restaurant | wordspics.com

I bet you have heard of the new section in Pavilion; Tokyo Street. With its section filled with Japanese goodies, restaurants and what’s not, it is hard to miss this part of the lavish shopping mall. Besides, I bet that the blogosphere is filled with writings about this place and the restaurants in it. And I bet that you must have heard, read or even tried the much-raved ramen restaurant named Santouka Hokkaido Ramen.

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

Well… as always, each to their own thoughts and here are my thoughts about it… and I’ll put it short and simple.

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

The queue is known to be unusually long during peak hours with customers are willing to wait for their turn at the entrance of the shop. And this somehow plays against me (or my patience) as I, for one, never bother to join any queue of sorts. But the good thing is that the turnover is high and you might just need to wait for a short while before your turn is up.

The ramen dishes come in various sizes (small, regular and large). The cheapest of the lot, which is the small size, is approximately RM20 or so depending on the type of broth you choose/like. The service was commendable but it took awhile for the dishes to arrive.

Shoyu Ramen (RM22.50)

Despite the ramen was being springy and nicely cooked, and not forgetting the decent portion for the small size, my only complaint about it is the ingredients that came along with the noodles. For RM22.50, I would expect something more than just a measly thin slice of pork cutlet and a negligible slice of naruto (fishcake – more like a decoration purpose than contributing to the taste). I reckon that if they are going to charge at premium rate, the least they could do is to give another slice or so… although the main stars of the dish are the ramen and broth.

Miso Ramen (RM22.50)

Taste wise, despite being a pork broth, it was alright although it didn’t really knock my socks off. I had better one like this one, which wins by a mile! Oh… if you are not a big fan of bamboo shoots, make sure you tell them ahead as mine came with it.

Chicken Gyoza (RM10)

Since there’s only one slice of meat in the noodles, ordering a side dish became a compulsory option… for meat lover like me. The Chicken Gyoza (RM10) was a-okay but there were more vegetables than minced chicken meats in it. A disappointment? Not really since the skin with decently thin and fried to perfection but I’d like my gyoza to be packed with more meat.

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

All in all, does it worth the wait for all the hype of it? It is a ‘No’ from me at least. The taste was just alright but the price is definitely not justifiable for the given ingredients. Will I ever go back again? I will… that’s if I have to. But then again, as I mentioned early, different people have different preference. What works for you might not work for me. It might though… if there are more proteins in the noodles. Yes, I love my dishes to be filled with meat.

Address:
Lot 6.24.03, Level 6,
Pavilion Kuala Lumpur,
168, Jalan Bukit Bintang,
55100 Kuala Lumpur.

Telephone Number : +603 2143 8878

Yuzu

Yuzu, as I always portray it, is a Japanese fine dining restaurant in The Gardens Mall, Mid Valley City. From the entrance to the dining area to the counter bar, there’s Japanese essence embedded in the decoration in each and every nook of the restaurant that lightens up the dining mood. It is also a class above the rest when it compares to other Japanese restaurants like Sushi Zanmai and Sushi Tei.

Yuzu

If it weren’t for this post, the chances of me dining in this restaurant are close to zero as the price range does not really go well with my wallet. Besides, it has been awhile since I last had shabu-shabu. Hence, the choice was imminent when I was in The Gardens Mall for dinner on one rainy evening.

Yuzu Promotion Banner

For RM98++, it’s all you can eat affair/promotion for pax of 2. One gets to choose between beef and/or fish (salmon and yellowtail). Apart from those, a plate full of vegetables and a bowl of udon are given. Yes, they are refillable too!

Steamboat Broth / Soup

The broth was light and simple when it came to our table with a portable stove below it. Be warned that there are a couple of sliced lemon peels in it to freshen up the soup. So, if you don’t fancy those (peels), do remove it before you begin your cooking process.

Vegetables

Udon

The heaps of vegetables (cabbages, enoki and shitake mushrooms, carrots and spring onions) were fresh while there were a couple of beancurds.

Sliced Beef

The beef was thinly sliced and hence, it required a quick dip to get it cooked nicely without getting too rubbery. Fish meat was not picked during the meal and hence I’m not too sure about the freshness of it. But I guess they are as fresh as the sliced beef.

Dipping Sauce

I like their dipping sauce particularly as it was nutty, salty yet slight bitter aftertaste. It went very well with the cooked meat.

Oyako Maki (RM18)

Apart from that, we ordered Oyako Maki (RM18). It came in three sushi rice wrapped beautifully with sliced fresh salmon and topped with tobiko of different flavours.

Yuzu Shabu Shabu Set

In total, my friend and I consumed 13 plates of sliced beef, 3 plates of vegetables and half bowl of udons… and of course, the Oyako Maki. All of those in less than an hour. I reckon we could do more damage but we were not in optimum condition on that day. But you should look at the waitresses’ facial expression when we were asking for more beef within minutes after the previous plate of beef has arrived. LOL! I’m not sure how long does this promotion last but I guess you should try it while it’s still on.

Address :
T236, 3rd Floor,
The Garden,
Mid Valley City,
Lingkaran Syed Putra,
59200 Kuala Lumpur.

Telephone Number : +603 2284 7663 / 2284 7763

Tag: restaurant

Dinner At Santouka Hokkaido Ramen, Pavilion KL

Shabu-Shabu At Yuzu, The Gardens Mall