Kampai Yakiniku @ Bamboo Hills

It was a long awaited meet-up with my friends on a recent Public Holiday (the four of us have not met up for a makan outing in 2 years). >.<  We actually planned to go somewhere else but ended up here at Kampai Yakiniku @ Bamboo Hills as the other place happens to be closed.

Kampai Yakiniku is probably now best known as the place to offer the most affordable, halal-certified, premium Japanese A5 Wagyu Buffet from RM199 - RM299+ per pax, the latter offers unlimited refills (for 120 minutes) of 7 kinds of wagyu cuts freshly imported from Tokushima, Japan besides seafood, rice dishes, appetisers, beef offal, beef tongue, beef sashimi, vegetables, small bites and hot soup.

But we're not here for the buffet as we intend to hit a second spot after our lunch.  As for the ambience, it's a Japanese themed open air concept yakiniku restaurant.  The open air space is covered but open-walled, so we didn't feel warm even on a hot afternoon (I reckon it'll be even cooler if you're dining here at night).

Each table is equipped with its own grill for some fun-filled cooking on our own (that's what yakiniku or BBQ is all about).  But here, you don't have the option of the servers grilling the food for you (which was a bit of a surprise to me) but they're always on hand to help or show you how best to cook each item if needed.

I took charge of the ordering but if you're not well-versed with the different cuts of beef, it's best to just order their pre-arranged platters like this beautifully presented platter of 5 Kinds of Meat (250g+) @ RM309 that's suitable for 2-4 pax (which even one person can devour on his/her own to be really honest).  There's also 3 Kinds of Meat (150g+ for 1-2 pax) @ RM149 and 7 Kinds of Meat (350g+ for 3-5 pax) @ RM429 platters to choose from.

  

The 5 Kinds of Meat features cuts of Kainomi (flap meat from the belly of a cow), Katasankaku (shoulder clod, an economical cut from the shoulder of a cow), Tomasankaku (tri-tip, a triangular cut of beef from the bottom of the sirloin), Misuji (oyster blade, a rare cut of meat from the shoulder blade of a cow) and Ribeye or Rib Cap (the eye of the ribeye).  You get 3 pcs of each type of meat, so if you do the math, each piece you put into your mouth is like RM20! O_o  What can I say, wagyu is expensive...even more so if it's Japanese wagyu! ^_~

As these are premium cuts of beef, they take literally seconds to cook.  They give you a small piece of beef fat (you can ask for more) to smear on the grill before grilling begins.  The first one was flipped too soon (or the grill was not hot enough), so it barely had any grill marks (amateurs at grilling...haha) while another was left too long on the grill and was slightly overcooked (that's what happens when you're busy chatting and not concentrating on the cooking...lol).  But because of the superb quality of the meat, even if you overcook them, they still possess that superior tenderness.

Overall, every single cut was amazingly tender, juicy, flavourful with rich and complex umami flavours.  They literally melt in your mouth because of the intense marbling but if you were to ask me which was my favourite cut, I would have to honestly say I can't really differentiate them apart as all were great. Differentiating each cut of meat is like asking me to recognise all the different types of fish which I can't...lol!

Besides the wagyu meat platter, I couldn't resist an extra order of Beef Tongue (salted thin slice) @ RM40 (and there were 5 pcs) as it's absolutely one of my favourite cuts.

Again, impressively tender and flavourful but perhaps just a teeny-weeny bit chewier than the earlier cuts if I have to make a direct comparison.  Nevertheless, still extremely enjoyable.

With our meat sensation taken care of, the next order would obviously be a Seafood Platter @ RM118 for more variety.  This was even more elegantly presented...on a bed of ice in a boat-shaped platter with emitting dry ice for a bit of wow factor. 

The seafood platter was made up of large prawns (5 pcs), (huge) scallops on the shell (2 pcs), salmon fillet (2 good-sized pcs), one whole squid and 2 sticks of (smaller) scallops.

The body of the prawns were slit lengthwise, so we could prop them up to ensure the insides were cooked. They were minimally seasoned with salt and black pepper (I added a bit more) and they were super fresh with a nicely charred flavour from the grilling.

The huge scallops (with finely julienned leek underneath) were cooked on their shell with a little knob of butter that melted into the soy to make a lovely sauce for the scallops...absolutely yums! ;)  The salmon fillets were cooked well yielding an immensely fresh and soft texture with a slightly crispy skin and a charred, smoky flavour.  Another winner!

There's also a Veggie Platter @ RM69 that you can order (we didn't) to round off your meal if you need greens (but who needs vegetables when you have premium meat and seafood...kekeke!).  Plus, we already have a mini veggie platter (lol) that came with the meat (as decoration)...waste not, want not!  And no, I didn't grill the carrot rose (it would have been too hard to cook through) or the leek flower (so thin it'll just disintegrate) but I did throw the mushroom and capsicum onto the grill.  But if you do order the actual veggie platter, you'll get vegetables of eggplant, carrots, corn, onions, asparagus and bell peppers, including potatoes and mushrooms.

I did get an additional order of Sweet Onions @ RM8 simply because I love onions which tend to sweeten when grilled.  The noob me put the onions to grill still skewered before the server came to save the day to remove the onion from the skewer and picked the layers of the onion apart so that they can grill properly.

You can help yourselves to all the condiments at the condiment station (and there were plenty to choose from).  I got a salt & black pepper mix, chopped garlic, yakiniku sauce, soy with spring onions, lemon juice (for the seafood)...and a final sauce (which my friend got).  If you ask me, the premium wagyu needed no sauce...they were good on their own but if you really needed one, I'd say the yakiniku sauce or a light dip into the soy or salt/pepper mix should suffice.  Green Tea (hot or cold) is at RM5 per pax (refillable).

My Personal Opinion

All the beef and seafood were utterly fresh with great flavours...we wouldn't expect anything less based on the price point.  I thought we'd still be hungry when we were done but we weren't.  Great for small eaters or those who want to sample premium wagyu beef (we know how expensive they can be) but if you're big eater, I'd suggest you go for the buffet to be fully satisfied.

For those on a budget but want to taste a variety of beef (or seafood), go for their 3, 5 or 7 kinds of meat and seafood platters (even the veggie platter) where you get to taste more types of meat, seafood or veggies in one sitting.

If you end up liking one particular cut more than the others, you can check their displayed names (or ask a server) and know what to order the next time you're here (and order an extra plate of that cut).  Would I like to come back?  Of course (who wouldn't)...but premium wagyu comes at a price! :'(

Kampai Yakiniku Bamboo Hills

Lot P3A Taman Bukit Bambu

Off Lebuhraya Duta-Ulu Kelang (DUKE)

51200 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 010-525 2525