Redux : Kizuna Japanese Restaurant @ Ipoh
January 15, 2011 | 7,702 views
Kizuna @ Ipoh Garden East – One of the pioneers in premium Japanese cuisine; a follow-up of Moritomo previously THE place for Japanese food in Ipoh.
It is close to 3 years now, since the last write up on Kizuna; the Japanese restaurant that possibly sparked all the interests in premium Japanese cuisine; independent Japanese eateries spawning like wildfire there after including Akamomiji, Waraku, Tengood, Mokuren, and even Kizuna One @ Royal Perak Golf Club.
Many years ago (at least a decade or so) Moritomo was a brand to be reckoned with; situated at the now Cafe Takahashi’s location in Jusco Kinta City.
Then as the story goes; the restaurant went into a frenzy of break-ups (not the lovey-dovey kind) and the co-owners went their separate ways. Hence Kizuna, Akamomiji and Kizuna One came into the picture. A Lai I on the other hand, was started by one of the chefs from Moritomo.
Confused? Don’t be. Just know that there are WAY more Japanese restaurants in Ipoh than the pathetic (sorry, had to) Sushi King. And do continue reading for my insights into the Kizuna’s latest performance …..
The rolls were probably their forte; this Unagi Maki combined slices of eel laid on top of rice rolls stuffed with fritters and cucumber; hence the crunch, then added on a dollop of mayo with roes.
Back then, if you’re coming on a weekend’s night without reservations, you’d be turned away or left in the lurch. Or maybe not, but definitely you’ll have to wait for your seats since the restaurant got crowded almost every night.
Until Akamomiji came along, then followed by the slew of Japanese restaurants. Thus we were utterly surprised to see Kizuna being half-occupied albeit during peak hours on a Saturday evening. Goes to show the discouraging dwindle in quality? Maybe.
Chuka Wakame; marinated Japanese seaweed (RM5/USD1.60) – Mum’s favourite, but not mine. Since this is the epitome of a lazyman’s salad. Easily purchasable from the supermarket, all you have to do is to dish out with a sprinkle of sesame seeds. And voila! Seaweed Salad!
Tanuki Udon (RM12/USD3.90) – Supposedly worked well for Bro, since he wanted something comforting to the stomach on a cold rainy night. But let’s not compare to say … Marufuku’s fresh udon with a bite. This one was as generic as udon goes.
Kaisen Teppanyaki (RM25/USD8) – A mixed grill platter of seafood and vegetables; in a buttery sauce but sadly with a very saltish tinge. A Lai I does their teppan dishes best, so be noted.
Shake Bento (RM28.80/USD9.30) – Dad’s one who can’t miss his rice with his meals. More or less a ‘farn tung’ (rice pot). So he had this Bento set with almost everything; tempura, fresh salmon sashimi, cooked shredded salmon on rice with plum, and the usual miso soup and chawan mushi.
A failed serving of mixed grilled items on skewers. Very dry, bland with uneven sprinkle of salt. Avoid this at all cost. For good yakitori/kushiyaki, try Waraku or Tengood.
All in all, a fairly disappointing affair. None of the dishes managed to impress us, nor even on par with some of the newer Japanese restaurants. The dim lighting cast a moody shadow over the food, hence the lacklustre shots. And the fact that service ain’t top notch, nor even attentive to begin with got us a little upset from the tremendous drop in quality of the dining experience.
And to see the sushi ‘chef’ at the counter answering the phone with his bare hand, then proceeded to slice up some sashimi back to back without even bothering to clean his hands showed how they take things for granted. If you are going to dish out your sushi and sashimi in full view of the customers, please remember to upkeep the hygiene aspects of the preparation of your food.
KIZUNA JAPANESE RESTAURANT (pork-free)
No. 8-10, Jln Medan Ipoh 18,
Medan Ipoh, Bistari,
31400 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Telephone : 605-542 8800
GPS Coordinates : 4.618649,101.117186
Google Map to Kizuna Restaurant
*By the way, notice that I never mentioned about Kampai in the entire post? For Kampai’s been longer than any of the restaurants combined, and holds a close place in my heart. Next post maybe?
Great review!!! Totally agreed with you!!!
