Leading the wild into the ways of the man…
iichiko mugi shochu is a 100% barley shochu from Japan. Japanese shochu is usually made from either sweet potatoes, rice or barley and though it’s difficult to differentiate between the three, I tend to prefer barley fermented drinks.
iichiko mugi shocho weighs in at a respectable 25% alcohol and in the new format of alcohol reviews, this is done vlog style, complete with fake Japanese accent. 😉
Shabu shi is a unique “shabu-shabu and sushi buffet in Kaiten style” restaurant located right smack dab in the middle of Pat Pong in Bangkok. The place charges 199 baht (about RM 20) for an all-you-can-eat buffet of shabu shabu (not that kind, the Japanese steamboat) and sushi. The name “Shabu shi” is a contraction of the words “Shabu shabu” and “Sushi“.
My gf was pretty hungry at the time (you don’t want to be near her when she’s hungry) so we went in and got seated. It turns out that there was a long line of people there – it’s a very popular place with the locals. I tried bribing the attendant with 1000 baht (RM 100) to “bump up our position in the queue” (that’s how scary she is when she’s hungry) but he didn’t bite.
It took us a good 15 minutes of waiting before we got out turn. Shabu shi has bar style seating and table style seating arrangements, both of which are connected to a sushi train (conveyer belt) like contraption that has colored plates depicting the different dishes available for the steamboat and also sushi.
Shabu shi lays out the table with a bowl, a plate, eating instruments, dipping sauce and wasabi. There is an indention in front of every person which is where the shabu shabu (Japanese steamboat) goes into. The 199 baht admission price also allows you to a free flow of drinks ranging from tea to sodas as well as ice cream for dessert.
The water was set to a boil by using an individually controlled heat sensor located at the bottom of the place and we started to get plates of food to put into the boiling broth. Shabu shi has a wide range of Japanese steamboat ingredients ranging from clams to pork slices. Mmm…pork.
I dumped the stuff I like into the indented pot of boiling broth and waited for it to cook. The proper way to eat shabu shabu is to swish it around (shabu shabu literally means “swish swish” in Japan) but I couldn’t be bothered and I wanted to batch eat. 😉 I had a really heroic amount of empty plates stacked up too, but the overtly industrious people and Shabu shi kept on taking them away.
The cooking didn’t take long and I scooped up the stuff into the small bowl for eating. I don’t really like tofu btw, in fact, I hate it, but my gf dumped it into my soup anyway.
Itadakimasu!
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Nippon Ichi Sushi Sdn. Bhd. Restaurant is the latest Japanese restaurant in Sibu. It also holds the dubious distinction of being the first to have “Private Limited (Sdn. Bhd.)” as part of the eating establishment’s name.
Nippon Ichi Sushi Sdn. Bhd. Restaurant (Nippon Ichi Sushi restaurant henceforth) is located on the second floor of a row of shop houses near the Sibu Civic Center. The entire restaurant is glass paneled and the entrance is via a small staircase to the side.
The staircase leading up to Nippon Ichi Sushi restaurant has a vacancy notice as well as the various Japanese fare available at the restaurant in printed, full color photos adorning the otherwise dull staircase.
Nippon Ichi Sushi has its entrance proper at the second floor, complete with wood paneling and etched signboards as well as the traditional Japanese cloth hanging on the doorway. The business hours are also listed in a small notice to the side.
The interior of Nippon Ichi Sushi is filled with new age tatami style dining enclaves, with each area partially cordoned off for privacy. There are approximately six tatami areas, which constitutes the main seating arrangements of the eating establishment.
Nippon Ichi Sushi also has a sushi bar located at the reception…
…as well as a VIP dining room which was occupied when I went there for dinner just now.
The tatami dining concept is unique as each tatami dining unit has its own air conditioning and lighting, with a view though the glass paneled walls. There isn’t much of a view to speak of, but I like the cellular nature of the tatami units.
Nippon Ichi Sushi doesn’t really have tatami mats for dining (thus the new age comment above) but rather tatami style seating arrangements with flat pillows for seats and a dug out (recessed pit) for you to put your legs in, so you don’t actually need to learn the ways of the Japanese tatami seating kung fu (which will cause leg cramps).
The waitress will serve green tea (RM 2) as the default drink upon arrival, which is refillable (unlimited refills).
This is Idako Sashimi (RM 6) which is baby octopus with sesame seeds. We had this for the appetizer, as recommended by the waitress.
