Kingyo Japanese Restaurant @ Life Centre, KL

Kingyo is the new Japanese restaurant in Menara Life Centre, taking over from Munakata. It is a relatively quiet restaurant, even more so on a week night. Here's our review of their Teppanyaki Course Menu.

       

          

Menu

           
The choices were quite good and we had a tough time deciding which to go for. In the end, we had Course B and Course E.

                  

Nice ceramics but not the best I've seen

                

Salad

           
The salad came in a chilled bowl which meant that the vegetables were extra crunchy and refreshing. The salad sauce was very creamy too.

              

Zensai

               
The appetizer consisted of a maki which was coated in very crunchy salmon roe but its taste was average, marinated jellyfish and blanched prawns that were sweet and crunchy. Seems like a lot of items at Kingyo are crunchy huh? On a side note, wonder if they reuse the decorative chrysanthemum flower? =P

               

Teppanyaki condiments

             

Butterfish and Oyster Teppanyaki

             
The butterfish was naturally sweet and its flesh firm whereas the oysters were just cooked and retained a hint of rawness. 

                   

Salmon sashimi

           
The sashimi were fresh and juicy and each slice was thick and chilled.

               

Clockwise from top: Salmon, Vegetables, Oyster and Squid Teppanyaki

           
The grilled salmon flesh was moist but the skin was very crispy. The oysters here were juicy and fortunately, the squid was not tough. I love the vegetables which had a crisp texture.
                 

Beef and Vegetables Teppanyaki

               
The grilled beef was very good - nicely done and not tough at all.

              

Tempura

             
Tempura here is good with a light and crispy batter.

               

Miso soup, rice and pickles

             
Love this combination - I should try just eating these 3 items for breakfast like normal Japanese =P There were 3 types of pickles which I enjoyed thoroughly. Unfortunately, the same can't be said of the miso soup which was salty by my standards (which means it may be very salty for some) and had no seaweed!! Only a few blobs of scallion and tofu were floating about in the soup.

                 

Fruits

              

Overall, I quite enjoyed the food at Kingyo. I liked that their teppanyaki items were all generously sauteed in butter and had the delicious fragrant melted butter aroma. The waitresses however don't seem to be very experienced.
           
         
PawPoints: 4 Paws
Pawket: Cheese
                    
Kingyo Japanese Restaurant

G-05 Ground Floor
Life Centre
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03 2163 7888
Daily: 12pm - 2.30pm. 6pm - 10pm

Coffee Chemistry @ First Subang Mall, Subang Jaya

Coffee Chemistry is located in First Subang Mall, a relatively dead shopping mall from what I remember...not sure if much has changed since then. The cafe, on the other hand, is quite a cosy little place with a pleasant owner and modern looking decor. 

       

          

Cappuccino

        

Warm and Iced Water

   
Nothing special about this but why the difference in size? 

      

Classic Roasted Lamb Shoulder (RM 26.90)

   
The roasted lamb shoulder with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables drenched in black pepper sauce sure looks good but JS thought the lamb a bit chewy and would have preferred more vegetables instead.

       

Grilled Salmon Steak (RM 26.90)

   
Did not try the grilled salmon so no comment. It does look appetizing though with lots of freshly steamed vegetables and aromatic butter lemon sauce.

       

Seafood Pasta (RM 21.90)

   
I'm so predictable huh? Of course the Seafood Pasta is mine =P I didn't expect the dish to come with so much seafood considering the price but it did with double of everything - mussel, squid and prawns. Seafood was quite fresh and the cream sauce was not cloying at all. I liked it so much that I polished off everything even though I was actually really full even before I started eating.

      

Brownies & Ice-Cream (RM 9.50)

     
The brownie was really good and chocolatey and yet surprisingly cheap. A generous scoop of vanilla ice-cream was provided as well including a drizzle of chocolate sauce. Really the perfect dessert to end a meal d^_^b
   
I came to Coffee Chemistry not expecting much but it certainly surpassed my expectations with its good food and cheap price. I'd definitely return if only it weren't located at First Subang Mall cause there's nothing else to do there...
   
   
PawPoints: 3 Paws
Pawket: Tomato
          
Coffee Chemistry
G22 - G23, Ground Floor
First Subang Mall
Tel: 03 5612 2299
Daily: 10am - 10.30pm

The Dogs @ Edinburgh, Scotland

I came across this cute pub while researching for food in Edinburgh. The usual pub food is served at The Dogs whereas its sister restaurants Seadogs serve seafood and Amore Dogs serve Americanised Italian fare.

