[Kuala Lumpur] Sushi Qubey @ Parkroyal Collection Kuala Lumpur

Saw that this restaurant offers omakase and I have not tried one before, so why not? Made reservation for 12pm slot for the MYR188++ lunch omakase. A deposit of MYR100 was required when confirming the reservation.

entrance

I was there like 5 mins earlier and staff informed that one needs to wait till the appointed time to be seated.

staring at sake bottles to pass time

Seemed like no one arrives on time for omakase? It was a whole 10 mins of awkwardness as the Chefs saw that I was the only attendee who had arrived for the 12pm slot and our small talk only lasted for about 2 mins before they decided to leave me alone and go about their prepping work.

first person view

gari was set ahead of lunch

sauce glaze for the sushi

various toppings for the nigiri

Was a tad surprised that no complimentary green tea was offered at the establishment. Ordered the Kojimaya Untitled #01 sake to try. The 'Untitled' is the brewery's way of expressing going beyond the concept of categories.

Kojimaya Untitled #01 (per 100ml carafe) - MYR50++

Taste profile of the sake was light and crisp with rounded sweetness.

My omakase session started at about 10 mins past 12pm. 

Asked Chef if he mind people taking photos, and he said go-ahead and that they are used to it.

Lunch Omakase

Appetiser

appetiser - fried fish with corriander sauce, crab meat with spinach and ikura

The spinach was lightly blanched and hence, the flavour was subtle for the first dish in the appetiser.

fried fish with corriander sauce

The fragrance from the fried fish was captivating and the green sauce had a mild hint of spice. 

Sashimi

kanpachi, ika and toro (added MYR30++ for a piece of toro)

Thus far, my experience with ika sashimi outside of Japan has not been great and likewise, the version here did not dispel that notion. I loved kanpachi and this met the expectation and it was a good choice to top-up for toro. Chef slightly aburi'ed the toro and hence, I could savor the lovely oily fragrance from the fish.

Chawanmushi

with truffle and cheese

Oh my, first impression of the chawanmushi was "Why is it so big?" Ok, I was amused alone as the rest of the dining companions were still at their appetiser/sashimi course.

This dish came in the biggest container that I have ever seen for a chawanmushi! Impressed and there's this naggy feeling that I'd be full by the end of course #3.

cheese pull~

Served piping hot, so it naturally one needs to slow down even for fast eaters. The truffle was not overpowering and I was surprised, that cheese works in chawanmushi too.

Nigiri

Chef Danson preparing the 1st nigiri

seabream with plum sauce

Had accidentally smeared almost half the plum sauce onto my fingers so am not sure if that was the reason why the 1st piece was just clean tasting.

Aji (spanish mackerel)

pretty looking akami with caviar

Actually, I had no idea how many pieces of nigiri would the Chef be serving. He didn't mention, and I didn't ask and menu did not state. Haha!

I was also wondering if one was supposed to take the sushi plate from the counter or just the sushi piece but seemed like the service staff would be hovering nearby and will assist to take the plate placed at the counter by the Chef and places it in-front of the diner. 

next piece, aburi in-progress

aburi saba with ginger flower

I can safely conclude, that I liked the aburi'ed version of the sushi more than non-torched version. And, I overheard the couple next to me requesting Chef to aburi all the nigiri in the set for her companion as he doesn't eat raw fish.

hotate with ikura and cream cheese

The junior Chef was helping Chef Danson to torch something else while he was prepping for the others. I was wondering whose dish was that for, and it turned out, it was for the finale handroll. 

Handroll

Engawa Handroll

Of course, the handroll was handed directly to the guest, with which I accepted with thanks.

delicious handroll

Ok, now I understand why so many raved about engawa handrolls. It was simply delicious with the oily mouthfeel and the slightly torched fragrance. And to have two pieces of engawa in the roll, was indeed luxurious.

Soup

red miso soup

The red miso soup helped to cut away any greasy feels from the previous courses. 

Dessert

goma ice-cream with blueberry

I was feeling rather full while trying to finish the miso soup. Black sesame ice-cream was just the right remedy to end of the meal.

Service was good at this establishment. Chef Danson explained all the dishes served and he was happy to respond to any queries that the guest might have. Service staff was also pro-active in clearing away empty plates.

Sushi Qubey

Address: Jln Sultan Ismail, Bukit Bintang, 50250 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur

Website: http://sushiqubey.com/

Business Hours:

Closed on Mon.

Tue - Sun: 12–3 pm, 6–10 pm

[Kuala Lumpur] Short Staycation at Parkroyal Collection Kuala Lumpur @ Jln Sultan Ismail

The traffic from KLIA to city center was heavy on my day of arrival as it was a few days leading to the Lunar New Year holidays. Thus, reached the hotel at about 6.45pm and by the time checked-in was completed, the evening cocktail had just ended.

I was allocated a room at the 3rd floor which made me curious as usually Club Rooms would be at the higher levels. The staff shared that only the lower floor Club Rooms has a bathtub. 

