Great-tier

• Tempura Tenko (super old tempura chef, super delicious tempura. We had a pretty rude waitress though)
• Imoto (blend of kappo and kaiseki, great chef, great food. Super interesting food. Great overall experience)
• Sushi Kubota (Super super small 7-seater hidden away by the side of the road. Great experience. Talisker highball very nice by the way. Solemn, quite mood but generally great sushi. Pacing perfect too. Spent around 2 hours ++ there and the food kept coming regularly without being overwhelming)
• Stereo Coffee (standing cafe. Great filter coffee, gorgeous setting)
• Oshige Shokudo Imaizumi (great ramen! The best in Fukuoka! Real top tier stuff, super interesting. Broth concentrated using a coffee siphon. Super light and subtle broth but so many layers. Sardines, beef, bonito flakes etc etc etc).

Good-tier

• Pizzeria de Gaetano (very very good margherita, not quite Seirinkan let alone Savoy Azabu Juban, but even better than 4P’s in Hanoi and much better than Pizzeria Dihyang, never mind how many Italians supposedly say Dihyang is good. Anyway, sausage and broccoli pizza is delicious too)
• Mashica (super cool wine bar. Great ambience, nice wine, pasta of the day was actually very good too)
• Chez Remy, yatai (delicious mulled wine, super tiny place, 3 funny French dudes, tiny stoves and tiny stall. Tiny portions too for the price. Delicious escargots though. Great pork leg too. Skip the bouillaiaiaise (Sp?))

Alright-tier

• Kashiwaya Genjiro (chicken spot inside a mall. Chicken salad is nice, oyakodon comes with fantastic egg but weird, tough free range chicken).
• Rec Coffee in Kitte, next to Hakata station (nice filter coffee inside a mall)
• Genki Ippai (for tonkotsu, pretty good. Am not a big fan of tonkotsu anymore though. A bit below Kanbe in Malaysia)
• Key Coffee (the only decent coffee place around if you’re near Hakata canal. Super old school coffeehouse. Nice if you want to smoke inside)

The post Fukuoka, Japan appeared first on Foodgazer.

More diminutive than definitive, but we hope we’ve covered just enough to whet your appetite.

The not-so-good: Bangkok isn’t great for the hydro homies. Free-flow filtered water? You’d be lucky to find more than a few spots. Expect to tote around a lot of water bottles. And…expect (very) dark roast coffee practically everywhere.

The good: the food. Especially, to our surprise, those less street-food-y types. Read through and you’ll see why.

The Bangkok guide is divided into 4 categories, ordered alphabetically within each list, and will continuously be updated – photos and individual posts coming next.

The great:

• Charmgang Curry Shop: Spectacular. From the cowa leaves curry (fantastic, with the smokiest, most luscious pork jowl) to the grilled koji-aged picanha skewer (paired with a stunning fermented fish chili and tomato relish) to sublime duck. Only downside is the desserts pale in comparison – both the Thai caramel rice bar and custard apple in coconut syrup were a step below the cooked dishes. Also, they can be a bit heavy handed on the salt, even for a saline boi like me – e.g. the smoked swordfish curry was delectable, with gorgeously cooked and smoky fish, but crept up in saltiness towards the end. The casual setup of the place is great though, absolutely buzzing with a lovely open kitchen, beautifully decorated walls, perfect light levels etc. A must-visit, like every other spot in the “Great” category.
• Cote by Mauro Colagreco: Close to faultless. Impeccable service, great great food.
• G.O.D.: photos / videos don’t capture how impressive this place looks. Drinks fantastic too. Conceptual, yes, but the taste backs that up as well. Should be in my top 5 bars list for Bangkok, with Ku Bar, Rabbit Hole etc.
• Homeburg: Purely taste-wise, this had to be one of the greatest meals of my life. Definitely one of the most technically impressive too. This single location featured one of the best chawanmushi I’ve ever had, the best jerk chicken, the best ginger ale, the best steak, the best french fries etc…unreal. Luckily the desserts were just-okay, or this would have completely redefined what it means to be great.
• Ku Bar: Absolute gem of a space, has to be one of our favourite bars in Bangkok. Insanely cool setup and layout, with fantastically layered and complex cocktails. For instance: Bael-infused whisky with tobacco syrup, xuixian tea and rose water. Or a warm saffron latte longan. Or a super strong Szechuan peppercorn drink that slowly oozes more banana as you sip. S’all good, man.
• Larder: Oh wow, the best breakfast. Perfect thick-cut bacon slices, surprisingly yummy sourdough (surprising cos they slice it real thin), delish blood sausage
• Pad Thai Fai Ta Lu: Why are noodle portions so tiny in Bangkok? This place served some of the best pad thai (and siew yoke) that we’ve had though.
• Rabbit Hole: Great cocktails! Delicious, rich, complex, and just really well thought out. Take, for instance, the London Jesus (longan, saffron, coffee, salted Tonka cream) or the salted lemon butter layers of the Cowboy Pie. Thrilling stuff.
• Saawaan: Refined Southern Thai tasting menu. Loved a lot of it, especially the “toned-down” subtlety of flavours, the highlighting of specific techniques, and the petit fours actually being the strongest flavour punch of the meal.
• Samlor: Silly good. Delicious dishes. Attentive service. A must-visit.
• Some Time Blue: From what we could tell, they only have drip coffee. Both cups were great. Finally a cafe without crazy dark roasts. And they have free-flow water too. My kind of aesthetic, could easily double as a jazz / listening bar. Love the furniture.
• Tax: Love the interiors, the walls, the spacious layout split up into a lot of nooks, without being overly loud and echo-y, and the concept – vinegars from liquors etc. Tried two great cocktails, including a killer oolong with a sudden aftertaste of roasty toasty cashews. Definitely feels more of my place than Asia Today, but both would easily place in my top bars list in KL. And I’d be a regular at Tax.
• Zao Ekkamai: Insanely good Isaan food, one of the highlights of our Bangkok trip. Challenging, excitingly different flavours, all bursting out of some exceptional, layered, and well-priced dishes. Word of caution though: some of the dishes are crazy crazy spicy. Great service, lovely buzz in the dining room(s).

The good:

• 168 Thai Restaurant, inside Chatuchak market. Surprisingly delicious. Only tried 2 dishes, but still. Red curry thing is killer. Spicy sour soup very tasty. Coconut pudding delicious too.
• A Keen House: Iced long black fares much better than the hot, oddly enough. Good music, gorgeous design.
• Aksorn: A 1-star that doesn’t push boundaries too much, but bundles in a tasty meal within a lovely experience. The setting is cozy and inviting, the music top-notch, service pretty good, and the crockery and interiors mesh into a unique statement. Highlights of the food itself was the shrimp paste relish, a red curry with grilled salted beef, and the smoky sugar snap peas. Oh, and the nice walk down to the nice washroom.
• Asia Today: Backdoor Bodega vibes, but really tasty cocktails based around honey. Need to try more to potentially move it further up. The Eastern Honey (with the bee wax mug) was tasty, and the Bitter Have My Moni was even more so, with that punchy, vinegary cherry pickled liquor. Delightful.
• Bar 10010: nice ice cream – with loads of interesting flavours!
• Bask Project: good coffee, lovely space. Lots of cool stuff to look at and buy
• Bun Meat and Cheese: From the mad genius brain of Mr. Homeburg. Doesn’t quite reach those heights, but it’s still very good. Not as earth-shattering as the first time trying Homeburg, but it certainly beats out pretty much all burger joints in Malaysia, even Barbacoa.
• Nai Soon Charoen Nakhon: Delicious duck noodles…less depth than Heng Dee’s broth in Malaysia perhaps, but still hella tasty. Very competitively priced too.
• Okonomi: Japanese breakfast! Lovely little place.
• Rot Rue Dee: like the setup a lot. Well-priced too IMO. Well-cooked fare like the massaman curry with killer smokiness from the chicken. Decent mango sticky rice too.
• Rung Reung (Tung) noodle: yum pork noods, even the dry one.
• Save Our Souls: They say the burgers are good here, but I didn’t try them. The basil rice is solid though, surprisingly enough. Nice selection of craft beers to go alongside.
• Sugarray Apartment: Lovely bar setup (seats 10 at most along the bar counter, a small nook for 3 at the corner). Good drinks that would place it quite high up the KL Bar list, but not quite at the level of those in the Great category.

The decent:

• A Coffee Roaster by Li-bra-ry: Espresso was…almost kinda decent? Flat white tasty. Could potentially be the best out of the cafes in this category.
• Flaneur
• Gatta Cafe inside Siam Square: Slightly better than some other cafes we tried, but not by much.
• Mother Roaster: interesting space, decent coffee
• Nana Coffee Roasters Ari: Lush garden, great rendition of a dirty (though it ran a tad sweet, was still the best we had in BKK), but the default long black was a really dark roast, as per usual in BKK. Stick to milk-based stuff and you’d probably have a better time here.
• OFTR: Like the setup. The drinks are more mediocre – wouldn’t be out of place in KL.
• Prego: We only tried a risotto but it was fantastic. Potential to shoot up this list if all other dishes are as good.
• Shelter coffee
• Tai Soon Bar: A relatively nice space, with 18 beers on tap, opposite the overhyped Jay Fai. Not exactly the setup / feel / clientele / selection of beers that appealed to us though.

The not so good:

• Baan Pueng Chom: Highly recommended, highly disappointing. The star was the stir fried glass noodles with petai – every other dish was poor.
• Brave Roasters: Both long black and the filter served with too much water IMO, ratio feels off.
• Buay Pochana Thonglor: Decent egg noods, decent soup, nice duck leg, meh duck wonton. Overall serviceable but not a must-visit by any measure.
• Chimchim: Terrible coffee, breathtaking interiors. Might actually be worth visiting just for that.
• Conkey’s: The setting is gorgeous. Tranquil back garden. And the spread of bakes sets the heart a-flutter alright. But the pastries themselves are surprisingly not-great. E.g. the donut – love the orange custard filling in the bombolini but the donut itself could be better. Salty fig tart not bad, not great. Sourdough croissant very dense. Fairly mediocre even if it were in KL. Breads do look decent though.
• Holey Artisan: Challah meh. Berliner meh but the butterscotch glaze was quite alright. Disappointing beef baguette – everything cold and so-so, with the baguette being incredibly tough.
• Jasmine Siam Kitchen: Pineapple fried rice with tofu was expensive, and the rice was mushy. Red curry was tasty, despite the tough beef. Factoring in the prices vs setting etc, hard to justify moving this out of this category though.
• Paga: Boy do they love their dark roasts here. We had one alright filter, one standard-order dark-roast nearly-undrinkable long black.
• Red Diamond @ Thonglor: THB 120 for espresso. Fairly meh, all things considered. Strong dark roast like most places here.
• Supanniga: Disappointing. Expensive. At least the service is good. And the kai-yok song does have some tasty, plump crab meat.
• Tropic City: Hmmm.

Naturally, we’ve barely scratched the surface with Bangkok. Some other places we want to check out next time:

• 23 Bar & Gallery (bar in an art space)
• 80/20 (1 star)
• Alonetogether (collab between Sugar Ray and Ku Bar owners) (jazz performances Wed-Sun night. B400 cocktails, happy hour B300 from 6-8pm daily)
• Bamboo Bar (Mandarin Oriental)
• Bar Marco (listening bar)
• Beer Belly (20 taps)
• BKK Social Club (bar)
• Black King Pizzeria
• Bloom Pretzel & Coffee (pretzels and coffee)
• Blue by Alain Ducasse (1 star)
• Brioche from Heaven (cinnamon brioche and caramel, yuzu meringue)
• Cadence by Dan Bark (1 star)
• Canvas (1 star)
• Casa Blue (8 craft beers on tap, good German food)
• Craft Silom (20 taps)
• Doc Club & Pub (indie cinema)
• Dukedon (specializes in grilled, dry-aged Thai catfish. Duke don (B219), pla mor (perch fish) don (B249)) (Fri 12-7pm, Sat 10-7pm, Sun 10-5pm)
• Eight Days a Week Home Bar (only Thai craft beer – prices around B180-300) (5pm-12am daily)
• Gaa (1 of the best restaurants in Thailand) (B 4400++)
• Grow Tea Studio (Uji tea from South Kyoto)
• GTG Cafe (CBD infused drinks and cookies)
• Hair of the Dog (great craft beer spot) (11am-12am daily)
• Homeburg (6 courses, including the burger. B2500++)
• Huus of Bread (Jap-Scandi bakery. Shokupan-donut (shonut)) (10am-4.30pm, closed Mon)
• IGNIV Bangkok (1 star, “global” fine dining, 3 course lunch B 2000, 4 course dinner B 4000)
• Ink & Lion (great coffee) (9am-4pm daily)
• Keaton Tailor
• Kimi sushi bar (semi-outdoors omakase sushi,10 rotating natty wines, 6 seats per seating, B 2100 for 15 courses)
• Koji-delic (Nordic-style cuisine, all based around koji and fermentation. 10 courses B 3,500)
• Koryoriya-te (low-key shochu and sake bar) (6-11pm, closed Sun and Thurs)
• Laab Udon (good Isaan food, off Surasak BTS station) (4pm-3am daily)
• Labyrinth Cafe (great coffee in a basement bunker) (10am-6pm, closed Mon)
• Lahnyai (modern Thai. 14 courses B3,590++)
• Le Du (1 star, elevated Thai) (4 course tasting B 3000, 6 course tasting B 3600)
• Le Normandie (2 stars, Alain Roux (from 3 starred Waterside Inn) arrived in Jan 22. 3 course lunch menu B 3400)
• Liberty Area One @ Ekkamai (great clothing spot)
• Methavalai Sorndaeng (1 star)
• Mash (16 rotating beers, nice setting) (5-11pm, closed Sun)
• Mazzluna (2 stars)
• Mezzaluna (French Japanese fine dining, 7 courses B 6500)
• Middle Bar (good cocktails, B400)
• Mihara Tofuten (Gaggan partnering with someone from Fukuoka. Fine dining dedicated to tofu from Kyushu. 12 courses B 4900)
• Ministry of Crab (branch of Sri Lanka’s best restaurant. B 1,800 for 800g medium sized crab)
• Mod Kaew Wine Bar (ex-somm of Gaggan. No wine list. B690 for a 3 wine flight. Or get a bottle)
• Nahim Cafe x Handcraft 
• Nahm (1 star)
• Nine Pastry (challah, Jerusalem bagel etc) (8am-5pm, closed Wed)
• Paste (1 star)(modern progressive Thai, 1 star) (B 4300 for tasting menu, can get ala carte for around B1,000 per dish) (12-2pm, 6-11pm daily)
• Pijiu (Chinese beer bar)
• Pizza Massilia (great pizza)
• Potong (Thai-Chinese fine dining, 20 courses B 4,500)
• R u u classic cocktails (B300-400 cocktails, chill spot)
• R-Haan (2 stars)
• Rue De Mansri (good croissant, decent coffee, nice place)
• Saep Sudjai (good Isaan dishes, especially the pork liver with toasted rice)
• Samrub Samrub Thai (private dining, some of the best food in Thailand. B 4,500 for tasting menu) 
• Saneh Jaan (1 star, old school Thai dishes)
• Savelberg (1 star, French cuisine with touch of Dutch influence) (B 4750)
• Shuu Shuu (umeshu bar)
• Siwilai Sound Club (cocktail and jazz bar) (6pm-1am, closed Mon)
• Smalls (jazz bar)
• Soei (10.30am-9.30pm, closed Sat) (fried mackerel cheeks – may need to reserve, Thai shrimp ceviche, pla goong, soft shell crab in curry powder) (can end up queueing for 1-2 hours)
• Som Tam Sida (family run Isaan restaurant)
• Somtum Der (Isaan food)
• Sorn (2 stars)
• Soufflé and me (souffle) (11am-10pm daily)
• Sra Bua (1 star)
• Sunray (bright, pastely and airy cocktail bar. Drinks B300) (6pm-12am daily)
• Table 38 (great food, need to book way in advance next time) (5-9.30pm, closed Mon)
• Tapas Music Bar (modern tapas)
• Teens of Thailand (cocktail bar, gin-focused)
• Thaipioka (cocktails influenced by Thai flavours, B350) (7pm-2am daily)
• The Jam Factory (crafts, stores)
• The Rose Natural Wine Bar (small space, about 14 bottles usually. B350++ per glass, B1,600 upwards per bottle)
• The White House (great food and cocktails)
• Timo & Tintin (good coffee, gallery space)
• To More (jazz bar, nice cocktails)
• Varen (good coffee)
• Vesper (bar)
• Walden Home Cafe (good coffee, Parisian interiors)
• Wattanapanich (beef and goat soup noodles) (9am-7pm daily)

The post Bangkok, Thailand appeared first on Foodgazer.

