Yayoi @ Lot 10 Shopping Centre

I first noticed Yayoi when I visited Lot 10's 4th floor.  They're part of J's Gate Dining concept which houses a number of speciality restaurants on one floor with each specialising in a specific Japanese cuisine like tendon, udon, soba, teppan rice, shabu-shabu & sukiyaki, tonkatsu, yakitori, okonomiyaki, teppanyaki & yakisoba, tonkotsu ramen, chicken ramen, matcha desserts, crepes and even Italian gelato and coffee.

I've dined in three of them before namely Bonta Bonta, Kaisen Don Kinme and Osaka Kitchen...but sadly only Osaka Kitchen remains till this day as part of J's Gate Dining.  I've walked past Yayoi a couple of times but have not tried until now, so what better time to try Yayoi than via delivery courtesy of a dinner treat recently! ^_~

Yayoi is a Japanese Teishoku restaurant specialising in set meals offering various bentos, donburi and a la carte side dishes with complimentary miso soup.  Perhaps the previous Bonta Bonta (specialising in unagi don) and Kaisen Don Kinme (specialising in seafood don) had been absorbed into Yayoi since they offer unagi and seafood rice bowls too on their menu.

This was the Beef Nasumiso & Saba Shio Bento @ RM30.90 served with rice, sides and miso soup.

One of the mains of this bento was the beef nasu miso which consists of miso glazed eggplant with stir-fried beef slices, red bell peppers and shimeji mushrooms.  This was a very flavourful main as they were rather heavy-handed with the miso, so it was a tad on the salty side for me (so you'll need more rice) but tasty nonetheless especially the beef slices, thinly sliced and tender (wished there were more of it though).

Saba shioyaki (or salt grilled mackerel) made up the other main of this bento.  Unfortunately, this came off like the saba was steamed instead of grilled.  It was missing the much sought-after charred marks and grilled taste.

It did come with condiments of grated daikon and a wedge of lemon but it badly needed some shoyu since the saba wasn't salty.  Also, for some reason, the grated daikon came off a bit bitter.

The sides were tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelette) and edamame.  The tamagoyaki, however, tasted like an underseasoned omelette though the texture was alright.  It lacked the usual sweet and savoury flavours, so it was a bit flat.

The second bento was the Wafu Teppan Combo (Beef & Kaarage) Bento @ RM32.90 served with rice, sides and miso soup.  Visually, it was a colourful bento.

The main for this bento was stir-fried beef and fried chicken kaarage with potato wedges, red bell peppers, snow peas, sweet corn and pickled cucumber.

The thinly sliced beef was tender but would have loved to see some charring (after all this was supposedly teppanyaki-style cooking).  As for the fried chicken kaarage and potato wedges....well, you simply can't foul up something that simple to execute.

This bento came with two sides from the earlier bento..... tamagoyaki and edamame with the addition of sweet corn and pickled cucumber.

Both bentos were served with complimentary miso soup that contained pieces of kombu (dried kelp) and omelette shreds.  Again, I found the soup to be on the salty side due to either the dashi broth or the use of a bit too much miso paste.

There was an extra a la carte side order of Gyoza @ RM15.90 featuring 6 pcs of juicy, plump-filled gyoza with an accompanying dipping sauce.  This turned out to be my favourite bite of the night.

My Personal Opinion

Overall, Yayoi's set meals are reasonably priced with a good variety and fair portions.  I'd say the meals were average tasting at best from the two set meals I tried.  The biggest issue I had was in the seasoning of the food as some of the components were either underseasoned (like the tamagoyaki & saba) and some were overseasoned (like the nasu miso & miso soup).  Perhaps the chef had an off day. >_<

You can order directly from yayoi.alacarte.my for delivery from any of their branches in Lot 10, The Gardens, Waterfront Desa Park City and IOI City Mall if you're interested to give it a try.

Yayoi Malaysia

Lot P1-19 Level 4

Lot 10 Shopping Centre

Jalan Sultan Ismail

50250 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2110 4448

Osaka Kitchen, J's Gate Dining @ Lot 10 Shopping Centre

J's Gate Dining in Lot 10 Shopping Centre now houses 16 speciality restaurants on one floor (with one casualty so far, Tokyo Obanzai Hachi).  I've visited two of them, Bonta Bonta and Kaisen Don Kinme and end up liking both.

The latest to open (a little over a month ago) is Osaka Kitchen, J's Gate Dining @ Lot 10 Shopping Centre (which we've been looking forward to), specialising in teppanyaki and okonomiyaki cooked on an iron griddle in front of diners.

Since we're here for the teppanyaki, let's start with that.  You can choose from either chicken (RM37), pork (RM42) or beef teppanyaki (I didn't see a seafood choice) but the surprising thing though was that the various teppanyaki choices all come in a set course.  You can't order just the meat and have it commonly served with rice and vegetables like in most teppanyaki joints I've been to.

