IZAKAYA ICHIBAN,
Lot P-3M, Plaza Ground Floor,
Hartamas Shopping Centre,
60 Jalan Sri Hartamas 1,
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-6201 5905
Business hours: Mon-Sat (noon-3pm, 6pm-11pm),
Sundays and public holidays (noon-3.30pm, 5.30pm-10.30pm)
THE working population in Japan enjoys a quick drink with friends after work at small establishments called izakaya and Malaysians too can do the same at Izakaya Ichiban.
“When they get off work, they would stop at an izakaya to have a drink of sake or shochu with small orders of snacks like tempura or grilled skewered meats,” said 51-year-old owner Koichi Ono who has stayed in Malaysia for about 20 years.
“These stalls would usually be packed with people and some would even be standing. That is why we want to introduce that concept here,” he said.
The restaurant offers a variety of grilled skewers that complements a drinking session, among them the Gyu Enoki Roll (straw mushrooms wrapped in sliced beef), Yakitori (chicken pieces) and Tsukune (chicken balls).
There were also appetisers that would go well with a cold glass of shochu, or plum wine, like the Kawari Hiyayakko (cold tofu with mushrooms in a miso paste sauce), the Hotate Cheese Yaki (scallop and mushrooms grilled with cheese) and the Ebi Mayo Yaki (grilled prawn with mayonnaise sauce).
The cold tofu was tasty and light, with the miso sauce giving it a nice flavour and mushrooms adding texture.
Besides the individual rooms and tables for the izakaya, there was also a conveyor belt in the middle of the restaurant with regular sushi items.
Crispy treat: The Tempura Maki consist of a tempura prawn maki roll which is deep-fried again before being cut and served.
“Our restaurant is suited for families and children. We have a range of main courses including sashimi and bento sets,” said Ono.
He recommended the Ichiban Bento Set, which came with servings of salad, chawan mushi, assorted sashimi, tempura, inari sushi, grilled unagi and mixed fruits.
The set would be good for those who want to try a bit of everything or those in a small group who wants to share.
He also recommended the My Favourite maki roll, which has unagi, salmon, prawn tempura and tobiko.
He said another popular item was the Tempura Maki, which was wrapped with a tempura prawn.
A bit of everything: The Ichiban Bento Set consists of items like sashimi, salad, chawan mushi,tempura and grilled unagi.
The whole piece of maki roll is then deep-fried again to give it a nice crispy coating.
While they have a selection of popular hand-roll sushis, Ono said they would be introducing the new Maki Maki rolls, where the rice and filling would be served with the sheet of seaweed still in a plastic wrap.
“That way, they can unwrap the seaweed and roll the rice just before they eat it so the seaweed is fresh and crispy,” he said.
With a variety of rice fillings priced between RM3.90 and RM5.90, the hand rolls also make for a convenient takeaway snack.
Among them were the Salmon Maki Maki which had bits of salmon in the savoury rice while the Ocha Maki Maki had a green tea flavoured rice with bits of sweet potato which added to the flavour.
Meat on sticks:There is a wide variety of grilled skewers like(from front) the Gyu Enoki Roll,Yakitori and Tsukune.
Ono said they would also be introducing a kids’ menu with items arranged in a fun way for children.
“We are also coming up with a weekend buffet where people can order from a menu when they want it instead of taking the food items from a buffet spread.
“Those who are adventurous can also go for the omakase concept, where the chef would surprise them with a creation based on a price that they have decided on,” he said.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
