Food Review: Zen Japanese Restaurant

I've decided to make Fridays as my Food Review day. Wheeeeee!!! Food Review is not just about what's nice to eat and what dishes to order. I'm also including places and outlets that I DO NOT recommend. You wouldn't believe the outlets I've been to that are lousy in service and unhygenic to boot. :x By the way, I'll TRY to write a food review every Friday, if possible. If not, well, then I guess my busy schedule has gotten the best of me. Hehehehe!!

My first Food Review is going to be on a place I discovered on my recent birthday. I love the place so much, I can't wait to eat there again.

[caption id="attachment_719" align="alignleft" width="179" caption="Zen Japanese Restaurant"][/caption]

I don't know if you guys realize that there's a great japanese restaurant called 'Zen Japanese Restaurant' at Sunway Pyramid. It's located at Lot 0B2-F-U2 on the 1st Floor of Oasis Boulevard 2. You have to go all the way through Parkson Grand (old wing of Pyramid) and take the stairs/escalator to your right to reach it.

If what I have tasted at Sakae Sushi all this while is japanese food, then Zen must be the queen, no, KING, of great authentic japanese cuisine.

[caption id="attachment_721" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Sashimi at Zen"][/caption]

The sashimi is soooo thick and fresh. Not even the higher standards of Senjyu Sushi, Sakae Sushi's more exquisite sister, could compare to the sashimi I tasted in Zen. Sorry about the picture. The sashimi was so good that I didn't realize I ate half of it without taking a picture of the dish, ehheheheh!

We ordered the Udon as well, accompanied by tempura prawns. I didn't like the Udon soup much, though, because it was the soy sauce type that Tokyo people like. I'm more of the clear broth type, like Kansai-style. But the Udon was thick and filling, and the tempura prawns were really big!

[caption id="attachment_723" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="From left to right: Gyutan, Sashimi and Udon"][/caption]

But my utmost favourite dish is the one I've been craving for since I first tasted it in Penang; Japanese BBQ Gyutan (grilled beef tongue). Yep, you guessed it, cow's tongue. Yummy!! It's sliced so thin and you get to grill it yourself on this small cute little ceramic stove, and it only takes a few seconds to cook each side of the tongue. And when you dip it into this special beef sauce...ooooh, it's simply heaven! For RM30+, Zen gives you quite a lot, even for two people, it's more than enough. You can just see the ceramic stove at the left side of the picture and the ready-to-eat grilled tongue on one of the plates.  Don't worry, if you can't stomach eating a cow's tongue, there's normal beef available too. :D

[caption id="attachment_724" align="alignright" width="210" caption="Frozen Strawberries"][/caption]

For dessert, we had something that I wanted to try whenever I was at Sakae Sushi but they never seem to have it available; Frozen Strawberry. Vanilla ice-cream with whipped cream stuffed into frozen strawberries, WOW!! Be careful, though, it will definitely give you brain-freeze, it is THAT cold.

Ok, let's drop the food and go into service. Quite frankly, for such a high-class restaurant, I expected a better and more attentive service. It takes a while before the staff actually notice that you require their help and they tend to walk pass you without noticing your raised hand. That's a minus for me. However, the ones who did serve us are trained quite well, with good manners and poise.

[caption id="attachment_725" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Interior of Zen"][/caption]

They need to do a better job at keeping the place clean as well. I was seated at one of the corner comfy tables, and right behind me was this bare cupboard they use as a decor and the dust on the shelves was quite thick. It shows how often they dust the place. However, the environment is nice. It has that calming effect with the choice of cream and dark colours, and soft yellow lighting.

With a seating capacity of 126 people, their business hours are Monday to Thursday (11.30am - 3.00pm & 6.00pm - 11.00pm) and Friday to Sunday (12.00 noon - 11.00pm).  You can contact them at 03-7492 4922 should you wish to make a reservation or for any inquiries. If you like Japanese food, you definitely can't pass this one. 8)