Not an expert by any means, just a simp of the ingenuity that goes into these bowls. The possibilities in Klang Valley may not quite match its brethren in Japan yet, but each new menya broadens the palate and, well, Malaysian-horizons of what ramen can be. And boy, there sure are some good ones sprouting up recently. Gone are the days when Ippudo, Bankara and co dominated the scene.

Might eventually do a separate post for Tokyo, but some of my favourites there are: Kagari, Tomita, Afuri, Konjiki Hototogisu. Other Tokyo spots in this Tokyo list.

Bowls ranked in order of what I would prefer to eat right now. Very scientific!

1. Kanbe – sakura tsukemen: ebi and pork bone broth. New kid in town. Heckin impressive, review here.
2. Ken-Shin Ryu – shoyu tonkotsu: taking the lot where Setagaya used to be, we hope Ken-Shin Ryu stays for a much longer tenure. The shoyu tonkotsu has a killer broth, bite-y noods, and delicious wantan to boot. Still only tried it once but boy was it good.
3. The Tokyo Ramen – shoyu: still very recent, so likely biased. Very impressed during the first try though, read about it here.
4. Menya Hanabi – negishio mazesoba: does mazesoba count? Sure it does. Maze chuka soba would be more accurate, though? Interestingly, their rice bowls are great too. As are their gyoza. As is most of the menu, to be honest. Consistent as hell!
5. Ramen Dining Tabushi – katsuo tsukemen: review here. It’s very good. Pair it with the half-and-half beer from the stall behind. Go and get some matcha from Matcha Hero Kyoto nearby afterwards. Satisfying meal sorted. Though after trying it about a half dozen times (if not more), the latest visit circa Feb 2022 wasn’t as good as before. Need to head back to quality check.
6. Hokkaido Ramen Santouka – tokusen toroniku shio: hidden gem of a place tbh. Can’t go wrong with most of the options but this stood out the most. They’ve been very consistent across the years too. That has to count for something. None of their stuff is mindblowing, but it’s been good and, frankly, underrated enough to consistently rank in the top 10 surely.
7. Kanbe – yuzu tsukemen: not as impressive as the sakura, but still very solid.
8. Kagura – premium rich tori paitan: not sure how the quality is now they’ve moved out of Lot 10. Need to revisit and assess.
9. Mitsuyado Seimen – yuzu tsukemen. Top tier noods. Dense and chewier than anywhere else in Malaysia so far. Broth could be better and portions are miniscule (especially for the price) but those are the only real knocks against it.
10. Menya Hanabi – kimista. Another great bowl from MH. To be honest, it’s a bit hard to pick since they’re all bangers.
11. Mitsuyado Seimen – tan tan tsukemen. I’m not sure if I like this better or the yuzu. Preferences tend to fluctuate on this one.
12. Ken Shin-Ryu – shio: Just about edges out Hokkaido Ramen Santouka for the shio.
13. Menya Shi Shi Do – yaki buta kuro aka tsukemen: hunka hunka chunks of meat. Review here. [Dec 21 update: kuro aka broth has certainly changed in recent times. This used to be a top 10 bowl, but it’s lost a lot of the depth now. Also it’s a toss up between this or the usual tsukemen with the pork shoulder that they’ve pretty much perfected. Seriously, that pork shoulder at Menya Shi Shi Do is our favourite pork slice at any ramen stall in Malaysia. Killer.]
14. Hokkaido Ramen Santouka – shio ramen. Shoutout to a good shio. Hope we see more of them around town. Tonkotsu supremacy is boring.
15. Menya Hanabi – tan tan ramen / tan tan mazesoba. Both good, although broth is a bit light for the ramen.
16. Toriden – RIP but the ramen lives on at Tokyo Restaurant, it seems. Not sure if it still tastes the same. Review of the Toriden bowl here.
17. Ramen Dining Tabushi – shoyu ramen: shoyu is another rare breed around these parts.
18. Ken-Shin Ryu – shoyu tsukemen: one of the rare few times where I would get the broth over the tsukemen. It’s nice, but I was left wishing there was a tonkotsu tsukemen version of this. Will try shio next, since that sounds great. Noodles very nice, marginally preferable to Kanbe (or rather, close enough to be pretty much a toss-up unless I’m having them side by side). Pork great – better than all but Shishido. Chicken delicious. Expect clean, bright flavours.
19. Menya Hanabi – shio: Pretty good. Should not be your first pick at MH, but a decent intro to shio. This seats a bit lower down the ranking because there are other better places for this nowadays.
20. Menya Hanabi – tsukemen / Mitsuyado Seimen – tonkotsu ramen: joint ranking if only because they’re kind of the same thing – Menya Hanabi is best at mazesoba but their tsukemen is decent. Mitsuyado Seimen is best at tsukemen but their standard tonkotsu isn’t too bad either. Oh, I only had the tonkotsu ramen at the lot 10 branch btw
21. Menya Shi Shi Do – shi shi ramen (kuro aka broth): used to be better but the broth has since changed
22. Daruma Syokudo – tsukemen: huge portion for the price. Pork is not too bad. Good amount of it. Broth is way too mild for tsukemen though, can almost drink it directly. Needs a lot more work on the broth.
23. Bari Uma – ajitama uma: Probably the best option for a chain at a mall. Decent enough tonkotsu that gets a bit one-dimensional and overly-fatty towards the end. Tend to long for a palate cleanser.
24. Aori ramen – review here

RIP:

1. Menya Shi Shi Do – lemon tonkotsu (kuro aka broth) tsukemen: Prior to Kanbe’s arrival, this used to be number 1. As of Dec 21, looks like this is no longer on the menu after the pibot to Ramen Bar Shi Shi Do (despite a million and one other things being added to the menu). Also, the broth has changed for the usual kuro aka tsukemen too. What we said initially: the ajitama may be consistently inconsistent but they’ve perfected the pork shoulder slice IMO after many years of it being underwhelming. The noods are second best to Mitsuyado Seimen’s thicc noods. Kuro aka is black garlic plus a mildly spicy broth, and the lemon lifts it up with a refreshing zing. I almost always go for tsukemen over light brothy bois. Review here.
2. Menya Hanabi – tori paitan: This used to be number 2. A special that’s been discontinued, but it surely deserves a special mention. The tori paitan was top tier, great broth and one of the best chimken accompaniments. I do miss it.
3. Setagaya – smoked char siew dry noodles: This used to be number 7. Very good, very promising from Setagaya. Terrible news that they closed down.
4. Setagaya – original: fish + pork broth. This used to be number 15. Not a standard boring tonkotsu. Subtle but good.
5. Setagaya – seabura niboshi ramen: This used to be number 19. Initial review: niboshi shoyu + pork back fat. Actually keen to try the niboshi shoyu by itself next time, not sure if that’s on the menu. Liked the flavors, the fat muddied it a bit.

For what it’s worth:

Old Ippudo (when it initially opened at Gardens) would probably be in the top 10 or 15, old Bankara in the top 15 as well at its peak. Wouldn’t include them in the list at all for now.

The post Best Ramen in Klang Valley appeared first on Foodgazer.

Last update: 20 July 2020. As always, individual posts and photos later. Ranked roughly in order of preference

1. Soul Sacrifice – chalk it up to familiarity if you will, but foodgae is happy to rank this at the top. From the breakfast truffled cheese scrambled eggs bun to the lunch fare (steak sammich, miso siakap rice, chicken curry rice) to the lighter bites (coney dog, Thai embassy, spicy cold noods), expect solid flavors that don’t necessarily astonish with a gastronomic uppercut but may well surprise from the solid execution alone. Compound that with the good coffee, hidden-away setting, and the cats out back, and it’s no wonder Soul Sac has such an entrenched spot in our cold black hearts. It’s a shame the brilliant scotch egg is gone though.
2. Gavel – Is it a pub? Or a restaurant? Or a cafe? Gavel is potentially the most non-cafe cafe on the list, where coffee takes a backseat to some really solid food and a fridge of craft beer. We are of course long-time proponents of their legendary Sunday roasts – which they’ve extended into Saturdays as well, for long, luxurious afternoons lounging around with beer and a waterfall of really solid grub. It’s not just about the roasts (which are always solid), but the sides which sometimes even outshine the main event.
3. Ebony & Ivory – No surprises that this one makes its way in. Perhaps the most “traditional” cafe menu in the top 10, but boy does it earn its place. Comforting flavors, solid cookery, and an idyllic setting mesh to form quite a place. And bearing in mind we also ranked it in the top 5 for best cafes for coffee, this could well be the gold standard for a cafe in KL. And just purely on the food aspect, a Japanese-inspired menu (oyakodon, salmon sashimi rice bowl etc etc) and a propensity for some of the best-formed rice bowls in town makes this a definite-entry in the list.
4. Smith Breads – it speaks volumes that I haven’t had any food here apart from the Dutch pancakes and the bread (+ accompaniments), and yet it still catapults its way right into the top 10. Perhaps not too surprising given how much our resident sourdough slut loved the loaves here – a solid new entrant in the growing pantheon of sourdough shacks, and our current firm favorite. The Farmhouse Caraway loaf here is our reigning champion with an unbeatable rich complexity. We said early on that they had room for improvement and improve they did. It’s the condiments that secure them a spot on the list though. From the butter (sumptuous) to the fruit compote (sticky-thicc and not too sweet) to the hummus (unapologetically garlicky), everything is done well. Same goes to the Dutch pancakes. And the coffee.
5. Li / Provisions – we knew long ago that they had the capabilities to stretch their culinary wings, and we couldn’t be more pleased with their newly launched Li-neage series, where tasting menus reign supreme during dinners that traverse their crowd-pleasing dishes from the past and speak to the future as well. Plus Provisions Pizza is new too! And yet at its core, the indefatigable team started out with just Li before the influencer-attracting Provisions rose from the ground. And we always did love Li for brunches and lunches. A very small, very focused menu, built around simple but solid classics (rice bowls with spam or pork belly or chicken or all of the above, great chicken chop, legendary pork toast), there’s little to dislike here.
6. Alta – No point dancing around it – it’s expensive. Although that’s always relative, so I suppose we mean it’s expensive to the paupers here at Foodgae. And yet it’s been a beacon of stability and a rallying point for some fantastic parties – like we said before, “Alta consistently beckons and we consistently heed the call“. The stracciatella and sourdough are nigh insuperable.
7. Nutmeg – remember back in 2013 or so when it wasn’t as insanely packed as it is now? Honestly haven’t been there for years but from what I remember, the salt beef and gravad lax were all very decent – especially in a time when we saw the sharp decline of Antipodean. Also, why aren’t we including Yeast in the list? Hmm. Not too sure, to be honest. It’s not half bad, but it always felt more like a bakery than a cafe – same reason Bakerry La isn’t here despite the great pastries and best-in-town croissant. Arbitrary rules, eh! Aren’t they a bummer.
8. Fittie Sense – healf.
9. Front Room & The Kneady Baker – hidden away, with some pretty solid food.
10. Littlepeople – who can forget how well they did during the MCO period? Almost in lock-step with the lockdown, their speedily-launched DIY pasta sets were the talk of the town. And yes, we first went there years ago, but for the most part the food is still solid – with the main difference being even larger, more fulfilling, portions now for the pasta. Always a good thing, especially when it actually tastes good.
11. Strangers at 47 – they’ve been around for ages, their post-MCO SOP is unrivaled, the service is good, and the food ranges from satisfying to very good. Hard to fault them, especially when they keep innovating. Interestingly enough, this place always reminds me of Thirdwave (I’m not sure why). What a shame about Thirdwave too – they would be a top-10 entrant if they were still around, but Sunbather (what they resurrected as) is so so underwhelming. Even after 3 visits, I’m hard-placed to name something I like there. Business seems to be booming though, so I’m sure they’re doing something right!
12. Sunday Coffee and Cakes – pretty place and the food is pretty good too. Tamagoyaki sando executed very well. Bread not as pillow soft as Japan’s usual bread – I prefer the slightly harder texture here and it makes perfect sense with the rest of the sando. It sort of ‘extends’ the textural crunch of the crust. The batter is nice and light btw, with just the right amount of mustard. It’s not the ‘best’ tamago, but it works great in this sando. Lovely textural bite, with the blend of crunchiness almost a flavor in itself, chased down by a perfect blend of mustard and sweet egg. Very satisfying. Although to be fair it’s a very small menu and so it’s kind of debatable if this should be on the list. Oh well.
13. Wizards – ok, it’s expensive. Some dishes are nice though.
14. Dough & Dolce – the grilled cheese is pretty good. The pizza is pretty good, though it sometimes feels more like pizza-biscuits.
15. Soft Launch Cafe – Sri Petaling represent. Chicken waffles here are good, the coffee is good, it’s just always too packed whenever we try to visit. Oh well!

The post Best Cafes (for food) in Klang Valley appeared first on Foodgazer.

Thoughtful food, deft execution, interesting ideas – Chocha has morphed into one of the most interesting spots in town.

It took a bit of a journey to get here though. Way back in 2016, we said it was potentially one of our favorite places in KL, what with its delish range of teas, great cincalok fried chicken (and kinda promising other dishes), and gorgeous interior. Fast forward to 2017 and food wasn’t quite as good as we hoped it’d become, and the food quality was wildly inconsistent with each visit. By 2019, we’d go a lot more frequently to Botak than to Chocha (that’s a whole different story, though, with the latest iteration of drinks being nice but slightly too sweet).

So imagine our surprise when we saw the new revamped menu featuring lots of familiar bits and bobs from Ketawa Lunch Club @ Rumpun (hey, we only had like 3 IG posts about it). And by pulling from and riffing on some of the best moments of Ketawa, the new chef and new menu have the makings of a real hit. Now to work on expanding into a full menu, and having rotating specials for regulars. And call me regulargae or foodgaeregulareats, because I’m out to slam my MCO-enlarged ass down into Chocha’s chairs over and over again.

And let’s get this out of the way: if they can replicate the Ketawa experience in a condensed, consistent, concise menu at Chocha, they have the makings to be one of my favorite restaurants in town.

Anyway, we ordered the whole currently-available menu, so here’s a full marathon run through of the dishes:

Coconut bread and fermented coconut oil

I don’t mind the bread (think a slightly harder-outside, and less-gummy-inside version of the coconut buns we grow up eating) but the highlight for this was the coconut oil at Ketawa. Missing the strong punch of coconut oil this time, so maybe the fermentation didn’t work out for the batch. A real shame, because this has the potential to set the stage for the meal and it didn’t quite pan out that way.

Tenggiri pate, eggplant chips

Mild. Quite subtle. It does grow on you, though it risks being overwhelmed by any other flavors at the table. Could do with a few more elements to either double down on the oiliness / fishiness, or add a different layer of flavor. Eggplant chips were nice and crisp but ultimately could be replaced by any other crispy dipping vehicle really. Could be interesting if this had an additional eggplant sambal to go with the chips and pate?

Yam mille feuille

All technique, baby. Sheets and sheets and sheets, but combined with the near-opposite texture of biting into a yam cake. Love that contrast, thanks to the crispiness outside. Delicious dish.

Tempura banana blossom with sambal cream

The banana blossom is having a bit of a spotlight moment right now (hey, even Pizza Roma has it on a special) and I’m happy for it. I’m even happier for the sambal – it’s delicious! Pairs great with the well-fried tempura. And it’s great to go with drinks, eh?

Which reminds me to remind you to not forget about the drinks here. Because Chocha certainly hasn’t forgotten about them. Your choice of libations are extensive here. Go with a bottle of wine first (there’s a whole host of natural, biodynamic and sustainable wines to pick from), follow up with a sake (the Korin Yuki Junmai is a biodynamic, absolutely gorgeous sake), and maybe round off the night with a few cocktails from Botak – though I’d suggest you ask them to tone down on the sweetness. But take a look at the ingredients going into them and tell me you aren’t excited. Bunga Raya, for instance, mixes tuak with hibiscus kombucha and mangosteen. Come on!

Chicken feet

So good we ordered it twice. Boneless! Deboned! Delicious! Gelatinous! Soy caramel outside.

Bitter gourd, cucumber, pomelo, black bean

Interesting combo. Felt more like a side dish though that needed another component to go with it as an anchor. Enjoyed the flavors without being too enthused by it. Definitely gets you thinking though.

Cured jenahak, kedondong

Again, very interesting, but not my thing.