For the beef course, there's a choice of Beef Rump Steak (RM80) or Beef Sirloin Steak (RM160).  I also saw a note at the bottom detailing the additional cost for the Japanese Beef Sirloin Steak (+RM80) and Japanese Beef Fillet Steak (+RM140) which would mean that the prices will be jacked up to RM240 or RM300 (yikes!) if you want Japanese beef (so I'm assuming the earlier two choices are Australian beef perhaps?).

Haiz, all so expensive, I had to settle for the cheapest option, the Beef Rump Steak Course @ RM80.  Funny thing was, the server didn't ask me how I want my beef done.  I'm not sure if it's an error on her part or they actually don't give you a choice on how you like it cooked.  She said they usually cook it to medium before I asked if I could have it medium rare and then she said it's cooked between medium rare to medium (it felt like she was just pacifying and/or accommodating me by including the words 'medium rare' in her sentence) :P

Since my beef rump steak comes in a set meal, the course began with the appetiser which turned out to be a fresh salad.

It had crunchy lettuce, shredded cabbage, capsicum slivers and cherry tomatoes topped with some tiny crispy silver fish in a light shoyu dressing.  Very refreshing starter.

Next to arrive was the Japanese Omelette with Pork Belly.  This was basically just a fluffy omelette wrapped with finely chopped pork belly.

Served with a drizzle of mayonnaise and a sprinkling of aonori (green seaweed flakes) in a slightly sweetish teriyaki-like (okonomiyaki?) sauce, it was temptingly tasty. ^o^

Then we were served the Seared Specialty Sesame Tofu.  Don't be fooled by the word 'tofu' as it was unlike the texture of tofu I was expecting.  The texture caught me completely off-guard.

It had a lightly seared outer layer that was fragrant but it was very wobbly and gooey with a chewy, flour-y taste.  It was like I was eating an extremely soft version of radish cake (or mochi).  It had this gel-like consistency that I found unpleasant (though I've read reviews raving about this dish).  Maybe I was supposed to eat it with the wasabi (but I don't eat wasabi!) to cut through that gummy texture.

The Grilled Avocado with Melted Cheese was next.  The way they cook this is they sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top of an avocado slice.  They let it cook on the teppanyaki grill (covered) until the cheese melts and forms a crisp layer of cheese (those that fell off the avocado and onto the grill).  It's finished with a sprinkling of aonori.

Well, if you like cheese and you like avocado....you'll like this.  It's a simple rendition of soft, creamy avocado and cheese with a few cheesy crisps.  Again, not my favourite (since I'm not a cheese person) + it also felt rich as it was creamy (cheese) on creamy (avocado).

Finally, it was time for the main, the Beef Rump Steak was served with some garlic crisps, fried pea shoots and a dipping sauce (of probably soy, mirin and grated daikon) that's somewhat similar to those served with tempura.

I've turned one of the pieces around so that you can judge the doneness.  As you can see, it was just a little pink in the centre, so it was much more medium than it was medium rare although it did have that perfect searing on the outside.  Because it was cooked more than I would have liked, perhaps that contributed to the meat being not as tender but still came off pleasantly tasty and I enjoyed the pea shoots very much (there was so little of it though)! ^.^

In the end, I was glad that I didn't choose the more expensive beef cuts since we don't have a choice on how we want our meat done.  I hope this was not a case of the server (who served us) not doing her job properly! >_<  Anyway, do make a request for your choice of doneness (when you eat here) just to be sure.

Our other main was the Okonomi-yaki Course @ RM45 that offers the same courses as the one before but only the pork okonomiyaki is available for the set meal.  If ordered as a stand-alone dish, you have a choice of pork (RM23), pork & squid (RM29), mixed with pork, squid & prawn (RM32) and Osaka Kitchen's special with pork, squid, prawn, beef & avocado (RM40).

Okonomiyaki is basically a Japanese-style savoury pancake made from flour, eggs, cabbage and Japanese yam with various toppings.  It's then drizzled with generous amounts of Japanese mayonnaise and okonomiyaki sauce (a mix of soy sauce, ketchup and Worchestershire sauce) and finished with an equally generous sprinkling of aonori and katsuobushi (bonito flakes).

This was my first time trying okonomiyaki, so I didn't know what to expect.  First mouthful, it tasted very similar to takoyaki to me but I'd rather have takoyaki than this okonomiyaki coz then it'll be stuffed with my favourite baby octopus.  I felt that it had too much batter and not enough filling.

Maybe it's because this one is a pork version which I didn't fancy.  Perhaps, a seafood version with either prawns, octopus, squid or scallops may be more my cup of tea.  Besides okonomi-yaki, they also offer yaki-soba (though it wasn't available yet on our visit).

