The following places still pour plenty of booze, but also serve everything from perfectly charred chicken skewers to hearty rice bowls perfect as a late-night grub.
Photo By: Burppler Amayzing
RokuNana is a fun new place to go for Japanese dining and drinking. Its concentration is on spirits, but the food is no less impressive, with head chef Vincent Lai bringing two decades of experience to the table.
RokuNana's yakitori is particularly intriguing, with a focus on texture, resulting in some of KL's most exquisitely moist chicken skewers (RM8 for the liver; RM10 for bonjiri). Sashimi and sushi, as well as Japanese wagyu beef seasoned with Sarawak's Bario salt, are all probable highlights.
RokuNana is a sake sanctuary with plenty of temptations for believers, including certain labels that may not be accessible anywhere else in Malaysia. The Takijiman Ginjo (RM116 for 300ml) was a wonderful, light-bodied match with a fruit-forward vibrancy.
The elaborately adorned environment with Japanese-influenced ornaments such as posters, dish names written in Japanese, sake bottles, lanterns, and curtains will undoubtedly transport you to one of Japan's Izakaya restaurants.
The rice bowl was completely coated in glistening grilled pork, which was well charred and had an attractive smokey aroma. Sesame seeds were sprinkled on top to finish the dish. When biting into the thinly sliced pork, one gets a great dose of spice and sweetness from the sweet caramelised handmade teriyaki style barbecue sauce. The sauce blended really well with the Japanese rice below, and it's definitely a meal that will fill you up.
Photo By: Yoshifuku Japanese Dining Instagram
Yoshifuku, which is surrounded by a beautiful garden courtyard, is a tranquil setting for savouring the creations of an Osaka-born executive chef.
The entire dinner is made up of the delicate, milky-creamy cod milt, which is served in a variety of ways, including wonderfully fresh with a dash of ponzu, softly grilled with teriyaki sauce, in a warming soup with radish, and gently fried tempura-style and served on sushi.
Photo By : Burpple Guide
Peko Peko satisfies Japanese food desires with a wide range of audience favourites: Start with guilty-pleasure deep-fried snacks like battered chicken skin with a savoury crunch (RM6) and soft-shell crab with onsen tamago for a runny-yolked dip (RM26), then share sushi platters like ball-shaped temari topped with tuna, salmon, shrimp, surf clam, and yellowtail (RM28) and maki with lightly torched salmon, ikura, and mentaiko sauce (RM11) (RM29). You won't be thirsty with this smooth cold sake (RM30 per tokkuri).
Photo By: Yakitori Syukudo Yae Instagram
Step into Yakitori Syokudo Yae and be taken to its founder's hometown of Daisen in Akita Prefecture, with sights, sounds, and fragrances that provide this restaurant, which has just been open for six months in Jaya One, a true Japanese attraction.
Yakitori Syokudo Yae embodies the laid-back vibe of a syokudo, a mom-and-pop cafeteria that serves a wide range of reasonably priced Japanese foods. Yakitori Syokudo Yae stands true to its name, with a menu that includes both traditional favourites and hard-to-find specialties kiritanpo and duck wing kushiyaki.