Local flowers, vegetables and leaves, jackfruit seed cream, cincalok dressing

Familiar! The jackfruit seed cream was good again, but I was really pleased they had the cincalok dressing this time. I previously said it was crying out for something like a strong fig sambal etc, but this cincalok works! It’s delicious. Nice variety of vegetables too.

Mushroom, salted duck yolk, curry leaf, mustard seed vinaigrette

Tasty beer grub. Not a knock on it, but this does bear resemblance to something you’d get from Table & Apron etc. Cooked well, has just enough of local elements to make it both tasty and accessible, without being too exciting.

Deep fried kembong, budu mayo

Budu mayo bit too mild, but holy shit that kembong is fantastic! Probably my favorite kembong dish ever. Light years away from over-fried over-dried kembong, the flesh was perfectly, just perfectly cooked. Salivating just thinking about it.

Abalone with XO butter

Yum. Really good. Sabah abalone, slightly smoky, thick but not overwhelming XO. Can’t ask for more, really.

Tamarind glazed marinated duck, pickled mustard leaf

Duck was a misstep IMO and we gave feedback to the chef on this and the goat dish (more on that later). Essentially nothing too special with the duck, meat was overcooked for my liking, and some parts were excessively sour. To be fair, it looks like the plainest / most normcore item on the menu, and it certainly turned out to be.

What I wouldn’t give for this to had been swapped out with the transcendental smoked chicken from Ketawa instead. I do hope they look at reworking this dish because there’s so much promise and good technique in the other dishes and it’s disappointing for that to go to waste in a Main Plate.

Wild patin, mango sambal, roselle leaves

Another familiar sight! There were more variety of leaves at Rumpun but this is fundamentally the same dish – except, guess what? They stepped it up a notch, neff. Previously said mango sambal too mild – much stronger here. Said skin not crisp enough – properly crisp here at Chocha. Can’t fault the cooking of the fish at all, it was excellent. One of the highlight dishes of the night, really, this and the kembong. Just a joy to eat.

Winter melon cooked in dried shitake broth, Chinese celery

I admire and appreciate what they’re doing and where they’re going with this, but personally didn’t enjoy it. Most of the table did. Which is good! I like it when places push the boundaries and don’t try to cater to everyone (which usually translates to just dumbing it down to the common denominator). Bold and pretty unique flavor pairing here. I personally much prefer the texture and flavor of the braised winter melon at Chipta, but eh apples and oranges.

Heirloom red rice, chicken wing and skin, sweetcorn

Langit to the fore. Y’all know I don’t usually like mushy rice but damn does it work here. It’s like a mix of rice pudding and risotto, thanks to all the starch. The chicken wings are delicious by the way. Perfectly done. And the chicken skin as well! Wow. Not overly crispy like they can sometimes get, just crisp enough to still enjoy the chewiness of it. Lovely. Some didn’t enjoy the sweetcorn in it (overly sweet apparently) but I liked it. They might look at changing the variety etc of the sweetcorn to get something a bit less sweet and more uhm corny.

Regardless, very solid dish in my opinion! After the patin, this is easily my favorite main dish.

Goat char siew

Unfortunately can’t say the same about this. The star of this dish is the accompanying spring onion and ginger relish – blisteringly fiery and sweet and just begging to be paired with dishes other than this char siew. I like goat but I’m wondering if they did a char siew just to make it more accessible and avoid the curry route. I mean, yeah, it’s not game-y (which is not good for me since I like game-y goat), but it’s also way too sweet. This dish needs work, and preferably a rework IMO.

Only two desserts on the menu. Both good.

Chocolate from Pahang, fig ice cream

Tasty. What it says on the label. If you’re familiar with Choc Concierge, and the recent boom of local figs etc, you’d roughly be able to guess how it tastes. It’s good, not great.

Rice custard, jackfruit, coconut

Preferred this. Tasty! Not amazing but I can’t say no to jackfruit and rice custard.

I do think the desserts are a bit more straightforward than the other dishes though. Would be good to see them bring in a pastry chef that can really develop it further and extend the menu to another layer of depth from the desserts section. I mean, I generally love Sitka‘s desserts so would obviously love to see Chocha step it up with desserts at that level.

Overall thoughts on the meal? Already summarized it above. Great, with greater potential. Imagine if they reworked the goat and duck, expanded the menu with more experimental dishes, and beefed up the dessert department – we’d be in for a real treat with Chocha. More to come then!

The post Chocha, 2020 appeared first on Foodgazer.

Last update: 25 July 2022

Tier 1

• Cream / Neutrals – Used to be tgt before they closed that and opened Neutrals! Somewhat arbitrary to pick between the two since the coffee is essentially the same, but so far all experiences here have been very good, coffee-wise. Gorgeous filters, espresso-based, you name it. Both cafes are unfortunately very far away from Foodgazer HQ. Expect a packed situation on weekends but that’s the new normal. There’s a new The Roast Things branch at Jln Raja Chulan, but…it ain’t open on weekends.
• Ebony & Ivory – no WIFI, which does make sense since it’s small and always bustling and you’re unlikely to hang around and work here, but on the upside the coffee is great. Whether filter or espresso-based, you’re unlikely to go wrong. Food is great too – remember when we put it in the list of best rice bowls in town? And yes it’s in our list of best cafes for food
• Dissolved Solids – good place to work too (or used to be, before they got really popular). Plus you can bring outside food from Universal Bakehouse or Bakerry La or whatever. WIFI can be spotty at times though, and they open relatively later in the day (12pm on weekends?). Cocktails etc have been a bit more hit-and-miss, but all the coffee I’ve tried has been solid. Espresso-based stuff is generally good but I particularly enjoy the handbrew cups here. And they have a lot of neat popup events, which is great.
• Breathing Space – have been back repeatedly, and the coffee is consistently good. Tasty cakes too
• Smith Breads – previously said: “only tried an espresso once but that was great. Might move positions once I try more times“. Have since tried several more times, and damn they do some tasty cups. Better to stick to the espresso or magic etc though, and avoid the Dirty – that one is just espresso in cold milk, which is a far cry from the delicious rendition at Atelier. Could be one of my fave espressos around though. The caraway sourdough is also my fave sourdough in town, as you’d know from our sourdough list (blog post upcoming)
• 28 Fireplace – strangely underrated. Doppio and the piccolo / magic were both excellent the last time we tried it. But also…pricey.
• The Hub @ Zurich – wow what a gorgeous place inside. Affordable handbrews, delicious espresso-based stuff, noice evaporated milk. Can’t go wrong here. Impressive, impressive place with coffee to match it. Though recent visits have shown some consistency issues. There’s also another one at DC Mall.
• Ground Coffee @ Uptown – needs a bit more revisits but so far so good!
• Three little birds @ Sentul – despite the stupidly heavy chairs and the fact that it’s always bloody hot inside all the time, because this is purely about the coffee. Granted, we haven’t been back for quite some time, but the coffee was always spot-on when we did. There was also a shortlived 3 little birds at Isetan Lot 10 before the renovation. RIP.
• Stellar @ Rex – gotta love them! I’d personally go with handbrews over espresso-based here, or at least stick to espressos etc rather than the lattes, especially since they tend to go for darker roasts. But they have lots of other options too. Think funky kombucha brews, cocktails from Botak sometimes, some natural wine etc. And their cold brews are nice as well!
• Maven Coffee – formerly known as Blaq. I like the layout inside. Good filters last time, good filters now. Haven’t had the espresso-based stuff since they changed to Maven, but that one filter was good. Looks like they have a decent weekend crowd from around the Cheras area too, happy for them!
• Hide n Seek coffee – solid. Nice secluded spot. Coffees are good. The place itself is gorgeous – great before the move, and still interesting now after the shift to Paramount
• Page 2 @ BSC – colour me surprised. Had some damn fine coffee here. Only two visits though, so not a big sample size.
• Lonely Crowd – granted I only managed to try them twice (hey, similar sample size as Page 2) while they were popping up at the sneaker store in Mid Valley, but the filters from Nylon were great and I’ll always stan anything Nylon-related anyway.
• Draftsroom – long black is served too hot (consistently) but tastes pretty damn good once it loses some of that heat. Shame that they seem to be closing (for now?)
• Soul Sacrifice – I don’t know if it’s a case of repeated exposure but I’ve grown to like their espresso-based stuff more and more. Tasty batch brews too. Also, great food. Up there for best cafe food together with Ebony & Ivory
• One Half x Ilaika – RIP One Half Uptown. Granted, that place was super noisy and packed on weekends anyway so we never went. Although, of course, you have to expect crowds at this spot too. Generally solid coffee here, for the most part, it depends quite a bit on the barista. Quality a bit more up-and-down of late – as of 2022, it’s been a lot more down the last couple of visits
• Transparent Coffee – And…they’re back. Like One Half, quality swings up and down. Last 5 visits, took espresso-based stuff and they ranged from meh to good. In the earlier (pre-Dou Dou) days, they generally had very good filters and good espresso-stuff. Have had more consistently good cups at One Half though.
• Littlepeople – good but the WIFI is always randomly intermittent and iffy here. Purely based on the coffee, this should probably be higher. But I do also like their food and other stuff anyway.
• Artisan TTDI – good. Seating area kind of reminds me of Seniman (or vice versa).
• Kissa X Coffee – yeah, it’s good, and the place is gorgeous inside (surely one of the nicest interiors around in KL? It’s plucked right out of Japan), but the water charge is annoying.
• Kita Coffee – Good but for some reason doesn’t quite hit the spot the way Artelier used to. Only 3-4 visits here so far, will need to go back for more. They also give an option for iced filter coffee with ice directly into the carafe so, as you can imagine, end result is a pretty watered down drink. Nice that they have the option though. Very value-for-money prices for the filters as well.
• Awan – only had filters. Good.

Tier 2

So you’re probably wondering, what makes a place tier 1 instead of 2 or 3 etc? Frankly, we don’t have a clue. Food rankings and ratings are often arbitrary. Go with the flow, fam.

• Thirty Seconds – good coffee
• Patina by Three – really tasty espresso but no filters (I think)
• Cottle Coffee – love the espresso-based stuff but no filters available. Only been to the one at Masjid Jamek area.
• Analog Cafe – yes coffee is good but this place is so uncomfortably hot every single time I go without fail
• Hetam – tried once, pretty decent long black. Like the pop-up setup
• Artisan PJ – always hot and stuffy, so it detracts a bit from the experience eh
• Ting Coffee Roastery fka 103 Coffee Roastery – for some reason, coffee is better here than at the original 103 across the road. WIFI used to be very intermittent but I think it’s fixed now. Expensive for espresso-based stuff. RM 11 for an espresso, RM 18 for an ice latte etc. Steep prices! Handbrew starts at around RM 21 I think, so might as well stump up for that. Not the cheapest of places, but the best coffee in Sri Petaling at the moment.
• Sunday Coffee – pretty good filters. Nice cheesecake.
• Kopenhagen @ Mont Kiara- decent coffee. Gorgeous place! But prices sure are high. Note: tried a RM 13.15 ice long black at KL Eco City and it was HORRID
• Optimist Coffee @ Ampang Park LRT – not too shabby

Tier 3

• Artelier – used to be great but quality has really plummeted for the filters. Apparently, poor for white and cold brew now too. Dirty doesn’t taste the way I remembered it either.
• Aitch – micro-roastery. Nice place. Still open?
• Peep Coffee @ Vernakular – if you’ve nowhere else to go in Telawi area
• Alta – heard the sourdough quality has slipped – hope not! Probably due for a revisit specifically for food and coffee, have really only been going for the events. Coffee was good initially then eventually decent.
• Room 203 – ridiculously cheap, quite acidic in current iteration though. White is fine and probably cheapest decent white in town. Cheap beans close to expiry probably?
• Pulp – you used to be alright, what happened
• Urban Daybreak – only had it twice, unlikely to return a third time because food was very underwhelming but the coffees were decent. Drinkable.
• Rage – kinda hard to rank since there are so many outlets but generally decent coffee, lots of choices, great concept. Good place to go for non-dairy milk, they have a wide selection
• Flying Duck Coffee – decent choice if you’re in the area, especially for milk-based. Makes sense if you work nearby and get the packages etc, super convenient.
• Kohi Yatta – decent
• VCR – if you’ve nowhere else to go. Used to be very good back when they first opened at their first spot. Don’t expect much now. Haven’t been back in quite some time, after I tried the “can’t-fuck-it-up fried chicken” which uh they fucked up. To be fair, the coffee is probably better than I can remember but I can’t quite bring myself to return. Anyway, it’s always packed

What does it all mean?

Tier 3:

Better than Starbucks etc on any given day. Generally decent coffee that you wouldn’t complain too much about if they were your daily cuppa

Tier 2:

A step above tier 3, where you’d expect to find good third wave coffee. In less-developed markets, you’d expect to see the bulk of places being tier 3, with some in tier 2, and only a couple in tier 1 – usually a more-recent specialty coffee joint with its own roastery.

Tier 1:

Luckily Malaysia has quite a robust scene with numerous tier 1 cafes. They’re another step above tier 2, although quality amidst these cafes (and individual cups of coffee) tends to increase logarithmically

The post Best Cafes (for coffee) in Klang Valley appeared first on Foodgazer.

Last update: 18 Sep 2022 (no photos yet, for the most part!)

Must-go:

1. Gekko: #cocktails Exeunt Bar Shake, enter Gekko. That dastardly bartender has moved to a nice new nook, with more convenient dining options all around – although we miss the gorgeous bar counter at Bar Shake. Anyway, they have bar bites here. The smoked stuff are a must-try, especially the stunning smoked cream cheese. And, oh yeah, drinks. All the cocktails are top-tier stuff. Sublime, legendary, mangosteen saketini (more mangosteen-y than mangosteen), the clear Bloody Mary, experimental stuff like bak-kut-teh-whisky…we could go on and on. Passionfruit with Tumugi? Mango or pear with rum? Banana bourbon? Spicy screwdriver? Everything slaps. And like we said before, once you down the route of proper fresh fruit cocktails, it’s hard to turn back. Places like Gekko and Bar Ishinohana in Tokyo just do it so, so well.
2. Ver
3. 61 Monarchy: #whisky So I’ve had cocktails here before. I’ve had the Douglas Laing whisky highballs (great value) too. But really, your best bet is to ignore all that and come for the whisk(e)y alone. Dizzying selection available, highly informative and friendly staff, and one of the best atmospheres IMO. Much prefer Monarchy to Whisky Bar. Oh, and yeah, a good range of flights too (although as of July 2020, it seems that may be temporarily off the menu?)! What a place.
4. Jann: #cocktails Painfully underrated. Love almost all their cocktails here. Killer happy hour prices (RM 40 for 2 cocktails from the happy hour menu) and generally solid drinks
5. Reka bar: #cocktails The shiny new place everyone’s screaming about. Love the concept of the menu and love a couple of the drinks. Good gems peppered here and there throughout. Highlights include the dusun (tuak and tempoyak further fermented with tequila), Drink Your Toast (lovely warm cocktail, comforting and creamy, and reminiscent of a certain drink at Jann), and the stunning Cloud and Clear (one of the standout drinks). Expecting great things from this place.
6. Canvass: #cocktails Not a bar, not really. Unless you sit at the bar counter and don’t eat, I guess? Great drinks though, with a great focus on sustainability and zero-waste. Fair warning, the drinks aren’t ALWAYS great, since they vary a lot from each visit (understand their concept and how they operate, and this makes sense). But when they hit their peak, boy almighty are these special.
7. Stretch: #cocktails Yet again, not a bar. Great food, great pizzas, great cocktails though.
8. Monster & Beer: #beer Catapulting its way up the list and into my heart comes Monster & Beer – a bright beer bar with lots of quirky, great artwork everywhere. When’s the merch coming? This stuff is great. As is the food – courtesy of the Shokudo peeps, with almost every item on the M&B menu a real hit (18 Sep 22 update: the menu has undergone some changes, as has the kitchen staff (presumably), the food really isn’t as good anymore). Genuinely surprised by the food the first time I visited and have been consistently satiated ever since (except for one visit where the quality dipped a bit). Beer-wise, they usually have a decent selection too. Distribution license for Kaiju etc. Great, great happy hour prices!
9. Hyde: #cocktails I mean I enjoy the fact that by default, their cocktails aren’t sickly sweet. But they do also put some thought into the drinks. One of the better bars around.
10. Ales & Lagers: #beer Let’s face it, if the old Great Beer Bar was still around (great lamb bowls, great stuffed curry in chicken wings, best intestines in town, good yakitori, great craft beer, great people), it would be number one on the list. But GBB has moved on, and so have we. And as it turns out, we’ve moved back to Ales & Lagers, which stocks lots of craft beers, usually has 3 options on tap (typically 2 from Modern Madness!) is super comfortable, has great air-conditioning, a nice communal table and breakaway seats, and is tucked away into a print shop in Publika. You could get dinner at Senya beforehand, it’s right underneath. Or you can get the Texas BBQ place to send food over. Ales & Lagers is the sort of casual craft beer bar we wish were everywhere in the city.
11. Gavel: #beer Now that they have craft beer on tap (typically 3 on rotation, with stuff from Rogue and Beerfarm) to supplement their fridge of craft beers (a growing selection, at that) and wine selection, I think it’s worth adding Gavel to the list. The food has always been very good (and painfully underrated). Now the drinks are too. And RM 28-30 or so for craft beer on tap is pretty decent, especially when you’re looking at the higher ABV pulls. One of my favorite spots in the city.
12. Happy Stan: #cocktails Karl’s here now. Personally never been a fan of coffee cocktails, so I avoid that and get the others. Can always ask him to whip up something special too. Generally solid.
13. Botak Liquor Bar: #cocktails Up and down stuff. Great the first 3 visits, disappointing in August 2019 (horrendous, horrifically spicy chili chocolate cocktail and a very sweet starfruit curry drink), promising in early 2020 (slightly too sweet still), and mixed in 2021 (very impressive during a few visits, not-so for other visits for diff drinks)
14. Rakh
15. Small Shifting Space: #wine would be higher up if they had more wines by the glass. But oof what a gorgeous small space. Love the wine bar concept, with rotating food programmes.
16. School of Animals: #beer Same team, same vibe as Monster and Beer, but in a smaller place, transplanted to KL. Food isn’t anywhere as good, and selection very slightly more limited.
17. The Chow Kit: [24 Nov ’21 update: the new cocktails by Bar Mizukami are very disappointing, may potentially drop further after another revisit to test] Surprise, surprise. Had a bunch of cocktails on 2 separate visits, and enjoyed all of them. Go and try! Good food too.

