Sushi Azabu, Kuala Lumpur

Something exciting is cooking (get the pun?) on Level 4 of Isetan Lot 10. They have gathered five excellent Japanese restaurants which represent various aspects of Washoku (Japanese cuisine) namely, sushi, yakiniku, tonkatsu and chicken hotpot.  Perhaps the most exciting news is that, among these 5 restaurants is the KL branch of one Michelin starred Sushi Azabu from New York.  Yay!  KL gets “one more Michelin”.

Discreet, sober and low-key,  this is the kind of decor I like best.  They didn’t spend an obscene amount on the decor and then had to resort to selling overpriced rubbishy “cuisine” in order to make a profit.  Instead,  the quiet interior, consisting of mainly a neutral tan colour, whispers that the emphasis here is on truly quality cuisine.  Now,  that is accurate advertising.

Dining here, besides a la carte, you have  three types of set menus to choose from:

Koi – RM 120, an appetiser, 10 pieces of nigiri sushi and miso soup;

Azabu – RM 220, an appetiser, two types of sashimi, chawan mushi, palate cleanser, seven pieces of nigiri sushi, maki mono, miso soup and dessert;

Omakase – RM 420 .

You can of course choose to enjoy sake pairing at additional cost of RM$100

My adventure of the evening  started with a glass of Umeshu (plum wine). The Umeshu is light, sweet and ice-cold.  It calmed me down from a frantic afternoon running about KL and whetted my appetite for more.

Next up was the appetizer – cold tofu with crab meat.  Delicately presented,  delicate in taste.  I love that this is not one of those mass-market rubbish surviving on “shock and awe” tactics.  I loved that appreciating this dish forced me into a quieter state of mind.

Then came a gigantic Rock Oyster from the Busen Sea of Kyushu.  This sea is reputed to produce the best oysters in the world.  As with the tofu before,  this dish wows with its thoughtful simplicity. A dash of ponzu sauce,  a twig of salmon roe, spring onion and the natural briny, metallic flavour of the oyster come together in perfect harmony.

The sashimi course was simply but elegantly presented.  It paired excellently with Amanoto sake (fragrant on the nose, with hint of lychee and clear of rice taste.  Texture is soft and good pairing with white fish).

The Chawanmushi was delightfully creamy and savoury.  A special touch was that it had white fish and gingko nuts in it, providing special texture to it.

Then came the palate refresher.  This restaurant doesn’t need some “manufactured” sorbet to impress.  It self-assuredly revels in its down to earth goodness.  A firm, blood-red cherry tomato with quality salt does the job better then flashier alternatives.

After the palate refresher, we enter the “main course’ of the evening —– 7 pieces of Nigiri.  This quietly self-assured 40-seater restaurant serves traditional Edo-mae (Tokyo-style) sushi.  This style of sushi-making emphasises the simple and traditional way of preparing sushi.

I had the best seat in the house, right in front of Chef Toshihide Terado.  Watching him work, I felt I understood what mastery is.  His hands go beyond deft; his knifemanship goes beyond precise.  It was humbling, more than enlightening. Chef Terado first presses and moulds the rice in his hands.  Then he presses wasabi into the rice.  Next, the fish is layered on and he brushes a coat of nikiri onto the fish before presenting straight onto my elegant serving plate.  No extra sauces or wasabi is needed.

Before dining here, I have of course heard of Japanese restaurants scoring Michelin stars based on the merits of their sushi alone.  There was always a part of me which couldn’t quite empathise how the humble sushi could incite such gastronomic exaltation to award it a Michelin star.  Dining here, I understood it down to my cellular level.

Hotate sushi

The topped of the sushi is speckled with grated lime rind!  It was out of this world and my favourite of the 7 pieces.  The grated lime rind was totally unexpected and didn’t just push this sushi to the next level.  It took it into space!

Sweet Ebi sushi

Sea Urchin sushi

3 types of sea urchin with 3 levels of intensity of flavour— light, medium, intense.  It is advised you go from light to intense to best appreciate the taste.

Rolled Sushi

Miso soup with a shrimp head.  This is flavourful with the miso flavour and shrimp broth flavour in equal parts.

Quiet star quality that sees no need to shout to the whole world about itself, that’s what you get here.

If you still have room,  you can try the hugely popular cheese cake of their sister restaurant, The Tokyo Restaurant, next door.  I was told they sell over 1000 slices of this cake per day on weekends.  Wow!

 

Sushi Azabu
The Table @ ISETAN The Japan Store
Lot 10, 50 Jalan Sultan Ismail
Bukit Bintang, 50250 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
+60 3-2119 2624
Open: 11am–3pm, 6pm –11pm