Japanese Food @ Kampachi, The Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur

Chirashi Don (RM45++)

Kampachi located at Equatorial Hotel has made a name for itself with it's consistently good quality and fresh seafood. Also popular is their infamous Sunday buffets which see people booking in advance and piling themselves with food. Last Saturday, we happened to be at Pavilion at just the right time i.e. minutes before 1pm. When we walked around the sixth floor to see what had opened, we stumbled upon Kampachi. Moments before the witching hour of 1pm, the staff were all in front of the restaurant taking a picture. Once they dispersed, we approached them and was told the restaurant would only be opened at 1pm per management's instructions as that was the "feng shui" hour. Since it was a few minutes more we hung around and became the first customers to walk in to the restaurant.


Salmon OyakoDon (RM28++)

I liked the spacey restaurant with high ceilings and modern touches. What's adorable is the row of bowls with shapes of animals in the front. You also get to watch how udon is made - a new item they have brought in for this Pavilion outlet which will also be subsequently available at the hotel's outlet. Since it was their first day, things was of course a little confusing. First we were told only certain items were available, after we placed orders for the bento, we were told by the waiter these were not available. Some customers weren't too happy though as we overheard one lady kicking up a fuss when she found out about the limited choices. We kinda expected her to walk out but she didn't.


Tori Karage (part of Salmon Oyaka Don set)

I spied familiar faces - the chef in charge of the sashimi. Many a time have I sat behind the sashimi counter watching him slice the fresh fish skilfully so it was good to see him. While we were waiting for the food, people kept trickling in - a testament to their good reputation. The menu is of course different from the hotel. Here there is an emphasis on sets - various types with noodles, rice sets, teppanyaki, grilled, sashimi and etc. Bentos are also available. Apologies to all of you as I don't have the receipt with me. My bad habit of emptying my pockets at my house has come back to haunt me since I can't seem to find it tonight. I remember the bentos were about RM50 to RM60 while our sets were about RM40 plus. Definitely on the higher side but the food quality is good.

I had the Chirashi Don - an eternal favourite of mine. The slices of sashimi were gorgeous - glistening and thickly sliced. What I also loved was their miso soup - really full of flavour and so delicious. Thumbs up to the miso soup! Splashie Boy had an interesting rice dish - topped with salmon flakes and ikura, the salty fish roe we love. He had a side dish of fried chicken wings or what is known as Tori Karage in Japanese. I had a bit and it was good stuff. Although food was fresh and fantastic, my only gripe was the rice served! It was definitely short grain with tiny individual grains BUT it wasn't sticky enough. I suspect they omitted the vinegar mixture of mirin and sugar as it didn't have any sweet flavour to it. Maybe it was just the first batch they messed up.

Overall, I definitely would not mind returning for the food here. Would love to sample the a la carte dishes especially the salmon carpaccio and the udon which is made fresh on a daily basis. The makis look very interesting too.

Kampachi
Lot 6.09.00, 6th Floor
The Pavilion
Jalan Bukit Bintang
Kuala Lumpur

Tel No: 03 - 2148 9608

(Pork free.)

*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 + Pavilion + Jalan Bukit Bintang