Udon-Ya San @ Pandan Indah

Udon-Ya San @ Pandan Indah has been around for many years and though I noticed that they have a rather high rating (4.4) on Google, I've not come around to try.

The reason being I've never been a big fan of udon noodles....I prefer soba or ramen! ;)  But since it was one of my friend's favourite udon place (and she wanted me to try), we were here for dinner one evening.

Well, you're in the home of an udon specialist, so what do you have?  Udon, of course! ;D  I had the Tsukimi Udon Soup Set @ RM18 that comes with chicken kaarage, a mini salad, soup and green tea.  I've to agree with her that the udon is not bad at all (they were slurp-worthy)...and the soup had wakame, an onsen egg and batter bits in a subtle tasting soup which I appreciated.

My friend had the exact same thing, the Tsukimi Udon Dry Set also @ RM18, except she opted for the dry version.  The chicken kaarage that came with both the sets were 3 huge pieces, so the set was indeed value for money.  Well fried and crispy, they were decent tasting.

The mini salad that came with the set was the standard salad of shredded cabbage and carrot, a usual at Japanese restaurants (with a light dressing of roasted sesame).  Other choices of udon besides tsukimi (dry and soup) include cha su, duck, beef, seafood, curry, carbonara, mentaiko, goma salad and kake udon.

I placed an order for a side dish of Fried Gyoza @ RM12.  It was missing that crisp and well charred bottom (and edges) we've come to expect of a good gyoza.

Another side dish for sharing was the Assorted Vegetables Tempura @ RM7.  I was hoping for the batter to be lighter and crispier and not so thick.  Other side dishes include ebi tempura, kakiage, tonkatsu, chicken katsu, ajitama, goma salad and edamame.

My Personal Opinion

It's a place you can come for your udon fix...and that's about it! ^_~  The udon here is certainly slurp-worthy and decent (just not sure how it compares to other udon places since I've not eaten enough udon to be an authority on it as udon is not way up there on my list of favourite noodles to eat).

Also, don't expect too much from their other menu items that aren't udon.  In the end, I think the low prices may be the contributing factor to its ratings and popularity.  If you don't set your expectations too high, you should have a fulfilling meal here (with the emphasis on "full") at a very decent price.

Udon-Ya San

65 Jalan Pandan Indah 4/3A

Pandan Indah

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 012-236 8131

Rakuzen @ Sunway Velocity

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

Two Chefs Lab @ Bandar Mahkota Cheras

I've been to Two Chefs Lab @ Bandar Mahkota Cheras before (many years ago) and remembered my experience to be a positive one.  I did want to return but somehow conveniently forgot about them (coz there were loads of other places I wanted to try) until now.

Seeing that they've withstood the test of time (and is still around almost 10 years later) is proof itself that the food is still good...and since my friends and I have been having mostly western-type meals in our makan gatherings of late, we thought we'd have Japanese for a change.

The very first thing I wanted to order was this Hamaguri Niniku @ RM18 because I remembered it so well from the last time I had it.  The price went up by only RM2 (from 9 years ago) which is highly commendable.

Nothing has changed except for the plating coz they obviously couldn't plate it the same way (because of the uneven no. of clams) now that you get 7 instead of 8...lol!  But you get the same great taste of grilled hamaguri (clams) topped in a rich, creamy, lightly salty niniku (garlic) sauce that tasted much like a torched mentai sauce with added garlic flavour (made more garlicky by the sprinkling of garlic chips on top).

The conveniently opened clams took up the entire space of the clam shells, so I'd say they were rather huge and thick.  So good that I could devour a few more plates of these! ^.^

Next was this Hamachi Carpaccio @ RM25 of yellowtail (or Japanese amberjack) sashimi known for its clean, subtle taste which makes it ideal for raw preparations in the form of sushi or sashimi.

The super fresh fish slices were served with a housemade yuzu truffle shoyu and lightly garnished with tobiko and finely chopped spring onions.  The hamachi has a delicate, buttery, tender texture with a mild, slightly sweet flavour.  Another wonderful dish.

Another carpaccio dish that I ordered was this Kuro Buta (Black Pork) Carpaccio @ RM19 featuring torched sliced pork with homemade chilli vinegar sauce.  The black pork (I believe) implies Iberico pork slices.

Lightly seared, thinly sliced, the Iberico pork slices were served with slivers of white onions, topped with a sprinkling of togarashi (a Japanese chilli blend) and sesame seeds as well as a garnish of ito togarashi (thin red threads from dried chilli peppers), the pork slices were nicely tender with a mild hint of spice.

Tuna Tataki @ RM19 was our next dish showcasing sashimi-grade tuna that's usually eaten raw or rare (lightly seared on the outside) served with a condiment of onion shoyu (finely chopped spring onions & onions) on top.

Here the slices were quickly seared on just one side and you just need to dip this in ponzu (if offered) or a little soy in this case (and wasabi if you like, I don't!) offering a fresh, light and slighly savoury bite.

We finished our starter dishes for sharing with a Japanese staple of Kani Cawanmushi @ RM16 featuring a silky smooth steamed egg custard with a topping of crab meat (kani).  I believe fresh crab meat was used instead of those imitation crab (coz those would have strips of red visually), so this tasted loads better.

What I found amusing was that this cawanmushi was actually served in a cawan (lol)....a typical coffee cup we drink coffee from......and not the usual Japanese tea cup.  Other choices of cawanmushi include ikura (salmon roe) and foie gras (duck liver).

Now...onto our mains for sharing, starting with the TCL Chirashi Don @ RM57, probably one of their signature dishes (since it carries their TCL name), which is typically a rice don topped with a variety of the chef's sashimi selection.

