Kaiseki Dinner at Yamaguchi Fish Market

[Food Review]

Rachel and I headed over to Yamaguchi Fish Market in Kuala Lumpur recently to try out their new Kaiseki (懐石) dinner which is a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner. I attended the official launch of Yamaguchi Fish Market last year which you can read here – https://timchew.net/2015/12/15/launch-of-yamaguchi-fish-market/

Ever since the launch, I’ve been itching to try the fare at Yamaguchi Fish Market which is located in the same compound as Caffeinees/ Black Market near the Kampung Pandan roundabout in downtown Kuala Lumpur.

So I was pretty excited to head over to try the seasonal “kaiseki” dinner there. Kaiseki Japanese cuisine is known for its meticulous preparation, beautiful presentation and refers to the collection of skills and techniques that allow the preparation of such meals. Each kaiseki meal is the creation of a master chef, and in the case of Yamaguchi Fish Market, by Master Chef Tanabe. Yamaguchi’s Master Chef Tanabe, is one of the most experienced Japanese chefs in Malaysia, first starting out here back in 1974 as the Head Chef in Hotel Equatorial.

Chef Tanabe’s Japanese cuisine focuses on food quality and delicate presentation in his dishes, and is well recognised in the local industry for his skills, creativity and innovation in Japanese cuisine.

12967478_10154671726420278_4639909965564474747_o — We took the opportunity to explore the outlet before dinner was served, marvelling at the wide variety of live seafood in the tanks

12971027_10154671726485278_732383371328391678_o — We also visited the wine cellar to pick out a soju to go along with our meal

12967470_10154671723555278_33950112526338147_o — A very easy soju, slightly dry but went very well with seafood

APPETIZER

Poached prawn with kiwi fruit

Sayori (Needlefish) with moromiso mayo (a condiment featuring a type of Japanese miso)

Fresh oyster with home made cucumber spicy sauce

Well what a way to start off the meal! Chef Tanabe explained that this seasonal menu featured lots of seafood as it was at the tail-end of winter in Japan and thus a lot of the sea creatures had fat stored for the cold climate making them extra delicious.

Loved the whole combination of the lightly poached prawn with the kiwi fruit, the flesh of the plump and juicy prawn went well with the acidity of the kiwi fruit. The sauce with the oyster was not too spicy but added a nice dimension to it. The element I found most interesting in this dish was the needlefish served with the moromiso mayo. Interesting combination of flavours that left us wanting more. And more was to come…

SASHIMI – Chutoro (medium fatty tuna), Hotate (scallop) and Houbou (blue fin robin)

Thick slices of sashimi and scallops with fresh wasabi. An absolute delight to eat! It was my first time eating the houbou which is best consumed during winter/ early spring thanks to the high fat content of the fish during those seasons.

Look at that thick slice of chutoro!

SIMMER – Uni Tofu

This was somewhat of a fusion dish with creamy cheese topping the firm but soft tofu underneath while the seaweed on top added some extra savouriness to the dish. A lovely and hearty dish that was perfect for the rainy evening.

12973267_10154671725880278_7622641789513049282_o — Lovely texture!

Hokkaido Scallops Cooked with Miso Butter Sauce

This dish takes the cake for best presentation of the night. The scallops were served atop a huge shell and left to simmer until cooked. I absolutely love scallops and the miso butter sauce was a great accompaniment to them!

GRILLED – Ocean Trout Belly Grilled with Salt

These were juicy and fresh and I loved the slight char on the fish and the crispy skin! Can’t help thinking that these would go great with some Japanese draught beer!

MAIN COURSE – Nigiri – Chutoro , Amaebi (sweet shrimp), Kampachi

A lovely trio of sushi. The chutoro (and kiwi fruit!) makes an appearance again this time with amaebi or sweet shrimp, and kampachi which is in the same family as the yellowtail. Delicate yet flavourful at the same time with the slightly tart sushi rice topped with the different types of seafood.

Akadashi Miso Soup

A very flavourful soup made with the black miso paste. There were even chunks of fish inside and other ingredients like mushrooms which made the broth oh so sweet!

DESSERT – Mix fruits

Some healthy fresh fruits to end the meal.

Wow! What a meal! Definitely not your average Japanese meal and one I think would be great to celebrate a special occasion such as birthdays or anniversaries or perhaps to impress a new love interest… It’ll definitely be a memorable one. After dinner, head upstairs to enjoy the live band over some drinks/ wine.

The special kaiseki dinner at Yamaguchi Fish Market is priced at RM180.00++ per pax and prior reservations are required.

Yamaguchi Fish Market is located at:

16, Jalan Kampung Pandan,

55000 Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia.

(same compound as Caffeinees and Black Market)

Telephone: 012-268 2816

More info at https://www.facebook.com/YamaguchiFishMarket/

After dinner, we headed upstairs to the open deck of Caffeinees where a live band was playing. As it was raining that evening, it was quite cool and there was nice breeze blowing from the Royal Selangor Golf Club which was right next door.