Sushi Zanmai, Revisit
Not wanting to let Ah Kit be the only person left among the three of us who has yet to try Sushi Zanmai, we decided to head down to The Garden’s to have sushi for lunch before my 4.30pm bus back to Malacca.
We sat down and ordered our refillable iced green tea. Honestly, they certainly didn’t taste like green tea to me, more like plain water with a little bit of flavouring in it. As for the other picture, its the wooden chopsticks.
We sat next to the conveyor belt, where an endless and unlimited but not free sushi kept passing by, tempting us to take them and put them into our tummy. Funnily, we didn’t take any of them, not even a single plate.
Ah Kit had a difficult time thinking what to order as it was his first time there.
No sushi meal would be complete without unagi. For the three of us, we ordered the large unagi set, which came with eight slices of unagis. Not too sweet or salty, just nice to compliment both tastes. The white rice, after mixing it with the remaining sauce dripping from the unagis, tasted really good and it was emptied in no time.
Ah Yong suggested a cod fish dish which we had no intention of disagreeing with his suggestion. The same sweet sauce as unagi’s, but different texture. Pieces by pieces, we helped ourselves with the cod fish. Not too bad, but it could have been better as cod fish is best eaten steamed to taste the natural sweetness inside the meat. Kind of oily too! Just look at the layer of oil that gave the fish the shinny surface.
Upon seeing soft shell crabs on the menu, Ah Kit wanted to order it. Who were we to say no, right? However, I find it rather salty compared to its counterpart, Pasta Zanmai. Although under the same management company, Pasta Zanmai’s soft shell crabs tasted much better. Moreover, Sushi Zanmai’s didn’t really look like crabs to me, more like spiders.
Wanting to taste their superbly soft and smooth tofu, I ordered a bowl. It definitely didn’t disappoint me. However, I find Pasta Zanmai’s version is better in terms of presentation. Their tofu stood up firmly and didn’t wobble around, unlike Sushi Zanmai’s. On top of that, the outer layer was fried till a very light golden brown colour and has slight crispiness in it where as Sushi Zanmai’s were nothing but just a layer of skin.
Ah Yong wanted to try their sushi and he ordered a plate of assorted sushis. I had the salmon sushi and it tasted just average.
Not wanting to lose out, I ordered a plate of deep fried tuna sushi, which turned out to be really delicious. The fact that I quite like tuna made the sushi twice the deliciousness. Tuna and Japanese rice, wrapped with seaweed and then deep fried. Some mayonnaise to give the extra punch and presentation before serving. Crunchy yet a little juicy at the same time. I could eat two plates all by myself! It was that delicious.
Another sushi filled with soft shell crabs, just for Ah Kit. The soft shell crab in this particular sushi wasn’t crunchy at all and tasted just nice for me.
To end my lunch, I ordered a bowl of black sesame ice cream. Damn nice! Only available at Japanese restaurants, I assume.
The bill came up to just a couple of dollars above RM100. It was definitely lower than we hada expected from the beginning.
Overall, Sushi Zanmai didn’t disappoint me the second time and there’s no reason for me not to go back there again. Judging from Ah Kit’s happy face after we came out from the restaurant, I am pretty sure he would visit it again, with his parents.
Editor’s Note : Overall, Sushi Zanmai did not disappoint me / still pretty good although this particular round was a little off standard compared to my first visit. However, I reckoned that’s because it was a weekday and the sushi had stayed on the conveyor belt just a little bit longer than usual. I recommend their deep fried tuna sushi, unagi bento set and black sesame seed ice cream. The tofu and soft shell crab, somehow, Pasta Zanmai’s tasted better.
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Tags: Eating..., Japanese, Mid Valley, Sushi, Sushi Zanmai, The Gardens
September 17th, 2008 00:27
Fuck - i hate this post !!!
September 17th, 2008 01:26
I agree with Ellone, but luckily I’ll go eat nasi kandar in a while. Otherwise sure cannot sleep after staring at the sushi!
