Japanese Food @ Kura, One World Hotel, Petaling Jaya

Dragon Tempura Roll

When it comes to Japanese food, I seem to be overdosing on it these past few weeks. In fact there was one day I even ended up having it for lunch and dinner. What was interesting about those two meals were the contrast in price of the menu items, ambience and the number of Japanese diners within the two restaurants. In Malaysia, I notice two types of Japanese restaurants - those which are frequented by Japanese expatriates and those who are just mainly Malaysian diners. Certain invisible rules seem to be evident: for instance you won't ever catch a Japanese diner at an all-you-can-eat buffet lunch or dinner serving Japanese food. Most surprisingly, the Japanese diner is happier at a simple place serving down to earth Japanese food with free flow of sake versus a posh place.


Salmon Belly Sashimi

One of the restaurants which seem to be able to cater to the two varying tastes has been the highly popular Rakuzen. Like all Japanese restaurants in Kuala Lumpur, they boast of a number of branches (Subang Jaya, Chulan Square, Hartamas Shopping Centre) and also related restaurants like Zen at Sunway Pyramid and Sushi Zanmai at Sunway Pyramid which caters for a different budget. Their latest dining outlet is Kura located within the confines of the One World Hotel. With modern interiors that look similar to the other outlets - they have booths with lots of privacy and call buttons for you to hail a wait staff to top up your ocha.


Agedashi Tofu

There seems to be a bug of Japanese food fever around and even my mother who just came back from Beijing has caught it. Although, she went through a few Japanese meals in Beijing, this did not diminish her need to have more when she reached Kuala Lumpur. Located at the first floor of the hotel, the restaurant can also be accessed by a walkway vide the 1 Utama Shopping Mall. Parking at the hotel was relatively easier than the mall probably because prices were exhorbitant versus the flat rate of RM1 next door.



Saba Shioyaki

As usual, we ordered a variety of dishes to share among us. They're mainly old favourites which we tend to order all the time like the Salmon Sashimi and Saba Shioyaki. Thumbs up to the grilled mackerel fish. It was so sweet and juicy with a squeeze of the lemon and the grated white radish on the side. Although the Salmon Sashimi had a melt in the mouth texture, I felt the pieces were sliced too thinly.


Shishamo Fish

We went for an all fish meal that night as the beef and chicken dishes within the menu weren't too exciting. Shishamo Fish was good stuff and decadent with lots of eggs within the crispy fish. Since there was not much choice for tofu dishes, we went for the Agedashi Tofu. It came in huge pieces and sprinkled with lots of shredded nori and bonito flakes. We also had a Dobin Mushi Soup served in a teapot. I loved the light and aromatic soup with just a tinge of lime juice squeezed in it. Once you finish the soup, look within the teapot for seafood goodies, mushroom and gingko nut.


Simmered Cod Fish

Wanting to be different, we tried their Dragon Tempura Roll. I expected the roll to be dipped in batter and fried just like tempura hence I was surprised about it's appearance. Seems the tempura bits were placed within the maki instead and topped with flying fish roe (tobiko). I didn't like the texture of the maki though as I couldn't taste the crispy tempura bits and the combination of items felt bland. We also ordered a simmered cod fish dish to keep to the "fishy" meal theme that night. Although the cod fish had a lovely texture minus any pesky bones, it was a bit too sweet for my liking from the sauce made from dashi, soy sauce, mirin and sake.

Dinner came up to around RM177 for the dishes we ordered. It wasn't a lot for the three of us but then it was just the right amount to satisfy our tummies. Pictures were taken in quite a dark environment but luckily I had additional lighting from Splashie Boy's mobile phone. Overall, I felt the food wasn't too exciting as it felt like a rehash of the Rakuzen menu. Although the cod fish (gindara) was a much pricier item, the taste of the Saba Shioyaki at a much cheaper price was better. Maybe I should have stuck to my old favourites like their Chirashi Sushi instead. Even though it does not excite me, it does make a good stop over when you crave for Japanese food especially after a bout of shopping at the mall.

Kura Restaurant
One World Hotel
Bandar Utama
Petaling Jaya

Tel No: 03 - 7681 1111

(Pork Free. Open for lunch and dinner during weekdays. For weekends, it is open from noon to 11pm)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Japanese Food + One World Hotel

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