Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Spacious, modern and pleasant decor – Sip on your hot cup of ocha, and ends your meal with some fresh-cut fruits.

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Japanese Casual Pasta & Cafe Restaurant – “Casual” is an understatement here.

The chic, bright and airy interior of the restaurant

Vanilla Float and Fresh Grapefruit Juice (complimentary with the sets ordered)

Prawn & Chicken Gratin – Penne with Wafu Cream Sauce

Doria – Spicy Cod Roe & Potato (Rice with Wafu mentai mayonnaise sauce)

Oozing with cheese; melted, creamy and glorious cheese, the rice baked with potatoes and spicy cod roe could be a meal on its own. The spicy cod roes provided much of the flavour, slightly spicy and saltish, topping the bland baked potatoes, and complemented perfectly by the creamy cheese melting onto the rice with wafu sauce. A perfect combination, if there ever was one.

The Gratin set was priced at RM13.80, while the Doria set was RM12.80. The selection of pasta at Pasta de Gohan is mind-boggling. I did not bother to count, but there were at least 50 types of pasta cooked with any methods imaginable. Fusion, hybrid, un-original (or original), or whatever the detractors may say, one can NEVER be bored with the endless selections here.

Location : PASTA de GOHAN @ LG2.126A, Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall, 3, Jln PJS 11/15, Bandar Sunway, 46150 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Tel : 603-5621 8166

Here’s some fusion-ized pasta-lovers : kampungboycitygal, Christine, masak-masak, & Ai Wei

Sushi King-cum-MP Steamboat?

Heavy publicity surrounding the recently opened SKY Corner at Bandar Baru Medan Ipoh ignited the interests of many (judging from the crowd yesterday evening), and sparked some hopes, as it was clearly stated in the flyers and a HUGE signboard opposite of Jusco, the ZERO price promotion (a brush off Air Asia’s fame, perhaps?). What I had was a vague idea on the cuisine they serve, which was supposed to be Japanese and Chinese style steamboat, and teppanyaki (Japanese hot plate) soon to be added into the menu.

Choose to dine by the kaiten belt indoors, OR outdoors ~ al fresco style

Arriving at around 7pm on a Saturday, the place was rather crowded. As there were only two of us, we chose to sit on the outside, the weather being cooling after the heavy rain. But the staff ushering the patrons persuaded us to sit INSIDE instead, as the place is air-conditioned. OK, fine. Only to discover that each long table can accomodate up to 6 customers or more, with 3 hollow indents in the middle, obviously to fit 3 hot pots for steamboat.

One glance at the conveyor belt revealed their main attraction – The steamboat meal. Exactly how MP Steamboat (a popular branch of steamboat restaurants in Ipoh) serves them, on a kaiten belt, so you can choose your own ingredients from the comfort of your seats. But unlike MP where you can pick what you want and pay for only those, at SKY Corner, the theme is BUFFET-style steamboat, meaning eat-all-you-can. And we were startled at the price per person, a whopping RM29.80+ per pax !!!!!!!!!

You see, paying that much amount of money can net you large prawns or crabs in a seafood restaurants, or even in other steamboat outlets in Ipoh, you can stuff yourself silly for around RM20/pax only. Though at Sky Corner, you can choose from their erm, “extensive” range of sushi, and temaki, (14 types of sushi, and 10 types of rolls, more on that later) prepared fresh on the spot. Gee, how exciting.

I managed to survey the items on the conveyor belt thoroughly, and the choices was nothing to shout about. Though listed in the menu were 62 items, but the only noteworthy ones on the belt being slices of beef/fish/chicken, ‘abalone’ slices, tiny crabs, and small prawns. And the usual balls, vegetables, mushrooms, and yong tau foo.

The freshly, AND took-forever-to-prepare sushi

So we did the next best thing, and asked for ala carte dishes, in hopes of bento sets, teppanyaki, or even a simple plate of fried rice. Tough luck, we had. It seems they opened in such a rush, that the ONLY meal they serve for the time being is the buffet steamboat, and sushi/temaki at a promo price of RM3.50 per plate. Though deep in our hearts, we wanted to leave the place, but we soldiered on and ordered some sushi instead. And twiddled out thumbs. And then more twiddling ….

