MIGF 2015 Review – Minori Japanese Restaurant

[MIGF Special]

Minori means “harvest” and Minori Japanese Restaurant located at the Royale Chulan Damansara Hotel believes in taking time and great care when it comes to creating authentic Japanese cuisine, just as a farmer patiently grows a bountiful harvest from a handful of seeds.

The restaurant offers fine, authentic Japanese fare with over 250 authentic dishes in a warm, rustic setting complete with contemporary details. Apart from dining at the tables, customers may also opt to dine at the sushi bar which is crafted from solid stone. Be inspired by our unique house specials and exquisite Chef recommendations.

The restaurant has a nice warm interior with a sushi bar in front and tables at the back. There's also a private room at the side which can accommodate roughly 20 pax. — The restaurant has a nice warm interior with a sushi bar in front and tables at the back. There’s also a private room at the side which can accommodate roughly 20 pax.

12140994_10154208086070278_2982095713658935397_o — Sit at the sushi bar to watch the chefs in action!

It is the restaurant's third year participating in the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival and they have picked up quite a number of MIGF award in the past two (2) years! — It is the restaurant’s third year participating in the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival and they have picked up quite a number of MIGF awards in the past two (2) years!

Chef Takahiro specialises in the kappou or counter-style of Japanese cooking where the chef cooks or prepares the food close to the diners. He's a very friendly person and speaks fluent English due to his time spent in Singapore prior to coming to Malaysia. — Chef Takahiro specialises in the kappou or counter-style of Japanese cooking where the chef cooks or prepares the food close to the diners. He’s a very friendly person and speaks fluent English due to his time spent in Singapore prior to coming to Malaysia.

Below is a look at the full festival menu with wine and sake pairing. Kindly note that as I was dining with my partner in crime, some photos (such as the appetizer, and sashimi depict two (2) portions instead of one).

Full Festival Menu

Appetizer

12094752_10154208086575278_5086035991350393699_o — 2 portions of the appetizer

Fresh Mango mixed with Organic Tofu Paste

Simmered White Radish topped with Minced Chicken

Fresh Mango mixed with Organic Tofu Paste

Prawn served with Avocado Paste

Simmered White Radish topped with Minced Chicken

(Paired with Red Wine)

Wow! What a start! The mixture of flavours and textures were simply astounding. The prawn with the creamy avocado paste was my favourite while the mango with organic tofu was very refreshing! The minced chicken was very flavourful and was topped with super thin strands of Japanese chilli!

Signature

Foie Gras Chawanmushi

Seaweed Glass Noodles served In Soba Style

(Paired With Red Wine)

This was one heck of an unusual but nevertheless delicious dish! The foie gras went surprisingly well with the smooth chawanmushi, and preventing the dish from being overwhelmingly rich was the “fake glass noodles” which were actually thin strands of refreshing cucumber masquerading as noodles! Now I can’t eat normal chawanmushi without thinking of this strange but deliciously wonderful dish.

Sashimi Festival Style

12095018_10154208088050278_3929159308250678120_o — 2 portions of the Sashimi Festival Style

Fresh Bluefin Tuna Dressed With Tofu Skin Sauce

Marinated Red Snapper Served With Sheets Of Kelp

Fresh Salmon & Ikura Mixed With Fresh Cubed Orange

(Paired With Sake)

This was unlike any sashimi I’ve eaten previously but Chef Takahiro said that it is traditional Japanese style. Instead of the normal thick slices of raw fish, the fish was cut into bite size cubes then mixed with other ingredients. My favourite was the salmon and roe which were paired with orange cubes and ladies fingers! An odd combination that worked remarkably well! The tuna and snapper were also very fresh and a delight to eat! This dish is a medley of different flavours and textures that was like a little gastronomic journey within the MIGF menu!

Main Course

Grilled Marinated Soy Paste White Tuna

“Chimaki” Style Unagi Sushi

Deep Fried Scallop Fish Cake Rolled with Corn

Grilled Sesame Tofu Dressed with Sesame Sauce

(Paired with Sake)

I was happy to see so many of my favourite ingredients in the main course. The tuna was delicious and perfectly cooked, the sesame tofu had a really interesting texture while the grilled unagi was simply wonderful! The surprise was the scallop cake which was actually encased in corn! Talk about an interesting mix of textures when you bite into it! Nothing too fancy schmancy about this dish (except the remarkable scallop cake), just ingredients cooked to perfection! You know what they say – sometimes less is more and it’s so true in this case!

Dessert

Collagen Mochi - a favourite among females! — Collagen Mochi – a favourite among females!

Cut the collagen into small bite size cubes then mix it well with the peanut powder and syrup making it mochi! — Cut the collagen into small bite size cubes then mix it well with the soy powder and what we think is honey (although chef said it was “Japanese gula Melaka” ha ha!) making it into mochi!

After mixing the ingredients together! It definitely looks more like mochi now.

Collagen Mochi

A firm favourite among the ladies!

Full Festival Menu Price

Rm350+ Per Person with Sake & 1 Glass Of Red Wine

Rm250+ Per Person without Sake & Red Wine

Minori also has a Light Festival Menu available with and without wine and sake pairing.

Light Festival Menu

Appetizer

Fresh Mango mixed with Organic Tofu Paste

Crispy Fried Prawn served with Avocado Paste

Simmered White Radish topped with Minced Chicken

(Paired with Red Wine)

Signature

Foie Gras Chawanmushi

Seaweed Glass Noodles served in Soba Style

(Paired with Red Wine)

Main Course

Grilled Marinated Soy Paste White Tuna

“Chimaki” Style Unagi Sushi

Deep Fried Scallop Fish Cake rolled with Corn

(Paired with Sake)

Dessert

Collagen Mochi

Light Festival Menu Price

Rm300+ Per Person with Sake & 1 Glass Of Red Wine

Rm200+ Per Person without Sake & Red Wine

12079803_10154208088925278_6813655333467173211_o — The restaurant also let us try their Teriyaki Cod Fish which was just perfectly cooked and indeed one of the best teriyaki cod fish I’ve ever eaten. Crispy skin and tender and juicy flesh coupled with the sweet and savoury teriyaki sauce made this a truly delicious dish! (This dish is NOT part of the special MIGF menu)

Us with Chef Takahiro and Operations Manager Tony Wong

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the MIGF menu at Minori but I must say that my expectations were far exceeded and we were really very impressed with the meal. Definitely a departure from the “normal” Japanese cuisine that we’re used to having. From the use of traditional Japanese ingredients paired with local ingredients like mangoes, cooked with finesse, and presented in such a pretty manner that we actually took a while to admire each course.

I think the sake could have gone with all the dishes as it was slightly sweet with hints of dryness which made it possible to pair with all the dishes. My recommendation is to order the meal WITHOUT wine pairing then add on a nice big bottle of sake to go along with the meal!

Minori Japanese Restaurant is located at:

1st Floor, The Royale Chulan Damansara Hotel,

No.2, Jalan PJU 7/3,

Mutiara Damansara,

47810 Petaling Jaya,

Selangor, Malaysia.

Telephone: +03 7959 9099

Website: http://www.minori.com.my/

Photos shot with the Leica C. Read more about it at https://timchew.net/2013/11/19/leica-c-launch-with-malaysias-hottest-bloggers/