It highlighted a bowl full of fresh ingredients of salmon, tuna, white tuna, amaebi (sweet prawn), and octopus together with unagi (done shirayaki style which is grilled eel without the sweet sauce glaze) and tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelette) and finished with a topping of ikura (salmon roe).  Everything was absolutely delicious and fresh! ^o^

This was followed by the Hamburg Don @ RM36 with a housemade beef patty on a bed of rice served with an onsen tamago and garnished with some slices of vinegared daikon (Japanese white radish) and chopped spring onions.

Cut open the egg and let it drool lusciously into the rice...and into your mouth! ;)  The beef patty was tender and flavourful (with a bit of beefy taste but in a good way) and the overflowing egg yolk provided that extra silky smoothness to the patty and rice.

Our final main dish for sharing was the Signature Cold Pasta @ RM42, something I don't often see on menus and something I've not had before (although I've had chilled soba dipped in a cold broth before and enjoying it).

This dish of cold truffled angel hair pasta, topped with crab meat, uni (sea urchin) and caviar, was sitting on a bed of shoyu concoction.  The pasta tossed in the shoyu gave it a savoury flavour and it was delightfully chilled, something different that I enjoyed. ^_^

For drinks, we had Green Tea Latte (Cold) @ RM12 and fresh juices of Guava Soursop @ RM11 and Orange Pineapple Mango also @ RM11.

My Personal Opinion

My return visit resulted in the same good dining experience I had almost 10 years ago...my only regret was that it took me so long to return.

I thoroughly enjoyed everything I had here but the standouts from this visit were (still) the grilled garlic clams (that never failed to impress), the impeccable freshness of the chirashi don and the unique signature cold pasta.

If you happen to live in the area (like one of my makan buddies), this neighbourhood gem of a Japanese restaurant should be on your must-visit list.  Haiz, if only it was nearer to me (or in my neighbourhood), you'll see me there regularly! ^_~

Two Chefs Lab

23-G Jalan Temenggong 27/9

Seksyen 9 Bandar Mahkota Cheras

43200 Cheras

Selangor

Tel: 03-9011 9910

Pepper Lunch @ Aeon Maluri

Pepper Lunch @ Aeon Maluri is a casual, fast-service restaurant franchise based on a Japanese teppanyaki-style cooking method (with branches in Pavilion Bukit Jalil, Main Place USJ and KL East Mall including Genting & Cameron Highlands) offering a unique DIY teppanyaki dining experience.

Although Pepper Lunch has been in the Malaysian market since 2019 (I think I first noticed them in Pavilion KL), the branch in Aeon Maluri was opened just last year in November which makes it very convenient for me when I'm out grocery shopping in Aeon.

Pepper Lunch offers options of premium steaks, sizzling curry rice, teppan pasta, deluxe combos (of 2 or 3 meats), Japanese classics (with teriyaki sauce) and cheesy omelette rice but their signature is pepper rice which was what we started with, their Beef Pepper Rice @ RM19.90 nett.  This Beef Pepper Rice happens to be one of the weekday promotion sets (under Belly Busters) and comes with an egg and refillable Green Tea.

Pepper Lunch offers the novel concept of you cooking your meat on their patented sizzling hot pan for that unique experience of 'Sizzling it your Way' where you get to cook your meat to your desired doneness, so the protein is served raw to your table.

On the table you'll find bottles of garlic soy sauce, sweet brown sauce (not a fan) and more black pepper for you to season your meat and rice further should you feel the need to.  The taste of the black pepper is adequately sufficient but I love more + a drizzle of garlic soy too.

I had the Beef & Salmon Pepper Rice @ RM24.90 and, similarly, the salmon and beef was served raw for you to cook.  The beef is sliced so thinly that it's automatically tender.  Between the beef and salmon, I preferred the beef.

Although the instructions tell you to mix everything together until the meat is cooked, I prefer to let the meat sizzle and cook on the hot pan separately, that way I can get a bit more browning on the meat.

I also ordered a side dish of Mashed Potatoes @ RM4.20 to share.  Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the mashed potatoes because of the brown gravy.  Let's just day I'd rather eat KFC's brown gravy...lol! :O  Other side dishes include miso soup, edamame, french fries and crispy fried chicken.

Since we enjoyed the food, we made a return trip soon after.  My son had the same Beef Pepper Rice again but since it was a weekend, there was no promotion set offered, so it cost RM20.50 this time.

I decided to try one of their teppan pasta and ordered the Beef Aglio Olio @ RM22.80 (other options include Seafood Aglio Olio, Salmon & Prawn Carbonara and Chicken & Cheese Chicken Sausage Aglio Olio).

Going for the beef aglio olio was a no-brainer as beef is a less common option for pasta than seafood and chicken at most places.  The thinly sliced beef is the same one you get with beef pepper rice...the only difference is this one comes with a preset sauce for you to drizzle over your beef and pasta.

I asked for the cheese to be omitted.  I noticed a bit of extra seasoning besides the chilli powder...possibly some seasoning (like chicken powder) together with a sprinkling of dried parsley.  I guess if you still needed further seasoning, you could use the garlic soy and black pepper that's freely available on the table.

My Personal Opinion

Overall, I think Pepper Lunch hits all the right spots when it comes to a satisfying peppery meal with either beef or salmon (chicken and prawn options are also available) and you can have it with either rice or spaghetti.  Between the two though, I prefer it with rice...while beef is my first choice for protein.

This place offers an affordable (prices are appropriately reasonable) and quick meal (the food does arrive at your table pretty fast since it's served raw for you to do your own cooking).  And it's all done with their patented sizzling hot teppan which makes cooking it a breeze for everyone.

Pepper Lunch

S10 Second Floor Aeon Maluri

Jalan Jejaka

Taman Maluri

55100 Kuala Lumpur