Thursday, March 26, 2009

Weekend Japanese Food Buffet @ Xenri D'Garden Terrace, Menara Hap Seng, Kuala Lumpur


part of the fresh seafood section

A thousand apologies on abandoning the blog for a while. Been very busy and Internet access is not that cheap to get here (extremely different from the USA where it seems to be free!). Where's here you ask? Somewhere in Italy where it is a little chilly. Prior to leaving, I managed to upload pictures of previous food I ate so I'll continue to blog about that first instead.

my fav stuff - grilled cheese oysters

Remember the very much talked about cheap deal, Xenri D'Terrace was having? Well, we went and was very pleased with what we got there. Besides being great value for money, I also liked the set up of the place in Menara Hap Seng - less people so no need to jostle with others for food. I also did see people walk in and get impromtu seats when it was later i.e. a couple with their 2 kids who took over a group of Japanese around 1pm plus (it stops at 3pm). You still have this weekend (the last one of the month for the 50% discount to try!). They replenish most of the food and you also can order from a list, a selection of teppanyaki and tempura items.


I loved this - the grilled fish sushi with the right amount of saltiness you can pop it in to your mouth

The food was great and we liked their selection - not too vast but just nice to keep both of us well satisfied. The fresh seafood section had cooked mussels, prawns, teeny weeny scallops, squid, fresh oysters with a large variety of sauces for you to choose to have them with - ponzu, chili sauce and etc. I had my fresh oyster with ponzu (soy sauce flavoured with yuzu juice) and it was very good stuff with the mild citrus taste. The sashimi and sushi section was also good - butterfish, salmon, tuna at the sashimi "boat"and various makis on the sushi section (we loved the cream cheese maki with a nice thick cream cheese within and the grilled fish versions as it gave a slight smoky flavour). You can also ask for handrolls - we had one with soft shell crab.

prettiest ever dessert - two toned jelly shot with a lychee

There was a starter counter with all the Japanese pickles and their lobster salad made with mayonnaise. I didn't eat that, since it looked so fat laden with the creamy stuff but Splashie Boy loved that. Other grilled and fried items were placed in hot plates to keep warm - I absolutely loved the grilled cheese oysters. Had so many that the girl at the next table stared at my plate - especially since I got them when they brought it out from the kitchen. There was a fried scallop with breadcrumbs which I thought was not bad (good for the kids, as they kept eating it), fried chicken, soft unagi, very juicy grilled salmon, saba, chicken teriyaki, chawan mushi and etc.

Next to the sushi counter was the soup section - loved the kimuchi nabe, made with spicy kimchi, salmon head and crab. Very sweet soup and I had fun eating the salmon bones and crab. Splashie Boy had the beef sukiyaki, which was pretty good too. We also ordered off the menu - beef teppanyaki, which wasn't too great as it was a little tough but the mushrooms teppanyaki was nice. The shishamo was done tempura style here - a little salty I felt so I didn't enjoy that. Soft shell crab tempura wasn't as good compared to the piping hot one from Mizu. Last but not least, desserts were very tempting and extremely pretty! No premium ice cream here (only Kings and from what I understand, the ladies loved the red bean as that finished ASAP!). Didn't like the green tea ice cream as the taste was flat and lacked any of the bitterness taste I crave for in my green tea ice cream. I loved the pretty puddings ranging from a jelly shot with a lychee inside, the creamy mango and strawberry pudding, creme caramel shooters, kame jelly and fruits for those who don't crave sweet stuff. Drinks are also available so help yourself next to the dessert section.

Overall view of the whole buffet, it was not too harried and you could eat at a leisurely pace since there was enough for everyone hence no need to queue! Even the Japanese thought it was a good deal as they came for it and ate loads. I guess times have changed also. Personally, I won't mind returning even without the 50% discount promotion as food was just nice for me. For a lot more on what we indulged in, see my Flickr set. Yikes, now I see the pictures, my tummy is rumbling for Japanese food but nope, it will be pasta, risotto, pizza, cheese, salamis and wine for 2 weeks!

For more details on the Xenri buffet promotion, see my previous blog post on it.

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. This review is time sensitive; changes may occur to the place later on that can affect this opinion. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from this place for writing the review.

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17 comments:

Precious Pea said...

Have a wonderful time there!! Can't wait to meet up and hear your adventure there.

foodbin said...

so much of seafood-at 50% discount great.

boo_licious said...

precious pea - oooh, must meet up over sang har meen!

foodbin - yalor, good for these bad times.

Vivien said...

wow, you managed to get a place.

Unknown said...

wow it seems like the best buffet deal in town! 50% discount on the amount you pay for, but they never compromise in terms of quality!

Angie Tan said...

Wow, you were one of the lucky few who managed to get to the Xenri buffet!

The pics look lovely!!!

I'll just drool over your Flickr set (not a good idea to look when you have a growling stomach)

ai wei said...

wondering when the 50% disc promotion end?!?!

boo_licious said...

vivien - ya lor, we manage to get at the last minute.

kampungboycitygal - quality is definitely good, even the items kept in the warmers was much better than other places.

angie - yah, I also drooling for Jap food.

ai wei - by end of this month so this coming weekend will be the last one.

Rebecca Saw said...

hohoho..better than the Tenji one..hhm..must try my luck then tis weekend..havent had Jap for ages!

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

wow the land of parma and risotto...

have fun eatin!!

KY said...

ooo the grilled oyster does look very nice.

Jean said...

Mmmm...promotion last till this month only? maybe I need to change my plan to go for this..XD

thule a.k.a leo said...

sob sob!!! :( don't think can make it to enjoy their 50% discount... right now stuck in tis lil town & can't go anywhere.. my baby needs my attention

boo_licious said...

thenomadgourmand - I can't compare though, not been to Tenji.

Joe - yeah, the meats are gorgeous but not too sure abt the carbs in the risotto though.

KY - they were yummy too!

Jean - no guarantees if u can get in, I guess try yr luck?

Leo - no wonder we have been missing u! Congrats and don't worry, it will still be around after u come back.

irresistible said...

It's already fully booked!!! sigh..

boo_licious said...

pssst, go and try yr luck, if not wait until the promo finishes.

Ciki said...

alamak.. so busy may hv to wait till promo fins!

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