Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Fresh, thick slices of sashimi accompanied the Sakura Bento set (RM75/USD25) that came with a whole artillery of what could be defined as Japanese cuisine in a box

Now I am all for healthy eating and living a sustainable, passionate and jovial life. Hence I signed up … wait, WAS signed up for GCC; the Global Corporate Challenge that kick-started last week.

And here I am after my sinful meal of Big Mac and fries, parked in front of my computer writing about food instead of walking up a storm and burning off calories piled up since this blog was born.

Uh oh … another mindless session of rants and ramblings?! Nah .. not on this beautiful Sunday night. I’ll spare you. Let’s go Japanese to jump start the cranking engine within.

Usually relegated to mere sides, the sushi platter that accompanied the Sakura bento @ Jyu Raku was an exemplary edition of what could have been a substantial portion on their own.

And I thought I had written about Hyotan before. Only to realize that the review was published in a magazine instead of this blog. Hmm, anyway, the whole stretch of shops along Jalan SS15/5A in Subang Jaya are populated by Japanese restaurants.

Famous names like Tomoe, Rakuzen, Jyu Raku, Kin Ryu Tei and Hyotan are within walking distance from one another, and serving almost similar items on their menu.

Even the tiniest, miniscule side dish served within the box was given sufficient attention to.

Whenever the craving for Japanese food comes, usually we’ll settle for a simple meal at any of the restaurants along the row. Yes, you may argue that there are way better choices in KL, or elsewhere around PJ or Hartamas, but since SS15 is within 15 minutes away … I don’t see why not.

Plus, there’s that always elusive Sumi-Ka that I have been setting my eyes upon since end of 2010. And look at where we are now.

Stamina Roll (RM28/USD9) – Roasted eel, avocado and egg omelette

This was the third visit to Jyu Raku, and I daresay that this outlet blows Rakuzen out of the waters and then submerge the latter back in. Seriously.

Prices are on the above average range compared to outlets within shopping malls, yet for stand alone/high street outlets, Jyu Raku charges pretty reasonable sum for the portion and quality of the servings.

A bit weary from the long week of business reviews and deadlines, I settled for the Sakura Bento; with everything you could probably wish for and then some. Okay, minus the sake part of the feast, obviously.

Yes, a bit steep at RM75 per set but definitely meant for sharing! Imagine 6 thick slices of good quality fresh sashimi, a platter of 8 pieces of sushi, a bowl of cold udon soup, a serving of chawan mushi that was by far one of the best out there, mixed tempura, salt-grilled mackerel, a skewer of mushrooms and another of scallops basked in a delightful yakitori sauce then grilled, and other side dishes to complement the already full blown meal.

The restaurant has an upper floor where dining in complete serenity may be a more viable option compared to seated in front of the sushi bar and kitchen, yet we did not mind the experience one bit. The lady serving us and the table of Japanese men next to us was pretty proficient in conversing in Japanese language.

Goes to show how much extra mileage you can go with a value-added element huh?

*Pictures from the first two visits are stashed somewhere in my external drive, and I’m in no shape to scavenge for those. Safe to say, order the freshest cuts (Tuesdays and Fridays are the days when the supplies arrive, if I’m not wrong) and relish in the experience, or ask for recommendations.

Jyu Raku Japanese Restaurant (pork-free)
13, Jalan SS15/5A,
47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
Tel No : +603-5633 3819
GPS Coordinates : 3.07905,101.592823
This is off Persiaran Kewajipan, and at the other side of the road from Sime Darby Medical Centre, Grand Dorsett Subang and Holiday Villa Subang.