Yuu-jo Japanese Restaurant @ Kiara Walk

Fusion Japanese food has always been on my eating list, as I thought it is great to try interesting fusion Japanese dishes apart from the authentic ones. Located at a relatively quiet area in Sri Hartamas near to Garden International School, it is an area that I hardly venture into. But the restaurant was quite easy to be spotted as it is just located facing the main road.
 

 

 

 Cozy dining environment

 

 

 

We started off with this beautifully presented Gyu Tataki, a beef appetizer dish. The owner of this restaurant takes pride in the beef dishes, encouraging beef lovers should try them out. The other foodies had no complaints on this dish, as the sauce paired well with the well textured beef slices topped with mushrooms.

 Salmon Carpaccio

Slices of raw salmon sashimi sandwiched in between picked radish slices, topped with sliced ladyfingers in specially mixed soy sauce. The salmon slices were definitely fresh and succulent, completed with the fragrant soy sauce that complements well without covering freshness of the salmon. I liked how the pickled thin radish slices provided crunchiness and sour tinge to the overall experience.

  Chicken Nanban

 

One of the best seller appetizer dishes in Yuu-jo. Crunchy fried boneless chicken coated with soy based sauce, served with Tartar sauce and salad. The chicken was very nicely marinated, making it salty in a good way- definitely good to go with steamed rice. While the exterior was cruncy, the interior still remains juicy like how a good fried chicken dish should be. The tartar sauce which comprised of crabmeat and hardboiled egg provided creamy texture to the chicken as dipping sauce, even better with refreshing crunchy salad on the side. Indeed, it a good appetizer choice before savouring the main dishes, filling up the tummy quite a bit.

  Seafood Tempura

 

Tempura done right should have light, thin, crunchy batter coated on food items. This dish consisting prawn, imitation crabmeat sticks and Shiso leave was pretty decent. Dip them with some hot tempura sauce served on the side to provide extra flavours.

  Salmon Plate

 

Grilled salmon served with fried Udon and boiled vegetables. The main character salmon was nicely grilled until the right doneness, preserving its slightly juicy texture. Paired with the soya sauce and fried garlic slices is a simple yet perfect match. Now, the fried Udon is certainly a special side line resembling French fries, but definitely a healthier option. Crunchy on the outside while slightly chewy on the inside, do enjoy them before it turns cold.

  

Niku Curry Rice

The Japanese curry sauce is also made in house, not just the usual Japanese curry gravy packets. I can tell the goodness of homemade elements, as a lot of onions are used to contribute that extra pleasant natural sweet flavours, which a packet sauce cannot achieve this result. I can just brush aside the usual packet sauces and just stick to this choice as long as I can. According to the foodies, the thinly sliced beef was delicious too pairing well with the awesome curry gravy and hot steamed Japanese short grain rice.

 

 

Wasabi Beef- Beef Steak Wasabi with Teriyaki Sauce

 

My fellow foodie friends enjoyed the torched while still remain half done and slightly pinkish in the centre beef slices. The wasabi flavour was not overwhelming, while the relatively thick cut of the beef definitely pleases the taste buds of beef lovers.

 

 

 Neba Neba Cold Udon

I love the colours of this dish- consisting ladyfingers, Natto, mushrooms, grated mountain yam, tempura scraps, pickles, seaweed and egg yolk. Well, Natto is not that scary/ disgusting actually. Mix everything together and you will get a creamy dish. While I like the texture of the Udon indicating its right doneness, the overall flavour is just not my cup of tea. Perhaps this dish is good for raw and slimy food lovers.

 

  Seafood Sushi Rice

 

Prawns, squids, imitation crabmeat strips, tamago cubes, corn, Edamame beans and tobikko mixed in vinegared sushi rice. A healthy dish with freshness from the seafood and crunchiness from the vegetables, at the same time extra umami flavour from the tobikko with its ratio mixed just right in proportion to the rice. To me it is a perfect dish when you have no appetite for other heavy flavoured dishes on a hot day.

If you need a clearer picture of the location, do enlarge the map below for your reference.

 
Address
B1-B3 Kiara Walk,
Kiara Designer Suites,
No. 18, Jalan Kiara 3,
50480 Kuala Lumpur.

Business Hours
11.30a.m. - 3.15p.m.
6.00p.m. - 10.00p.m.
(Daily)

Contact number: 03-6206 5273

Website: http://www.yuu-jo.com/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/YuuJoMalaysia

Savaro by Felda @ Publika

The garden like exterior that resembles British style seating area almost had me expecting dishes other than Malay delicacies. All I could think of is having a cup of tea with a slice of cake over conversation with friends. In actual fact, Savaro does not only serve traditional Malay cuisine, but also Western and Italian fare to cater to customers tastebuds.

