she, the epicuriousgirl.

This place comes highly recommended and instead of braving weekday rush hour, i chose to make the trip during a weekend instead. Jalan Damai with its eateries is no stranger to me as I used to frequent this area with ex-colleagues before I started the food blog. however, after changing jobs and working so far away from KL, making the trip down requires some extra planning.

Am quite pleased that this bungalow-turned-restaurant has quite ample parking. an attendant awaits at the entrance where a rope curtain beckons. he brushes it aside and you cross a passageway before finding yourself inside. we asked for a non-smoking seat and were taken to the tatami-styled sunken seats with dimmed lighting. i found it a bit tricky to get in and out of the seats, perhaps due to the fact i was wearing a skirt. despite the liberal use of concrete furnishings, it didn’t feel cold as the finishing was nicely textured and the lights provided a warm, yellow glow.

Fugu Mirin Boshi

to start we had the fugu mirin boshi which is blowfish seasoned with sweet sake. the waiter informed us that this is traditionally taken as a snack while drinking sake. fugu, or widely known as a blowfish or pufferfish is known to be lethal if not prepared properly. but the looks and taste of this blowfish dish doesn’t seem to suggest any risk. instead, the first bite into it was as if i was biting in bak kwa, the chinese barbequed meat jerky! it’s only upon more chewing that the fishy taste becomes more pronounced. rather nice really.

Avocado Lover

I ordered the Avocado Lover which is a avocado roll with baby octopuses. I’m quite used to avocado rolls with unagi (eel) or prawns etc. and thought this would be a nice change. even though it was lovely, it wasn’t phenomenal.

Hotatei Corn Yaki

Ordered this because I love corn. This is essentially scrambled eggs (i think, as they sure tasted like it) with corn, on top of scallops. It was served beautifully, on top a scallop shell with asparagus spears. and with a small fire lit under it, between some small rocks. but the fire served no function really. and i didn’t really like the taste of the scallop & topping. Didn’t think they went that well together.

Kani Unatama

We also had Kani Unatama which is a roll comprising of soft shell crab, tamago (egg omelette), salmon sashimi and unagi (eel). Wrapped up in seaweed and drizzled lightly with mayonnaise, it was quite delightful to taste an array of flavours at each bite.

Ebi Tempura Handroll & Kuzukiri

I didn’t try any of the handroll but was taken over just by the looks of it. Kuzukiri is a traditional japanese dessert where the vermicelli like jelly is made from arrow root starch. The powder used is chestnut powder which gives this dessert a gula melaka (palm sugar) with sago kind of feel.

i love the ambience of this place and how helpful & knowledgeable the waiting staff were. Am very likely to return here very soon to discover more of their menu.

Hajime Tokyo Japanese Restaurant (www)
64, Jalan Damai,
Off Jalan Tun Razak,
55000 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel : 03- 2143 0073

other reviews:
- lyrical lemongrass
- aprilcherrie
- pinkpau