Until another waitress had the audacity to “usher” us (or rather, “halau” us) from our seats, stating that if we’re not having the buffet steamboat, and there were only two of us, we MUST sit outside at the smaller tables instead. This, after all the commotion and trouble they went to arrange our cutleries and plates to accomodate our sushi orders. Reasons given? Oh, the staff who took our orders was a “NEW” staff, and she did not know about this hidden rule. Yeah right, the place was opened for less than a week or two, tell me who’s the “OLD” staff then?

Still, as she was being apologetic, we concurred and moved as ordered, with tails between our legs. And then the wait for the sushi became relentless. Time was crawling by, and when I queried about the long wait, the waitress mentioned that there were only TWO chef manning the sushi counter, thus the wait may be longer. OK, fine. But one glance at the workers, all decked up in uniforms resembling Air Asia’s colours, and you’d be forgiven if you wanna smack a staff or two. There were around 20 staff handling the place, and only TWO handling the sushi counter? The others were practically standing around, ushering people, rushing to customers once they arrived in hopes of attracting more and more …

As for the food, forgettable. Though I admit the sushi and temaki were of better quality than Sushi King’s (then again, since when Sushi King serves GOOD sushi?) One major gripe was the soy sauce provided was not of the Japanese shoyu variety, but the local one meant for steamboat. This rendered the dipping sauce saltier than desired, and the wasabi was SHOCKINGLY TASTELESS !!! I scooped a spoonful into my mouth, and yet my eyes did not water. Huh? I like mine hot, please!

Total damage for two = RM25, drinks are free-flow, and FOC, fortunately. But the overall experience was more damaging to the souls, rather than the palate. Still that virginal visit provided us with much laughter and a lesson to be learnt – Do Not Believe The Hype Blindly. And the management of Sky Corner should buck up in terms of customer service. You are charging 5% Service Charge, after all.

Location : Sky Corner @ 46, Jalan Medan Ipoh 5, Bandar Baru Medan Ipoh, 31400 Ipoh. Tel : 05-5452623.

The front entrance to TAO Cuisine – Famous for its Japanese buffet and sushi

The heavy eastern influence clearly projected through the ambience

Situated in Auto-City in Juru, Penang, this restaurant famous for its Japanese buffet, had been operating for a few years, with another outlet at E-Gate on Penang island. When I was a mere student, forking out RM50 per person for a meal sounded far-fetched, and bordering on absurdity. Now? It’s possibly time for a comeback. With a vengeance. Muahaha …

Their sushi counter, with UNlimited supplies of rolled rice with all types of fish imaginable … With the sushi master helming the process, you can be assure of the freshness of the cuts

With more than 100 items on their menu, the concept is simple, albeit slightly different from the average buffet meals. You ORDER the dishes you desire through the person waiting (waiter-ing?) your table, instead of getting up from your seat every few minutes to replenish your plates. Pros? Perfect for lazybums (like us), and you can browse the menu in the comfort of your seats, rather than pressured to choose at the buffet line. Cons? The 10% service charge, and frantically waving for their attention. But fortunately, although we were seated in a private room (for larger crowds, obviously) the waiter was very attentive, and dropped by our door to check if we need anything, periodically.

Sary Abalone – Fresh, QQ-texture abalone slices with mayo sauce

Sashimi Karapacho (yup, I suspect they mean carpaccio, but the raw cuts were different) – Various chunks of fish/octopus drizzled, or doused with mayo, and sweet Japanese sauce

Salmon Papaya

Their signature item, Salmon Papaya which were cuts of sweet, matured papaya wrapped with smoked salmon. A different flavour, fusion if you will, but remember to eat them once they’re served. After awhile, the cuts tend to get a little soggy. Over-hyped, me thinks.

Sashimi Moriawase and various Hand Rolls

Thick cuts of salmon, butterfish and octopus served fresh. However, the serving above was a DOUBLE portion. Imagine that. Probably a strategy to minimize wastage, OR cut cost. As I’m sure everyone would be gunning for the sashimi to get his/her money’s worth. The hand rolls were so-so, too much rice, and too little fillings. And the seaweed’s too chewy for my preference.

