Affordable Japanese Cuisine @ Sushi Mentai

Value-For-Money Sushi, Sashimi and more…

Not everything expensive is good, sometimes somethings affordable can really be pretty good too! It’s certainly not new but Sushi Mentai has been serving very affordable Japanese dishes for a few years already. It may have originated from Johor but today, there are 25 Sushi Mentai outlets all over Malaysia and also one in Singapore. With 3 outlets in Penang, 5 outlets in Kuala Lumpur, 9 outlets in Petaling Jaya, 1 in Negeri Sembilan and 7 outlets in Johor, it’s fair to conclude that Sushi Mentai has grown to be a favorite hotspot for avid Japanese foodies everywhere.

One evening, I visited its latest PJ outlet in Kota Damansara with my family. Open since December 2015, this outlet is already packed to the max upon my arrival. Since my little one always loves the concept of conveyor belt sushi bar, he was excited about visiting Sushi Mentai.

The Sushi Mentai at Kota Damansara looks fancier in décor than the other outlets, simply because the group has started to incorporate a décor theme for all their new outlets. Well designed to maximize seating, one can also catch kitchen actions at the front of the room upon entering. Choose seating from the various booths and seats and the conveyor belt of plates after plates of sushi will run by all the seating to tempt the diners.

What really attracted me and I am sure many other diners are their sushi menu which has only two prices of RM1.80 and RM2.80. That is really affordable pricing. With plenty of choices to choose from, there are also lots of special sushi-of-the-day that is not listed in the menu as well. Needless to say, we started picking our favorites happily.

Sushi Mentai is named after its signature Mentaiko sauce. So there are quite a few choices of Mentaiko sauce sushi available.

Leading the list is Salmon Mentai (RM2.80). Immediately, this one exceeded my expectation since I was prepared for skimpy sushi. However, Sushi Mentai’s sushi are all nicely loaded with decent amount of ingredients with sushi rice. The salmon is delicious! Loaded with the cod roe and mayo sauce before being lightly torched, I was beginning to know that this was going to be a good meal…

Inari & Salmon Mentai (RM2.80) showcase my favorite sweet bean curd skin with salmon, sushi rice and mentaiko sauce. A special-of-the-day, this one piece sushi is yum.

My other half loves eel and so we also had the Unagi Sushi (RM2.80).

Prawn Tempura & Inari Sushi (RM2.80) was also a special-of-the-day together with Prawn Tempura & Crab Maki (RM2.80). I really enjoyed both a lot and still had a hard time believing how something so good is so affordable in price. These are available on the conveyor belt. Must order if you see this on the special-of-the-day list…

We wanted to try their a la carte dishes too and so we controlled ourselves from taking more from the belt despite it all looking pretty tempting. The Chawan Mushi (RM3.80) is decent and comfort food at its best.

Asari Miso Shiru (RM4.80) had good flavours from the miso and I can even taste a sweet and briny note of clam essence too.

My little one’s favorite dish was the Dashimaki Tamago (RM3.80). Although it’s not exactly the same as the other tamago I have had, this version was ok and portion was definitely generous for its price.

Chuka Kurage (RM4.80)

I must highlight the fact that I am pretty pleased with the Salmon Toro (RM11.80). Generous cuts of salmon belly was delicious and creamy. Since it’s a fattier cut from the belly, the salmon literally melts-in-the-mouth with sublime flavour.

The Hokkigai Sashimi (RM8.80) of surf clam was also really value-for-money as this clam is quite expensive in many restaurants.

We moved on to rolls and took on the Salmon Mentai Dragon Maki (RM12.80). I can’t get enough of the salmon with mentaiko sauce and this one had the additional plus points of crispy tempura prawns. At this point, I think I was a fan of this affordable Japanese restaurant.

For those who are carb conscious, there’s also a no-rice sushi roll of Inari Wrap (RM7.80). Sweet crab meat with bean curd skin and shredded vegetables are wrapped in rice sheet before being finished with a dollop of mayo sauce. This turn out to be another winner in my books. I am so going to order this again since its carb free…

More happiness took form in Ebi Mentaiyaki (RM9.80). This time, its prawns topped with mentaiko sauce and broiled. Sweet, savory and definitely creamy!

Served grilled, one also gets 3 pieces of Shishamo (RM4.80) per order.

A generous portion of the Saba Shioyaki (RM11.80) was nicely grilled. I like mine with a light squeeze of lemon to balance up the rich oily flavours of the mackerel. This one is beautiful with crisp skin and moist flesh.