To end our meal, the dessert of the day was ice cream (as told by the server) and we were asked to make a choice between matcha, vanilla or yuzu.  We picked vanilla.....

......and yuzu.  Let's just say the ice cream was more icy than creamy! >.<  The yuzu one tasted more like a sorbet.

The best part about the dessert were the pretty transparent plates they came in...haha! :D

Though the staff were courteous and proactive (refilling our green tea and clearing our finished plates), they were also very flustered with their service.  Some of the issues were....1) the various courses did not come in sequence (as per the menu), 2) we had to remind them of one forgotten course, 3) they brought us one course twice and 4) one of the mains (the okonomiyaki) arrived after the first two courses!

I think they have to rethink their execution...and soon.  They need to find a better system to execute the various courses to know who got what.  Perhaps, they should consider sending out all four small dishes at once (in one tray) instead of course by course.  That way, there will be no confusion as to which courses have been fulfilled for which diner.  And once the diner has finished all his four starters, they only need to follow up on the main and the dessert.

My Personal Opinion

The teppanyaki didn't impress as much as I thought it would.  Not having a say in the meat doneness, I can just as easily go to Tamaruya Meat Master (also at Lot 10) and have my fill of beef done exactly to my liking....with bigger portions and cheaper prices too (and what I pay goes directly into the amount of meat and not get 'wasted' on side dishes that I could do without (since I ended up liking only two out of the four courses).

As for the okonomiyaki, it too didn't turn out to be the tasty treat that I was expecting.  Hmmm, I'm not sure if I'll be back.  I mean I know I'll be back to J's Gate Dining, I'm just not sure if I'll return to this particular restaurant.  If I do return (and that's a big maybe), it'll be for the teppanyaki, not the okonomiyaki! ;)

Osaka Kitchen, J's Gate Dining
Unit Level 4
Lot 10 Shopping Centre
Jalan Sultan Ismail
50250 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2110 3591

Kaisen Don Kinme, J's Gate Dining @ Lot 10 Shopping Centre

The Unagi Bowl we had at Bonta Bonta at J's Gate Dining proved really satisfying for its quality and taste...and the Buy 1 Free 1 deal made it just that much 'sweeter'! ;)

So, we found ourselves back once again a couple of days later and, this time, we were attracted to something from Kaisen Don Kinme, J's Gate Dining @ Lot 10 Shopping Centre when we walked past.

Although there was also a Buy 1 Free 1 promotion at this outlet of a Chirashi Don, we went with a non-promotional item and ordered the Salmon Ikura Mentai Don @ RM35 instead.

Just look how the lightly torched, thinly sliced salmon wraps around the rice like a 'warm blanket'.  Tasting fragrant, smoky, soft and luscious, it was a delight to eat.  But, luckily, we were alert enough to realise that the ikura was missing before we digged in.

So, we took the bowl back to outlet and was promptly given the ikura on a small plate instead.  Maybe they felt regretful at having forgotten about the ikura and gave us a portion that I felt was far more generous.  If it had been spooned on top of the salmon mentai don, I don't think the portion would be as generous.  Oh well, we certainly weren't going to complain.  The ikura was a salty, juicy burst of deliciousness in my mouth! ^.^

Of course, we knew resisting the temptation of the Buy 1 Free 1 promotion was going to be futile (hehe!) and we just had to get another dose of eel rice with the Unagi Bowl Single @ RM18.99 again.

Still as good as ever....still at an unbelievable price as ever (even without the Buy 1 Free 1 promotion)!! ^o^

We decided to get the Fried Chicken Omelette Bowl as our second free bowl this time which was served with the same omelette, shredded seaweed and cabbage as the Teriyaki Chicken Omelette Bowl we had the previous time.

However, I found the fried chicken (in bigger chunks than chicken karaage), with a nice crisp exterior, to be a bit on the dry side.  The teriyaki chicken was a better choice in my opinion.

My Personal Opinion

I've only 'scratched the surface' of what's on offer here after having tried just 2 of the 16 restaurants.....but what I've tried so far, I liked.

There's obviously a lot more to sample...and I'm especially looking forward to one that has yet to open which will offer teppanyaki and okonomiyaki.

Kaisen Don Kinme, J's Gate Dining
Unit P1-04A Level 4
Lot 10 Shopping Centre
Jalan Sultan Ismail
50250 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2110 2172

Bonta Bonta, J's Gate Dining @ Lot 10 Shopping Centre

J's Gate Dining, situated at Lot 10 Shopping Centre, is a place for authentic Japanese cuisine that showcases 18 speciality restaurants all on one floor.