 

COLLECTION Club Room

welcome amenity from GHA Discovery

coffee

The coffee capsules were nice, though the box holding them, appeared to be somewhat dusty... Taste-wise I liked the classic and decaf.

The welcome plate had pineapple tart, two small slices of cake, strawberry coated with chocolate, white chocolate and a cookie. Thanks to GHA Discovery, it was a nice coffee break.

in-room mini-bar (chargeable)

view from bathroom

Looking forward to the day when in-room minibar would be complimentary for guests staying in Club Rooms.

filtered drinking water in the bathroom

Tried the laundry service and was happy to note that the service was fast and fuss free. Just that the return of the laundry was thwarted twice (unintentionally) due to the 'DND' sign was up, and I didn't know that they would return it in the evening time for the same day service and the retry was the next morning around 8+am. Sorry and thanks to the laundry team!

area outside the rooms

Went downstairs to the Botanist Lounge & Bar in the evening, to see what's interesting over there.

Botanist Lounge & Bar

The place was chill chill and there is actually no need to wait, and one should just seat themselves where ever they prefer.

I only saw two staff at this place when I visited. Hence, it might be hard to catch them from your table but I suppose, one could find them at the bar area.

menu

waiting for musicians to arrive

not busy

Was hungry, so ordered the beef ribs nasi lemak and a cocktail. Don, the staff on bar duty that evening warned that the nasi lemak would need about 45 minutes to prepare. Ok, then I'll just enjoy the drinks first.

Florida Beach @MYR58++

Made a mistake by telling Don that I didn't like too strong a drink. Should've just let them bring the default version instead of this modified version which was nice as a mocktail.

snacks for the drinks

The live performance started at about 15 mins after 9pm. A two-pax band (one keyboardist and one vocalist) and they seemed to prefer music from the 80s.

Angus Beef Ribs Nasi Lemak Bunga Talang @MYR68++

The nasi lemak had blue-pea rice, blanched kang kong, cucumber slices, fried peanuts and anchovies, sunny side up (with a tad burnt bottom) and a large chunk of beef ribs. The beef ribs was tender and especially flavourful at the fatty bits. Sambal was spice level 1 out of 5. This plate was a heavy meal for supper and the richness of the beef ribs got to me towards the end of the meal.

Berries Rhapsody @MYR48++

I ordered another drink from Don with normal alcohol strength and he said he will concoct something. He brought out the Berries Rhapsody. The taste was reminiscent of Ribena. 

Parkroyal Collection Kuala Lumpur

Address: Jln Sultan Ismail, Bukit Bintang, 50250 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Website: https://www.panpacific.com/en/hotels-and-resorts/pr-collection-kuala-lumpur.html

Botanist Lounge & Bar

Address: Jln Sultan Ismail, Bukit Bintang, 50250 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Website: https://www.panpacific.com/en/hotels-and-resorts/pr-collection-kuala-lumpur/dining/the-botanist-lounge-and-bar.html

[Kuala Lumpur] Table & Apron @ Petaling Jaya

Had an opportunity to meet up with my Convent Kajang friends again after our Penang adventures. Read more about our Penang travel here.

Thanks to Grace for organizing, Adeline and Shanta for taking time off for a short dinner meet-up before CNY. As for dinner venue, Grace suggested Table & Apron and I was informed that their fried chicken was good. Keke!

KL traffic was challenging for the days leading up to CNY but I was able to reach the shop earlier than expected. Our dinner reservation was at 8pm.

signage

Opposite of the restaurant are residential terrace houses. Quiet area and parking may be a challenge, and depends on luck.

The place was bustling and many seemed to have made their reservations for upstairs. 

menu

cold water

We were busy catching up and food was served 20 minutes after order was placed.

roasted cauliflower @MYR27++

pucuk paku salad @MYR27++

buckwheat fried chicken (6 pieces) @MYR53++

tagliatelle al ragu @MYR45++

Staff would explain the components inside the dish when it was first brought over to the table and I appreciated that. Loved how passionate the staff was and I was excited to try the food!

Roasted cauliflower had a lovely sauce but the texture was not for me. My favourite salad that night had to be the pucuk paku (fern) salad. It is a rare dish for me, and thanks to the group that we ordered it to try. Tangy and umami.

First impression of the fried chicken? The batter was superbly crispy! Taste wise, there's no particular outstanding flavour of the buckwheat but the chicken was well marinated, fried to perfection and still juicy on its inside.

closer view of the chicken

Staff asked if we would like some dessert. While we were stuffed after all the food, we agreed that we should try one dessert and Grace chose the tiramisu.

tiramisu @MYR28++

Food was comforting, service was excellent with knowledgeable and helpful staff.

Thank you Adeline, Grace and Shanta for the company and cheers to our friendship since Primary school days.

Table & Apron

Address: 23, Jalan SS 20/11, Damansara Kim, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

Website: https://www.tableandapron.my/

Contact: +60377334000

Business Hours:

Closed on Mon.

Tue - Thu: 5:30–9:30 pm

Fri - Sun: 11:30 am–2:30 pm, 5:30–9:30 pm