Can-go:

1. Trigona : You know what, it’s not too bad. Some good drinks, some mediocre drinks. Food is very extravagantly priced. The bar area looks stunning. The views from the windows are pretty sweet too. Great vibes push this bar up the list. Also they won KL Best Bar 2019 – I mean, yeah, pointless insider circlejerk award but still!
2. Three x Co : Need to revisit to rejig the memory but vaguely recall drinks being pretty decent. Also, whisk(e)y by the shot was very decently priced, which shoots it up the list. Nice place, tucked away inside BSC. Relatively spacious compared to some other bars, and has a nice atmosphere.
3. Skullduggery : Some cocktails here were actually pretty good. Might be worth giving them a heads up on your preferred sweetness level though, like most places. And it’s quite nice inside, though it gets very packed. Due for a revisit to assess more of the menu.
4. Frank’s: tried a couple of drinks. Probably need a revisit to reassess, but nothing too impressive.
5. Whisky Bar : Dislike the atmosphere and the steep, steep prices, but the whisky selection is admittedly great. If money is not a concern, this would likely be higher up in your personal list. Also, you can have dinner at Malaysia’s best yakitori spot before walking down the hill to Whisky Bar.
6. Coley : The new place sure is pretty, but the bar seats are annoyingly high, and it tends to get annoyingly crowded. The cocktails are very one-note too. Most are fun on the first try, but you’d rarely come across any that you’d want to repeatedly order. Although they do have some great guest bartenders over sometimes! Like Old Man HK.
7. Taps Beer Bar : Good craft beer selection that’ll destroy your wallet. Doesn’t quite have the same feel as GBB of old, or even the current Ales & Lagers. Not sure what it is, but the whole atmosphere of the place isn’t great. And might be best to avoid the food, pretty bad. Good bands though!
8. Soma : essentially placing this bar based solely on one drink – the peanut butter drink, because it was the only one we had from the actual menu. We also had the 3 omakase drinks for RM 100 which all ended up pretty mediocre/bad. We do need to revisit to assess the other drinks. But the peanut butter was nice!
9. Nomi Tomo : Go if you’re into sake. Great vibes.
10. 13th Suzuki Shoten : Lovely sake bar inside Publika. Not to be confused with the 13th Suzuki Hanten, which is in Lorong Yap Kwan Seng, is run by the same owner, and serves Szechuan food by a Japanese chef. This sake bar does some good tidbits too, I’m told. Lovely setting inside too.
11. PS 150 : You used to be alright, what happened? We visited before they officially had the front entrance and raved about the place. Quality gradually, then rapidly, slid downhill, especially after Angel pretty much stopped directly bartending there. Tried the place again on 17 August. Lychee no. 3 is nowhere what it used to be. Aggressively sickly sweet. Also, the music is largely trash now (remember the good old times when people would ask for the playlist links?), and played at annoyingly loud volumes. It’s always packed though, especially with travelers and expats, so we suppose they’re doing well.

If you’ve nowhere else to go:

1. Rentak Bar: Dope vibes. Hidden away on top of Cafe ETC. Great when there’s a guest DJ in the house, especially if they play jazz or retro Jap-pop. The drinks are still being tweaked at the moment – 1 or 2 were too sweet. Feel of the place helps make up for it, somewhat.
2. Bar Moku: #cocktails Sharp improvement on the second visit. Well worth a visit. (18 Sep ’22 update: has since plummeted drastically)
3. Pahit : Not a huge gin fan, so maybe that was why I wasn’t overly impressed by the cocktails at Pahit. Having said that, they had a pop-up at Tiffin Food Court and the cocomelon (gin, honeydew, evaporated milk, sago inside a coconut) was delicious.
4. Powerplant : Yes, really. They have somewhat decent pours of Guinness, depending on the outlet. Plus satisfying fried chicken. Nothing mindblowing, but it’s better than Kyochon in our estimation
5. Uncle Don : Never thought much of the food. But hey, relatively affordable Guinness
6. Locker & Loft : cheap whisky by the shot, which is good. Cocktails bit better than Pawn Room
7. Red Chamber : Some drinks are actually pretty interesting, but most are too syrupy sweet.
8. Sebastian’s Gastro Bar : [24 Nov ’21: RIP old Sebastians. No more Guinness. Times have changed a lot] Forgive the odd choice and the nostalgia-lenses, but I’ve such good memories of Sebastian’s. The food was great. The alcohol – do they even have cocktails? Doubtful. And even if they do, it’s anyone’s guess how good they are. Just get a Guinness there. We had good pours of Guinness. Just Guinness and great food, and you’re likely to have a better experience than drinking concentrated sugar water in most cocktail bars in the city. Dingy neighborhood-bar feel, by the way.
9. Pawn Room : Meh cocktails across the board, but whisky selection a bit better (and more expensive) than Locker & Loft
10. Attic Bar : Only saving grace is the drinks are pretty cheap
11. Berlin : There is purportedly alcohol in the cocktails, so that’s one thing going for them. But the place doesn’t look too awful, I guess
12. Mantra Bar : just wanted to point out that everything was bad when I tried it but I only tried it once. On the list because the place is relatively nice
13. Bar Atas : it’s popular
14. Kenshin: it’s hidden

On Foodgae’s To-Try List:

• Coppersmith
• Junglebird
• Rum Bar
• Folio
• Cabinet

RIP:

Omakase + Appreciate : Farewell to the OG hidden bar, highly underappreciated, with some of the best drinks around. Amazingly talented and inventive bartenders – the standard routine here was to give them some tasting notes / flavors, and leave with a challenged, expanded, and often pleasured palate. There were at the forefront of the Malaysian cocktail scene IMO and it’s painful to see them go. Karl is at Happy Stan though, so visit him there. I’ll leave this entry here for memories.

The post Best Bars in Klang Valley appeared first on Foodgazer.

The food scene is pretty underrated here IMO, especially for the non-local food. And the drinks? Wow. Best gin ever. Unfortunately a lot of our favourite joints closed down during the pandemic.

Anyway, as per usual, summarized some of my top picks below. Ctrl+F to read more about a place.

Last updated: 29 July 2023 – photos added and I am told this now formally qualifies as a proper list!

The Takeaway (kind-of in order of my personal must-go):

• Mawsim (must reserve ahead. Insane hospitality, dodgy location, excellent gin, jazz of course. Buy back a few bottles! That orange fizz gin cocktail is delicious, and the raisin gin butter wew)
• Sak Pub (could be my favorite craft beer bar at PP right now. All their brews hit the spot)
• Seekers (Phnom Penh-made gin! Also, 1st Friday every month is a great Seekers-based cocktail menu. IMO they should do it every night, it’s such a great place)
• Samai (Thursdays-only cocktail parties at the distillery, delicious cocktails)
• Malis (great breakfast spot, delicious Khmer food)
• Mexicano (Proper perfect tortillas, addictive frozen margaritas, delicious tacos overall. Thought the quality of the tacos has dipped a bit during the last visit.)
• Topaz (USD25 business lunch set is well worth it. Decent French food – not quite Hanoi-tier, but there are some good dishes)
• Sushi Lab (USD 25 lunch omakase sushi set! And it’s good!)
• Pizza 4P’s (it’s not as good as in Vietnam but it’s still very very good!)
• Garage Sale (tasty smash burgers)
• Katanashi (legit izakaya, quality has dipped but still solid. Love the feel, and love the food even more)
• Sundown Social Club (gorgeous interiors, great fish tacos, cocktails better and cheaper than Coley’s Koktels, some cocktails may be a tad too sweet)
• So Wat Coffee Roasters (cafe hidden away inside an alley, with a large roasting area in front. Note: apart from So Wat and Story etc, not many 3rd wave coffee spots in PP. Don’t expect a scene like Hanoi or KL, it’s not quite there yet.)
• La Volpaia (it aint cheap, but the pastas are good. And the setting is lovely)
• Soba and Udon Chiyoda (great tempura and soba – could be mid Tokyo level – but expensive)
• The Chug Lab (tucked away in a housing area, metal and craft beer. Giggity)
• Embargo (craft beer from around Indochina and more, worth visiting after Katanashi etc)
• Delikat Gelato (delicious gelato) (rebranded to Pinocchio Gelato?)
• Le Marche (great French grocery store with lots of nice products – and a cafe upstairs)
• Farmhouse (nice Chemex pourover, super chill vibe. Great to relax and/or work)
• Brooklyn Pizza (good pizza, great craft beer)
• Story Coffee Roasters (more commercial feel, but the filter coffee was great)
• Feel Good Coffee (espresso wasn’t great but deserves a revisit)
• Nesat Seafood House (beautiful place, lots of greenery, delicious pasta pastis, good to great seafood – although quality has dipped quite a lot in the latest visit)
• Eleven One Kitchen (good Khmer food, better than 72 Restaurant. Nice setting)
• Indy Steak(order the fried chicken and bring it to Tini – although since Tini has closed down, you might want to eat it at your air BnB)
• Long After Dark (good selection of whisky. Whisky flight worth it. Individual drinks may be a bit pricey)
• La’Baab (decent Khmer fare, very nice setting, pricey)
• Odin Bar (used to be a fantastic place, but it feels very different now. No longer the Tokyo-vibes of a hidden whisky bar with only Japanese patrons, smoking away at the countertop. More limited whisky options now, though they still have a wide range. Food nowhere near as good as it used to be. Plus it’s bloody expensive)
• No Style (Maruhi Sakaba-level yakitori, cool setting)
• Khema Pasteur (decent breakfast place)
• 72 Restaurant (relatively cheap Khmer food, not bad)
• Le Boutier (decent cocktails – best to ask to tone down the sweetness)
• Integrite (nice setting, very relaxing, coffee expensive and so-so)
• Open Wine (Pretty place, French food. USD 14 bistro lunch is cheap but food underwhelming especially compared to Hanoi)
• Pepe & Co (local artisan charcuterie, made from local ingredients. Truly delicious stuff. Super informative and friendly owner too.) Tragically, this has closed
• Tini (cocktails better than Coley, great coffee, great vibe, can bring outside food etc – recommended to bring in from Indy House. Absolute gem of a place) Tragically, this has closed
• Masamune (ramen better than KL, great gyoza too) Tragically, this has closed
• Phka Slaa Khmer (Great Khmer food without the Malis price – the USD 6 lunch set is killer value) Tragically, this has closed
• HanaMizuki (solid tempura in a Japan-like tiny spot) Tragically, this has closed

Haven’t visited the following places yet: Botanico Wine (jazz and craft beer), Kingdom Breweries, Seibur (cocktails), Enso (great breakfast?), Chubby Brother បងម៉ាប់ អយស្ទ័រ 1 (grilled stuff for sharing), Piccolo Italia (pizzeria), The Providore ($10 Spanish platter), 54 Langeach Sros (great ribs, goat with black ants etc), Jidaiya (legit yakitori – eggplant dote-katsu is a must), The Box Office (craft beer), Bouchon Wine Bar, Himajin, Buffalo Sister, Friends the Restaurant, Romdeng, Kinin (pasta pastis, kampot lok lak, drinks), Lot 369 (coffee), Maloop (good food, good cocktails), Juniper Gin Bar (cash only) (5-7pm happy hour!), d.e.s. Coffee roasters, Cheriny (pastries, cakes, desserts), Himawari Microbrewery (craft beers), noisy chili tap house, Voodoo Boulevard (cocktails), Oh San ramen, Prei speakeasy, The Keys by Tomaka (cocktails), Itacate (Taco Tuesdays)

Integrite:

• Decent espresso, not amazing. Everything seems a bit pricey. Although Gin & Tonic with Roku for USD 5, and Monkey Shoulder Old Fashioned USD 6 were enticing. Lovely top floor setting. Super chill.

Sundown Social Club:

• Gorgeous views, gorgeous interiors. Less grand than Pacific Standard Bar but I prefer how it looks. Bit like Miami was smashed against Pacific Standard Bar, if that makes sense.
• Great fish tacos. Nice and crispy, not soggy at all. Good flaky flesh too. Eggplant tacos were terrible though. So watery, eggplants poorly cooked
• Very good cocktail actually. Sundown Social Club Special cocktail. Very boozy, can taste the high alcohol content, but not too sweet. Much better than Coley’s KOKtel menu and cheaper

Nesat Seafood House:

• What a beautiful place. Lovely open kitchen. So lovely. Hard wood tables. Boat with cushions on it, and tables. Lots and lots of greenery everywhere. Have I said the open kitchen is gorgeous? It is. Draft $1 even before happy hour strikes
• They’ve moved, by the way, to a much bigger place, and it’s arguably even prettier now. Lots of open space, open air, lots of plants
• Pasta pastis is delicious. Damn. Don’t like pastis but it’s a stroke of brilliance to pair it with the creamy sauce. Rich, decadent, bite of sweetness and er acid? Astringency? Whatever it is, it’s great. An excellent plate of pasta – only point to nitpick is pasta could be more al dente
• Nesat madness platter – lovely grilled squid, cooked perfectly. Crab super sweet, delicious with the kampot pepper. Prawns sadly not very fresh. Would advise to steer away from this platter and get the other dishes. Hard to go too wrong here, it’s just seafood cooked simply but well. Love the place tbh.

Mory pizza:

Back-of-a-van style pizza oven. Pretty cool. Nice toppings, poor crust, don’t expect too much. Good enough if you’re looking for something to soak up the alcohol

Samai:

Go on Thursdays, but bring a friend. Or a group of friends. And go early, it gets super packed. Fun stuff though. Try all the rums and the cocktails and the delicious chocolate truffles. Most of the cocktails are pretty dope. I did ask them to tone down the sweetness even before I ordered though, so might not be able to ascertain accurately. Damn I do love those truffles though. Anyway, the store is open pretty much everyday and it’s right opposite the distillery so you can check that out too during other days.

Malis:

What a gorgeous courtyard. Open air, lots of greenery etc, perfect place to be in the early morning. Unfortunately, no fermented amok in the morning though, and I hear that’s great. Fortunately, breakfast is very much impressive enough to warrant many returns.

Had the Kuy Teav Prahok Ktis (USD 4.80) which was bloody delicious. The pork broth came separately from the dry noodles, and boy was it a big portion. Huge pork rib inside. And I loved the noodles too! The fermented fish paste was delicious. Huge plump, juicy prawns. Overall dish was impressively subtle with its layers of flavors.

Farmhouse:

Very decent Chemex pourover. Nothing exceptional but it does the job. Also, very chill and quiet place. Perfect to chill/work.

Le Marche:

A very well-stocked French grocery store. Impressive range of stuff. And they have a cafe upstairs. Neat.

Mexicano:

Best believe these are the best tacos I’ve had, and nothing in KL even comes remotely close. The decor inside is gorgeous of course. And the frozen margarita (USD 3) is so addictive. Not too sweet at all. Dangerous!