Unfortunately, this pub does not have the usual pub favourites such as Shepherd's or cottage pie, roasts (probably because it's not a Sunday) or even my favourite J2O(!!) (a non-alcoholic beverage in a beer bottle with melon flavour). Nevertheless, it is a cosy place with nice food.

Coat of arms

Menu

Bar counter

Skirt steak, chips, beef tomato and smoked garlic butter (GBP 11.75)

Simple steak and wedges done beautifully - the steak was juicy and well-flavoured with the added taste of garlic butter, the wedges were roasted to a crisp yet fluffy texture and a halved grilled tomato. Good stuff =D

Seafood stew with garlic crouton (GBP 9.95)

The seafood stew was filled with ingredients - lots of mussels, prawns, mini clams, fish and calamari stewed together with cabbage, celery and leek. The broth was creamy and rich with butter, coating every single piece of seafood very well. The garlic crouton was crispy but slightly tough once dipped in the gravy. I would have appreciated a bigger piece of crouton though =P Overall this was one yummy dish but it can get kind of cloying after you've had most of it.

Showing you the way to good food

PawPoints: 4 Paws

http://www.thedogsonline.co.uk/

The Dogs

110 Hanover St
Edinburgh
Tel: 0131 220 1208

Daily

Sirocco Restaurant @ Holiday Inn, Melaka

I had the opportunity to stay at Holiday Inn in Melaka when I was there for business which also marks the first time I rode the "water rollercoaster" >.< If you think you can find Holiday Inn by following the Pusat Bandar signs, you'd better think twice. Best to bring a GPS as it is actually by the shore.
   
My overall view of Holiday Inn and its amenities was quite good with nice rooms, comfy beds and an infinity pool which overlooks the ocean (although there is construction going on near the shore). The buffet breakfast was average only but the hotel does house a decent Italian restaurant.

      

Lovely name

       

Interior

   
The restaurant boasts an open kitchen and wood-fired pizza oven so take note if you don't want to smell like pasta...
        

Complimentary loaf

   
The complimentary bread is huge! Just compare its size with the saucer or fork at the upper right corner of the photo. The first day I was there, I only had a slice whereas the 2nd day I was there, I had 4 slices but in my defense, I ate it with the Seafood Stew below and used it to mop up the gravy. It seems  freshly baked but most probably it is warmed in the oven. The crust can be chewy at certain places but overall it was crispy and crusty. Wonder what they do with all the leftovers =P

     

Not sure if it's the norm for a high olive oil to balsamic vinegar ratio? My preference is for lots of vinegar, otherwise wouldn't it be like soaking bread in oil?

   

Ghamberini (RM 32)

   
I was craving for pasta so the first day there, I had the Ghamberini which is king prawn (note that there's only one, uno, ichi single prawn =.=) and spaghetti tossed in chilli flakes and arugula. The first bite of the pasta was quite hard but it softened up as you make your way through the dish. Very flavourful, a tad too salty but I enjoyed it very much. The portion looked small on the huge plate but by the end, it turned out quite filling. I must say though that at this price, I expected at least TWO king prawns instead of a measly, lonely prawn =(

   

Seafood Stew (RM 25)

   
Seeing how cheap the Seafood Stew is (spag bol and meatless pasta are priced the same), I immediately ordered it on the 2nd day. There were double prawns, scallops, mussels, calamari and fish, all cooked in a rich tomato stew. The seafood tasted fresh and yummy and the gravy was thick and good with lots of tomato-ey goodness. The crispy, well-buttered garlic crouton was really, really good - everytime I bit into it, it snaps off with a resounding crunch even after being swished around the tomato stew.
   
Anyway good stuff and decent price for a hotel restaurant. Do drop by if you're sick of all the local delicacies and just want to chill at the hotel =)
       
   
PawPoints: 4 Paws
Pawket: Olive
      
Sirocco Restaurant
Holiday Inn Melaka
Jalan Syed Abdul Aziz
Melaka
Tel: 06 285 8169
Sun - Thur: 6pm - 11pm
Fri - Sat: 6pm - 12am

Gonbei San @ Starhill Gallery, KL

Ah...Gonbei San - the top guy of the fine dining buffet pyramid. Curious about its offerings and how much more fine dining it can get buffet-style, we headed over to Starhill Gallery one day. The whole mall exudes elegance and a sort of untouchable / unreachable sense to it (much like the elite Tan Sris and Puan Sris) and the same applies to Gonbei San.

   

The view from across

 

Main entrance

   
The main entrance itself feels surreal like you're entering an entirely different world. The drum is beaten once to signal your arrival and you have to walk through a series of criss-crossing bamboo poles shaped somewhat like a teepee to reach the inner chambers of the restaurant...
   

