Sen-Ya

Boasting a menu created by Harunobu Inukai (the former executive chef of the Sydney Observatory Hotel's award-winning Galileo Restaurant), this Japanese bistro is one of the main attractions at KLCC's Isetan FoodMarket.

Cold, creamy soba salad. Chef Inukai holds impressive credentials, having trained at Osaka's Tsuji Cooking School and worked under Joel Robuchon at Tokyo's Taillevent Robuchon Chateau before embarking for Australia, where he now resides.

Teriyaki chicken with rice. Sen-Ya's offerings are available for both dine-in & takeaway, but it's best to eat everything fresh here. However, seats won't be easy to secure at peak hours, since this outlet fits barely 30 customers.

Spider Maki, comprising lots of soft-shell crab paired with crab sticks (more stuffing than rice!). Topped with Japanese chili powder for a mild but unexpected kick.

Chicken katsu with curry sauce. It's all familiar fare, well-executed though not mind-blowing, since the focus is on casual shoppers instead of serious diners.

Sen-Ya,

Isetan Food Market, Concourse Level, Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur.

Caffe Gino @ Isetan

Shoppers navigating through KLCC's Isetan Foodmarket might want to seek a caffeine buzz at this gourmet coffee specialist, opened by Japanese master roaster Kiyohisa Fugino.

Caffe latte, an elegant blend with a soft, clean finish. Fugino, nicknamed the "artist of aroma," claims to use top-tier coffee beans acquired at international auctions for his concoctions.

Matcha cappuccino, milky & smooth, with a deep-bodied flavor that is supposed to characterize green tea from the town of Uji in Kyoto.

And after that pick-me-up, stroll through the rest of this sprawling supermarket for groceries & takeaway snacks, including sushi, donburi, yakitori & okonomiyaki.

Caffe Gino,

Isetan Food Market, Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur.

Poco Zakka

After more than a year of cultivating a faithful following in Bangsar, Poco has opened its second branch, catering to a potentially larger crowd at Sunway Giza.

The menu here is more expansive (but NOT more expensive), featuring everything from sashimi to soba. The Poco Maki house specialty is not a bad sushi roll, with lots of teriyaki eel, tempura prawn & mango, though not extraordinary either.

Desserts are intriguing, but not entirely successful. The Italian-influenced white chocolate semifreddo with balsamic-laced strawberry is an acquired taste, with the sugary milkiness of the ice cream cake clashing with the tart, acidic fruit.

Mascarpone cheese with rum-soaked raisins, pistachios & dark chocolate. Sweetly flavorsome, with some nice texture from the fruit & nuts, but the cheese could be less frosty and powdery.

The safest bets: green tea & black sesame ice cream.

Kumquat & grape wheat black teas, both with aloe vera & flower seeds.

Earlier entry on Poco Homemade @ Bangsar: August 12, 2010.

Poco Zakka & Kitchen,

Sunway Giza, Kota Damansara.

Midori

Ahh, buffets. The economical route to satisfy those all-too-familiar sashimi cravings.

Fahrenheit 88's Midori features a fair selection of freshly sliced raw fish & oysters. Not top-notch, but decent enough to warrant multiple helpings.

Plenty of sushi too to stuff the stomach ...

... plus tempura & takoyaki (though these tend to get cold on the counter).

Shabu-shabu _ cooked at the table _ is worthwhile, though the dashi broth is a bit bland. Ingredients for the soup include prawns, bamboo clams & fish.

Butter crabs and other dishes prepared to order are also available, similar to other buffet outlets like Tenji and Jogoya.

Overwhelming quantity over quality, but at least nobody will leave this place hungry.

Service is efficient, but the restaurant imposes two different sessions for dinner: 5.30-8pm and 8pm-10.30pm. No overlapping allowed.

Booze is not a problem, with this small carafe of sake costing a reasonable 12 ringgit.

Midori,

Fahrenheit 88, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.

Kofuku

A sprawling venue with serenity assured, thanks to a severe lack of customers.

Kofuku's menu leans toward the conservative; we wondered how often (or rarely) the menu is revamped. Nevertheless, the tuna belly & hokkigai sushi tasted respectably fresh and juicy on this not-too-recent weeknight.

Kofuku Maki, featuring soft-shell crab, avocado, cucumber, fish roe & mayo. Competently executed, but too similar to what scores of other Japanese outlets serve. We expected something more, since this signature roll bears the restaurant's name.

Zosui porridge with chicken & egg in an earthen pot, served with pickles. Hot and hearty, but a bit too bland to really recommend. An extra ingredient _ pork perhaps, except that Kofuku cannot serve it _ might have instilled the essential oomph.

Our familiar refrain when the food is merely so-so: booze makes everything better.

Kofuku,

Seri Pacific Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

Go Gourmet

Carb-loading with Go Gourmet, kicking off with Chinese fried rice. Nicely laden with chicken, crab, anchovies & salted egg but completely lacked 'wok hei.'

More "nasi goreng," served with Thai "weeping tiger," or grilled rib-eye beef. Respectably tender meat, but the rice failed to pull its own weight, bordering on bland.

The Malay nasi ulam fared better, with deliciously boneless "ayam percik."

Pad Thai. Well-executed; not the best ever, but piquantly satisfactory.

Kuey teow with beef slices & balls. Lots of succulent meat & bouncy balls for merely 14 ringgit, but to nitpick, the broth seemed deluged with sodium.

Turning Japanese: chicken katsu don, featuring rice topped with crisply breaded chicken & egg. Tasty enough to pass muster at most Japanese outlets.

Chicken miso ramen. Not bad, but with so many ramen specialists sprouting up in KL nowadays, this is only worthwhile if you can't reach a real restaurant.

Ending it all: seafood kuey teow. Will fill the tummy, won't wow the taste buds.

Go Gourmet,

Kuala Lumpur.

Mikan

Mikan: Round Two. Earlier entry: April 5.

Sashimi platter, featuring amaebi, tai & tako. Mikan lets customers customize their sashimi selection, choosing only the fish & seafood that they want (for a fixed price). Thankfully, everything we ordered for this tasted irreproachable.

Jumbo ebi tempura. Some of the most massive prawns around, seemingly more than a foot long. Insanely addictive too, with sweet, succulent flesh coated in light, crunchy batter.

Avocado maki. Sticky rice, creamy avocado, crisp seaweed _ a can't-fail combo.

Seafood croquette. Served fresh and steaming-hot; excellent for snacking.

Comfort food: tender, flavorsome beef cheeks in rich, thick Japanese curry.

Fish broth. The chunks of (unidentifiable) fish were bony, but the soup tasted healthy.

Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc.

Pinot Noir. Red, red wine, stay close to meeeeeeee....

Mikan,

Maju Junction, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.