Sushi Zanmai is a popular Japanese sushi chain in Malaysia much like our Premium Sakae sushi in Singapore. The restaurant delivers decent quality sushi at affordable prices. are they worth a visit? Read on to find out more.
We arrive at around 8pm on a Saturday evening to a packed restaurant which is usually a good sign of good food. There were groups of families, couples and friends having a good time in the restaurant. The ambience is casual and relaxed.
There are 2 sitting areas with one inside the restaurant itself and the other a segregated corner outside the main shop. The sitting space inside is much tighter with a much nosier ambience and it was quite nice that our seats were arranged at the "outside area". The only issue is that you will have to put up with the human traffic in the mall as they walk pass your table. Thankfully, it was not that busy that evening.
The service crew very kindly offered us a choice of hot or green tea after we sat down which we thought was a complimentary service but later found out that it is chargeable. The drinks are refillable and we did not want to make a big fuss considering it is pretty affordable. For those whom are not fans of green tea, do politely decline the offer if you do not wish to end up paying for something you don't want.
We went slightly overboard with our order and had a big Japanese feast. First one is the Chawanmushi is decent with its soft silken tofu.
Chawanmushi
Next up is the Rokko which is a sashimi platter comprising 2 slices of Salmon, tuna, swordfish, octopus, squid and sweet prawns. The dish came at almost room temperature which is slightly disappointing as I prefer my sashimi slightly chilled. It will be much better to serve them on a bed of ice to retain their freshness. The salmon i itself was not too bad and slices were thick and satisfying. The sweet prawns did not have any foul smell and was also enjoyable. The other slices were pretty average with the tuna slightly mushy and the rest nothing to shout about.
Rokko
Cheese is one of my favorite things and the Kaki(Oyster) cheese yaki did not disappoint. The cheese and oyster were baked which result in a nice brown, caramelized outer crust. The Hotate (Scallop) Mentai yaki was also great with the its soft texture and oh so yummy mentai sauce.
Kaki Cheese Yaki and Hotate Mentai Yaki
My favourite dish of the night will be the Salmon Mentai sushi with the melt in the mouth goodness that i was craving. This is a must try!
Salmon Mentai sushi
Our mains decided to show themselves and the missus went with her usual Zaru soba being a fan of cold noodles. It is a decent dish and especially refreshing for our hot climate. The texture of the noodles were acceptable but slightly lacking in the bouncy texture I was looking for.
Zaru Soba
My Yakisoba was all right and nothing much I have to complain about. The noodles were flavorful and contained a good amount of ingredients providing a variety of textures
Yakisoba
In all, the meal was satisfying and despite ordering so much for 2 person, we managed to finish up everything but of course we were very bloated after. My conclusion is that quality wise is better than our Sake Sushi in Singapore and I will come back again for a decent and casual Japanese meal.
RM93/S$31
Food: 6.5/10
Service: 6.5/10
Location:Service: 6.5/10
Lot 209, Komtar JBCC
Johor Bahru City Center
Tel: +60 7 30 5035
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