Interior

   
Once inside though, we found the seating arrangements here a little odd...most of the tables are 2-seaters and the seats are placed at a right angle. When we attempted to shift the chair so that we can be seated facing each other, the slightly snobbish manager hurried forward and told us sternly that we were not allowed to change the seating arrangements. Thankfully, a more experienced waitress came over and offered us another table.
   

Ceramics!

     

Mango Juice

   
An assortment of juices is available for the little kids (in you)...
   

Sashimi

   
Sashimi! The whole point of going to a fine-dining Japanese restaurant is for their super fresh and juicy and bouncy sashimi! Here they have salmon, tuna and butterfish. Needless to say, the sashimi at Gonbei San totally lives up to expectations - chilled, juicy and bouncy - and we took many many servings...
   

Maki and more Sashimi!

   
I couldn't resist sneaking a few makis - here I've taken futomaki, soft shell crab maki and ebi maki =) The futomaki wasn't too well-prepared - I much prefer Sushi Zanmai's one. The ebi maki was average but the soft shell crab maki was really good. One point to note was the uneven and "un-clean" cut of the makis...you can see jagged bits of rice sticking out.
   

Pickled cold salad

   
The pickled seaweed on the left was typical but the one on the right which I couldn't figure out its contents, was kind of odd. It was crunchy and tasteless >.<
   

Seafood salad and carbs

   

• I also couldn't resist sneaking a bowl of cold soba which was quite average. 
• The seafood salad in Thousand Island sauce was fresh and yummy. 
• The black blob on the plate is stewed hijiki, a type of sea vegetable, which was not too bad but Tenjin's version tastes much better and is more flavourful.
• I love potato salads and this was no exception =D

   

Chawanmushi

 
The Chawanmushi has mushrooms, seaweed, bits of chicken bits and a squid ball and was slightly firm with a nice smooth texture.
   

Teppanyaki

   
Clockwise from top left are the prawns, beef, mussels, chicken, squid and fish teppanyaki. No prizes for guessing but I enjoyed the prawn teppanyaki the most as they were shelled (except for the tail bit) and you can just pop them into your mouth consecutively. The mussels were really good and juicy too. Actually, all of them were equally good and not the least dry.
   

Agemono

   
From the left in a clockwise order, we've got tori karaage aka fried chicken, sakana katsu aka fish cutlets, tori katsu aka chicken cutlet, lamb teriyaki and butter fish fillet. They were deep-fried to perfection and very yummy.
   

Fried Rice

   
As usual, I had to satisfy my carby self so had this bowl of fried rice which was really good, perfectly separated rice grains and adequate wok hei.
   

Onsen Tamago

   
The onsen tamago was slurpilicious.
   

Tempura

   
The tempura came with the usual dipping sauce.
 

Close-up of Tempura

 
We tried the prawn, sweet potato and ladies finger tempura and they were all good - light and not oily.
   

Traditional Japanese Dessert

   
These were my choice of desserts - mochi rolled in sugary peanut crumbs, chrysanthemum jelly with wolfberry and mini dorayakis filled with a choice of sweet red bean paste or smooth peanut butter.
 
I felt the mochi was slightly too sweet for me and after the heavy meal, I was really too lazy to chew on the gooey mochi. The mini dorayakis were addictive but there was no way of distinguishing which had peanut butter sandwiched in between and which had red bean paste.
 
My favourite was the chrysanthemum jelly...it was totally refreshing with sweet wolfberries embedded in each slice. A real palate cleanser, I easily had 4 or 5 of those irresistible squares O.O
 

Western Dessert

   
There were many types of Western desserts available which included an assortment of cakes but as were totally stuffed, we only had a fruit tart and some chocolate dipped marshmallow and strawberry. These were typical Western desserts and not very outstanding.
   

Black Sesame Ice-Cream

   
There were many ice-cream flavours available but we only took the black sesame and green tea ice-cream.

   

Green Tea Ice-Cream

   
Both the black sesame and green tea ice-cream were velvety smooth and creamy with a strong black sesame and green tea taste respectively.
   
Overall, the sashimi here is really good and fresh and most of the food tasted quite good but at this price, I'd rather go for quality over quantity. Plus there are other buffet restaurants serving the same or even better quality food at a much cheaper price.
   
By the way, if you are a fan of novelty washrooms, do visit Gonbei San's as they've got a modified shishiodoshi for a tap!
    

    

PawPoints: 4 Paws
Pawket: Salami
      
Gonbei San

T2 Relish Floor
Starhill Gallery
Tel: 03 2782 3801
Daily: 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 11pm