I came to know about their latest promotions from J's Gate Dining's website...and 12 of the current 16 restaurants opened are participating in this Buy 1 Free 1 promotion.

The promotion includes dishes from 12 of the 16 restaurants currently open such as udon, seafood rice bowls, soba, Japanese hotpot, unagi donburi, assorted roll & chiffon cakes, hot pot, beef cutlet set, gelato & pasta, yakitori, kushiage and chicken ramen.

But I came here attracted by one and only one of the offers....and that's for their unagi!  Yessss!!  So, here we were at one of the 16 restaurants.....Bonta Bonta, J's Gate Dining @ Lot 10 Shopping Centre.

Their Buy 1 Free 1 promotion applies to the Unagi Bowl Single @ RM18.99 which arrived with a sizeable piece of unagi (though not exceptionally thick) on top of warm rice and served with shredded seaweed and pickled ginger.  There's also an Unagi Bowl Double (RM35.99) with a double portion of unagi and an Unagi Bowl Whole (RM72.99) which I assume you'd be getting a whole unagi.  There's an option for added omelette (RM3) which will bump up the prices of the bowls to RM21.99 (single), RM38.99 (double) and RM75.99 (whole).  But you pay normal prices for these bowls though.

At RM18.99, this was by far the cheapest unagi I've ever eaten...and, mind you, it's not of a poor quality either.  The unagi was irreproachably tender with a smoky finish.  With the right sweetness in the unagi sauce, the unagi was utterly delicious taking into account the 'to-die-for' price! ^o^

And then they 'sweetened' the deal even more by providing another bowl free...but not quite what you think though as the free bowl entitlement is not another unagi bowl! :(  Instead, you're given a choice between Fried Chicken Omelette Bowl or Teriyaki Chicken Omelette Bowl (which we chose, also priced at RM18.99). If you're feeling peckish, the generous serving of this bowl will surely fill your appetite.

Served with omelette (not quite like tamago), shredded seaweed and cabbage (with a sesame dressing), the teriyaki chicken looked somewhat different from the ones I use to eat.  Looking reddish instead of the usual soy sauce-coloured teriyaki chicken, I was pleasantly surprised by the taste.  With a nice charred flavour and a very faint hint of spice (from the sprinkling of chilli powder on top the chicken), the teriyaki chicken was decently tasty, much better than I initially thought it would be.

Since we enjoyed the unagi so much, we ordered another portion of Unagi Single @ RM15.99 (double at RM32.99) for our eating pleasure.  And yes, we did the math...we could have paid an extra RM3 which would have gotten us another unagi rice bowl + an additional fried or teriyaki chicken omelette bowl (which we could have packed home) but we thought we'd give-back a little...by ordering something that wasn't at promotional prices in the hope it would give them some profit (instead of taking further advantage of another Buy 1 Free 1).

The unagi was just as good, of course, although there was a tad more sauce on this one, so it turned out slightly sweeter but this does not take away from the fact that it was still very pleasurable.

I would say that the unagi single bowl was just nice for a small eater.  Even at a non-promotional price of RM35.99 for the double unagi bowl, it's still more than reasonable.  So, go for that and add on rice (RM2.99), miso soup (RM2.99), coleslaw (RM3.99) or all of the above if you're feeling a bit greedy.  Refillable green tea (hot or cold) is at RM1.99.

Just look at the unagi being grilled over hot charcoals....and blowtorched for a smoky finish.  Now who can resist that?  Not me, uh-uh. ^.^

#Observation
The promotion runs from 28 April to 11 May 2018 (applicable during dinner service only from 6 pm - 11 pm) but I suggest you get there early as I noticed Bonta Bonta's staff removing the Buy 1 Free 1 promotional banner when we were in the midst of our dinner (probably around 8-ish or so) on both occasions that we were there.  I don't know if that meant they have run out of unagi stock that can be offered at the promotional price or it's done in the hope that some customers who are not aware of the promotion will order something other than the promotional item of a single unagi bowl (so that they can at least make some money?) :P  I guess I can't blame them as this is one heck of a deal!

My Personal Opinion

Even at non-promotional prices, I don't think you can find anything cheaper than RM18.99 (single) or RM35.99 (double) for a bowl of unagi rice that's of this quality and taste.

So, there's no better time than now to head to J's Gate Dining to take advantage of this (and other) extremely fantastic offer(s) before the promotion ends on 11 May 2018...it's a deal you won't want to miss :)

With 16 (and later 18) types of specialised Japanese food on offer here, there's bound to be one that will suit each and every palate.  I'm pretty sure I'll be back long after the promotions have ended as the variety here is endless...and all in one spot too! ^_^

Bonta Bonta, J's Gate Dining
Unit P1-07 Level 4
Lot 10 Shopping Centre
Jalan Sultan Ismail
50250 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2110 4449