Kai Zen Japanese Restaurant

I'm a huge fan of Japanese food. Everywhere I go, if I was thrown the question of 'what to eat?', my mind can probably only think of Japanese! Of course I don't always get it my way when I am around with people because, well let's face it, I can have Japanese food every meal, everyday, and I won't get bored of it. That's how extreme I can go, so you can now imagine my boyfriend's and friends fear when they leave the decision to me. If it's not Japanese, it's most likely Korean or cafes (especially during brunch for the coffee and brunch set cos I can't wake up for breakfast on weekend).

All these also means, when I am alone, regardless on a working or non working day, I will most likely land myself in a Japanese restaurant or some hipster cafe so I can steal Wi-Fi while feeding my phone with pictures of coffee with pretty art and my brunch set that mostly consists of scrambled eggs. Hahaha. 

Okaylah, to be honest, I am not an expert in food critics. I am very choosy when it comes to the type of food I eat or I don't eat (anchovies, salted fish, celery.. the list goes on) but I am not very fussy with food itself because I am a glutton and I mostly just wallop everything. However, emerging from the island of food, Penang, my demand in food has a certain standard and I definitely can tell if it's good or not. The review that I am about to give is based on my personal opinion. You can be your own judge and share with me your opinion if you think otherwise. Hehe, I very friendly one..

On Labour Day, my parents and relatives from Penang came over to KL for a visit and of course, to Genting, their second home. Before meeting them in Subang, I went for brunch in my favourite neighbourhood Japanese restaurant, Kai Zen in Bandar Puteri. The price is reasonable and the food, despite not being awesome, it's acceptably good.

This time around, instead of ordering set rice like how I usually do, I have decided to order a lot of smaller bite size sushis and stuffs.

Mini Chawanmushi (RM4.90)

This is a must order every time I am here, or any Japanese restaurant in general. I am not sure if it's normal to have a chunk of broccoli in a chawanmushi because I have not seen it anywhere else, but I like do like the combination and find it amusing.

Salmon Avocado Sushi (RM10.90)

I have tried this a couple of this here and the quality of the sushi remains. The mayonnaise on top of the avocado is just right for the size of the sushi where you can just plop everything in your mouth. It is almost similar to the Salmon Avocado sushi in Sushi Zanmai hehe.

Atsuyaki Tamago (RM8.00)

This is also only of my must order when I go to a Japanese restaurant. I have tried really good ones and I have also tried tamago that is tasteless. This one, does not disappoint. I can taste the rich flavour of the egg. It's not the best, but it does the deal!

Soft Shell Crab Temaki (RM4.90)

My first time having this in this restaurant and it is not as appetizing as how I anticipated. The taste of the soft shell crab is mostly covered but somewhat the taste of flour and the texture is quite flaky as well. The crab and vegetables are only on the surface of the temaki and more than half of the seaweed is stuffed with rice, which again, is not appealing.

Salmon Sashimi (RM10.90)

Look at how thick a single slice of mouth-watering salmon sashimi is! I am always very afraid of salmon not being fresh as it is always a hit and miss in Japanese food chain (where I mostly frequent) but this place has a consistency of giving me my fresh salmon so I never miss one ordering of salmon when I am there.

I didn't manage to take a personal picture of this one food but if you look at the bottom left, I actually ordered a Salmon Onigiri (RM5).

I was happy when I saw that onigiri was on the menu and ordered it right away. I was excited when I it arrives as it's only RM5 but the size did not disappoint. However, one bit into the onigiri changed my mind. The rice did not stick together and fell apart as I took the first bite, it was also a bit dry and it makes it hard to swallow. The salmon in the onigiri is so little that you might just not notice it so you are basically nomming on vinegar rice only.

Overall, I would say that it is a really good neighbourhood Japanese place where one can just drive 15 minutes to get there and do not have to dress up (note the slipper). When you crave for it, all you need to do is grab your wallet and car keys and off you go to a city of the princesses (Bandar Puteri, geddit? Haha. Lame, I know) where you will come across a small humble Japanese restaurant in between the shop lots. 

Kai Zen Japanese Restaurant

Address: 30, Jalan Puteri 2/4, Bandar Puteri, 47100 Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia

Phone:+60 3-8063 5118

Opening Hours: Daily, 11.30am - 2.30pm (Lunch), 6pm - 10pm (Dinner)