Tacos are USD 7 but they come in a set of 3 and are absolutely packed to the brim. Only gripe with the place is they overload the tacos a bit too much IMO. Becomes messy. Not that it matters, it’s still delicious. And the tortilla shells don’t break apart like at Momo’s, and don’t go soggy and limp like at most other places. Because the tortillas are…god, so bloody good. The taste and bite of the corn is perfect.

Great great tacos. Won’t bother telling you which ones I got, because I’m confident they’ll all be good.

Seekers:
Surely a must-visit. What a beautiful place. They really should open up every night for cocktails, instead of only on the 1st Friday of each month. Ah well. You can still buy the bottles during normal days anyway. 11 native botanicals from the Mekong river (everything from pomelo to pandan to palm seed) and spring water from the Kampot mountains make a bloody good gin. Oh, and don’t sleep on their bottled martini. Surprisingly great!

Lot 369:

• Leafy entrance, green wall at the side, plants at each table. The greenery seems to be a common theme in PP.
• Long black served too hot at first. Beans roasted by the famous Feel Good chaps. When it cools down a bit though, the flavour is good. Robust without being overly roasted/burnt. Laces of acidity. Very drinkable. Good deal better than a lot of places in KL, I’ll give them that.
• Chicken bobor was a mistake to order. Comes floating in a massive bowl of soup. Never a fan of porridge, especially when it’s this watery. Oh well.

Phka Slaa Khmer

• Gorgeous place. Bit glitzy without being tacky.
• USD 6 lunch set is fantastic value. Green curry chicken – chicken is tough and stringy but the curry delicious. A watery curry far removed from the usual Thai fare – barely any heat, but it bursts with a more complex medley of flavours. A tad salty though. The pork rib (also in the curry) is very tender. Dumplings are good – crunchy wonton skin outside isn’t anything special but the filling is surprisingly rich, meaty, fatty, and has a nice bite to it. Clams are fresh and the sauce is great. Tastes like a very mild touch of white wine, and lemongrass gives it a SEA-spin.
• Was told to get pumpkin flowers but not available today sadly.
• Coconut expensive at USD 2 but really great. So sweet and soothing.

Hanamizuki

Is this Japan? A 7-seater izakaya, stumbled upon it – can’t even find it on Google Maps for that matter. There’s jazz! And they only have kushiage and tempura, plus some other small dishes. Oh, no smoking inside, so I suppose it’s not Japan. Plus the ventilation is…non-existent, so expect to sweat when the cooking gets going.

But anyway the $7 tempura set was great great value. Ran out of shrimps so he swapped out with pork for me – and oof the pork tempura is good. Not the greatest coating but it’s almost certainly better than the vast majority in KL (so much better than Tendon Kohaku KL lol but that’s a different story). Can’t remember the last tempura in KL that matched up to this – perhaps Makoto? Haven’t been back there for close to 1.5-2 years though. Anyway, juicy and tender pork inside this one. And boi the tempura set is just an endless array of more and more deep-fried goodness. Only drawback is it’s a bit greasier than the best tempura spots in Japan. So much food though!

Also had the hot udon with a lovely subtle, soothing broth. So-so noodles but liked the broth a lot.

Embargo:

Tucked away further down inside the same lane as Sushi Lab, Katanashi etc. Craft beer spot, mainly featuring Cambodian breweries on tap. Generally not a huge fan of Cerevisa (Himawari is a bit better), but prices are cheap and the breweries are slowly improving. Worth supporting. Nice, chill place too. And lots of other bottles available.

Taste Budz:

Dosa is very meh, nothing on MTR. Great idli though.

Pepe & Co:

A local artisanal charcuterie, using local ingredients to make everything from fennel salami to guanciale. Both of which I tried and both of which are bloody delicious. The owner is also super friendly and informative, chat with him for recommendations if you’re not sure what to get. Love this place.

Le Boutier:

Cocktails. Tiny, gorgeous place – 3 floors, each one seats 10 people at a squeeze. A tight squeeze. Decent cocktails but generally all too sweet – definitely ask them to tone down the sweetness.

Khema Pasteur:

Decent “Western”-style breakfast place. USD 12 for free-flow breakfast but IMO not worth it, given the limited options. Heard the steak frites and pate here are good, so maybe try those. Pain au choc was nice, croissant wasn’t. The sausage that came with the “eggs your way” was nice too.

Feel Good:

Two outlets, as far as I know. Went to Feel Good II, which is under a hostel, and next door to Botanico. Deserves a re-visit. Espresso I had there was so-so, though Tini gets a special blend from Feel Good that tastes great. Very nice place to chill at and work/relax anyway.

Sushi Lab:

What a find! USD 25 for the lunch set omakase is such a steal. The female Japanese sushi chef ran the show. Snails for starter was a surprise – very atypical of the usual sushiya, to say the least! – but loved it. Portion was surprisingly massive, but I do love me some snails. The nigiri in general ranged from good to great. Rice was nice and warm, no temperature modulation in general but at least it was warmer than Ori and Oribe. Bit more vinegar would be better too. Also there’s a lot more wasabi here than in most places.

Standouts were the ika/squid which easily contends with Ori/Oribe, barracuda with yuzu kosho, sawara (with a touch of chili!), and the akami (one of the better renditions I’ve had).

Great pacing, by the way. 90 minutes just flew by. Amazing value at USD 25. It’s not the most sophisticated omakase experience by any means, but would easily be top 5 in KL. Worth visiting for dinner too, of course. But that lunch deal is unbeatable. Oh, and they also serve a ginger ice cream that’s so much better than the ice cream ending at Ori and Oribe.

So Wat Coffee Roasters:

• What a cool place. Right up front is the roaster, go further in to find the tucked-away coffee bar.
• Costa Rica single origin espresso: good cream, perfect temp, good body to it. Generally very good.
• Chill setup. Single wood (proper wood, as always here) and pipe table that seats 6. A 5-seater bar around the espresso machine. That’s all the space there is. The roasting space is as big, if not bigger.

Brooklyn Pizza:

• So happy I came here. Beats most of the pizzas in Malaysia easily. Inside looks like a blend of Mikey’s and a homey Italian joint. However, upon 2nd visit (1 Jan 2020), the Brooklyn Bridge wasn’t that good. Probably steer away from the pies that have too much meat/toppings on them.
• Riel Craft Beer – IPA ($4 on draft): Very nice. Bright bite at first, hops linger for quite a bit. Sure, it’s 4x the normal stuff on draught in PP – which actually is much better than like a Tiger or Carlsberg or whatever piss Pilsner the usual bars stock in Malaysia – but it’s still a really good price. It’s half the price of a craft beer on tap in KL.
• Riel Craft Coffee Stout – thick, very coffee-y, but gets a bit overwhelming after a bit. Too syrupy in mouthfeel.
• Riel Craft Honey Blonde – insanely sweet. Too sweet for me. Still finished it, but it was a chore.
• New York classic cheese thingy – fantastic pizza. Crust as hard as Mikey’s when it first came to Malaysia, but had a more satisfying chew to it. No flopping. The cornicione not as good as Proof etc but small price to pay for such a delicious bite to the crust. Tart, citrusy, umami tomatoes and very good cheese. Would eat it regularly if it was in Malaysia.

Chiyoda:

• Place is expensive. USD 16 for a (very small) starter, a drink (well, at least I can get a highball), soba and tempura.
• Love the place outside and in. Like an authentic slice of Tokyo. And surprise surprise, the food could be right out of Tokyo too.
• The appetiser was alright. Slimy okra was almost too slimy. Understated sauce was a bit too subtle.
• Tempura was excellent. Rivals Makoto in KL which means it’d be one of the best in KL. Perfectly crunchy, light batter without any feeling of greasiness. Prawn was plump and juicy. Vegetables still crisp inside.
• Soba even better. Far superior to any soba in KL. There’s a really satisfying bite to the noodle – grainy, chewy, and you can feel the bruised edges and all the nooks and crannies. Better than the one I tried in Fukuoka, not as good as the best in Tokyo. But definitely formidable.

Long After Dark

• Not bad. It’s dark inside, vinyls on the wall, alright collection of whiskey, some cool beers on tap. Long ass bar seating (again, proper timber) that can sit 15 people in total.
• Drinks are a bit pricey but the USD 12 explorer flight is great value. Nikka All Malt (haven’t had it before, very marshmallow-like), Laphroaig Quarter Cask (always good), Rebel Yell Rye (not a distinctive rye apart from the sharp initial bite), Bushmill’s Black (never been a fan)
• Wanted gnocchi but finished. Empanadas sucked, so probably best to stay away from the (expensive) food

Story Coffee Roasters:

• Outside, leafy as most places here are. Inside, more upscale and polished and sort of clinical. USD 3.50 for the filter which is a well-poured V60 to be fair. Very good filter.

Masamune:

• Ridiculously cool location. Tucked away inside a tiny alley that has a bunch of other bars and restaurants and little stores. Dope. Cool inside too. Reminiscent of walking into Seirinkan to a certain extent. Small place at ground floor, about 4 can sit at the ‘bar’ – or, well, the top directly facing the semi-open kitchen (the customers are separated from the smoke by glass), and there are a couple of tables near the actual bar area.
• USD 7 lunch set (shoyu ramen + gyoza + Salad). USD 2 Asahi bottle
• Salad bright and crisp.
• Ramen fantastic. Rivals Keisuke Tonkotsu King in SG except it’s shoyu, not tonkotsu. Noodles are perfect. Don’t have to ask for hard. Auto-hard, bro. Stiff like morning wood. Slurpy bite to them. Bamboo shoot not good. Meat (shoulder) very lean and not amazing either. Shoyu broth subtle but good – although only gripe is it’s a bit too salty. All comes together for a Tokyo-level ramen.
• Gyoza – again, better than KL. Beats Hanabi’s. Perfectly crispy at one end. Resistive but soft on the other.
• Ajitama cold and very salty, shouldn’t have added it

Indy House:

• How not to love the concept. Small place, 1 man runs the grill from 11 to 3, and 4 until sold out. Choose your protein, he grills it. Also, this dude has such a strong Thai rockstar vibe. Chicken @ USD 3 comes with fries, rice, huge salad. Place is always packed with people waiting downstairs for their to-go order, or eating inside. Packed for a reason, dawg. It’s not amazing but the chicken is tender and juicy inside. The accompanying sauce is very slightly spicy and sweet, and pairs great. Simple, but satisfying. Although rice mushy so I didn’t eat much. And the fries are frozen fries. Go for the pork instead of the chicken.

Tini:

• This place speaks to my goddamn soul lmao. Cafe, bar, art space, cinema, outdoor area, coffee that’s cheaper if you get it to-go, interesting cocktails, most of the furniture and decor on loan from an antiques store. You can even bring food from outside to eat in. The Indy House guy came buy to collect plates.
• Happy hour goes from 5 to 7pm: 25% off all bottles of wine, buy 1 free 1 glass of house wine / cocktail
• Great music too. Heard while I was there: Flume, Grimes, Royal Blood, Sufjan Stevens, The National, Radiohead, The xx
• Cafferinha (USD 4): happy hour means this costs USD 2, or MYR 8. Insane. Also much better than Coley’s KOKtel range. Coffee-infused cachaca cuts through immediately with a boozy haymaker. Palm sugar and lime round out the simple drink – not too sweet, which I’m always thankful for.
• Don’t Be Shy (USD 4): Stolichnaya vodka, fresh watermelon juice, mint, lime. So refreshing. Tastes like a freshly squashed watermelon juice, with all the pulp. Real mouthfeel, namean. Like a buzzy, boozy watermelon juice. Balanced and refreshing.
• Merik Mule very tasty too. Lovely peppercorn bomb.
• The M. Chapouter Marius wines were not my thing but hey, cheap. Not a huge loss.
• Long black very good too. USD 1 for a takeaway

Sesame Noodle Bar:

• Like a lot of other takeaway spots here, they use a natural plant fibre biodegradable takeaway box.
• Nice looking space, plays a lot of Radiohead
• Thor Buns: Good pork. Soft buns are ehhh but the spicy firm pork is delicious.
• Noodles with ground pork: pricey at USD 4.50 but big portion but ehhhh it doesn’t taste great. Nice, not amazing, noodles.
• Also there looks like there’s a legit Chinese dumplings store next to it

Katanashi:

• Izakaya down another insane alley. Like the back roads of Tokyo. Random dodgy looking, then you go in and there’s a whole bunch of tiny Jap joints and some not-so-tiny ones. Katanashi for instance is actually one of the bigger ones around. But it’s still cool. It’s very cool.
• USD 1.90 for a highball. Not too boozy, but that’s okay. Helps to drop the alcohol level a bit. Definitely tastes like a highball right out of Japan. Play the dice game anyway, it’s fun.
• Downstairs, about 8 people can fit around the bartop. Space for about 8 to 10 others around the tables. Then there’s an upstairs spot.
• Katanashi beef steak: USD 3.90 for 100g, got 180g. Great. Only gripe is that sometimes the meat ends up getting cold by the time it reaches the table. A could-order, rather than a must-order.
• Scotch Shime Saba (USD 3.90) – salted, vinegared mackerel. Then they torch it. Brilliant. Great portion. Very vinegary. Inside soft and luscious. So it’s like a ceviche inside but outside is smoky and firm. Skin not very crisp but not limp and chewy either. A must-order
• Mentai butter gohan: pretty nice.
• Mentai & potato ahijo: meh bread, but super delish oil and garlic. Get it!
• Pickles meh don’t order
• Squid and lemon thing: garlicky, lemony, umami. Squid is great, perfectly cooked. Bread isn’t great but does the job. The anchovy taste very prominent. Loved it overall.
• Osaka-style omelet: love it. Runny eggs, delicious dish.

The Snack:

• Grilled and deep fried shit basically
• Low tables, low stools, sauces on table, you know how we roll.
• Salad was tasteless, just random sliced up cucumbers and carrots
• Chili served at the table was very fiery but tasty
• Staff all super young + command of English non-existent
• Nice grilled frog. Slightly sweet which lent itself well to the ferocious chili
• Lunch set: fried chicken stuff. Juicy chicken. Skin too dry though. Thai-tasting sweet dipping sauce.
• Decent meal, worth dropping by if you’re nearby, but don’t go out of your way

72 Restaurant:

• Was told this is the best cheap Khmer restaurant around
• They’ve all sorts of dishes, alright. Rice, noodles, the whole gamut.
• Ordered random fried noodles. Kinda pricey. USD 3 gets a bunch of stuff fried together. Wet noodles, which I’m not usually a fan of, but at least not too soggy.
• Satisfying without being great. Probably better value to get the rice stuff. Not amazing.

Delikat Gelato:

• Love the low key palace-like vibes. Long ass bench thing is a brilliant way to maximise seating space while giving a nice structural flow to the floor. Love the tree too, right at the entrance. Huge cook-space, completely see through behind the glass panels. See-through, sectioned-off washroom area: open the door to a garden-like short walk to get to the toilets. Gorgeous.
• Avocado ice cream: delicious gelato. Thick, creamy, lush. Rivals Piccoli Lotti, really does. USD 1.50 for a big ass scoop. Really happy that it’s not too sweet
• Free yoghurt: wow, delicious. Much better than Llao Llao etc. Imagine this with the Llao Llao cookie sauce, god damn. Tart, not too sour, or too sweet, and it’s quite milky. Very pleasing, thick mouthfeel. Chewy, almost!

