and Hanamaru Udon and seeing we don't have much time, we opted Hanamaru Udon. Yoshinoya and Hanamaru come under Texchem Resources Group 

This would be my third visit and his second visit. I was happy when they opened in Malaysia. We came across this similar concept of look and feel to the food itself when we were in Hong Kong last year. They co-share the space with Yoshinoya, hence, do expect seating to be limited during peak hour.

Service is moderate and servers behind counter are fast and sometimes, not so friendly. This is after all, a self-service and sometimes the queue is crazy during peak hours. Pricing is fairly reasonable and the food quality isn't bad. Their main specialty is udon but they have chawanmushi and tempura selections. 

They have fairly a few choices of udon for you to choose from; beef, curry, salad, spicy miso, clear miso, chicken broth or basic.

We decided to order Kitsune Udon and Tori Dash Udon. No side dishes this round since we were weren't super hungry. Tori Dashi's broth was nice but nothing to shout about. I love their udon . Very good texture and their clear broth is not super oily and still flavourful. 

Kitsune Udon (RM 8.80) Regular

Tori Dashi Udon (RM 10.80) Regular

The prices vary, depending on what you order. Regular is between RM7.80 to RM12.80 and for large bowl, price range will be between RM10.80 to 15.80. It's a suitable choice when you want to have a quick lunch/ dinner or even on a budget.

Add: T-015B, 3rd Floor, Mid Valley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2201 8789 

Menya Shi-Shi Do, Jaya One, Petaling Jaya

This will be my first post after I have stopped blogging for a long time. We got to know about this new place from our friend and decided to pop by yesterday and try it out.

The shop is located next to Boat Noodle. There are limited tables available. Interior is minimalist with Japanese wooden style design.

Ramen is their specialty with other side dishes that you can order. They have the standard ramen without the egg and pork. If you wish to include 1 egg and 1 pork, you can select Ajitama.

We decided to order 1 Shiro Ajitama Ramen (RM18) and 1 Kuro Ajitama Ramen (RM18). Shiro is original whereas Kuro is black garlic. Green tea is RM2 each.

The broth for Shiro Ajitama Ramen was light whereas the broth for Kuro, it could use a little more garlic so that it brings a little more oomph to the flavour as I could barely taste it. The meat was tender and it was a generous one piece of meat. 

We will definitely come back again and explore other ramen flavour and side dishes. Price wise, it's reasonable for those wanting a little less expensive ramen than some other establishments.

Opening Hour
10.30am to 3pm
6pm to 10pm
*subject to changes

Add: 72, Jalan Universiti, Jaya One.
* It is next to Boat Noodle 

Shiro Ajitama Ramen (RM18)

Kuro Ajitama Ramen (RM18)