Barbecue without the smoke

Gyu-kaku’s smokeless roasters make grilling a breeze.

GYU-KAKU JAPANESE BBQ RESTAURANT
D3-G3-3, Publika, Solaris Dutamas
No 1 Jalan Dutamas 1
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-6211 5446
Business hours: 11am-10pm (Sunday to Thursday), 11am-11pm (Friday to Saturday)

FOR those who enjoy barbecue but not the smoke, Gyu-kaku Japanese BBQ restaurant is the place to be as its smokeless roasters ensure a smokeless dining experience.

Gyu-kaku is a smoke-free restaurant that provides an interactive dining experience where customers can enjoy fresh Yakiniku (barbecued meat) right off the grill.

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ Restaurant’s food items are halal-certified with a diverse menu that includes Australian Wagyu beef, seafood, poultry, lamb and salads.

There are currently more than 650 Gyu-kaku restaurants worldwide.

Autumn Odyssey, one of the subsidiaries under the F&B Division in the Naza Group of Companies, is the official franchise-holder for the brand in Malaysia.

The new eatery in Publika, following the first one at 1Utama Shopping Centre, marks the beginning of a new expansion phase for the Malaysian franchise.

Naza Group F&B division director Nur Nadia SM Nasimuddin said the new restaurant would contribute significantly to Autumn Odyssey’s aim to grow its revenue by 40% this year.

“With an investment of RM1.4mil, this brand new outlet is set to bring the Gyu-Kaku BBQ experience to more Malaysians.

“To date, we have invested RM3mil for our first two outlets and have plans to open one more outlet by the end of 2013 and two more in 2014 with a total investment of RM10mil.

“Our long-term expansion plans for Gyu-kaku will be to expand into KL city centre, Penang and Johor,” she said.

At a dining experience in Publika, we were served beef tongue (RM25.90), chicken (RM12.90), squid (RM14.90), assorted mushrooms and different cuts such as karubi (RM25.90), harami (RM18.90), Wagyu karubi, and Wagyu Tenderloin.

We also sampled new items on the menu cool tongue (RM8.90), beef croquette (RM9.90), summer berry salad (RM8.90) and miso soup (RM8.90).

I loved the assorted mushrooms, which were flavourful.

The barbecued chicken was good enough to be enjoyed on its own while I sampled the squid with the tare sauce and spicy sauce.

My colleague Lay Phon enjoyed the barbecued beef, which she said had a “melt in your mouth texture”.

Fried Red Bean Banana

For dessert we were served Fried Red Bean Banana (RM9.90), a new addition to the dessert selection.

It is akin to banana fritters but instead of being coated in flour, it is fried in popiah skin.

I also tried the Calpis Soda, a Japanese soft drink with a slightly acidic flavour that is somewhat similar to yoghurt.

According to food and beverage manager Simon Varughese, the salmon was imported from Norway, scallops from Europe and spices, sauces and squid from Japan; prawns were sourced locally.

The restaurant seats 52 pax.

This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by Star Metro.