Soulful, honest flavours, skilfully constructed with minimal fuss by chef Komoto & his team - opening this month in Sri Hartamas, Yoshinari is the first Malaysian offshoot of a Japanese restaurant of the same name near Tokyo's Shibuya Station.
Yoshinari's chief attraction is its customisable lunch sets - for RM37.60+, choose two main items from the menu, which will promptly be put together with rice, miso soup with house-made bean curd strips, & at least two side dishes, which may include creamy tofu mousse flavoured with sesame & wasabi. For dinner, omakase multi-course meals are offered (RM180-RM260).
We enjoyed our salaryman's lunch - Yoshinari's take on bibimbap was tasty, a medley of beef, vegetables & soft-boiled egg, meant to be mixed up. Pork belly with smoked potato salad was satisfying too - luscious meat & soft carbs. But not everything was a success: the beef hamburg steak was too gamy; the tuna & scallop sashimi was only OK (Yoshinari says it secures its supply from Tsukiji market). Still, the hits outnumbered the misses - both the lightly battered chicken laced with red pickled ginger & the simmered flatfish were moist, delicate & delicious. Shochu mixes are available, blended with green or oolong tea.
Shibusan Yoshinari Tokyo Shibuya
A-00-11, Plaza Damas 3, Jalan Sri Hartamas 1, Kuala Lumpur
Open for lunch & dinner; may be closed Mondays (the restaurant had not confirmed its business days when we visited)
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