No Style:

• Yakitori. The bar counter sits 8 in total. Very small place. There’s one table by the side that can sit 4 people, then there’s a washroom. That’s about it.
• Fucked up card game unlike the cool dice game at Katanashi where everyone wins. Here, I ended up paying USD 2.20 for a normal size draft instead of USD 0.90. Thanks fam.
• 12/10 for atmosphere etc. But food-wise, it’s largely around the same level as Maruhi Sakaba only – okay, but not great.
• Tsuya Buta: Pretty good. Fatty. Not amazing.
• Kamo Negi: Duck breast and leek. Very nice duck. Leek was alright.
• Negi Maki: Nice, smoky, salty bacon.
• Ichiya dori: Very juicy chicken leg. Could do with more salt
• Chicken pate: Very nice crispy chewy biscuit. The pate is not bad – Yench does better pate
• Truffle pepper shrimp: Alright.
• Atsu age: tofu with walnut miso. Meh
• Gari Bara: Pork with weird ginger. Meh

Odin Bar:

• Jazz and whisky, baby. Long single bar counter seats up to 12. Massive, long timber piece. Beautiful. Prices are steep though.
• Must be 500 bottles up in here at least. Beautiful. Crazy whisky bar.
• All Jap clientele the entire night (the first time). The second time, there was a group of noisy Frenchmen. So annoying.
• Akkeshi is a new distillery established in 2016 in Hokkaido. This one is a vatted blend of non-elated malts matured for 5-14 months in bourbon casks, bottled in Jan 18 and released in a limited run of 10,000 bottles. Clean, straightforward nose that then develops into a distinct, strangely pleasing fermentation aroma. Malty cereal mixed with mustard seeds, almost. Tastes faintly of ginger, of ripe apples, rich, short finish etc. Best Jap whisky I’ve had.
• See whisky reviews for further notes (Hokkaido Akkeshi, Hibiki 17, Springbank 17, SMWS 125.69)
• Tsukemen: USD 7.50 feels very expensive for no pork, no meat etc. But then it comes out and the noodles are just perfection. Chewy, resistive, so slurpy, so pleasurable to gnaw at. The broth is shrimp flavour bean paste, ridiculously thick, more solid than liquid, and too salty for me. But I still ate it anyway, that insanely salty insanely thick sesame and (anchovies?) broth. Tokyo-level, but unfortunately not around anymore.
• Tantanmen at USD 8 was great nevertheless. Spicy, but not too spicy. Rich, but not too rich. Lovely bite to the ramen. Definitely recommended to order this.

Open Wine:

USD 14 bistro lunch, 11-5pm everyday. Is it worth it? Kinda. It’s cheap, but food not great. Definitely worse than Topaz. Brown bread – decent bread, butter too cold. Chardonnay by the glass wasn’t too bad though. Starter – mozza – was very much lacking in flavor. Basil oil was too subtle, and both the tomato and mozza weren’t great. Main – fish was overcooked. Had to season with salt and pepper myself too – imagine that, adding more salt in a French restaurant! Apple tart so-so. Would suggest sticking to Topaz biz lunch, but no harm trying this of course.

Eleven One Kitchen TTP:

• Smaller than expected, but looks great. Partially open air, plenty of natural light
• Fri & Sat from 7pm onwards, there’s a $4.95 BBQ Pork Ribs, chicken wings, seafood (usually shrimp skewers) and a side. Sounds like a good deal to me
• $5 for fish amok and rice. Which isn’t super expensive but does feel a bit expensive compared to a lot of other options around. Atas Khmer stuff
• The white rice strangely enough was nice. Smaller/shorter grains than I’m used to. Slightly sticky but not disgustingly wet like some rice can be sometimes.
• Fish amok was alright. Fish cooked perfectly. The curry subtle and yeah, just subtle. Nothing particularly remarkable about it.
• Luckily, the place is not too expensive. Still a good place to try it. Recommended also because of the setting of course

Topaz:

• USD 25 biz set lunch is good value for the setting. Gorgeous, glitzy place. Plus you get 3 courses, wine, and coffee/tea
• It’s beautiful inside. And the garden @ the back is splendid. Heck, even the walk to get in to Topaz is very nice. Inside, soothing, calm jazz
• The house red is quite nice.
• Bread is alright. Took the hardest one possible. I like the hard crust. But it’s a bit gluey inside. The butter is nice though, very good butter
• Surprise starter shrimp was okay
• Appetizer/starter – should have taken the charcuterie bar. The rilettes, pates look good. Instead, took froggu legs pan fried – plate very warm which was nice. Frogs are usually quite tasteless but could have done with more salt / more sauce directly on to the frog. Needed more flavour. Bit bland. Also cos pan friend, some parts not as nice and crisp as others so less flavour. Overall decent.
• Pork fillet mignon – looked great. Unfortunately very dry and tough. Not to the point of being inedible, but just enough to make me wonder if perhaps should have sent it back. But I trudged on away.
• Carrots are nice. Extremely soft. Quite salty though. French-level salty. But works well to take a bit of carrot and a bite of the pork.
• Sauce is nice, and helps to add moisture. Overall pretty good
• Pistachio financiers: looks brilliant. Plating and presentation perfectly on point, but the flavour isn’t quite there yet. They’re not great, but they do taste a bit better when paired with the long black, at least.
• Coffee: good. Even though the beans taste too roasted/dark for me
• To be fair, likely not even the main chef cooking

The post Phnom Penh, Cambodia appeared first on Foodgazer.

There’s just…too much. Of everything. The food is endless, the second-hand clothes are insane, you can drink at dressed-up cocktail bars and whisky shrines, or at tiny hole-in-the-walls masquerading as wine bars, or at a local izakaya that seats a maximum of five people, four of whom are already very much drunk, or you can forgo alcohol and instead spend the time eating and queuing up to eat and browsing used cameras, slack-jawed, and standing shoulder-to-shoulder at Mandarake to skim through manga, and taking photos of the pachinko and the people, who, by the way, are everywhere. Which is all to say: I don’t fancy cities, I don’t like skyscraper skylines, I don’t like masses of people, but I am absolutely addicted to Tokyo. There’s nothing like it.

So, anyway, it’s an impossible task to summarize Tokyo. I’m nowhere close to scraping the surface. But here’s what we’ll do. This is a summary of my personal must-visit spots, you can Ctrl+F to read more about each of them below. The full post also covers other spots that may be worth visiting. Read to find out, I suppose!

Last update (9 Jan 2024): 

The Takeaway (kind-of in order of must-go):

• Kappo Sanoya (sublime kappo. Every dish a hit. Sake pairing sensational, brought it to the next level)
• Gracia (fantastic tasting menu)
• Konjiki Hototogisu (best ramen ever for me. Clam based soup)
• Kagari echika fit ramen (top 3 ramen spot for me. Top-tier chicken ramen)
• Terunari (possibly my favorite food experience in Tokyo. Modern kaiseki at a bargain price. Best to book online beforehand)
• Bar Unknown
• The Hisaka Bar
• Mantensushi Marunouchi (some of my favorite sushi ever are from here. Modulation of temperature of the rice is so cool. Recommended to book online for dinner) 
• Ten To Sen
• Mantensushi Nihonbashi (possibly even better that the Marunouchi branch, at least the time I went. Lovely pieces. Though lacks the variety of the temperature modulation)
• Bar Ishinohana (my favorite bar in Tokyo)
• ENEKO (very unique experience, some very good dishes. Best to book online beforehand)
• Savoy Azabu-Juban (‘24 update: still good but nowhere near as good as before. I wonder what changed. best pizza in the world. Warning: it’ll ruin you. Pizza in Malaysia in comparison isn’t just in a different league, they aren’t even playing the same game)
• Gyukatsu Motomura (‘24 update: a lot more touristy now, with loads of branches. Still good though, but maybe not as shocking as the first time. Revelatory gyukatsu, prepare for crazy queues)
• Nata de Cristiano (perfect Portugese tarts. Take away only)
• Bear Pond Espresso
• Standing Sushi Bar, Shibuya (good sushi for cheap. Casual setting, and it’s a standing sushi bar! You kind of have to try it, don’t you)
• Glitch Coffee (best coffee in town)
• Bonjour Records (records, clothes, coffee. Good coffee)
• Ita Soba (best soba I’ve had, not too expensive)
• Torikizoku (cheap but very good yakitori)
• Jinroku (izakaya near Fuglen, Monocle etc)
• 麺屋 みちしるべ (Menya Michishirube) (great tonkotsu-style ramen)
• Kuriya Kashi Kurogi (warabi mochi is incredible, but expensive)
• Seirinkan (original bad boy of the pizza scene)
• Tsukiji Eel nisshin tasuke (great value eel if you’re in Tsukiji market)
• Chuuka Soba Tomita (a living legend dishes out a legendary bowl, but it’s more cerebral than enjoyable. Definitely not recommended for ramen beginners)
• Nakajima (go for the lunch sardine set – Yanagawa Nabe, enjoyable and comforting)
• 4/4 Coffee (good long black, heard the hand drip is great)

Bonjour Records is such a crazy dope store. Records, brilliant music played loud enough without being obnoxiously so. Brilliant books and zines. Vinyls, casettes, CDs. Clothes. And a coffee stand. Amazing stuff really. The vibe is exquisite. Slightly sub culture and street without being gaudy garbage like Supreme, namean. Y 302 for Guatemala pourover. Yeah I’m paying that price any day sir. Not the most refined pour but it’s very nice regardless. About the same or better than the one I had at Onibus. Goes on the list of must visit stores.

Kamasi Washington to Lana del Rey to Harriet Brown, the music here is exquisite. I find it difficult to even leave. What a place. So good. Listening to killer tracks properly played out loud while reading the Monocle Guide to Cosy Homes and sipping on a filter. Bliss.

Seirinkan
– what a crazy looking place. In a good way. Bgm is Beatles. Winding stairs up to multiple floors below and above. Pizza itself is…interesting, and great. Two types only. Very Neapolitan style in a way: watery-ish sauce, slightly soggy base, not sliced. The cornicione is killer. It’s not Pizza Savoy but god damn is it a million times better than Dihyang.

Shout out to Brooch – one of the best used stores so far. Fantastic selection and very reasonable prices. Bought a Givenchy sweater there.

Torikizoku

Cheap Y 321-a-skewer yakitori that beats almost everything in Malaysia (apart from Palillos). It’s a damn chain but God is it good. Keep the skewers and beer flowing (the beer goes for the same price too). Soft bones are great, pretty much everything is good. Come hungry, and come with friends. Thanks again, Ken, Ryan.

麺屋 みちしるべ (Menya Michishirube)

If you like tonkotsu, come here. Great broth. Noodles squiggly and stunning. Tsukemen perhaps even better. Simple joys in life.

Also, you know how Fukuoka is the birthplace of tonkotsu etc? Yeah, well, this place beats every tonkotsu there hands-down. So good.

Gohanya isshin daikan-yama

Right underneath some police box thing. Place looks ridiculously nice for lunch sets that start at 950 and top out at 1890. Most are 1300. This stupid gaijin went for 1.8k of course. And a tiny Kirin draft for 400 which is a rip-off for the size. At least the place is great! Dimly lit, but not too dim. Frank Socolow (sp?) plays in the background, amidst other great jazz tunes.

The rice is very good. But honestly Menya Hanabi in Malaysia has really great rice – probably even better than this one here. Not that this place is too far off. Nice bite, almost as good as Onigiri Bongo’s rice.

Sashimi : the maguro is great. Only slightly less fatty than Yamazaki’s. Nice resistance and creaminess to the salmon too. Lovely. Tempura good but a bit oily. Doesn’t compare to proper tempura spots like Tempura Tenko at Fukuoka or even Tempura Kohaku in Singapore. Still pleasurable though.

Avoid the Kirin draft. Tiny size. At least it’s not swill like Carlsberg and Tiger though, very very drinkable. Basically not the greatest food in the world. But atmosphere is stunning for the cheap prices.

Kagari echika fit ramen

Close to a religious experience. The tori paitan soba is just..something else.

Where to even begin with this ramen? I would be ecstatic if I could cycle between this and Afuri every other day. It’s an incredibly creamy chicken broth that isn’t overly oily and fatty. It’s rich in all the right ways. It’s silky. Luxurious. And the chicken breast is very good though I wish it was seared a bit for some textural contrast – but I’m nitpicking the best chicken breasts I’ve ever had. And it looks stunning for a sub 1k bowl of ramen. It matches the place itself – a super comfy and cramped oasis that shutters off the sounds of the world outside apart from the soft rumbling of the train overhead and the pitter patter of feet. It only sits a few people (of course), so queue up and wait outside. It’s worth it.

I want to eat this out forever until I get lockjaw, but even the creamiest of things come to an end eventually, and so this gluttonous slob mulched its way back home after (with a quick onigiri pit stop at Onigiri Bongo along the way).

Note: the rice with raw egg is good too. The egg is good, yeah, but the rice is excellent. Would love to try the risotto next time.

Kuriya Kashi Kurogi
A must-try but it’s a bit too pricey for multiple return visits, in my humble wallet’s opinion. Warabi mochi set is Y 2700, for instance.

But, hey, it’s in a gorgeous, gorgeous spot inside a campus. Beautiful layered roof and wall. Small indoor seating. Very comfy. Much larger space outside, which I bet is great during spring and summer.

The set comes with filter coffee (delicate, sweet, but decent body to it too), and some jelly thing (deliciously savoury and umami). The mochi itself is layered around daintily like iceberg…pebbles on a gorgeous lake. With pink flowers on the water. Presentation is top top notch. Very noice.

The texture of the mochi itself is incredible too. Not just soft and sticky but luxuriously, lusciously layered. Really stumped how to describe the texture but it’s a singular experience. Much more jelly-like than regular mochi but still retains a satisfying bite and the underlying flavour bursting through right at the end. Both kinako taste markedly different but both are great complements.

What a place! Expensive, very expensive, but very good.

ENEKO
What a sublime experience.

Food generally all stellar except for the doneness of the duck. And the desserts and petit four were too sweet for me, but that’s personal preference. Excellent service too. Y 10,692 including the meme egg, which is a bargain.

First, I started off with a picnic in a greenhouse garden. Crazy stuff in test tubes, lots of pruned plants and stuff to smell and touch and uh photograph. Some lubrication to start with. Then the picnic basket: a delicious crunchy brioche with mild-tasting unagi inside and punchy anchovy cream, foie gras with orange (this shit is wild. Foie gras and orange is a GENIUS combo), and a…kaipiritxa? Cherry tomato looking thang, with wine inside. Intense, sour, boozy, sweet, lovely. Spanish bloke walked me through the entire thing, then escorted me up to the dining area upstairs. Very much felt like walking from a garden up to a dining hall.

Truffled egg add-on: For an additional Y 1500! Not really worth it, but it’s a cool experience. Part of the yolk is removed and replaced with truffle injection.

Starter: Basque-style mushrooms, sliced super fine. Great texture, great technique, but so-so taste-wise. Good, not amazing. The tempura yolk is the star imo. Light tempura, and the yolk (removed from the truffled egg!) explodes in the mouth. Gorgeous. Take me back, please.

Fish: Bacon-rolled monkfish fillet, roasted red peppers sauce, pickled grapes. The bacon wrap is super thin! Almost looks like the skin of the fish itself, and feels like it (super light and crispy). Monkfish was perfect. Texture almost like scallops. Can taste the individual strands of the meat as it flakes away in the mouth. Moist as anything.

Meat: Charcoal-grilled duck breast, apple, basil, served on a very warm (nice!) marble (probably not?) plate. Duck unfortunately quite chewy. Lots of flavour while you chew away, gamey, bits of smoke, but the parts in the middle are just a bit too tough on the old jaws. Great with the sauces though – basil sauce, apple puree give the dish a sparkling new layer of flavours.

Dessert: Strawberries and roses. Comes with coffee (below-average espresso). The dessert was very interesting. Marshmallow base. Tastes more like super soft foam. But somehow both rose and strawberry flavours inside! Wild. Too sweet for me (y’know I like Sitka-style desserts), but wild.

Petit four: Basil and yogurt lollipop (it’s a shell! The shell cracks apart. Very cool. And tasty. Waitress gave me a second helping!). Raspberry and mint macaron (actually prefer the macarons from Tiny Temptress last time lol). Berry and pepper jelly (could do with more pepper, super sweet). Red wine bonbon (meh).

So, yeah, not the best ending. But a great meal nonetheless. And a great price imo.

Mantensushi Marunouchi

It’s a magical place. It really is.

Y6k for the dinner omakase is a crazy good bargain. You get 27 different dishes and yes, that’s not a typo. Nice, cozy space, everything comes out at a fast pace (but far from Jiro-style fast) over the 70-80 minutes meal, and there’s notably less of an emphasis on ebb and flow of flavours that you’d expect from the more premium, top-tier omakase courses. But it’s Y6k, so who gives a shit? The sushi is fantastic. The interplay of temperatures is stunning. Selected dishes below.

Snapper: crazy sweet fish. Paired with very very warm sushi rice. Surprising. Delicious. Great start.

Unknown drink: looks like diluted cum. Salty and warm. Nice.

Octopus sashimi: interesting. Salty, squiggly.

Sawada (spanish mackerel): skin delicately fired up. Wonderful. Just wonderful. The smokiness danced around the tongue and lingered for the rest of the Tokyo trip.

Saba: initially alright, just alright. Then the oil starts coming through slowly at first, then all at once, like a gushing oil well. Delicious. The saba itself is warmer than the snapper, and the rice is correspondingly less warm here. Interesting!

Tofu: Not jiggly, quite firm outside. Bite in, though, and it’s an explosion. Softer and creamier than cream cheese. Amazing. Incredible. In the note book, I just wrote: “Amazing!” five times, so yeah

Oysters: Intense. Briny. Sweet. Mouthwateringly good.