Kaki Fried (RM9.80) has always been my favorite when dining Japanese. Glad to say this one did not disappoint but in fact tasted really good. Plump and juicy oysters were nicely crumbed and fried to a golden nugget. Crispy on the outside, utterly juicy with briny flavours, the oysters are very delicious! On my next order, I am so not sharing this plate…

We order the Kitsune Udon (RM10.80) for the little one who simply loves slurping his noodles with the dashi and bonito broth.

On an overall note, I was pretty satisfied with everything at Sushi Mentai. The experience turned out beyond my expectation. Pricing is affordable and the quality and quantity is honestly very decent for what you pay. No wonder Sushi Mentai is pulling in such a crowd. There are plenty more dishes in the menu that I have yet to try. That said, I will definitely by back as there is also a Sushi Mentai near my house in Kepong!

SUSHI MENTAI

No-16-1, Jalan PJU 5/7,

Dataran Sunway, Kota Damansara

47810 Petaling Jaya

Website: www.sushi-mentai.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/sushimentaimalaysia/

Business Hours:

Monday to Sunday 12noon to 9.30pm

The Uma @ The Strand, Kota Damansara

Reminiscing Balinese Flavours!

I can hardly believe that it’s been four years since I have been to The Uma at The Strand in Kota Damansara. The first time I had a taste of Balinese cuisine was at The Uma and it had certainly left me so impressed with the flavours of the cuisine. In addition to its gorgeous flavours, The Uma serves pork in their menu, just like how it is in Bali.

The Uma is the heart and soul of owner and Chef Ho Yau Chan, who fell in love with the country after working there for 8 years. After returning back to Malaysia, he was still reminiscing about Bali and its culture and decided to pursue his dream of owning a restaurant. He wanted to share his amazing Balinese dining experience with the locals here hence The Uma was born.

Walking into The Uma, I was immediately reminded how beautiful the restaurant looks. Designed in theme to its rich Balinese heritage, The Uma has filled with many Balinese paraphilia. The ambience is soothing and almost romantic with its soft glow lighting and Balinese music in the background. There are two levels of dining with the upper one perfect for private functions. As Uma translate to paddy field, the upper level has wallpapers of endless beauty of paddy fields.

I was pretty excited as I vividly recalled my previous delicious experience here. The menu hasn’t changed much but I was told that Chef Ho has tweaked his recipes to near perfection over the years. We quickly ordered our drinks of Jus Apokat (RM10) and Minty Cucumber (RM9). Jus Apokat is avocado smoothie laced with chocolate while the Minty Cucumber is a vibrant concoction of cucumber juice, lime and mint. I love my Minty Cucumber because it’s so refreshing and kept my palate refresh from all the heavy flavours of the food to come.

Since there were only two of us, we decided to share some appetizers and main course. Sate Celeng Asem (RM14) is Assam Pork Satay that is so well marinated that it didn’t need any satay sauce. Skewers of pork with bits of crisp fat that amped up the umami flavour are beautifully grilled till tender and smoky. I can taste the spices in the pork and it is just enough to create a wonderful palate of flavours. It is definitely a dish you won’t want to miss.

We were also recommended the Urutan (RM15), a housemade fried pork sausage stuffed in pork intestine casing. Since I am gamed for most part of the hog, I knew I would enjoy this appetizer. The sausage has a delicate hint of spices. The outer skin is nicely crisp while the sausage meat is moist and tender. A side dark soy sauce packed with heat and sweetness is the perfect condiment for the sausage.

Nasi Ratus with Grilled Pork Rib (RM27) is the house signature and this is what everyone orders when they come to The Uma. Nasi Ratus is Balinese version of mixed rice and can be served with various main dishes. We choose grilled pork ribs because I vaguely remembered that I had it before and it was delish.

Besides grilled pork ribs, there are plenty of other main dishes that one can choose such as Babi Kecap Manis, Pork Rendang, Balinese Steamed Duck, Crispy Fried Duck, Balinese Grilled Chicken, Tuna Sambal Matah, Prawn with Coconut in Banana Leaf, Balinese Lamb Curry and more.

Our Grilled Pork Ribs are indeed as good as I had remembered. There is a nice crisp char and caramelized note on the ribs and yet the meat remained tender and moist. It has a good balance of savory and sweet with hints of spices. The ribs are just so tasty that you will want to make sure that you lick all your fingers and the ribs too. One can also order the ribs as a la carte.

