Gyukingu Japanese BBQ

It was cousin Chew's birthday and he asked us out for dinner. Rightfully we should had treated the birthday boy to the meal. But he was the host instead, the reason being we had no idea that it was his day.  He asked us out and we gladly went along.

The place he took us to was a Japanese BBQ restaurant in Kota Damansara. Known as Gyukingu (牛大王 or Beef King), it is located on the first floor above the Al Rajhi Bank on Jalan PJU 5/17.

They have a bull head for their identity. It was Christmas season (last December) and the happy bespectacled bull wore a red cap. I wonder why restaurants use such motifs as they their trademarks - smiling bull and elated chicken - when they are the ones being eaten!

Inside, the restaurant belied its small insignificant entrance. It was a large place, nicely furnished with tables, cubicles and private dining rooms.

And a large, well stocked bar.

We were led to a private room. It was dining tatami style. sitting on the floor. Thankfully they had a recess under the table and was not so taxing on our old stiff legs. The room was small and windowless, and the walls and ceiling were painted black. Fortunately we had good company and conversations to distract us from the surrounding. Otherwise it was like sitting in a prison cell and could be very stifling and claustrophobic.

We had to remove our shoes before we enter our room. And when I came out to relieve myself, I could not find them (they apparently kept them in a hidden rack) and I had to tread barefooted to the loo.

The menu was tantalising.

This Christmas offer that included Wagyu beef, Okinawa bacon and a bottle of red wine for 4 to 6 persons was very reasonably priced at just RM388++.

While cousin Chew selected the meats, we waited for the wine to breathe.

His choice was breathtaking. There was a variety of seasoned beef...

And marinated pork..

Grilled over a coal fire...

And eaten with fresh salads.

Thoroughly delicious.

The Wagyu beef deserved a special mention. It was exceptional. I could see why it was so prized. It was so tender and succulent, almost melting in the mouth.

We had some fresh scallops too.

Carefully grilling them to ensure they are not overdone.

Besides the self-grills, we also had some side dishes. Like this good size squid. It was done by the chef and was so fresh and succulent. Very good indeed.

Bowls or garlic fried rice and miso soup for each of us.

And even some Korean fare - bibimbap and kimchi.

Dessert was sesame ice cream which to me was rather unusual in flavour. I really do not think sesame is a good ingredient for ice cream.

I preferred the yuzu (a Japanese sour citrus) sherbert.

It was an awesome meal. Cousin Chew's dinners have always been elaborate affairs. This certainly was no exception. Happy birthday again, Chew.

Gin Shui Tei

Nestled in the Tropicana Golf & Country Club in Petaling Jaya is a popular Japanese restaurant. I had heard about it lot of times but had not got the occasion to try it. Until our cousin Chew invited us to dinner one Friday evening.

I was not in best of shape and had to be in a hospital. But I did not want to miss out on the dinner. So I asked my doc for leave. With a catheter attached to my hand and amidst curious looks from other diners, I joined my siblings, cousin and spouses for a sumptuous Japanese dinner at the Gin Shui Tei.

The place seemed a bit old but by no means run down. The decor was somewhat outdated. I guess they had been around for quite awhile. And perhaps it was time for a little make-over.

Our party of 7 came well prepared with the booze. We had Japanese sake and red wines.

This Japanese bottle even had gold flakes in it.

In my condition, I did not touch a drop. Docilely, I stuck to green tea.

The meal as normal, started with a couple of salads. Both were basically the same. One had a mixture of nuts...

While the other came with crispy ikan bilis and a dash of red roe. The dressing was a sweet sourish Japanese. They were very good.

We also had some edamame for starters.

Two large servings of sashimi then appeared on our table. They were glorious. There were salmon, tuna, mackerel, yellow fin and a large clam. Every bit was superbly fresh. Including the wasabi that sensationally cleared my nose. I had never had so much sashimi in a single meal.

What do you call a Gyudon without the rice? This was our next dish. It was dish of sliced beef cooked in a sweet soy sauce with onion. The meat was deliciously tender.

