Yuzu Japanese Restaurant @ Suria KLCC

I wanted to pay a visit to the Kinokuniya bookshop and managed to get my hands on the two cookbooks that I wanted.  Since we were already on the 4th floor, we ended up at Yuzu Japanese Restaurant @ Suria KLCC for dinner one evening.

I loved the nice, bright dining ambience of the restaurant with a feeling of warmth from its timber flooring to the wooden panels and furniture.

Looking at the restaurant's website, I guess the restaurant derived its name from the citrus fruit, which looks somewhat like a Mandarin orange (to me), with leaves that resemble kaffir lime leaves.  Although it is rarely eaten as a fruit, the juice of a yuzu adds a distinct tanginess to a dish and is commonly used as a seasoning in Japanese cuisine (much like the use of lemons in other cuisines).  It's often used in broth-based dishes such as clear soups, chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) and in simmered dishes.  Just like lemons, the tart flavour of the yuzu tends to enhance one's appetite.

The menu is pretty extensive with clear pictures and description of each item of the food, so ordering what you want here is very easy.  They have everything from appetisers and snacks to tofu, salads, sashimi, sushi, deep fried dishes, tempura, grilled dishes, yuzu specialities, wagyu, soba and udon to rice dishes.

We ordered from their a la carte menu and started with the Spicy, Sweet & Sour Soft Shell Crab Karaage @ RM18 served with an extra drizzle of teriyaki and spicy mayo sauce on the side.

For this, you get 4 pcs of perfectly crispy soft shell crab with a drizzle of sweet and sour sauce on top (much like those Thai type of sweetish-sourish chilli dip).  If this is a taste of things to come, I can't wait...we're off to a good start! ;)

Next up, our order of Sanma Mentaiyaki @ RM23 was a flame-grilled Pacific saury stuffed with spicy fish roe and served with grated daikon, pickled ginger and a slice of lemon.  The grilling of the Pacific saury imparted a nice crisp to the skin and a smoky charred flavour to the fish.
 

The look of the fish roe bursting out from the seams of the fish is enough to make your mouth water!  If I had one complaint, it would be that the fish is not that easy to eat as there're bones near the belly (or cavity) of the fish.  So, if you're not fond of having to deal with the bones, then it'd probably be in your best interest to stay away from this fish...as for myself, I didn't mind =)

We also ordered a Salmon Harasu Aburiyaki @ RM24 which is actually lightly grilled (ie. aburiyaki) salmon belly (ie. harasu).  You can enjoy this fatty salmon belly with a small squeeze of lemon juice and a little dip of soy sauce.

Or you can just eat the salmon belly in its natural state for a refreshing taste.  It is so incredibly soft and buttery, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture, you don't really need anything else, seriously!  But we wouldn't mind a tad more charring on the skin (of the other 2 pcs) though.

For our mains, we went with an order of Tendon @ RM26 which is a dish of tempura prawns and vegetables served on top of rice with some seaweed garnishing.  This bowl came with 2 tempura prawns and a pc of tempura fish plus tempura vegetables of sweet potato, brinjal, ladies finger and mushroom.

The tempura batter was extremely light and crispy....and stayed crisp throughout our dinner.  [#Tip: That's why we shouldn't attempt to make tempura at home (like the foolish me) but leave it in the hands of able chefs to truly enjoy this wonderful dish.]  But what was even better was that the bowl of tendon came with crispy bits of tempura batter and a drizzle of sweet teriyaki sauce, all over the rice, which made the rice more flavourful and even better to eat...excellent stuff!

The tendon was served with a side of miso soup and some pickled daikon and cabbage.

As for the other main, we had the Special Sushi Sandwich @ RM38....why not?  I love sushi and I love sandwiches, so I think the combination is going to be dynamite...and it was! ;D  You get 4 slices of 'sandwich' served with 3 sauces of teriyaki, mayo and spicy mayo with some pickled ginger and wasabi.

This was the restaurant's new style sushi which had a pc each of raw tuna, salmon and white tuna, layered with avocado and mango slices, in between a sandwich of sushi rice coated with bits of crispy tempura batter on the outside.

The fresh and raw fish, coupled with the creaminess of the avocado and the sweetness of the mango slices, together with the crunch from the tempura coated sushi, made this into an amazing bite of food.  Dip it into some soy sauce if you need a little saltiness, otherwise it's fine just as it is!  I really enjoyed this.  [#Tip: If you're a small eater, just this dish (or the tendon) alone will fill you up.]

Even the pickled ginger was good...I liked it so much that I asked for more as I find this one not as sharp or tart as some places.  I like to nibble on it as it gives a bit of warmth in between the dishes.

Our drinks for the evening:

Ocha (or Hot Green Tea) @ RM3 which came in this rather large and cute polka dot ceramic pot

(that's sufficient for 2 pax if you ask me)

Fresh Orange Juice @ RM10

My Personal Opinion

Although prices are at the higher end of the bracket (a meal here can easily go north of RM100 per person), but the taste, as well as the presentation of the food, is well worth the price.  I truly enjoyed my meal :-)

If you find their a la carte prices too steep for your liking, they do have good quality set meals for lunch (11.30am - 3pm) which are fairly priced from RM25 to RM68.  I certainly wouldn't mind trying this the next time I'm here for a more budget meal.

This is definitely a place I would want to come back to.....for sure!

Yuzu Japanese Restaurant
Lot 412 Level 4 Ramlee Mall
Suria KLCC
50088 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2161 4176