The Nasi Ratus comes with lots of sidekicks. First up, Nasi Saur is pale turmeric tinted rice with coconut and black eye peas. The rice itself is light in flavours and is a good base for all the other stronger accompaniments. The rice came with Plecing Kangkung, Lawar Kacang, Kentang Goreng Bali, Be Siap Plalah and two sambals of Sambal Mbe and Sambal Tomat together with a skewer of Sate Lilit       . Plecing Kangkung is stir fried water spinach while Lawar Kacang is long bean salad with coconut and Kentang Goreng Bali is thin potato sticks deep fried till crispy and spiced up. Be Siap Plalah is shredded chicken salad with lime and chili dressing while the Sate Lilit is fish satay. What diners want to watch out is the two sambals that is guarantee to hit your taste bud and light it on fire. Sambal Mbe is crispy fried shallot mixed with chilies while Sambal Tomat is a tomato chili sambal with shrimp paste that rocks!

When you savor every condiment with the rice, it is a kaleidoscope of flavours! Super spick and shiok…

Since we had a grilled meat, we opted for Bebek Betutu or Balinese Steamed Duck (RM28) as a la carte. Surprisingly I had forgotten about this dish till I referred back to my old post and saw that I had also ordered this dish. This round, it looks a little different but the taste is vaguely familiar. A whole duck Maryland is steamed in spice stock for hours to achieve the tender falling apart duck it is famous for. It has strong robust and salty notes with a good hint of heat. I loved the aroma of the spices. The duck is nicely moist, tender and tasty. It may be a tad too salty eaten on its own but when savored with rice, the flavours are just spot on.

Nasi Kuning (RM3) is a side order because I wanted to try different rice. I enjoyed this one very much as it reminded me of our nasi lemak with its coconut cream.

I am really glad to be back at The Uma. Chef Ho showed that his passion for Balinese cuisine is still as strong as ever, in fact, he has devoted much time to keep improving the flavours of his dishes. We hope he introduces new dishes soon such as Babi Guling and more simply because we cannot get enough of the flavours of The Uma. If you want to try authentic Balinese cuisine, The Uma is the perfect place to start. And then there is the addition of serving pork at The Uma… need I say more? LOL…

THE UMA

7-G & 7-1, Jalan PJU 5/21,

The Strand, Kota Damansara

47810 Petaling Jaya

Tel: 03-6142 2771

GPS Coordinate:

N3 09.283 E101 35.541

Website: www.the-uma.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/theumarestaurant

Business Hours:

Lunch 12:00 pm - 03:00 pm

Dinner         06:00 pm - 10:30 pm

Closed on Tuesdays

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Bali Hai Seafood Village, Kota Damansara: Pleasures of the Sea!

Going Luxe this Round with Lavish Kings of the Sea!

Talk about going all the way for an under the sea experience! I am glad to be back again at Bali Hai Seafood Village at Kota Damansara. After my first visit here for their Ramadhan special, I have been craving for more. Bali Hai offers more than just what we had at our last visit. If one is looking to dine more lavishly and go all the way out, there are plenty of treasures of the sea that awaits your indulgence!

A few of us are back this round to check out more offerings of seafood dishes at Bali Hai Seafood Village and our evening kicked off with us checking out the live seafood tanks. Bali Hai offers the freshest catch that was still very much just swimming a few minutes ago before it is cooked to diner’s selection of cooking styles. Rest assured, there are plenty of cooking styles and sauces to please everyone. One need not also worry about digging deep into the pockets for a meal at Bali Hai as there are plenty of well affordable dishes as well as luxurious ones.

Rainbow Lobster and Canadian Geoduck Sashimi with Superior Soup Steamboat

That evening, the King of Crustacean got together with the King of the Clam and made a grand entrance as our first course of the night. Going back to its origin, both Rainbow Lobster and Canadian Geoduck was served sashimi style. Thinly sliced and served on an ice bed, both are equally seductive and luxurious in its raw form. The lobster was sweet and delicate with a light dipped of wasabi and soy sauce and offers a medium firm texture on the palate while the geoduck is also sweet and a little briny with a delectable bouncy texture.

For those who simply cannot bear to eat these raw, the set comes with a piping hot superior soup bubbling away on a portable stove. Just lightly swish both seafood in the hot soup to blanch and one will experience a different taste and texture of the sea treasures. I am just happy with the raw form for both sea treasures.

After the seafood is consumed, there are platter of green vegetables, enoki mushrooms and tofu to be dropped into the superior soup to enjoy. The soup has a strong herbal aroma and flavor and is soothing, especially if one has just savored the lobster and geoduck as sashimi.  The lobster head will also be chopped up to be put into the soup for extra yumminess else check out below to see what we did with our lobster head. So if one feels like splurging for a special occasion, this is really a scrumptious dish to impress. Seafood price varies depending on the choice of lobsters and geoduck.