Clean and simple private room interior

 

Tomato Bruschetta

Layer of garlic spread, tomato, olive oil, onion, garlic and lime juice on toasted bruschetta

Refreshing mix of vegetables on a well toasted bruschetta while having the right thickness to provide a wholesome bite. Not many places will provide the garlic spread, it definitely added flavour as well as preventing the bruschetta from turning soggy due to juices from the vege. This is a simple food yet being done right.
 

Ciabiatta Melt

Melted Parmesan cheese, pesto sauce, capsicium, pepper on toasted ciabiatta

If you want a richer tasting appetizer, this is an alternative choice. Although I felt that the pesto sauce did not contribute appealing flavour, but I believe this is an interesting and creative addition that not many places have this. Needless to say, the cheese and vege blends well on crunchy and thick ciabatta slice.
 

CharPrawn Mango Salad

Essentially a fusion salad between Asian and Western flavours. The colour combination of ingredients such as provides a very fresh, colourful and inviting look. The dressing is done using fruits, provided a very refreshing base coating on crunchy salad leaves but better if more dressing is provided as we find it lack in portion to enhance the richness of taste. Minimal seasoning is done on the succulent prawns, while the mango cubes were satisfyingly sweet.
 

Mushroom Soup

 

A fine blend of mushrooms topped with sautéed mushrooms and caramelized onions. Easily one of the best around. This is not the creamy type but thick enough to make you think that it is, yet very taste fulfilling. At a point of time it reminds me of eating very fine grounded oats, not a bad thing though. Even better with the fragrant mushrooms and incredibly sweet yet aromatic caramelized onions. Definitely a favourable topping which makes it rather special and tasty.

 

Broccoli Soup

 

As far as mama says you must eat your vege, I liked this soup too considering its health benefits and of course, the rather thick consistency soup filled with blended broccoli, topped with boiled broccoli pieces and caramelized onions. Again, the onions just brought the taste of soup to whole new level, brilliantly done in my books.

 

Roti Jala
 

A popular Malaysian delicacy that I have missed eating it so much. The yellowish roti that has texture similar with roti canai goes well with the thick and spice filled chicken curry served on the side.
 

Taragon Chicken Sandwich

 

Grilled marinated chicken slice sandwiched between toasted bread, served open-sandwich style. This definitely scored extra points on the presentation. The chicken was nicely grilled resulting in slightly charred smokey flavours, followed by deep marinade flavour which enhances appetite to crave for more.

 Nasi Briyani Lamb
 

Nasi Briyani and lamb curry lovers should not miss this dish. The fragrant rice had a fluffy texture filled with aromatic spices, while the accompanying lamb curry immediately sent me to heaven upon first bite. The lamb pieces were incredibly tender, sitting in the rich and absolutely divine gravy that goes very well with the briyani rice. Served with acar on the side. A highly recommended dish.
 

 

Savaro Noodle- Mixture between Mee Bandung & Prawn Noodles.
 

I am not a fan of yellow noodles due to its alkaline flavour and I'll only eat them with rich spicy broth like laksa but not chicken soup for example. For this, the broth was bursting with flavours mainly from prawn essence and kicking chilli sensation. Upon the first sip, the spicy flavours immediately hit the senses followed by sweet aftertaste. While the alkaline taste of the yellow noodles were very minimal or non existent, the broth tasted more to sweet side towards the end. A poached egg and beef slices were served on top providing extra flavours and beautiful presentation.
 

Nasi Lemak Pandan

The fluffy rice was mildly infused with coconut milk so that it is not too rich to cover pandan flavours. Everyone of us liked the sambal very much- balance of spicy and sweet flavours goes well with the rice. As for the pandan chicken, the exterior had enough marinade flavours but they did not seep into the meat further. The management had addressed this issue and will marinade the chicken pieces for a longer time.

Nasi Goreng Selasih

Although this was mildly fragrant from the addition of a type of Malay herbs called Selasih, the fried rice was overall bland for me. Maybe it's just me, I like my fried rice with full of "wok hei" and seasoning flavours. The pandan chicken had the same feedback as the one served in nasi lemak pandan, could be done much better.

Moving on to the dessert session...