Chef Maki – Changes every now and then, depending on the chef at helm. Delightful salmon slices with kiwi, and sides of crunchy seaweeds and salad

Kimisu Tako, Tako Sunomono, and Lingo To Mozuku Zuke – All passable appetizers, the first two involved tako, or octopus, while the latter was crunchy strands of seaweed

(Clockwise from top left) : Thai Spicy Lamb, Grilled Shisamo (smelt), Teppanyaki Duck Breast, and Yakitori (grilled chicken on skewers)

The cooked items on the menu were an impressive lot, incorporation grilling, steaming, and boiling, and influences from every corner, from Chinese to Western, and Thai to Korean. Particularly interesting was the Thai Spicy Lamb, marinated lamb cuts cooked in a spicy sauce, with capsicums and onions. Every bite was an explosive myriad of flavours, savoury, and spicy. The grilled chicken on skewers were exceptionally large cuts of chicken thigh meat, so much that we were having problem finishing them. Probably a plot to fill our stomach in order to prevent over-binging on other items? Hmm ….

(Clockwise from top left) : Steamed Unagi (eel), Taiwan Mantis Prawns, Tako Kimchi, and White Skin Crab

Some crappy stuff like the White Skin Crab resembled poorly wrapped Chee Cheong Fun, with bits of crab meat, and the mantis prawns which were a tad saltish. The steamed unagi was delectable, and its freshness shone through. If only we opted for a larger portion …

Grilled Lamb Shoulder

No gravy was necessary. Juicy cuts of lamb shoulder marinated to perfection. No gamey taste, no chewy texture. But some fatty parts remained intimidatin. Must-try.

Sakana with Spicy Mayo

Grilled cuts of cod fish, topped with creamy mayo sauce with a kick. Suffice to say, these disappeared in a flash.

Grilled Salmon

Rich with Omega-3, salmon remains as the top choice for fatty fishes, as tuna and cod are pricier options. Large plate of perfectly grilled salmon, fresh, and devoid of fishy flavour. KYT nodded in agreement. Hehehe …. The skin was crispy as well.

Mixed Tempura (Prawns and Vegetables)

Normally, the main problem with tempura dishes in buffet meals would be too cold, and the batter too thick, rendering them inedible if not dunked in the tentsuyu sauce, and lots of daikon (white radish). But at Tao, as they deep-fry them ON-THE-SPOT, the crunchy and light batter complemented the fresh prawns really well. One minor gripe; Where’s the daikon??!!

Shitake Kushi (Grilled shitake mushrooms on skewers)

Juicy mushrooms, grilled with a bit of salt. Appeared rather dry and shrunken, but surprisingly moist and tasty. Good snack. Though the others did not resound my opinions.

Crab Meat With Cheese

One glimpse and these fried ‘wanton’-like structures looked mediocre. But one bite, and we were in seventh heaven. Hot, creamy cheese oozed from the fillings, very rich, but paired with the crunchy skin, this is a MUST-TRY item. We ordered second servings before the end of the meal.

Motoyaki Scallops

And this might be MY favourite choice for the whole evening. Grilled scallops with a spicy and creamy sauce. I downed a few in no time. And we ordered seconds as well. Not exactly BIG in sizes, but scored with the full flavour. And you can have UNlimited servings of these babies. Size indeed, DOES NOT matter.

One word … Zen

We only managed to order roughly only 50% of the items in the menu. Yup, there are WAY more to choose from. Of course, some dishes I did not snap, and some photos came out blurry as everybody’s in frenzy to tuck in.

Price : RM48/person ++. But come before 6.30pm and you’ll get an “Early Bird” discount of 10%. Thus, we paid RM50 per pax nett. Their dining session is separated into two, to cater to a larger crowd. 5.30pm – 8.00pm, and 8.00pm – 10.30pm. Pick one, and remember to book in advance if you’re going on weekends or public holidays, to avoid disappointment.

Location : TAO Authentic Asian Cuisine @ Juru Auto-City, Penang. From the North-South highway towards Penang from the south, turn left into the JURU exit, after the Juru toll. You’ll see the Auto-City on your left, even from the highway. Tel No : 04-5017826.

Website : www.tao-cuisine.com