One of my favourite Japanese restaurants in Kuala Lumpur is Kushiyaki Kuni. It is a place that I will always go back to.
Located in Plaza Damas in Sri Hartamas, the restaurant is situated right across Starbucks in Hartamas Shopping Centre. The two months old restaurant only opens for dinner at the moment.
Kushiyaki Kuni is an Izakaya (居酒屋), a type of Japanese drinking establishment which also serves food to accompany the drinks.
The restaurant has many types of Japanese liquors to offer, Sake, Shochu, beers and also wines. Priced at RM13.90 during happy hour from 5 to 7pm, Asahi Beer was always a good start for the meal.
Other than beers, sake and shochu, the restaurant also served various shochu cocktails such as the Lemon Sour, Peach Cocktail, Tomato Cocktail and Grapefruit Cocktail. My favourite out of all would be the Grapefruit Cocktail, pictured as above with the promotion price of RM12.80 for the month.
Dinner started with a plate of Smoked Sanma (秋刀魚の薫製) and Kimo Miso which was priced at RM28. The Pacific Saury was smoked to perfection, very soft and tasty. The Miso paste was slightly salty when eaten on its own but very delicious as an accompaniment with alcohol.
Next up, I had a plate of Mizuna salad (水菜サラダ). I am usually not a fan of any salad but this was an exception. Priced at RM18, the prawns and the fish roe were very fresh and the Oba dressing went well with the imported vegetables. Simple and healthy.
Sashimi is my all time favourite dish in Japanese cuisine. Priced at RM80, this plate of Sashimi Moriawase (刺身盛り合わせ) was excellent. From the far left to the right, I had Kohada Tsumami (小肌つまみ), Sanma Sashimi (さんま刺身) and Shime Saba Sashimi (しめ鯖刺身). Presentation was exceptional and the sashimi were very fresh. I loved it.
After sashimi, I was served with a plate of grilled dish. The grilled dish consisted of Shishitou (ししとう), Mameaji (豆あじ) and Mehikari (メヒカリ). Shishitou is a type of Japanese Green Pepper, it wasn’t spicy at all, slightly sweet and very fragrant. Both types of dried fish were grilled to perfection in the oven. I liked the Mehikari a lot, it was crunchy and aromatic, a very nice snack with Japanese liquor.
As the name of the restaurant suggests, Kushiyaki Kuni specialised in doing Kushiyaki, Japanese skewer grilled. Kushiyaki here were grilled with charcoals, therefore promising a traditional and delectable taste.
I started off by having two sticks of Chicken Skewers (鶏もも). Priced at RM4 per stick, the chicken was tender and soft, coupled with the Japanese leek, it was simply irresistible, a must order in the restaurant!
Next I had two sticks of Pork Slice with Mentaiko (豚バラ明太) which was priced at RM10 per stick. The pork was juicy and succulent, very delicious even when eaten on its own.
What I found special about this restaurant was their homemade Miso paste. Slightly salty and rich in flavour, the Miso paste perfected the taste of the Kushiyaki, it was very popular among Japanese patrons.
One of the best selling Kushiyaki in the restaurant was the Chicken Liver (レバー). Grilled with their special sweet sauce, the liver was creamy, moist and sweet, very delicious when eaten fresh from the grill!
Next up was also one of the restaurant’s specialty – Iberico Pork (イベリコ豚). Priced at RM12 per stick, the Spanish pork skewer was mouthwatering delicious, the meat was slighter denser than normal pork and it has a stronger taste, pork lovers should try this out!
One of my favourite skewers was the Chicken Meatball (つくね) which was priced at RM10 per stick. The preparation for the Meatball was longer than normal skewers, since it has to be oven baked first, but it was well worth the wait. Very moist and tender drizzled with sweet sauce, this Kushiyaki was popular among children.
Other than meat, I also had some vegetable skewers. Priced at RM3 per stick, the Shiitake Mushroom (しいたけ) was simple and nice. Grilled to perfection with salt, the Shiitake Mushroom was a healthy option to go for!
One of the Japanese customers’ favorite was the Ginko Nuts skewer (銀杏). Priced at RM6 per skewer, the Ginko Nuts were imported from Japan, similar to the Shiitake Mushroom, it was grilled with salt, healthy, simple and nice!
Dinner ended with a bowl of Mushroom and Chestnut Rice (栗ご飯). Priced at RM per bowl, the rice was simple and delicious, and the Ikura complemented the rice very well.
On the night of dining in the restaurant, I was offered a special dish to sample by another Japanese customer, who brought the salted fish roe to the restaurant. According to the Japanese owner, this dish was one of the most popular dishes in Japan of all time. Known as Karasumi (カラスミ), the fish roe was to be eaten in small bites. Coupled with alcohol, it was extremely fragrant and delicious.
Overall I really enjoy dining in this restaurant. Service was good and food was fresh, authentic and delicious, a very relaxing place for a drink! Check out their blackboard for seasonal items, some flown in fresh from Japan! For more information, please visit their Facebook page for more photos and information!
Restaurant Information
E-0-15 & 1-10, Plaza Damas
No 60, Jalan Sri Hartamas 1
Sri Hartamas
50480 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-6206 2990
