Rakuzen chain of restaurants is a popular Japanese restaurant that is known to serve consistently good food with fair portion sizes. That's why they're a favourite with families and their many branches is a testament to their popularity.
They have branches all over the
Klang Valley but the
Rakuzen @ Sunway Velocity is our go-to when we happen to be in the mall for a bout of shopping (not at the mall but at
Ikea next door) and feel like a Japanese meal thereafter (I've blogged about
this place twice before...apparently both way back in 2017)! :O Glad to see they're still alive and doing well after so many years.
Prices may be a bit more premium here but service is good...they always start you with a warm towel and complimentary green tea! ;) I was rather famished and decided to splurge a bit and got myself the
Executive Course Menu @ RM99, a 5-course menu featuring an appetiser, sashimi, a grilled dish, a course of rice/noodles and finally a dessert.
Although
tamago tofu and
grilled eggplant was listed in the menu as the appetiser round, what I got that day for the
Appetiser Course were
Tomatoes & Asparagus. These were some really sweet, juicy, cherry tomatoes, skin removed and served chilled (if I remember correctly) in a little soy sauce. I'm guessing they're
Japanese cherry tomatoes as they're a lot sweeter than regular cherry tomatoes apparently...they were very good.
The other half of the appetiser highlighted, cooked to tender, sticks of (shaved?)
asparagus topped with (what looked like)
natto (fermented soybeans) for that salty, umami flavour. They were pleasant too. The meal was getting off to a good start.
Next was the
Sashimi Course featuring fresh cuts of
Salmon (Belly), Kanpachi (Amberjack), Hotate (Scallop) & Amaebi (Sweet Shrimp) Sashimi.
Nothing to fault as everything was as it should be...pristinely fresh, clean and subtle in taste and texture. A little dip into the soy sauce (or wasabi as some prefer) and you're good to go.
The third was the
Grilled Course and it was a choice between
Karasu Karei Saikyo Yaki 70g or
Angus Ribeye Steak 70g not that I had a clue what the former was as I zeroed in on the ribeye steak right away. It was served with some charred vegetables on the side. While writing this post, I googled and found out that
karasu karei saikyo yaki is actually a type of fish (
Greenland halibut or
Atlantic flounder) marinated in white miso (
saikyo yaki).
They should include an English translation of the dish and not expect us to know what the dish is in Japanese.
The
Angus Ribeye Steak was cooked properly to medium rare doneness as I had requested. The meat was tender and flavourful with the soy sauce (and some slivers of cooked down leeks).
My next course was the
Rice/Noodles Course with a choice of
Unagi Hitsumabushi or
Tempura Inaniwa Udon (hot/cold) and I knew instantly the former would be my pick. I've always wanted to try
unagi done this way...and it came served in a
wooden bucket with a
pot of dashi (broth) and a
plate of condiments on the side.
You can savour
Unagi Hitsumabushi in a few ways, making it a layered culinary experience. First is, of course,
as it is savouring the pure flavour of the smoky, tender, flavourful
unagi with the rice which had bits of eel mixed into it for extra flavour.
Secondly, you
have it with the condiments of
shredded seaweed, some tiny
crispy puffs (a bit similar to tempura batter) and finely chopped
spring onions (with
wasabi and
sansho pepper too if you like) mixed into the rice for a more complex taste.
Thirdly, you
pour in the pot of hot dashi into the rice and eat it
ochazuke style. The
dashi was delicate and light (I believe it was
dashi when I poured a little into my spoon to taste it on its own coz it can also be
green tea or just
hot water). When mixed into the rice, it had a refreshing but savoury aftertaste. The broth was very hot, so for those who enjoy hot soup with rice, this will be
right up their alley.
The tender unagi over flavourful, sticky Japanese rice in a hot and delicate soup is comfort food at its best. I'm glad to have finally tried
unagi hitsumabushi and enjoyed it though I felt eating it the first way lets you savour the pure, unadulterated taste of
unagi and because the
unagi-flavoured rice was already flavourful on its own, the taste of the soup was lost in the dish (I wish I had eaten more spoonfuls that way before pouring in the soup).
My fifth and final course was the
Dessert Course of
Matcha Ice Cream with Red Bean. I've never liked anything matcha but this matcha ice cream I truly enjoyed...it was creamy with a light matcha taste. I finished the whole thing even though I was very full.
My son went for the
Steak Don Set @ RM48 showcasing pan-fried steak (60g
wagyu) with onsen egg and rice (the other option was 100g
Angus Ribeye @ RM42.
The set was served with sides of
cawanmushi, sesame-dressed
salad (of spinach and carrot),
miso soup and diced
fresh fruit (of watermelon & dragon fruit).
The wagyu was cooked correctly to medium rare as requested, and it was tender and reasonably flavourful when I tasted a piece (can't expect premium wagyu based on the price charged...especially when the charged is not much of a difference compared to the ribeye). All in all, it was a decent beef set for the price.
My Personal Opinion
I've heard about unagi hitsumabushi for quite some time now and glad to have finally tried it since I'm a die-hard fan of anything soupy with rice. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it even more if plain white rice was used instead as I would then be able to savour the true flavours of the delicate soup more. I'm hoping to try salmon or beef patty chazuke style in future now that I've had a taste of what it's like.
The quality of the beef (
Angus ribeye) here is definitely reasonable in both taste and tenderness...and it matches their price point. As for the matcha ice cream, the creamy taste was much stronger than the matcha taste but, at least, I won't shun matcha from now on...
lol! Always worthy of future visits (although their
Google rating is very low at 3.8 mostly due to complaints of poor service which I've been fortunate enough to not encounter). That's why it's always good to filter through the reviews as it may not always be about the food coz I've always enjoyed my meals here (glad to see they've maintained their standards).
Rakuzen
Lot 1-28 Sunway Velocity Mall
Lingkaran SV Sunway Velocity
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-9770 1170
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