It is Sushi Day at Nippon Ichi Sushi so we has the Nigiri Sushi (RM 18) which is basically a sampler of sushi with tuna, salmon, swordfish, ebiko and several other sushi and maki items.
The waitress also recommended the Dynamite Maki (Spicy Tuna Maki) which is their specialty. Dynamite Maki (RM 19) is Spicy Tuna Maki topped off with chilli powder – it is indeed a blast, pardon the pun. The maki is spicy and goes well with wasabi (spicy x 2).
We also had the Rainbow Maki (RM 13) which is a sampler of maki with octopus, yellowtail, tuna and fusions of sashimi cuts.
It truly earned its name as the Rainbow Maki…
…with the colors and ingredients…
…creating fusion and experimental maki.
The dessert came in the form of Macha Ice Cream (RM 8) which is green tea ice cream. This is the best dish from the entire night and it probably came out of a small ice cream tub with “Made in Japan” stamped on it.
Still, it’s great macha ice cream…not sweet at all, with hints of tea coming from the small granules hidden throughout the ice cream.
Nippon Ichi Sushi disappointed me with their mediocre Japanese fare and it wasn’t until I paid the bill (RM 74.48) that I realized why – the waitress told me that the sushi chef was on leave and a junior apprentice took his place!
Nippon Ichi Sushi has great macha ice cream (and amazing decor) and I like the tatami dining concept, but I cannot recommend the place with good conscience due to its mediocre sushi. I would have to check out the place again when the sushi chef is back, but allowing a junior apprentice to serve food without warning patrons in advance is simply unacceptable for a place of its stature.
It gets a rare two thumbs down from me.
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Minoru Japanese Restaurant is an authentic Japanese cuisine eating establishment in Kuching. It is supposed to be the best place to go for authentic Japanese food. It’s located in Rubber Road and it’s a cozy corner lot, relatively unknown, but a gem of a place if you find it.
The interior of Minoru Japanese restaurant is furnished in classic Japanese decor and there are various seating arrangements to accommodate patrons as well as a sushi bar area where you can watch the sushi chef prepare the orders.
The service at Minoru Japanese restaurant is excellent – the waitresses are accommodating, friendly and attentive…probably coz we were the only ones there. 😉
There is a menu plastered on the wall with Japanese writing which I can’t make sense of and I don’t know why it’s there since probably 0.0035% of the population here actually can read Japanese.
I went there with Cherie before she left for Melbourne in the afternoon and the place exudes an ambience of serenity. There is a fish tank at the bar seating area (which used to have piranhas) – it’s very tranquil, perfect for a quiet afternoon lunch.
There are various condiments interspaced with sake place cards every meter or so on the bar seating area. The condiments are all imported from Japan, unlike other “Japanese” eating establishments.
The view from the sushi bar into the area is decorated with lighted paper lanterns and the area behind it is full of Japanese paraphernalia.
There is a wide selection of sake and shochu (including the ones in the cardboard boxes – love them) and naturally, Asahi beer in bottles, cans and mini cans.
The sushi bar has a transparent glass counter at eye level with the fresh tuna and octopus as well as other provisions…all air flown in from Japan.
This is the sushi chef behind the counter. Minoru Japanese restaurant also serves fugu (puffer fish) but the dish is seasonal.
I ordered Hon Nama sake (RM 35) which can be served
either at room temperature, chilled or warmed. It comes with a shot
glass so I decided to take shots instead of savoring the sake coz I have an alcohol problem I didn’t want to be pretentious.
This is the California Roll (RM 20) which Cherie recommended. It’s really good! Unlike other establishments, the Temaki is filled with all sorts of premium ingredients right down to the bottom of the roll. It’s a must have if you’re going to Minoru.
This is the sashimi platter that we had. There is salmon sashimi (RM 25), shrimp sashimi (RM 22), octopus sashimi (RM 15), Ikura (RM 30) and Tobiko (RM 14).
We also ordered Akagai sushi (RM 30) which is rare in Kuching. It’s fresh ark shell. The other one is Kazunoko sushi (RM 25) which is herring roe.
The Unagi (RM 25) with rice topped with seasoning (RM 2) tastes great as well. I can’t resist eel with rice; it’s what I used to eat in Melbourne.
The Chawan Mushi (RM 6) in Minoru Japanese restaurant is good as well…it’s full of ingredients inside.