Bali Hai Siam Style Claypot Freshwater Lobster

We had more lobsters… freshwater baby ones this round! These were nicely cut into halves and served in a rich creamy spicy Thai broth. We had these separated for photo shoot before it was finished off in the luscious gravy in the claypot.

When the finished dish arrives, the aroma is delightfully addictive. The air was fragrant with aroma of spices and heat. I loved this a lot, especially the spicy broth which was redolent of lemongrass. Though the broth did overpower the flavor of the baby lobsters, I didn’t mind since I loved the bold broth so much. In fact, I wanted more broth and maybe even some rice noodles to soak up the richness of the spicy broth. I find the broth really satisfying with a great balance of spices and punchy heat. The dish is bold and bound to make a blast on your taste bud!

Thai-Style Deep Fried Mackerel

Though this one tasted decent, it was just not as memorable as the earlier dishes. That said, it was a decently crispy fried fish drenched in a spicy and sweet Thai sauce. The flesh was sweet and moist with a nice crispy skin. The fish was accompanied by shredded mango, onion and chili salad for extra flavors and textures.

Stir-fried Clams with Dried Shrimp and Chili Padi

Many of us enjoyed this dish. We concluded it was well cooked as the clams were still tender and juicy. A good dose of chili padi and dried shrimp with garlic laced the clams. I can still taste the lightly briny sea flavors of the clams in this dish despite the big heat of chili padi. I could go on eating these little hard-shelled clams with a nice big mug of icy cold beer!

Salt-Steamed Chicken

Flavors of herbal essence with Chinese wines are great but the since it is kampong chicken, it’s very lean and bony. I guess it’s good for us but since I am not a fan of bones, I don’t really think I enjoyed this very well. Chicken connoisseurs would disagree with me as kampong chicken has a better chicken essence compare to our normal chicken. Flavors are spot on through and I would love a bowl of rice to enjoy the herbal essence of the dish.

Stir-Fried Dragon Chives and Shimeji Mushrooms with Crispy Lotus Root

Ah… one of my favorite vegetable! Dragon chives are one of the newest greens to appear and the thin long leaves are usually stir-fried with other ingredients. The chives leave a lightly slippery gel and have a mild onion aroma. Here is it very well cooked with Shimeji mushrooms, bits of bean sprouts, bell pepper and hugged by a circle of crispy thin fried lotus root. Yummy in my books and I did polished off a fair bit of this vegetable.

Beancurd with Minced Chicken and Salted Radish

A comfort dish that one can enjoy on daily basis, the homemade bean curd is hearty and delicious. Soft eggy bean curd with a golden layer of skin is crowned with a minced chicken and radish stir fry. The minced chicken has a good firm texture as it provides a great bite together with crunchy bits of radish. It’s quite heavy on the savory flavor so a bowl of rice would balance up this dish easily. Soul food!

Japanese Style Seafood Fried Rice

I never had seaweed fried rice before but I like this a fair bit. The seaweed has been blended up to a powder and briskly stir fried with rice and seafood. Presentation wise, it has a dark look but the flavors are good and there is a nice wok heat in the fried rice. Bits of cubed seafood like prawns and scallops provide a little sweetness to the rice. Unless one does not like seaweed, it would be hard to fault this dish. A creative Japanese inspired fried rice…

Lobster Head Braised Ee Fu Noodle

Oh wait, here’s what we did for our lobster head! We had it chopped up and braised with Ee Fu noodles. I loved it and was glad that someone else donated some of their noodle portion to me. The Ee Fu noodles are soft and soaked with the lobster essence, making every slurp a big hit! It’s well worth the extra charge to enjoy your lobster head like this as one gets to suck and slurp the pieces of lobster head for its creamy rich essence!

Fresh Fruit Platter

We had chilled fresh fruit platter to finish our meal. Simple and much welcome after our heavy seafood meal…

Our meal above can be order as a set meal or simply a la carte. That said, we were told that there is a Lobster Promotion of Buy 1 Free 10 going on from 13 Sept to 3 Oct 2013. The promotion is only available at Bali Hai Kota Damansara and applies to certain variety of lobsters like Rainbow, Australian and Boston Lobsters. T&C applies.

After this meal, I have taken my family of gluttons back to Bali Hai for more seafood escapades… stay tune for more dishes we had with my family!

BALI HAI SEAFOOD VILLAGE

Sunsuria Avenue, Persiaran Mahogani,

PJU5, Kota Damansara,

47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Tel: +603 6141 0033/+6016 461 2333

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Bali-Hai-Seafood-Village

Website: www.balihaiseafood.com