Enoki sushi: enoki colder than saba, so the temperature of the rice hikes up once again. Very warm, more vinegary.

Mentaiko: faintly spicy with wasabi, then the beads of roe explode into a million constituents in the mouth. Texturally, a goddamn delight. So satisfying. Better than the mentaiko in Fukuoka

Red snapper (kinmedai): Slightly too heavy-handed on the wasabi but still a good piece. The last time I was at Oribe, Nao-san served a better kinmedai though. This piece is a bit less sweet and bold.

Steamed egg: temperature too hot to eat straight away. Egg was alright. But the crab meat inside was great! Lots and lots of it. Delicate but held together enough to feel the chunks and chunks of crab.

Abalone sashimi: Immediate top note of yuzu opens up into an earthy mushroom umami I’ve never really associated with abalone. Firm texture, and each bite releases more earthiness. Wow!

Shirako (milt): Hey, isn’t this sperm? Milky, creamy.

Shrimp: warmest rice yet. Very very warm. The shrimp bursts into a creamy explosion but I’ve had sweeter shrimps before. Rice is the star.

Akami: Has to be the most flavourful lean tuna I’ve ever had. Gives way willingly to the bite, but has such a depth of flavour.

Otoro: Slightly, delicately warm rice. Super super fatty, melting, glistening, rich, oily beast of a fish slice. Best tuna I’ve ever had, hands down.

Ikura roe on rice: ikura itself not too cold, which is nice. Taste-wise, the Hokkaido Izakaya in Singapore still has the best ikura I’ve ever tasted.

Uni from Hokkaido: pretty good, but sadly uni was a bit too cold. Not the best I’ve had.

Tamago: pretty good. Layered nicely. About on par with Sourakuya at its peak, though less sweet.

Tiny clam soup: warm, sweet, fantastic. So satisfying. Vaguely tastes of sake at the back end.

Sea eel (anago): cold rice because…it’s aburi anago! Very very light smoke right at the back end but the juxtaposition of warm, almost hot, anago with cold rice is so good.

Tuna onions rice roll: Mmmm warm rice, chopped tuna, onions. Onion lingers a bit too much at the end but still very very good!

Sole strawberry as the ending! Perfect sweetness, IMO. Barely any tartness, just there at the back end. Better dessert than Eneko’s sweet stuff, lol.

Bar Orchard
Place feels like a dream, walking in. Size-wise, it’s about the size of Omakase. Bar counter is lovely. Lots of cool stuff and the ‘menu’ are the fruits.

Apple base first – very good. Pulpy apple. Bit of vodka flowing here and there. “Medium level” alcohol is surprisingly boozy. Egg white. Tasty, very tasty.

Persimmon – super sweet, fleshy. Delicious. I love persimmon. Comes with liquid nitrogen matcha liqueur (Wow! Sweet, bitter, delicate). Scoop the matcha and sip the persimmon and white wine. Sublime. Tasty, boozy, not too sweet.

Red pepper base – blowtorched bacon on top. Tastes almost like bak kwa without the sweetness. 7-spice etc, so it makes sense. Super foamy drink. Intense body and a fresh, spicy pepperiness. Bit of black pepper on the foam too. Bright and punchy.

Overall thoughts? Generally very good, but also overpriced. Y1000 cover charge (ouch). Total bill of Y7000 (insane). Preferred Bar Ishinohana.

Tompachitei @ Ueno

Katsuraisu for weekday lunches. 900 gets you pickles rice katsu etc. 5 counter seats and 4 tables. So you queue outside quite long lor. Tokyo like that lor. Super cozy homely feel inside. Run by an old couple.

Prefer the cabbage to maisen. Katsu is very good. Understandably the pork itself not as good cut as maisen. Less rich and deep in flavour. Then again this isn’t their recommended rosekatsu. It’s just the cheap lunch cut. Half the price. I really like the miso soup and the silky tofu. I love the homely feel of the place. I love that two people run everything. The chef actually leaves the counter to come and serve you. I love the crunchy crust, can’t fault that either. It’s just the inferior pork cut that lets it down a bit. I have no doubt their rosekatsu will be killer though.

Kagura (if you must eat sushi in Tsukiji, eat this)

Notes on Kagura in Tsukiji (outer market). Also, shout-out to the amazing grilled eel on a skewer (up to Y200 from 100, but it’s still to me) and the beef dumplings in the outer market. Y’all the real champs to this penny-pinching pauper.

But hey what’s Tsukiji without a sushi set or two. Kagura was my first stop before Yamazaki, and it took first spot in my hearttu. It’s a ramshackle hole in the wall, with vinyl curtains to keep out the winter chill (and cast a red hue over all the photos). There’s a bit of jazz in the background, like basically everywhere in Tokyo. The chef is super friendly. Sit by the counter if you can, there are only two small seats. Get any set that has a good mix of the usual nigiri and their aburi (grilled) specialties. Rice is generally alright here though would prefer a more vinegary style. Love the amount of wasabi though, perfectly balanced for each piece. The scallops? Stunning. Smooth, gentle, tender, ridiculously fresh.

And the whole course goes that way, pretty much. The shrimp, the tuna (even the least fatty cut feels absolutely infused with a rich fatty mouthfeel), the uni (incredibly rich and creamy without being overwhelmingly salty), and then there’s the grilled boys. All the seared stuff is on some nother other shit. The grilled char is like a flavour bomb overwhelming the senses. Gotta try this stuff. Only downer is the rice (not the best), the tamago (there are a lot of better ones around) and the negishio (ok ok la). Still a must visit though imo.

Tsuta

8.15am on a Thursday in winter, CNY eve. Waltzed in with no queue to collect the ticket I wanted: a 3pm slot. Can we all agree that the queue system is weird af though. You queue up then you have to go in and use the vending machine to order then give your ticket then get a card thing then go back in line.

Shoyu soba with chashu and wanton: Wanton sucks. Noodles soft and mediocre.

Chashu very soft and thin. Bit like bacon and ham in a way. Nice. The soup is good though, have to admit. Much better than the shoyu at tsuta Singapore. And strangely enough much less salty. Almost like two completely different bowls really. Really like the broth. It’s not top tier but it’s very good. Wouldn’t queue up for it again.

Ichiran @ Ueno

You know what, the Ichiran here was better than the Ichiran in Fukuoka. And it’s 24/7, which is great. Also, it’s definitely not as isolation chamber as you might think. If anything, it gets a bit noisier / more distracting than the regular ramen spots, since it’s so small and cramped.

Broth: good. Balanced. About the same level as the broth at Haneda Airport, which is to say it’s pretty good. Kind of around-ish the same level as Menya Shi Shi Do’s black garlic (Kuro) in KL. The chili doesn’t do much for me. 

Pork: decent, nothing to shout about. Better than some of the stuff in Fukuoka, worse than some of the spots in KL. Salted soft-boiled egg: alright. Can skip and spring for kaedama (extra noodles) instead. Noodles: good! The ones I had here were much better than the noods at Ichiran Fukuoka. Firm, very firm, and tasty. 

Best ramen? Of course not. But it’s a fun experience and the convenient times are commendable. Sometimes you want a bowl after and before 11 and nowhere is open. Plus them noodles are good. And Ueno is denim central*. So hell yeah I would return if I was in the area. 

* Don’t miss out on the denim stores in Ueno. Lots of next-level stuff around. Area feels a bit like Petaling Street collided with Shibuya, but if you’re focused on your Barbour or your Momotaro, there’s really no point buying from anywhere else. Place is crazy. 

In particular, check out Hinoya. Super knowledgeable and friendly staff. Recommended and let me try on all sorts of jeans: Momotaro, PBJs, etc. Believe it or not, I actually ended up with their house brand collab w Warehouse. Loved (and still love!) the slubbiness. 

Next level customer service, really. Dude gave me a bunch of different jean releases to look up online and jizz at afterwards. 

Tsukiji Eel nisshin tasuke @ Tsukiji market- fucking good. Blows away the tare Unagi in Malaysia easily. 200Y a skewer is a bargain but get the bowls for even better value. Tempted to get more.

If you’re still at Tsukiji, get the Yoshizawa Shoten (Matsuzaka minced beef cake). This is killer. Huge huge matsuzaka minced beef. Delicious dumpling. Really massive, you have to get it. Nice and fatty and meaty too. Lovely.

Yamazaki @ Tsukiji

Place is like 4 times bigger than kagura. Still small but doesn’t look as painfully cramped and rushed as Dai. And a queue of Chinese and white tourists is so off-putting. Fuck that. Worth getting omakase here for 5k? Maybe. Think kagura is a better bit though. Rice a bit grainier too compared to kagura.

Tamago here much better than kagura. Really top tier this one. So good. Surf clam good. Nice sweetness to it. Scallop very good too. 

Salmon is salmon. Good salmon but still. Prefer grilled. Squid. Interestingly textured. Love the chew and almost sliminess. In a good way. Snow crab. It’s okay. Shrimps. Crazy sweet. Builds on the slimy squid

Tuna. Not bad. Also fatty but not as good as kagura. Salmon roe wew salty. Not as good as the Hokkaido ikura in Singapore eh.

Anyway overall good but prefer kagura. The aburi there is great and the normal nigiri solid too. Rice here a bit disappointing. Super friendly chefs though. And they speak English well. Worth a visit if you have to but would return to kagura instead. Dai and daiwa ew. Those queues. Those tourists. No thanks. Yeah I dunno. If youre coming to tsukiji I would say hit up that amazing eel and matsasuka dumpling and kagura at the outer market. Then head to a random sushi place slightly off from the Dai alley in the inner market (couple of steps away into another alley and you can see spots that actual locals are at). Doubt there’ll be a drastic difference in quality plus you don’t get the off-putting tourists vibe. You’ll be the offputting tourist instead! Just keep chanting sumimasen and apologize for your intrusion and existence etc.

Onigiri bongo
Hey, a specialist onigiri spot!

Great rice. Fillings bit salty. Nice big portion. Overall pretty nice. A step above the typical konbini onigiri, which is by no means bad anyway. 

Maisen

The super hot towel feels wonderful in winter.

Radish appetizer a bit too strong, until you add the yuzu soy. Lifts it up a bit. The tea is very good.

The pork itself is very good. Fatty but nice bite. Good crust. Essentially, it’s slightly better than the best tonkatsu I’ve ever had in KL – but the differential is not that big vs KL’s offerings (as compared to the difference when it comes to ramen, sushi etc). It’s not massively better. FOr the price, wouldn’t really bother returning. Would go to the standing sushi bar nearby AND the gyukatsu place for the same total bill. 

Gyukatsu Motomura – original location

Shit on me, why is this so goddamn satisfying. Queued for close to 2 hours in the cold, and every second was worth it. Tender, succulent beef inside, perfect crust outside, perfect setting etc etc. I don’t know, man. It just hit the spot so well.

Chuuka Soba Tomita

The legend. Honestly, too hardcore and experimental to be really enjoyable. Like post-modern art and avant garde noise music, you kind of have to appreciate the history leading up to the movement to “get” the movement. You have to know what it’s upending, after all. Here, every component of a typical tsukemen is taken to its logical extreme.

Noodles – you like them chewy? Of course you do. Soft, soggy ramen noodles is a fucking travesty (ahem, unless you’re Hototogisu). Malaysian Chinese love their flaccid, limpdick noods, but most good ramen temples in Tokyo are going to be serving up the hard stuff. Tomita goes 3 to 4 steps further and churns out the chewiest, toughest noodles you’ll ever have. It’s a struggle, a full-on battle, with each bite. And to give it extra slurpiness and make it more of a challenge, the noodles are also extremely long.

Broth – thick, beyond goopy, and extremely salty. It’s almost all about texture here. It’s slimy, thick like pulped down sardines, it sticks to the noodles and your mouth, it barely moves in the bowl.

Pork – varied in doneness. Goes from barely cooked to deliciously blowtorched.

In summary? It’s a top 10 bowl in terms of how much I enjoyed it, but boy was it a cerebral struggle to enjoy. It’s not easily accessible, that’s for sure.

Fuglen

Legit beautiful place. But way too packed with tourists taking photos. Place was ruined for me, tbh. Coffee alright.

Nata de Cristiano

Perfection, basically. 

Terunari
Y 6500 is an insanely good bargain. I’m 100% penciling Terunari down for every single Tokyo trip from now on. Possibly the most enjoyable experience I’ve had in Tokyo.

Beautiful bar counter, right up next to the young chefs. Gorgeous open kitchen. Love, love, love it. Right up next to the action. And the seating is super comfortable (the leg support, the railing etc etc). Bar counter seating is a must if you’re not in a large group, and the service is beyond top notch (kept chatting with the chefs, main chef exchanged a few food and drink recommendations, insisted on taking photos together etc).

Okay, let’s go step by step.

Appetizer: stir-fried shrimps from Kochi. Juicy, plump, but with a gentle touch of smoke. Tiny egg yolk. Delicious start.

Congealed puffer fish: welp, does nothing for me. Fish in jelly. But nice snappy, crunchy cucumber slices.

Tuna: mediocre. Squid: the lemon really steps up the broiled white squid to another level. Bright without being sour, it lets the wisps of smoke slowly seep in while eating. Very subtle but incredibly rewarding.

Egg custard: very watery. Smells amazing. Tastes stunning. Like essence of beef. Is this boiled down beef sinew? Very oily, meaty, umami. Insane. It’s more like drinking beef consomme with floating bits of egg. Like a sort of inverted chawanmushi. The egg is not the focus, it’s there to add texture – and they feel like light floating icebergs that dissolve against the tongue. Easily my favourite chawanmushi ever by far.

Chicken liver mousse sandwich: excellent. Super light cracker biscuit shell – delicate, slightly sweet. Rich, cold liver with bits of very thinly diced up sour pickles. Best liver dish I’ve ever had. Flower has a very mild spiciness to it. Sweet potato chips don’t add much but sort of echo the sweetness of the liver shell. Pate itself so pink it looks like strawberry ice cream. Remarkable dish.

Kochi yellowtail, lightly deep fried. Served in a soup. Sweet fish. Firm flesh. Not bad.

Yamagata roasted pig is the main dish, and what a main dish. Fantastic pork. Slightly pink, slightly resistive, but not too chewy. Each bite bursts with an almost agonizing crescendo of flavour. Unabashedly porky. Sherry vinegar reduction. Only sore point is the meh salad (and the chef insisted it’s a “taste-good salad”!). Can sub out meat for the more expensive stuff (eg. +Y800 for Hungarian duck, +Y800 for Ezo dear, +Y1k for ostrich, +Y1.2k for wagyu – and the wagyu looks phenomenal). 

Sawanoi sake: added this on, of course. Haven’t had any sake I’ve fancied before, but this was fantastic. Really the best by far. Mild initial nose, mild initial taste. Gradually sweetens in the mouth then blooms with light notes of subtle spiciness as it warms. Sharp and spicy towards the end. 

Rice with bamboo shoots, baked chicken. Love watching them prepare the claypot and rush it to the stove. Tastes like a posh, polished claypot rice! Lovely smell. Glistening oily rice. Chicken bits have the faintest hint of charring from the blowtorch. Toasted sesame seeds. Heavenly. Eat 3 bowls of it and still have enough to pack back for the next morning’s breakfast.

Miso soup with aka dashi was meh. Mantensushi still has the best.

Dessert: tea and new hand towel first, and damn the tea is delish. Dessert: strawberry and mint jelly. Looks great. Tastes great. Better than Eneko’s desserts. 

ALSO there are more desserts? Meme-y Pocky stick with callebaut ruby chocolate. Milk ice cream. Very creamy. Taken with the cold cheesecake and Japanese orange? Delicious and decadent.

Random wine bar

Sorry, I forgot the name. But I loved the place. Tiny space, fits about 6 people at most. Super comfortable bar seats. Super chill vibes. 

Date No Gyutan 

Actually pretty damn good curry rice. The beef was flank – moderately tough but plenty of flavour. Lots of depth in the curry itself. And very nice salad.

Ita Soba @ Ebisu

What a great place. Sick jazz. 2 super long huge tables. Sesame cold dipping sauce so creamy, so good. Soba itself is perfection. Hard and mean to the bite. Great, great soba. 

Switch Coffee

Lovely small cafe. Great espresso.

Jinroku

Great izakaya near Fuglen, Monocle etc. Cover charge, but it gets you very tasty stuff (we had lovely oden, some of the best I’ve ever had). Great music played from CDs. Love the vibe. Goes from old school R&B to jazz to chill trip-hop to the entirety of Snail Mail’s album. 

