Revenge of The Sashimi

I've lost count on the number of Japanese restaurants there are in this city. Its a close race between the Japanese and Italians I reckon. Of course that just means more choice and sometimes headache for us. I've walked past Mizu in Bangsar Village many, many times but only went there for the first time recently. The exterior of the restaurant doesn't allow for prying eyes so I was quite surprised to find that it was quite crowded in there and also it was kind of dark. I don't like dark exteriors with bright light shining through the windows. Its reminds me of being in a nightclub during the day. The overall effect for me was depressing and disorienting. After we sat down, we were promptly served by several very efficient wait staff. You can always tell how good a restaurant is by their set menus. Its supposed to be fast, good value for money and tasty at the same time. So with that in mind, I ordered a beef shogayaki (slices of beef cooked with onions in a ginger sauce) set while Lem chose a salmon teriyaki set. All sets come with miso soup, pickles, fruit, chawan mushi and rice. The portion was definitely value for money with generous slices of beef. However, the meat was teetering on musty. Even the tasty gingery sauce could not mask the faint taste of yesterday. Lem's salmon teriyaki was predictably boring and pleasant, but fresh at least. Judging from the keen crowd, I'm thinking perhaps the stale meat may just be a result of chinese new year. I will try it again one of these days.

The following day, Hunky and I went to Rakuzen in Plaza Damas with Sis. Eversince the sashimi bar in Federal Hotel closed down, Rakuzen has become the next best thing. The sashimi really is very fresh but can't say much about their other stuff because I only ever go there for sashimi. The chawan mushi is extra smooth and wobbly. Hunky ordered a king prawn tempura sushi roll with avocado. That was really yummy! After all is said and done, my favourite Japanese place is still the fuss-free, porky, cheap and cheerful Dontaku.

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