Cousin Chew ordered 2 servings of sukiyaki - beef for everybody, and considerately chicken for my non-beef eating wife. Sukiyaki has never been my favourite Japanese fare. Like in all Japanese places, I found the soup somewhat sweet and too ajinomoto.

The salmon heads were heavenly. They were salt baked and amazingly fresh. The meat flaked out was we picked on them. I worked on the soft tissue and fish fat - with no sense of guilt as it was Omega-3. A real joy.

Tempuras appear to be a must in any Japanese meal. And the assortment that was served did not disappoint. The batter maintained its crispiness even after a long time on the table. The prawn particularly was tastefully succulent.

To top it all up, each of us was served a bowl of this delicious garlic fried rice. I marvel at the manner the Japanese do their fried rice. Each grain was by itself. They did not stick to each other. The flavour of the garlic was subtle. Somehow their fried rice is delightfully different.

Dessert was green tea ice cream with red bean paste. This ender is very typically Japanese. Yet I enjoy it each time.

It was a heavy meal of quality Japanese delicacies. In my condition, I probably shouldn't had eaten so much. And it must had costed our cousin Chew a small fortune. In all, it was a most satisfying evening for me, even though at the end of it, I had to return to my crummy hospital room.

Yokotaya Japanese Restaurant

The last time I had a meal in this part of PJ was at the Verona Trattoria Italian restaurant. This secluded part of Section 17 is home to several nice eating places. One of them is the Yokotaya Japanese Dining. We passed by the place a couple of times and finally made it there one weekend evening.

The Yokotaya is located behind the Verona Trattoria on Jalan 17/56. It apparently serves cuisines from Hiroshima. And indeed some of dishes they offered were somewhat out of the ordinary. I do not know if that was really Hiroshima flavours.

The setting was rather traditional, with soft lightings, leather seatings and a Tudor-styled decor. It was  comfortable and conducive.

We were ushered to an elevated section of the restaurant. Up a small flight of stairs and we were in an isolated quiet area, which suited us just fine.

Service was efficient and prompt. But it lacked the friendly human touch. It was kind of business-like without the smile or additional friendly words.

We had a call button on the table. Response to the button was immediate. It was better than a lot of airlines I have experienced with.

We started our meal with a Mayo Chilli Spider Roll. The "spider" was really the soft shell crab. I have not got the opportunity to sample real spiders (tarantula - they have a lot of them in Cambodia but we did not get to it when we were there). I imagined the flavour must be similar to soft shell crab. Anyway back to the roll - it was quite good. It was not at all spicy in spite of its apparent chilli content. I particularly liked the generous roe topping that popped in my mouth.

I had the Tokusen Saba Shioyaki set. It was a salt grilled mackerel, served with rice, salad, chawan mushi, miso soup and a small appetiser.

The mackerel was very well done - with a nice crispy skin and soft succulent meat inside. I have always loved the way the Japanese grill their fish. I had tried doing it a couple of times, but had not succeeded in the way they do it.

My wife ordered the Sukiyaki set. The way they served the sukiyaki was perhaps Hiroshima style. I have not seen it done in other Japanese restaurants. They brought a shallow pot of soup on a gas stove.

And a tray of assorted vegetables, mushrooms, tofu, etc. We cooked the stuffs in the shallow pot.

The meat came in a separate plate. There was a choice - either the wagyu beef or the pork loin. She opted of the later. The pork was thinly sliced. It looked very appetising indeed.

We were given a raw egg which we broke into a small bowl.

We lightly cooked the meat and dipped it into the raw egg. It was marvellous delicious.

Crystal's selection was perhaps another Hiroshima fare. It was the Nabeyaki Hamburger. It was a beef and pork combo patty served in a rich gravy with potato, carrot and soba. I had a taste of the minced meat. It was delicious.

Our dessert was definitely not Hiroshima. It was our favourite green tea ice cream with red beans. I wished the serving was a bit larger.

Yokotaya did not disappoint. We liked the food there. The service was good though not that friendly. And we had perhaps tasted a bit of Hiroshima here.