Food review: Tatsu Japanese Cuisine’s brand of omakase is made for curious diners

When conversing about omakase dining, what often comes to mind is usually a series of sashimi and nigiri sushi. Perhaps even a rice dish, a handful of grilled objects, or an assortment of tempura. At Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur’s Tatsu Japanese Cuisine, nonetheless, I found out that matters are rather various.

Helmed by Head Chef Tommy Kuan Before long Seng, the 147-seater restaurant offers a bold, fashionable strategy to Japanese delicacies that demonstrates the chef’s adventurous cooking style. Armed with extra than two many years of culinary working experience, Chef Tommy has earlier honed his knife competencies operating in the kitchens of Nadaman Japanese Cafe, Iketeru Japanese Restaurant and Benkay Japanese Restaurant before signing up for Tatsu in 2015.

You are going to get that perception of up to date Japanese dining the second you step into the restaurant on the 1st floor of the resort. Darkish timber furnishings spend homage to a traditional Japanese placing, contrasted from present day seats adorned with floral pillows and delicate azure accents all over the airy place. There is also an personal sushi counter as well as a private sake bar for those people who prefer much more privateness even though eating right here.

In legitimate omakase trend, I remaining the menu fully up to Chef Tommy all through my pay a visit to to savour his interpretations of the greatest ingredients he experienced to offer. Go through on for an inkling of what to count on from the 6-program omakase practical experience at Tatsu Japanese Cuisine.

My dinner kicked off with an appetiser of ebi senbei (shrimp crackers) served with Australian caviar and tobiko sauce. This quickly struck me as a little something opposite to the type of omakase dining I’m made use of to, which stored me intrigued through the meal. On its personal, the caviar leaned on the saltier aspect but when eaten with each other with the ebi, the normal sweetness of the prawn well balanced the flavours out.

Up coming was a much more familiar sashimi platter, comprising tai (sea bream), botan ebi (shrimp), and kampachi (amberjack). All a few seafood dishes tasted as new as you’d be expecting, supplied that the restaurant regularly imports its ingredients straight from Tokyo’s Tsukiji industry. The botan ebi was my favourite of the trio, presenting sweet, clean flavours and a great business texture.

The third course arrived as an intriguing surprise simply because I experienced never ever tried out goose barnacles (at times referred to as ‘turtle hand’) prior to. Served with abalone in a heat bowl of hamaguri suimono (crystal clear clam soup), the intimidating crustacean truly tasted very very similar to smooth-shell clams. The broth was imbued with solid flavours of the sea many thanks to its contents, but the light-weight, clear consistency created it comforting to sip on in in between the morsels of seafood.

Ahead of relocating on to the subsequent system, I was served a generous bowl of chawanmushi, which comes complimentary with each individual omakase food at Tatsu. And by generous, I indicate it was the largest serving of the egg custard dish that I have ever had in my lifestyle. Designed with mushrooms, gingko, fish, prawns, and chicken, this dish proved a comforting intermission from all the seafood flavours.

Up following was one more surprising grilled tsubayaki dish, served with apparent broth in its giant shell that has been stuffed with leek. Arriving on a classic Japanese grill, this dish was a showstopper in its have ideal. The flesh tasted clean and mildly sweet, with a firm, chewy texture. On the other hand, the broth supplied potent, onion-like aromas of leek that paired well with the molusc.

The main program arrived in the kind of a grilled oni kasago fish, a seasonal capture through summer in Japan. To my shock, the portion could conveniently feed two or a few persons. Chef Tommy spelled out that the fish is simmered in in a sauce created of sake, mirin, sugar, and soy sauce—also identified as sakana no nitsuke in Japanese. The end result was a blend of sweet and umami nuances that ended the savoury aspect of the food on a punchy observe.

Rounding off the food was a platter of musk melon (delightfully sweet and juicy), akebawa mochi (delicate and beany), and daifuku (not also sweet or chewy—just the way I like it). Over-all, Tatsu Japanese Cuisine’s manufacturer of omakase is not for those people who favor standard classic Japanese delicacies (you can purchase all those off the a la carte menu as an alternative) but if you like surprises, you’re in for a address. 

The Tatsu Omakase menu is readily available daily for lunch and dinner, priced from RM688+. For reservations and enquiries, call +603 2783 6000 or electronic mail [email protected].

Handle: 165, Jln Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, 55000 Kuala Lumpur

Opening hours: 11.30am to 2.30pm (lunch), 6.30pm to 10.30pm (supper)

Get hold of: +603 2783 6000

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