[Reply]
Ooo… someone sounded angry here
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
January 16th, 2011 at 12:49 pm
I am not. Haha … just slightly disappointed. Go try again, and you’ll see the difference.
[Reply]
Had a wonderful Japanese meal at the Bushi? Many years ago 1998? Is it still there?
Love your blog by the way. I really must get back to Ipoh for a gastronomical tour… 🙂
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
January 16th, 2011 at 12:48 pm
Oh Bushi! Hahaha … you reminded me of one of my earliest Japanese food experience. Sadly, they ceased to operate many years ago.
They do more on grilling though; like a cross between Korean style of barbecued meats with various sides.
[Reply]
Yeah, I seldom patronize Sushi King when Japanese eateries started mushrooming in Ipoh. LOL.
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
January 16th, 2011 at 12:45 pm
Yeah …. anyway, Sushi King’s not exactly economical, and I won’t mind paying slightly more for a better meal.
[Reply]
I have to admit that not many good Japanese restaurant in Malaysia not to mention Ipoh. If I would like rank Japanese restaurent in this region beside Japan itself, I would said the next will be Hong Kong, third come Shanghai ( due to huge Japan community in the city)!!!
Tai
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
January 16th, 2011 at 12:44 pm
How about Singapore then? There are quite a number of reputable restaurants there. But not sure about Japanese cuisine.
[Reply]
Personally, I think Kizuna One has maintains it standard so far compared to other Japanese restaurants in Ipoh. i USED to like waraku, but now no more good, except the BBQ sticks, Akamomiji not consistent, Kizuna, my experience was bad for many times…
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 9:27 am
Yeah, I have to agree with you. In comparison, Kizuna One actually maintains their standard, though slightly pricier than the rest.
[Reply]
Im from penang ,permanant work in Ipoh for past 7 mths…..ipoh’s japanese restaurant seriously make me down…
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 9:42 am
Hmm, can’t say much if compared to better ones in KL, or even Penang. But in Ipoh, sometimes you can dig out gems unsuspectedly.
However, Ipoh’s a haven for STREET FOOD anyway. Not so much for restaurants and posh cuisines.
[Reply]
I was surprised that Kizuna was not as packed as it once was last time. I realised something was amiss when my old favourite, the Chiraishi Don, came in a lesser portion and pricier than last time. Not banning this place yet for sentimental reasons.
But as of now I’m thoroughly addicted to Oh Sushi at De Garden. Their menu is so extensive, and different from other sushi joints! Something new to try every visit.
[Reply]
[…] Redux : Kizuna Japanese Restaurant @ Ipoh […]
[…] the Japanese cuisine-deprived (maybe not anymore) Ipoh food community sometime in June this year. Kizuna was deemed to be a trendsetter alright, rewriting the standards of Japanese cuisine in Ipoh close […]
Hi motormouth just to update you that something is wrong with kizuna. the food was so lousy. pardon me! it was a Sunday lunch @1pm on fathers day 2012 the place was deserted. our table the only customer till we leave an hour later. Food is bad and quality drop like doomsday. It was not our first time so was really disappointing. We asked and the answer that they have not changed chef.
[Reply]
I am suprised when i found out there are such opinions. i took my lunch almost everyweek there,i don’t think there’s such a problem. And comment by blog is not the right way to improve the restaurant quality. You should talk wth the chef or people in charge, not by giving negative comment by blog.
I might think you are one of ‘some unknown restaurant’
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
August 21st, 2012 at 9:21 pm
Hi xxx .. I am not some unknown restaurant lah. I wish I am an owner though. And which part of this post was a negative comment anyway?
Everything’s written according to the dining experience. The first Kizuna meal was not as good, but this was definitely more positive.
[Reply]
is it pork free mean’s halal?
[Reply]
Wish I’d read this post earlier. To be fair, I gave Kizuna 2 chances, several months apart – and wanted to kick myself! The menu is deceptive and the salmon is never fresh. What’s a Japanese restaurant if the fish is not fresh?! Luckily, the 2nd time round I ordered fewer items, and went over to Hokkaido to eat the rest of my meal.
[Reply]
RIP Kizuna. they started off fantastic, then declined rapidly and fell behind their competitors. Food quality drop was astonishing. I’ll remember the good times when they first opened, not their final 2 years.
[Reply]