MODERN JAPANESE MEDLEY FROM MANMARU

 

My first encounter with robatayaki was at Keyaki – once a hotel's award-winning Jap resto but now defunct to the annals of my hotelling history. Like fashion, robatayaki has edged its way back into the city food scene; taking pride of place in modern Japanese restaurants like Manmaru which flaunts a robatayaki & bar on premise in the bigger and slicker Atria Shopping Mall.

Instead of just ocha (green tea), Manmaru entices diners to sip fancy cocktails and more sobering mocktails rustled up by the resto’s mixologists. Our drinks of choice: Yuzu Samurai (RM28), Spring Peach (RM25), Sparkling Ruby Calpis (RM15) and Lychee Sour Fizz RM15 are more than ample to keep spirits high.

 

Spurred by earnest owners who wish to make their restaurant's presence felt, head chef Danny Leow spearheads the Manmaru team, dishing up a dizzying selection that covers everything from Gozen Set Lunches (RM28-RM58) to mod-Nippon specialities.

 

With stiff competition, restaurateurs and chefs have to work so much harder to please and Manmaru takes the ‘feast for the eyes’ approach to new, detailed heights. Designed for social media sharing, the pretty as a picture Coral Bash Sarada (RM18) is just as nice to savour. The mound of tater mash ‘coral’ has tiny crabs, minute shrimps, pearly salmon roe, fish roe and strands of nori perched on it.

More Instagrammable eats appear in the dish of Salmon Ikura Millefeuille (RM45). The show-stopping composition is playful yet packs enough flavour and textural elements to reel us in. It’s a fun way of nibbling on crispy flatbread toasts heaped with diced salmon and salmon roe. A scattering of masago ‘caviar’ and a sawagani crab (subject to availability) complete the arty palette.

 

Simply delish...think of it as 'deconstructed' gyoza turned salsa

I like the clean almost minimalist preso of the Gyoza Kawa Age To Maguro Salsa (RM28) and Unagi Karaage (RM40) – two immensely likeable appetisers designed for sharing. Their uncomplicated tastiness amp up the appeal quotient several notches.

Pescatarians would snap at the Salmon Tataki Salad (RM35). With slices of lightly seared salmon playing peek-a-boo underneath a generous serving of fresh mixed leaves surrounded by a pool of olive green spinach dressing, you too would be clamouring for more salad days like this.

Manmaru’s Sashimi Moriawase (seven seasonal varieties @RM210) isn’t carve in stone selection-wise as the varieties served up each time changes according to market supply and season. Remember, there’s no such thing as cheap sashimi…

Likewise, Manmaru Nigiri Sushi Moriawase (RM150) follows the same maxim. Again it’s a visual masterpiece that resonates delicate, sublime accents. The picture alone is sufficient enough to ‘voice’ that proverbial thousand words.

Choice picks from the robatayaki bar appear as Kushiyaki Moriawase (RM68) – a stunning composition of various skewers threaded with crispy chicken skin, liver, beef bacon, chicken wing, salmon, king mushroom, scallop, smoked duck, beef and minced chicken balls. Looks good, tastes even better.

If you like the less is more approach, take your pick of seasonal fishes like Kasago (RM150/480g) from the ice-filled seafood counter where prized catches beckon. Grilled at the robatayaki, every morsel of the sweet flesh is picked clean from the rockfish.

Out to impress? Then you can’t go wrong with the dragon-shaped Lobster Roll (RM68) – a luscious maki roll fit for a king with shelled lobster, mango, cucumber, salmon roe and masago packed within vinegared rice.

Notable contenders for your wallet include Wagyu Teppanyaki (RM180) and Hotate Chawan Mushi (RM30); indulgent treats that should moo-ve beef enthusiasts and leave scallop lovers shell-syiok!

The zingy Volcano Roll (RM38) rocks too with its abundant filling: crab meat, salmon roe, avocado and cucumber drizzled with a creamy robust sauce.

Sakana Kami Yaki (RM58) - grilled snapper with beef bacon and seaweed baked in paper parcel with a creamy mustard sauce is one of the more inventive offerings available alongside Cream Korokke (RM22) – potato croquettes livened up with chopped onion, cream and seafood inside crisp breadcrumb crust.

Be prepared to fork out just a little more when dining at Manmaru but the creative efforts and quality should leave you walking away with a satisfied smile. 

For reservations at Manmaru, please call tel: 03-77331038. Address: G-26, Ground Floor, Atria Shopping Mall, Jalan SS22/23, Damansara Jaya, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

MOONCAKE MEDLEY FROM TAO CHINESE CUISINE

 

Mooncake lovers will see red this year at Tao Chinese Cuisine with Dim Sum Chef Lo Tian Sion proffering his Scarlet Baked Snow Skin with Pandan Salted Egg Bean Paste and Beetroot Powder Mooncake (RM30 each). The unusual mooncake skin bears ripples of red and white; its unique taste stems from a combination of almond and bean flour. Inside the savoury-sweet filling comprises a blend of pandan and salted egg bean paste.

