Japanese food to me is one of the great cuisines in the world.  As this blog says I love food.  There is no cuisine that I really dislike.  And honestly I’d pretty much eat any style of food, though I am pretty choosy with what I might actually eat. However if anyone suggest Japanese food, I’m pretty much there right away.

Japanese food is pretty hard to screw up, unless you are the Japanese stall in the Pasir Ris hawker centre by Wild Wild Wet in Singapore, where the simple task of a chicken teriyaki is atrocious (teriyaki sauce was clear (major red flag!). Lots of places get it right, but few get it perfect.  And by perfect I do mean that brilliant balance between, traditional and modernity. Between taste and look.  Where food is an artform, waiting to be devoured.

Yuzu is one of those places. Tucked in a corner in The Gardens mall in Kuala Lumpur, Yuzu is one of those places.  The staff are courteous, the decor is brilliant and food here is excellent.  They certainly have that nice touch where everything that comes out is a thing of beauty. You almost want to spend a bit of time looking at it but your mouth will start watering so much that you just have to pick up your chopsticks and eat it.

This places oozes charm and is just a wonderful setting.  Filled with lots of wooden structures and wide open spaces, it doesn’t feel crowded at all.  Everywhere you look you see people smiling and enjoying themselves and one whiff of the air, instantly galvanises the senses and rumbles your tummy

The moment you sit down, a very polite waiter hands you the menu and you are instantly drawn in by the photos of food and have begun the steps of antisocial behavior one associates with a really starved human being. But it’s cause everything looks so darn good! We were two people that day but that didn’t stop us from ordering waaay too much food. I just had to try as much as I could and my company was just as obliging.

Shrimp Tempura: Many places over batter and deep fry the tempura and you lose a lot of the flavour however Yuzu keeps theirs lightly battered, very fresh and very sweet. This was done perfectly.

Grilled Beef: I’ve seen this dish done many times, and it’s hard to get right. Gotta make sure the beef is not over cooked. This was done just right, but we had to eat it fast, cause it was starting to get overcooked. My one complain was that the beef didn’t have that much flavor but its quality was brilliant.

Scallops: Grilled with a bit of wine and butter and baked with some cheese. This was so tasty. So subtle but the flavor was an explosion in your mouth. The sauce is drinkable and you will want more afterwards.

Grilled Chicken:  The same as the beef, this one had a bit more sauce to it and it was brilliant.  It had more of a flavour and the meat was incredibly tender. I’m not a huge fan of chicken breasts, but this one was awesome. If you kept it cooking on the stone, it would have been just as tender but it disappeared pretty quickly. There might have been a fight over the last piece.

We couldn’t get away without trying some of their special rolls that sounded so good, so we got two, and though it upped our full meter a bit, but it was well worth the effort.  I would have had more if i didn’t have the desire to also try other things. On the left we had a Eel and I believe Tuna Roll, while on the right we had a Soft Shelled Crab Roll.

And to top it off we decided to go for some cold Udon Noodles. Now I am not usually  really into them cause they are a lot more filling than their dark green cousin the Soba noodles, but these looked too good to pass off. The sauce was a little salty but the raw quail egg and the delicate nature of the noodles was brilliant.  Not too thick and not too filling. A fitting way to end the meal.

Yuzu get’s a right.  This is the type of place, where you woo that client, bring that girl or where Japanese business men go to get their fix of sake and food. And it’s surprisingly reasonable and very comfortable.  Attention to detail, presentation, quality and taste here are second to none. Whether its fine dining or casual eating, look no further.

Jon

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