Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Starting the Year Healthy - Kirishima Japanese at Dua Annexe KL

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No.. we did not leave our brains at the door...


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We are back!



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First week of work after the long break is always the hardest... First run of the first week after the long break, is also, always the hardest. Since we survived the first couple of days of work as well as our first run of the year, we decided to have some Japanese for dinner, seeing as Japanese cuizine is known to promote good health and long life.

Kirishima at Dua Annexe on Jalan Tun Razak is pretty new. We noticed it when we passed Dua Annexe, on the way to KLCC late last year. It was a rather well dressed lady in a Kimono (japanese clogs and all) who caught Cumi's eye. As she shuffled past the Annexe, Cumi commented that he suspected the food might be decent, if authentically clad kimono ladies live at the Dua Residency.
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Just 900 metres and 10 minutes’ walk from the Petronas Twin Towers, Dua Residency on Jalan Tun Razak sits on the south side of the Singapore High Commission. This modern contemporary luxury apartment ranging between 2000 square feet to 6000 square feet , can cost anything between RM1.6 – 5.6 million ! Wow.. the food they serve here better be good!

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Soft Shell Crab Salad - RM18.00

The first dish to arrive was the soft shell crab salad. Small portions with shriveled tomatoes failed to impress us. The dressing was plain and uninteresting. Isn't salad supposed to be one of the easiest, hassle free dishes to prepare?


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Oyako Temaki - RM9.00
Salmon skin Temaki - RM6.00

The hand rolls were average and according to our guests, the salmon skin was minute and hardly enough stuffing filled the roll to give a person one, good, hearty bite. (photo is deceiving we know!)

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Wagyu Foie gras Enoki - RM38.00

When I first saw the price, I jumped! Only just RM38 for Wagyu Foie gras Enoki... four pieces as well... where's the catch?

Well, this dish disappointed me the most because my expectations were high and I was really looking forward to sinking my teeth into it.

Foie gras.. ? What foie gras.. ? Our guests debated.. is it in the sauce..? in the garnishing? What?
We call the waitress. She assures us - it is IN THE ROLL.
(What can we say... If we have to ask ...hmmm.. )

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Sashimi set - RM35.10
The sashimi set was average, and laid out on too big a serving tray, making it look sparse and uninteresting.

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Unagi Roll - RM26.00

The Unagi Roll was uneventful.

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Kobe Beef Steak -RM88.00 per 700 gram

Enter the Steak. This tiny slab of meat was good, but from the price you can tell that this was not prime cut Kobe beef. Our guests loved it for sure! I could not complain. The flavour was subtly beefy and lightly marinated so as not to obscure the intrinsic taste of that soft juicy red meat. The texture was good, but with hardly enough marbling, so it did not melt in your mouth. I always feel that if you have to chew the beef more than three times, it is not great kobe beef (This cow needed more Asahi beer, Thai massages and chill out Café del Mar music to listen to:P)

Anyway, if you would like to read about my ultimate Kobe beef experience (as in Kobe beef eaten in Kobe, Japan), kindly look here or here !

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Saba Shioyaki - RM15.00

The Saba Shioyaki was the saving grace of the entire meal. Sweet and fresh, all it needed was a dash of salt and some pepper. It went prefect with a fluffy bowl of Japanese white rice! Delicious.
Sometimes, the less they do to the food, the better it tastes. Know what I mean?

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Inaniwa Udon-RM22.00

Look at the price on those tiny swirls of noodles! lol.. it's imported , ok! (Never mind the fact that it looks like the Pad Thai noodle you can get anywhere by the roadside in Thailand for like 50 cents or something.. :P)

Anyway, the Udon on ice was suprisingly good in its simplicity! Dunking it into the Wasabi saturated soya sauce and slurping it up in one swift drag.. i start to see the world through new,misty eyes... oh, yea... the world has become a much better place for sure. (That, as well as the whole load of sake we consumed.. and could not even finish..)

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Edamame - On the house.

As we struggled to finish the Sake we had Edamame. (Well, beer goes with peanuts like how Sake goes with Edamame.. no?)

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Oozaki Kinkan sake 1.8L - RM160.00

Fin.