 

Sago Gula Melaka
 

Simple sago dessert well enhanced by fragrant and good quality gula Melaka
 

Pengat Pisang

 

Pisang Berangan is used in this dessert. It appeared to be the star dessert among us foodies and I personally like this very much. The banana slices were very moresih, goes well with the thick yet superb gula Melaka like 'broth'. The gula Melaka aftertaste which is very close to well cooked caramel is just prefect for satisfying dessert cravings. Indeed, it was a pleasure having this dessert to end our meal. People with sweet tooth will like this, as some might prefer less sweeter version.

Lompat Tikam- Inclined towards Thai style dessert
 

Love the contrast of colors, green from the coconut custard and red from nasi pulut (glutinuous rice). The coconut custard was very creamy but not overwhelming at the same time evident with rich coconut essence.

Mocha

Another thing I like about Savaro is the creative drinks that they offer. Not pleasing for the eyes but also very refreshing. What we had that day includes Savaro's signature drink, guava juice, mango yoghurt, strawberry yoghurt and watermelon punch. Drinks with yoghurt base is highly recommended as they are not stingy on addition of yoghurt with good quality fruit puree, making the combination very well accepted.

Savaro by Felda a.k.a Savaro Restaurant Shoppe

Address
A3-G2-09,
Solaris Dutamas,
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia.
(Beside Fahrenheit 600, near to Ben's)

Contact Number: 03-6206 5044

Opening hours: 10am till 11pm (Daily)

Facebook page: Savaro by Felda

Website: http://www.savaro.com.my

Aoyama The Green Room, Desa Sri Hartamas

Desa Sri Hartamas is an area that I hardly venture into, when I clearly remember the first time I’ve been there was for a part time job. Still vivid in my mind was quite a number of Japanese restaurants existing when I made rounds around the shop areas, albeit like a maze for me. Parking can be quite a hassle here during weekends, the roads became even more narrow when folks double park their cars.

 

 

This time, Nomsterads brought us to this unique Japanese restaurant that serves Japanese fusion food, emphasizing on MSG free as well as continuous innovation to come up with new dishes, definitely something unique compared with the usual fix like basic tempura or sashimi. Talking about customer satisfaction, I’ve read a number of positive reviews and glad to see the chefs’ effort in creating brand new dishes to give Japanese food a whole new ‘fresh look’. They also practice ‘made from scratch’ or homemade concepts in some of their dishes or dessert. Check out the food served to us on the lovely Saturday afternoon.

Just a simple yet calm interior setting with yummy food and bunch of lovelies will do just great.

 

Alcoholic drinks in glass display as you enter the restaurant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Four Seasons (RM15 for mini size)- (clockwise from top) a cold dish combination comprising jelly fish, baby octopus (Chuka Idako), tako (squid) wasabi and sebugai (shellfish).

 

No complaints as all of them were pleasantly fresh and decent. A rather unique pick will be tako wasabi- A gooey mixture of squids and wasabi that provides a hint of kick from wasabi, not too overpowering that will make you tear. Just nice for those who can’t take too much wasabi.

 

 

 Ko Ebi (RM10)- An irresistible and addictive appetizer that is a must order item. The mini prawns were very lightly coated with kaarage powder then deep fried till golden crispy perfection. Love the slightly salty taste that does not make it just a boring flat shrimp taste. Once you pop, you can’t stop!

 

Wakazaki (RM6 for half portion)- Essentially ‘ikan bilis’ imported from Japan. Since it is a seasonal dish, it is not in the menu so you will have to ask its availability during your visit. It definitely did not disappoint us, just like the earlier appetizer- crunchy, not greasy and addictive!

Special salad (RM28)- comprises two different types of salad

Suzuki fish + jelly fish + goma (sesame) sauce

Salmon sashimi + salad leaves + pinenuts

Reasonably fresh that left us feeling contented with the raw fish affair. The goma sauce is partly mixed in house, with just the right consistency and amount to go with the elements in the salad. Definitely can’t go wrong with the nutty and fragrant dressing.

 

Oki Ebi Teppan (RM58- market price)

 

 

First impression on the presentation already vowed us to dig in immediately. Super big river prawn head sitting on top of chawanmushi, with super succulent and sweet prawns served beside it. Noticed the fine grounded salt placed beside also? Just dip the prawns with small amount of sodium to enhance the overall flavour. The smoky teppan flavour that coats the super fresh prawns indicates it has been well executed- not overcooked that will affect its texture, also controlling the cooking temperature carefully.

 

 

Although the steamed egg custard was ultimately smooth and soft, it was a tad too salty. The smooth gravy that resembles sharks fin soup texture was very flavourful, perfect to go with steamed rice.