Tuna sashimi: lovely, huge chunks, very buttery. Light hand on the wasabi sauce. So creamy and soft. Almost, almost as tasty as Mantensushi! Which means it’s a damn sight better than anything in KL.

Eggplant: smells captivating. Tastes brilliant. Lovely bits of char, not too slimy, firm flesh. Smoky and firm, goddamn. Delicious.

Deep fried lotus root: mediocre batter but the lotus root itself very very crunchy and juicy.

Karaage: Batter seasoned perfectly. Juicy and tender inside. Also, on a separate note, Family Mart does some damn fine karaage. Particularly like the boneless spicy one.

Octopus, tomatoes, bell pepper, broccoli, garlic, cheese: so good I almost cried. No joke. So satisfying. Home-cooked-tasting in the best possible way. Just an absolute bomb of flavours and a perfect way to end the meal.

Bar Ishinohana

Long bar counter seats about 12 people comfortably, with space for another 5-6 at the back. Lovely space. Better than Bar Orchard, probably my fave bar so far in Tokyo. Very much has the heart and soul of Bar Shake in KL, but with the bells and whistles of Omakase+Appreciate.

Strawberry pistachio Alexander: strawberry from Chiba. Strong nose of pistachio, very nutty and robust. Pulpy strawberry. Milkshake-like consistency. Very enjoyable.

Strawberry earl grey collins: super refreshing, not too sweet. Very well balanced.

Kiwi x Lavender Martin: kiwi from Nagano. Very tart-tasting, but addicted to the mouthfeel of the fruit pulp. Housemade lavender-infused gin. Fresh pineapple in there too, and housemade honey syrup. What a drink.

Claudia: rum, pineapple, ground peppers, caramel syrup, so good.

I’m picky with cocktails. Most place in KL just throw some alcohol together with a shopping list of other ingredients and try to add a ‘twist’ to it that sounds good on the menu. Give me simple stuff done right, please.

Oribe: beefeater, matcha, milk, wasabon sugar, gold powder. Gorgeous glass befitting of a gorgeous drink. Lovely fresh milk. It’s like matcha with excellent cold milk. So tasty. Beefeater just sort of rounds out the back end of the drink – really just feels like you’re drinking the tastiest matcha with milk ever.

Espresso whisky, cacao liqueur: very nice but boy oh boy does it caffeinate you up.

Larceny bourbon (92 proof), Pernod absinthe, etc (custom off-menu): almost singed my eyebrows off. Super strong. Crazy alcohol level. But what a way to end. A real uppercut of a drink.

Glitch Coffee

Best damn coffee around. End of.

Konjiki Hototogisu

Number one. The best ramen I’ve had. 90 mins wait and it’s worth it. Noodles soft but for once, it actually makes sense to be soft here. I’ve always wanted the firmest, hardest noodles possible, but the soft noods belong to this bowl. They fit perfectly with the amazing clam soup. Super clammy, super delicious shoyu. Pork brilliant too. Layers of flavour everywhere. Orgasmic. The shio is intense too, perhaps even better somehow. Insane bowls.

Savoy Azabu-Juban 

Even if the pizza was mediocre, I’d come here over and over again if I could. The place is amazing. But of course the pizza isn’t mediocre. It’s unforgettable.

Seirinkan deservedly gets all the plaudits – Susuma Kakinuma is the Holy Father of the Tokyo pizza scene and was a springboard for some of the best pizzerias in town. They all trace their roots back to the master. As does Savoy Azabu-Juban.

So, yes, Seirinkan deserves all the plaudits, but Savoy Azabu-Juban is pretty much a case of the student surpassing the master.

There’s a quadrant that seats about 8 people, all of us bunched up around and facing the massive wood-fired oven, with the chips and blocks lined up neatly under the furnace. You can feel the waves of heat immediately as you walk in. The dough is fingered gently, the rich red tomato spooned around it. You hear the spit and snarl of the wood, and watch as the maestro shaves away at a head of garlic, letting it fall liberally on the pizza. Surely it’s too much garlic? Well. Of course it isn’t.

The pizza goes in, some wood chips are thrown in to flare up the fire, and barely a minute later, your pizza is in front of you. 

The dough is…magical. Transformative. Orgasmic, even. It’s crispy and smoky and slightly, just very slightly, pleasantly bitter and acrid on the outside. Bite in and it explodes with air pockets of smoke and sea salt. It’s chewy, springy, bouncy, elastic, chewy, fluffy, buzzing with olive oil, chewy, and the gently pulsating shaved garlic is almost fully melted and embedded into the dough. It’s insane how good it is. It’s almost too good. Superlatives float gently to the surface, buffeted by the digesting dough, and they each melt away against the searing reality of the meal.

There’s really no way to explain the experience of the place. The pizzas are magical, the jazz dances around the spitting of the fire, the boys running the place are hilarious, the atmosphere is warm and jovial and…unforgettable.

There are only two pizzas on the menu. Both are sublime and beyond the bounds of what I previously thought possible. 

Passage Coffee

Along a very long strip mall-ish set of roads. Lovely space, bright and pretty spacious for Tokyo. Good hand drip, enjoyable. Drinkable. Comfortable, chill spot.

4/4 Coffee

Lovely place near Shinjuku-Sanchome station. Cool, small spot. Long black delicious. Lovely smell, cakes look great, heard hand drip great too. The sort of place you wish you could get your daily coffee from.

Nakajima

Michelin star spot that is famous for doing sardine stuff for lunch. Cute concept.

Y900 for the yanagawa nabe set. Cool place. Very spacious and comfortable for a basement spot. Sardines are big. Taste-wise, no ‘wow’ factor but tastes like the best home-cooked food ever. Deep fried sardines are lovely. 

Overall: sweet, warming, comforting. 

And of course there are about a billion or so other places I haven’t tried out yet in Tokyo. If you’re there, try out some of these and let me know how they go. I’m told they’re good. And of course, it’s not my actual exhaustive to-go list, that one is a good deal more extensive.

• Toritsune Shizendo (Y1-2k oyakodon lunch set, Michelin bib gourmand)
• Narikura (one of the best tonkatsu)
• Kintoki (tantanmen, great chicken ramen) (1-2-7, Tokyo, Nerima-ku, Kotakecho 1-2-7) (nearest station: Ekoda) (Open 11-2pm; 5.30-8.30pm; closed Mon & Tue)
• Taishoken ramen (Tsukemen)
• Nikunchu (yakiniku – tenderloin, daily offal)
• Isshin (Asakusa) – 1 michelin. Lunch sets start at Y 6000
• Sushi Kanesaka – 1 michelin. Lunch starts at Y 5000
• Pizza Strada (great pizza, dude moved to Savoy though)
• Pizza Studio Tamaki (potentially better than Savoy?) (must-order lemonade too)
• Pizza Dada (great pizza too)
• Yakitori Ebisu Nishi-Ogikubo (Y 100 Yakitori which are all good)
• Mugitooribu in Ginza (ramen – chicken broth, dashi, clam)
• Mensho Tokyo @ Kasuga (ramen – lamb bone soup)
• Fuunji (tsukemen – get nami (normal))
• Den
• Zuisetsu @ Setagaya (1 Michelin star) (set lunch from Y1620) (Cantonese food w Jap flair)
• Toyoken (expensive black curry – Matsuzaka wagyu beef, cooked for a month)
• Sushi Ryusuke (Y5000 for 10-piece nigiri lunch set)
• Yoshino Sushi Honten (Y2200 lunch set for 8 pieces)
• Tateru Yoshino Ginza (2 michelin star French joint, about 13k for lunch)
• Path @ Shibuya (dutch pancake with ham, wait 8am)
• Utsura Utsura @ Shibuya (hot sake, great otoshi)
• Forrester @ Nakameguro (Jap curry and 100 types of gin)
• Cocktail Works Jinbocho (great cocktails, e.g. matcha chai latte, opens 11.30am)
• Marugo Tokyo for tabi boots
• Tempura Nakayama (black tendon) @ Nihonbashi
• Yoroniku Ebisu (one of the highest rated restaurants on Tabelog, around Y10k, foreigners not allowed to make reservation. Must arrive and wait in line after 9pm. Last order 11pm. 150-0013 Tokyo, Shibuya, Ebisu, 1 Chome−11−5 GEMS 8F (2min walk from JR Yamanote Line or Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line Ebisu Station)(5:00 pm – 12:00 am
  – Nakiryu ramen (Y1000) (1 Michelin star) (dandanmen is great but long line) (queue up 1 hr before opening time)
  – Tamarawai (Good soba miso and yuba (tofu skin). Doesn’t take reservations)
  – Tai Shio Soba Touka (top Shio)
  – Muginae (Tsukemen) (3rd highest in Tabelog)
  – Menya Ishin (near Meguro) (Michelin bib gourmand) (yuzushio special for Y 1100)
  – Menson Rage (hidden gem, far away. Shoyu and mazesoba both great)
  – Mengyo (ramen broth from seabream and chicken, pork smoked with cherry wood)
  – Muginae (6 types of shoyu in broth, buckwheat noodles)
  – Kanda Matsuya (Best soba?)
  – Ibuki (dried sardines in broth)
  – Shichisai (order the Kitakata Niku-soba – Niboshi – one of the best noodles around) (2-13-2, Hatchobori, Chuo-ku) (11am-3.30pm; 5.30-9pm everyday)
  – Naniwaya (original taiyaki) (1-8-14 Azabu-Juban, Minato-ku)
  – Ippodo Tea (#1 ranked tea room in Tokyo)
  – Rokurinsha amazing tsukemen opens at 7.30am – ramen street at Tokyo station
  – Kajitsuen fruit parlor
  – Ahiru Store @ Shibuya, closer to Yoyogi-Koen station (natural wines by glass from Y1k upward, great breads, homemade sausages and pates) (1-19-4 Tomigaya, Shibuya-ku Tokyo) (Mon-Fri 6pm-12midnight, Sat 3pm-9pm / closed Sun) (no need reservations, but go early fam)
  – Gyoza Shack @ Setagaya (special gyoza + natural wine) (2-3-10 Sangenjaya, Setagaya-ku) (5pm-12am)

– Higashi-Mukojima Coffee-ten (coffee, great no-bake cheesecake) (1-34-7 Higashi-Mukojima, Sumida-ku – near Hikifune station) (8.30am-8pm / closed Wed)
– Good People & Good Coffee (3-4-11 Higashiyama, Meguro-ku, Tue-Fri 9am-6pm; Sat, Sun & hols 10.30am-6pm / closed Mon
– Cafe Obscura (specializes in siphon coffee) ( Setagaya-ku, Sangenjaya, 1-9-16, Tokyo)

– Gen Yamamoto (apparently a MUST GO. Also recommended by Mona so there’s that. 4 cocktail tasting menu Y 5k + Y1k cover charge 〒106-0045 Tokyo, Minato, 麻布十番1-6-4 アニバーサリービル 1F)(need to make reservations by phone though) (Tue-Sat 3pm-11pm, Sun 3pm-10pm / closed Mon)
– Beer Pub Ishii (craft beer – 3 rotating taps)
– Jazz Spot Intro (6.30pm-12am) (near Takadanobaba Station) (go Tues-Thurs for gigs)
– Intro @ Shinjuku: narrow, cramped jazz bar with live music 3-4 nights a week (jazzspot.intro.co.jp)
– Iron Fairies @ Ginza (cool vibe, great drinks, cotton candy cloud drink)
– YYG Brewery & Beer Kitchen (try the house brews at 1st floor. At 7th floor, there’s food to go with the beer – probably stick to biru eh)
– Beersaurus Ikebukuro
– Bar Ben Fiddich (Yamatoya Bldg. 9F, 1-13-7 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku) (near Shinjuku station) (6pm-3am the next day) (completely custom)

– No., Shibuya

– Beer Bar Ushitora @ Setagaya (great home craft beers, and great pub food!)
– Grandfather’s Inn, Shibuya (Flat Bld. B1F, 1-24-7 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, walking distance from Shibuya station) (vinyl, atmosphere, whiskey decently priced)
– Le Labo: Tokyo exclusive – Gaiac 10. 

The post Tokyo, Japan appeared first on Foodgazer.

It’s the system that’s causing my problems!

> Beast Monster Thing (Love Isn’t Love Enough) by Car Seat Headrest

Welcome back to Foodgazer, the sometime-blog, as we wind down for the year and race into the final month of what has been a crazy, chaotic, and very, very strange year. Well, for me at least. Oh, and of course, this is also a review of Ishin, the Japanese joint that has become a mainstay of Old Klang Road, long before Littlepeople and all the other new boys. In fact, they’re not far away from the 10 year mark now which is really remarkable for eateries in KL. It’s a transient town, at least for food.

But I suppose the golden question is: is Ishin still good? Well, that’s what we were dispatched to find out.

First off: it’s a gorgeous place. Tucked away along good old congested Old Klang Road, the bar section is a particularly great spot to chuckle at the poor saps stuck in the jam. But pretty much everywhere in the restaurant is very pretty. Also, the service is great AND you get a portable Mi tablet which isn’t affixed to the table. Brownie points everywhere and the meal hasn’t even begun! And yet…we’re not going to post any photos of the interiors because it really deserves to be seen in person.

But alright, alright. On to the food.

Where to start really? Take us back to the start, maybe, with the simmered iso tsubugai (RM 8/piece). Slimy in a kinda-okra way, but warm and comforting, and comes with a satisfying bite to it too. We finished it before remembering we were supposed to take photos. On to the next dish then:

The taragai cheese yaki. Sure, it’s RM78 for a half piece, but it’s very tasty. The bite is even more satisfying here. It’s chewier, more resistant to the hungry foodguzzlers’ teeth, but each chew sends a fresh wave of flavours out. Love that texture. And the cheese is quite nice too.

There was also the Chef’s special sashimi platter – generally nice stuff, and the uni was quite good too. Nothing particularly amazing about this but if you’ve a deep craving for sashimi, this will fix you up well enough.

Next, I wrote down ‘fish thang‘ in my notebook which I suppose refers to the Kasago Nitsuke (RM 88). What a treat this was. Super silky, lustrous tofu almost stole the show from the fish. I could eat blocks of that tofu, honestly. But the fish thang isn’t one to shy away from a challenge: it brought to the ring tender but firm flesh, a balanced hand on the sauce, and an overall plate that oozed with delicate precision. Loved this dish.

And then our favourite arrived. The glorious, majestic – nay, magisterial – HOKKAIDO WAGYU KATSU SAMMICH (RM 138). Boy oh boy. You know we love our beef sando. And this one featured some unapologetically, super fatty, super juicy wagyu – it honestly wouldn’t be out of place in Tokyo, and you know that’s incredibly high praise coming from us. It’s really very good.

And so the denouement began.

It was around this point that we started mulling over the impossibility of reviewing food. This wagyu sandwich was excellent. But it was excellent at that point in time. Would it be the same if we came back a month later when the batch of beef was different? What if we were in a different mood then? Or we were just not as hungry? Or had different, more unpleasant, company at the table? Or if the kitchen crew were having an off day? Would we feel the same way? Would YOU feel the same way if you get the sando at Ishin? Maybe. We hope so. But we can only hope – and that’s the inherently tricky nature of even writing about food.

Which is all to say that perhaps the glowing reviews and scathing words of disgust that we write don’t matter all that much. It doesn’t say all there is to be said about the dishes, because we each experience them in our own different ways. If there is any value to be had in them, perhaps it’s in the way it paints a picture of the overall place: it’s a promise that even if you have a bad experience at place A, we had a good one at it before and maybe one of us had the deviation from the norm but if in general we feel that it’s going in the right direction, we’ll point it out. Maybe there is some value, after all, in reviews written about places we visited months ago. I’d hope there is, because 2019 is going to see this site relaunched.

Anyway, back to Ishin. Because we weren’t done yet.

There was, for instance, the Teppanyaki duck liver with caviar (RM 118). Nice. The foie wasn’t exceptional but the ikan bilis cracker was nice and crunchy. Loved the texture on that cracker, and the caviar was nice and briny too. And then the meal wrapped up with, we were happy to find, some dipping noodles. Cold konnyaku soba (RM 30), done well, which is a rare thing to find in KL. Such a comforting, (seemingly) simple dish.

And so that’s Ishin. Good food, great service, and an even greater setting and atmosphere that actually manages to elevate the experience by quite a fair bit. They’re a mainstay for a reason – here’s to another decade!

Ishin is open daily from 12 to 3pm, and then from 6pm to 1am. They’re at 4 off, Persiaran Klang, Batu 3 3, 202, Jalan Kelang Lama (just Waze it) and can be reached at +603-7980 8228.

The post Ishin (and the end of all things) @ Old Klang Road appeared first on Foodgazer.