This is the soft shelled crab (RM 16) which we did not manage to finish coz it’s obvious that we ordered too much food. 🙂
The most interesting décor in Minoru Japanese restaurant is this glass encased selection of miniature dishes that the establishment offers. The bill came to about RM 300+ which is reasonable for authentic Japanese cuisine.
Itadakimasu!
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Crown Plaza has a Japanese BBQ Buffet at the resident Cafe Majestic every Saturday from 8:30 pm – 10:30 pm. It is a long running promotion with a sushi and sashimi bar, a Japanese food buffet spread and desserts inspired by The Empire of the Rising Sun.
The promotional literature goes “Indulge in a seemingly infinite supply of sushi, an array of salads, and a host of delightful hot dishes including barbecue favorites to a variety of tempting international desserts and authentic Japanese beverages.”
I went for the Japanese buffet at 9:30 pm with Cherie and started filling our plates (an hour before the buffet ends). Irene joined us soon after that and I think she was surprised at our healthy appetites. 😉
The first stop was the sushi / sashimi bar which also serves California Rolls and maki. There were also fresh salmon, tuna and octopus to be made into sashimi.
The sashimi chef did some slicing and dicing and we got a rather large platter of sashimi (raw fresh seafood).
Make us some sushi, Scotty!
…and while you’re at it, do California Rolls as well.
This is our platter of sashimi which I thought was worth the RM 55++ per person buffet admission price by itself.
Cherie is a big fan of ebiko – the stuff is fun to eat while *cough* as I’ve come to realize. It kinda pops in your mouth.
She also puts prawns and rolls them in ebiko, and that is equally fun to eat. It becomes an explosion of prawn, sweet mayonnaise and ebiko crunching…very interesting texture.
There was a lot of other stuff in the buffet table (which is separate from the sushi bar) – off the top of my head, there were Chawan Mushi, Kani Karage (fried soft crab – pictured above), gyoza, tempura, udon noodles, miso soup (obviously) and cha soba served in small, individual bowls.
It was a massacre! I think we took more than we were able to eat. 😉
Itadakimasu!
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There is this wonderful Japanese Pizza available at either I-Chi-Ban
Teppanyaki or Economy Tepanyaki (depending on which sign you look at)
at Tabuan Jaya. I had this last night as well, and this eating
establishment scene preceded the teh c peng post chronologically.
This is the proprietor preparing my Japanese Pizza. Watch him shape the pizza into, er…a pizza.
Now this, my friends, is the Japanese Pizza. It looks and tastes
wonderful. Those brown flaky things on top are cuttlefish! There is a
layer of pork floss between the topping and the pancake. Lovely! The
sauce is a mayonnaise – Thousand Island fusion topping, which goes
really well with the ingredients. There are some brown onion skins
which adds to the taste too.
Here’s a closer look at the pancake. This is the interior, which
shows raw onions, meat and some other stuff. It’s not authentic
Japanese cruisine, obviously, but this goes for RM 4, and the portion
is generous, which is a great bargain!
Ah Boon had a plate of chicken chop and this Taiwan sausage (shown
above) which I had as well. Ah Ann had some rice with beef and onions
and Miriam had the Japanese Pizza as well.
I will rewind the events of last night to the last post (which is
chronologically the second post after the initial post) in this series
which lead to me throwing up in the middle of the night in a dirty
longkang in Tabuan Jaya.
I’ve eaten here the last time I was in KL and figured I would go
back and take photos of the okonomiyaki making process. The seating
arrangement allows you to sit in front of the grill and watch them make
your okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki has been described as a “Japanese pizza”.
I had the nikutama ika ebi (pork and seafood) okonomiyaki with soba
noodles (you can choose to have udon) and the spring onion topping.
That came up to RM 18. Here’s the photos of the making of my order:
Pouring out the base
Adding shredded cabbages and sprouts
Shaking pepper and salt
Adding the seafood
Layering several slices of bacon on top
Here’s a close up of the partially made okonomiyaki
Soba noodles fried seperately in the next grill
The okonomiyaki pushed over in preparation of combining with the soba noodles
Turning over the okonomiyaki
Combining it with the soba noodles
Compressing the whole thing
Lifting it onto an egg (fried seperately)
Making everything neat
Slicing up the okonomiyaki
Drizzling okonomiyaki sauce on top
Generous sprinkling of spring onions
This is the finished dish – nikutama ika ebi okonomiyaki pictured with iced rooibos tea.
