Omakase in KL – Kame Sushi Japanese Restaurant, Hartamas

Becky’s 1 Minute Summary:
What: Japanese casual dining with not-so-casual prices. Be ready to part with hard earned cash for quality Japanese cuisine.
What to order here: Renowned for Chef’s Omakase literally meaning “I’ll leave it to you“ and thus entrusting the chef to feed you whatever he wishes and hopefully it’s worth the money paid. 🙂
On a serious note, this is the concept where the chef uses his experience and knowledge to select and prepare the meal for a customer without specific directions, usually expected to be the freshest and best ingredients in season or in his kitchen.
Overall experience: Based on my omakase set plus an ala carte order of sashimi, I would safely say Kame is a good bet for really good Japanese food – the fresh seafood and finely prepared courses that are definitely not available at your usual Japanese joints.
Price: I heard there are set lunches available which I aim to try next. An omakase set here starts from RM150++ to RM300++ or more – you can request extras from the chef.  Just pay up. 

For the long story, read on. :)

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Seeking an equivalent Japanese joint that serves comparable sashimi/fresh seafood to the ones in Tsukiji Market is probably not, well, probable.

Most outlets claims to have their seafood freshly flown in from Tsukiji. Places like TEN and Kampachi charges a bomb and yet still disappoints.
For Kame, I have heard of its reputation for a long, long time. I wasn’t entirely convinced of how good it had reputed to be somehow. Like I said, so many restaurants claims to air flown their supplies from Tsukiji and most doesn’t taste anything like the sashimi and sushi I ate in Tsukiji itself.
Anyhow I finally stepped in recently since my cravings for Japanese food was going into overdrive and there are no Japan trips in the foreseeable near future, sadly.

Between the 2 of us; shared an omakase set for RM150++ plus a sashimi platter for RM100.
The reason for my choice is simple, start at the lower omakase set to test the waters and since there are 2 of us, we could share the omakase and fill ourselves up with additional fresh seafood in case the omakase fell short.

Thankfully the food didn’t disappoint. For the RM150++ paid, I’ve had worst (if that’s any consolation).
Looking at my RM100++ sashimi platter, I should have gone for the omakase instead!

Service could be better for sure.
The Chef was perpetually busy and didn’t have time to speak much nor answer queries. The service staff are not very knowledgeable of whatever that was served.
I had to ask them to ask the chef for me each time a course was set down and after a while it just gets tiring.
In Japan, the sushi chef explains a bit of what’s the dish is while he serves it.

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Ramadan buka puasa feast -Essence @ Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur

I had dined in Essence in Sheraton Imperial Hotel on countless occasions for both lunch and dinners over the last 3 years and it was heartening to witness the consistency and improvement of the buffet spread all this while.

The recent revamp (you can read about HERE –> https://rebeccasaw.com/best-of-halal-buffet-dining-essence-sheraton-imperial-kl-the-place-to-explore-variety/) is impressive.
The spread is even wider now and the live stations are a great addition as almost half the food on the buffet spread are now cooked ala minute. The ready cooked ones are kept warm in small quantities in claypots or food warmers.
Besides quantity, the quality of food served heartily satiate the appetite. I’m a firm believer that a good buffet doesn’t only satisfy the quantity factor but the taste as well. 🙂

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Ramadan Buffet at Hilton PJ – come buka puasa at Paya Serai!

Link to my previous 20+ Ramadan reviews here –> (https://rebeccasaw.com/list-of-buka-puasa-buffets-in-kl-to-buka-puasa-this-2013/)

I have said it before and I’ll say it again. Ramadan buffets are quintessential to the Ramadan month.
After Sime Darby Convention Centre, another one that I highly recommend (and I don’t recommend buffets often) is this buka puasa feast at Paya Serai, Hilton Petaling Jaya.

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Halal food in Ipoh – Thumb’s Cafe @ Greentown, Ipoh

It was by a funny stroke of luck that we stumbled upon Thumb’s Cafe in Ipoh.
We were not in Ipoh for a food excursion. It was in fact a photography skewed trip, with a trunkload of clothes in the boot of the Volkswagen Passat, heading to north for landscape inspiration shoot.

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Lou Yao Kei Tau Tu Fa – Bercham, Perak

Ipoh offers great gastronomy finds and besides dim sum and the ubiquitous bean sprout chicken, another quintessential “Ipoh food” (if you can call it that) is the tau fu fa aka beancurd and soya bean milk.
Finding a good one in KL/PJ can be a challenge (but hey if you know of a good one to recommend, please do drop me a comment!) as most sold by vans, stalls and even in coffeeshops are diluted and lacked the full glory of the mouthfeel and fragrance of fresh soya milk.
Worse are the ones that left a powdery aftertaste in your mouth!

I’m in Ipoh currently for a photoshoot with the Volkswagen Passat. It is a 7 days experience with the mighty Passat and so far I’m on the fence about liking it or disliking it.

The ride is incredibly smooth and the pick-up (acceleration from standstill/informal way of saying an ability to accelerate rapidly) is a pleasure but the car does seem very masculine to me.
Still, we are on the mission to make the car look sexy so we will! 🙂

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RAMADHAN buffet (2014) at the Sime Darby Convention Centre

As you can see from my link (https://rebeccasaw.com/list-of-buka-puasa-buffets-in-kl-to-buka-puasa-this-2013/) the amount of buka puasa reviews I do yearly is quite substantial.
From my experience, most offer a similar spread each year. It can be a bore after a while, roast lamb (not that I’ll ever get bored of it 😛 ), rendang and satay.

For Sime Darby Convention Centre it was a different experience for me because it is my first visit to sample their Ramadan buffet. The preview was held really early but I’m posting it now since everyone is just about to get into the Ramadan mood. 🙂

So what impressed me about the buka puasa spread here?

For one it is the sheer variety for the price paid. The team at SDCC is ready with its early bird’s vouchers on sale from as low as RM59nett. This value-for-money deal is set to take guests on a culinary journey that will reignite the spirit of breaking fast among Malaysians– from serving the customary Zam Zam water and assorted dates, to preparing more than 100 eclectic mix of Arabic, Western, and Chinese dishes that have been identified as all-time favourites.

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Ramadan Buffet 2014: Buka Puasa @ Eccucino, Prince Hotel Kuala Lumpur

It’s that time of the year again; the crazy non-stop feasting that begins at approximately 7.30pm for 30 days. Well, not for those fasting (maybe), but definitely for those who join in the Ramadan spirit of breaking fast at pasar ramadan and buka puasa buffets.

I’m a guilty culprit myself, though I start earlier than most since I have the privilege of previewing these venues! 🙂

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