Also once you go black, you’d never go back after sampling the Bamboo Charcoal Skin Mooncake with Assorted Nut Paste (RM32 each). It’s definitely an alluring treat to go nuts over.

Available until 27 September 2015, Tao’s classic baked mooncakes in five exquisite variants (from RM28 each) starting with White Lotus Paste with Almonds and Single Salted Egg Yolk and six mini snow skin ones (from RM20 per piece) should furnish enough shine for the Mid-Autumn Festival. 

The mini snow skin range touts inventive flavours of Mini “Red Prawn” Durian with Egg Cream (Custard), Mini Chestnut Paste with Diced Hawthorn and Pineapple Paste, Mini Tiramisu Paste with Assorted Honey Nuts, and Mini Peanut Butter Snow Skin with Japanese Purple Potato Paste and Yam Omachi.

 

Other noteworthy choices to try include Pandan Coconut Floss Paste with Single Yolk or the Mini Yam and White Skin Mooncake with Pumpkin and Green Tea Paste.

Starting 28 September to 11 October, diners at Tao can look forward to the IHG Culinary Journey, a dining experience featuring Singapore celeb chef Sam Leong. Drawn from his personal culinary journey into Cantonese cuisine, Leong’s specialities are featured in two and three course menus (RM118 & RM138 per person respectively; minimum two persons per table).

Wasabi Prawns with Mango Salsa is the chosen teaser in this promotional menu. The sizeable crustacean is sweet and crunchy, spiked with hints of wasabi sharpness and balanced by some fruity salsa.

It primes the palate for the main course of Crispy Sea Garoupa in Superior Light Soy Sauce. Served with steamed rice, the fish is unbelievably crisp sans batter yet the flesh remains moist; its freshness clearly unadulterated. A table of 3-4 diners would probably get a whole fish to savour.

The next course consists of Sautéed Chicken with Black Pepper Sauce, Ginger and Spring Onion. Tender boneless thigh meat is used so you’d find the dish deftly executed although it may taste a tad salty if you eat it without rice.

Dessert - while pleasing enough - seems rather ho-hum as Chilled Mango Pudding isn’t something one writes home about.

Besides Sam Leong, six other guest chefs will be featured for the IHG Culinary Journey; each specialising in Thai, Australian, Japanese, Italian, Indian cuisine and bakery/patisserie for specific period all the way until 15 November 2015.

For reservation or more information, call Tao Chinese Cuisine, tel: 03-2782 6000.

A SEDAP STOPOVER AT SAMBAL & SAUCE

Malay food is fast making its presence felt in the city, especially in modern shopping malls like NuSentral in KL. Instead of being tucked away as part of the food courts, more independent Malay restaurants can now be found. Datin Norintan Safinas who is an avid shopper finds decent Malay food hard to come by in malls hence her decision to foray into opening one of her own at NuSentral.

Known as Sambal & Sauce, this all-day dining outlet is an ideal stopover for diners of all races and ages with different budgets. You can enjoy a simple breakfast of teh tarik and roti canai, relish a hearty nasi campur lunch or pop in for a substantial dinner in its high ceiling, air-conditioned premises with simple yet practical décor.

According to Datin Norintan, “The Sambal represents the local part of our menu while Sauce is the Western selection we cover. We want to cater to everyone so both local and Western food are available.”

For brekkie, try hot off the griddle Roti Sardin (RM5.25), a piece of roti canai stuffed with coarsely mashed sardines. It’s a filling serving that should keep you going until lunch.

About 10 dishes or more are cooked daily for Nasi Campur (expect to pay about RM3.5 to RM5 per item of your choice). From the items we sampled, the specialities which scored highly with us included Gulai Tempoyak Patin (top most pix), Ayam Masak Kicap and Asam Pedas Ikan Pari. Much to our surprise, the plain looking Sup Ayam tasted better than it looked.

Otherwise, we advise going for the scrumptious Mutton Briyani (RM15) - a great value meal with aromatic spiced rice, some curry gravy and a whole hardboiled egg thrown into the equation.

Those yearning for a late lunch or quick dinner will be spoiled for choice. The classic Black Pepper Chicken Chop (RM15.90) is a reliable mainstay as is Fish & Chips (RM16.90)

On the local front, decent recommendations include Sambal & Sauce Fried Rice (RM15.90), Mee Goreng Mamak (RM10.90) and Char Kwe Tiau (RM10.90).  Nothing high-brow here but each is passable enough to satisfy your hunger pangs.

Roti Kobra - oiginally from East Malaysia – is a reinterpretation of Roti Canai Banjir (a gravy drenched roti canai) with a fried sunny-side up egg, and deep-fried battered chicken.

Beverage to quench one’s thirst ranges from Ribena Lime Soda (RM8.90) to Double Shot Tea (RM3.80). Opened daily from 7am-12am, Sambal & Sauce is the go-to outpost for the office crowd, shoppers and commuters streaming through the busy transportation hub of Brickfields and KL Sentral.

SAMBAL & SAUCE, Unit 30 & 31, Lower Ground Floor, NU Sentral, No.201, Jalan Tun Sambathan, Kuala Lumpur. Call tel: 03-2276 1694 for reservations.