 

 

Fusion Tuna Plate (RM50)

 

 

Wagyu tomato beef (RM48)- wagyu beef cubes, foie gras and shiitake mushrooms

Again, the very flavourful sauce that taste much like Chinese style oyster sauce gravy is suitable to go with steamed rice. We can hardly find the foie gras as the ingredients really look alike. That aside, the bunch of foodies were satisfied with the tender beef cubes. Again, cooked until the right doneness that did not affect its texture. Of course, the presentation also scored extra points from us.

 

Hisuji steak (RM22)- essentially lamb burger with egg on hot plate

Upon arriving to our table, the dish immediately attracted us due to the fragrant grill aroma. The patty is made from mixture of minced mutton, lamb, chopped onions, corn flour, salt and pepper. Some katsu sauce and mayonnaise is drizzled on top of the cooked patty. The mixture of 2 different meats is on purpose to achieve firm texture, just simple ingredients with chef’s effort will result in a favourable dish.

 

 

The egg is poured only when the dish is served to your table. The slight lamb smell did not put us off to enjoy this dish, we also liked the resulting texture as well as just the right savoury taste.

 

Celeste Maki (RM28) 

Lobster salad and tempura prawns wrapped in blue rice made from blue pea flower commonly used in cooking up Nyonya dishes. Now that’s a fusion Japanese food that I’ve first came across.

 

Volcano Maki (RM22)

 

Kani (crab) stick, Japanese cucumber and tempura flakes- deep fried then drizzled with special in house Volcano sauce made from tobacco sauce,  Shichimi powder and chilli paste. We felt that the spicy and tongue-numbing sauce has overpowered the taste of ingredients inside the maki. Spicy food lovers like me and Pancake can easily polish off the sauce from the plate. The chilli paste is also made from scratch by using lantern shaped chillies from Cameron Highlands, with Aoyama carries the pride that many customers who likes spicy food will request for this chilli paste to be added in their dishes, also applicable to the following dish.

 

Kyushu Shoyu Ramen (RM28)- spicy and non-spicy versions, only 10 bowls available per day.

 

Spicy version- with addition of homemade chilli paste

Non-spicy version

 

The broth being boiled for at least 20 hours made from chicken bones, radish, onions, leeks and Konbu seaweed was light yet pleasantly sweet, just nice to pair with al-dente ramen, chicken roll, sweet peas, corn, seaweed slices, shredded wooden ear fungus, sesame seeds, Japanese green onion and egg.

 

The chicken roll is rolled then steamed beforehand to maintain its round shape. When customer places an order, the roll will be grilled then coated with Teriyaki sauce. You can request this to be served separately from the ramen instead of letting it soaking in the broth. The rolls were decent, nothing much to shout about. There was one piece that had a rather dry texture while another tasting portion of mine was just fine.

Spicy versions are essentially added with homemade chilli paste, quite spicy for me I would say although I have highly tolerance to spicy food.

Feel free to increase spiciness level

Homemade Ice Cream- (RM16- 1 set of 4 scoops)

Ocean Blue- made from sea salt and blue pea flower to achieve blue appearance. It is interesting to note the slightly salty taste, but not something that I fancy.

Macha Red Bean- easily one of the best I’ve tried. Bitter yet filled with strong matcha that appeals to tastebuds, also topped with homemade red bean paste, exactly what I’m finding for in a perfect macha ice cream. Give me 5 scoops and I will happily enjoy it :P

Vanilla Yuzu- added with Sakae to provide alcoholic boost. I can barely taste the citrus sensation from Yuzu, but the fragrant yet not artificial vanilla fragrance made up for it.

Goma- another typical Japanese ice cream that can’t go wrong if you like the toasty and nutty flavours from sesame. Again, this is another perfect scoop of heaven- the mixture of white and black sesame seeds and groundnuts (extra nutty flavour that other places do not usually add in) really guarantees more than one thumbs up.

Not to mention, all of us love the smooth, creamy yet thick texture of ice cream- I wouldn’t mind treating this to myself once in a while despite of its pricetag.  

Thank you for having us, Nicole! 

 

 Now you know where to find affordable lunch sets! Only RM9.90+ for udon/soba, side dish and miso soup! 

 



Aoyama The Green Room

No. 8 (GR),  Jalan 27/70A
Desa Sri Hartamas
50480 Kuala Lumpur.

Business Hours: 11.30 a.m. till 2.30 p.m

6.00 p.m. - 10.30 p.m.

 

Contact number: 03 6206 3800

 

Facebook page: Aoyama The Green Room