Other Reviews on Kirishima:
masak-masak



Address:
Kirishima Japanese Restaurant,
Lot 1.2, First Floor, Dua Annexe,
No. 211 Jalan Tun Razak,
50400 KL
Tel: 03 2162 8127


Food:4/10
Service:4/10 (many rookie staff)
MSG level: low
Salt levels:low


23 comments:

Precious Pea said...

Is the Sony new model camera you using?

D-Knight said...

aiyer...so disappointing..

is it rm88 for 700gm!!??? THATS CHEAP LA...i suppose its 100gm..eventhough its a rather thin cow..

so where was the foie gras???

worldwindows said...

Kobe beef at RM88 per 700g is very cheap!

J2Kfm said...

sounds... bad. expensive yet tasteless? the meal would've bought you guys fine dining meal, no?

LOL to the inaniwa udon=pad thai comparison. =P

Anonymous said...

Gosh food seems so presentable and with Kobe beef, your rating is on 4/10? it's failo!

HairyBerry said...

cows listen to cafe del mar??? OMG! now i feel like a cow...

moomoomoomoo! hehehe...

welcome back, C&C! ;)

Anonymous said...

"What can we say... If we have to ask ...hmmm.."

Exactly. But it looks like you two had fun anyway, and that's what matters no?

I especially like your comments on the Udon on Ice... Isn't that what the Japanese do best? Simplicity? But with the best and freshest ingredients possible?

... well, in theory lah... :P

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

eh must hav commented using my brother or sister a/c..shiki is me yeah hahahaa...

Anonymous said...

lol on your comment on the rock salt lamps looking like brains. i was excited about the wagyu foie gras enoki handroll too but seems like it's not worth trying huh?

Ciki said...

Pea:
No, it's 3years old!

Shiki aka joe:
Yea cheaper coz not grade A.
The FG was in the roll, somewhere..but we couldn't really taste/feel it. we did inform the waitress so if u go next, hopefully they wld hv improved it

Ciki said...

Worldwindows:
Yea, not a bad price for sure!

J2kfm:
agree about the price. Funny how something called by a fancy name/eaten in a fancy place can fetch a different price

Jencooks:
there's room for improvement here, for sure

Ciki said...

nic:
thank u and welcome bk2u2! Moooo...!

Lfb:
Simple yet effective 4sure..

Jasmine:
Ya, me too.. :(

the lamps were cool!

fatboybakes said...

FINAHLLY! great pics... hey, quite reasonably priced hor, for such an uppity place.

boo_licious said...

Welcome back! Now I know what to avoid! No Kobe for me. I reckon I need to go buy my own Wagyu since I know it is grade 9 stuff I am getting and certified. But it is really weird, I ate at Yuzu (their sister restaurant) on New Year's day and food quality has dropped tremendously there.

minchow said...

Back with a bang! Foie gras, albeit hidden, associated with healthy eating, surely promises a year of vigorous eats!

Ciki said...

Fbb:
Yea.. Finally! Glad to be back too.. Ths week's been busy, who's week hsnt been right? ;)
Arrrgh, need to recharge.. Need CAKE! HAHA

Boo:
thank u! Pls share ur wagyu supplier la.. Haha.. Share the love..

Faith:
Lol.. Here's to a vigorous year of eats then!

backStreetGluttons said...

Just goes to show even in thousand year old clogs they mustn't screw around with long distance seasoned palates perfectly tuned & cut corners for tho the pictures are ever so refreshing appetising , the proof must come from C & C of which they unfortunately din not make the cut ! viva la Malaysia !

Big Boys Oven said...

hahahahahh! written with such a hounmour, welcome back and it's 2009 already! Happy New Year & 'Gong Xi Fatt Chai!

Sounds like an expensive outing with moderate taste satisfaction! guess they have to beef up a bit!

Tummythoz said...

Yeah. Your pictures are soo deceiving. Don't go with your disappointed words at all.

Ciki said...

Bsg:
Thousand year old clogs! lol.. kimono lady looked younger though;)

Bbo:
Beef up or ship out!

Tummythoz:
Good camera can do wonders;p

wmw said...

Happy New Year....to abundant happy meals in 2009!

Anonymous said...

wahh!! bloody expensive for my pocket -.-"

but looks very inviting though ^.^

still not sure if it's worth to try or not.. hurmm maybe :)


thks 4 sharing nyway :)

Ciki said...

wmw:
same 2u sweetie!

val:
u r welcome, and thx for stopping by!