September 17th, 2008 09:56
didn u guys look at the price b4 ordering….
September 17th, 2008 10:11
Wow, all the negative comments. I guess it must have been RREEEAALLLY expensive.
September 17th, 2008 10:25
Went there once, food is decent… service was slow though, only a few of the staff seemed working seriously while the others were day dreaming waiting for payday.
September 17th, 2008 10:39
Wow, a bit the pricey. I don’t enjoy eating sushi like this at times. It’s not satisfying and it’s expensive. Rather go buffet provided I have those 50% discount. Haha…
September 17th, 2008 10:53
Ellone : Wahahah…
Bryan : Lucky you. Who won the match? :D
Sean : Nope. Why should we look at the price first? Hehe. By the way, we didn’t say it was expensive. It was cheaper than we though actually.
Jeremy : Nope, it wasn’t expensive at all. In fact, for the food quality I was having, the price was really cheap. :D
YeinJee : Yeah, some of the stuffs were slacking, especially the guys.
Cutie : Nope. Its cheap and rather affordable. Definitely cheaper than Sushi Groove if you ask me. Buffet maybe cheap and unlimited, but taste wise definitely not up to par. Look at Shogun, they served a huge tray of unagi and I could barely swallow down a piece.
September 17th, 2008 11:45
Your food photography is getting better. :)
I always wanted to try Sushi Zanmai (since I love Pasta Zanmai).. but after this post, maybe not.
September 17th, 2008 13:26
The price is pretty alright with the stuff you all ordered.
I’m not a big fan of vegetables but I kinda like their Sashimi Salad. It is pretty refreshing as their dressing is kinda unique.
And yeah, Pasta Zanmai is opening soon in Mid Valley (next to Madam Kwan).
September 17th, 2008 13:39
Stomach growling. Arghh! Your fault!
September 17th, 2008 14:47
Zara’s mama, it’s his camera getting more expensive. LoL…
Jason, of course Chelsea lah, 4-0 somemore. :D
September 17th, 2008 15:15
Our favourite place….. :)
September 17th, 2008 15:27
woohoo me wnana go there again soon! to spend my rm5 voucher. hehehe
September 17th, 2008 15:54
I can recommend my father this restaurant if we’re looking for affordable Japanese food. Definitely cheaper than Kampachi.
September 17th, 2008 16:18
Didn’t try much their sushi rolls at my 1st visit, hope can revisit soon~~
September 18th, 2008 02:28
everytime i read your blog i’ll get hungry.
haha. indeed, ur photography has improved lots.
keep it up. and perhaps impart some of your skills to me one day.
lol.
(dont change my name)
September 18th, 2008 03:59
Zara’s Mama : Thank you. Well, Sushi Zanmai still comes highly recommended from me for its price-quality ratio. Its just that, this round, we ordered something that I have tasted better. Its really good on its own actually.
Chong : Salads are for sissies. :P
Che-Cheh : Hehe. Go eat then.
Bryan : Admit it, my skill has improved. Don’t deny. Haha.
Twosuperheroes : Mine too.
Xin : LOL. The RM5 actually do nothing to the bill, if you ask me. Even their ice cream is priced at RM6.
CLF : Yes, definitely.
mimid3vils : Please do. :) They are awesome.
Sarah : Haha. Its all trial and error babe.
September 18th, 2008 14:40
often then not, when i read your foodies posts, id have tummy upsets because of a sudden surge of hunger….hahaha. btw, your pics are awesome. do you enhance the colours or its all original? ive been thinking of getting a 10mm lens. but blardy hell!!!! damn expensive man!!! id have to sell my bottom for it…lol
September 19th, 2008 23:31
Fall in love with the black sesame ice cream.
Definately to give a try if foods are great although pricy.
September 20th, 2008 01:30
fuyoh.. got so many nice foods RM100++ only??
amazingly cheap..!!!~~~
September 22nd, 2008 02:27
Calvin : Haha. I am just doing what I do best, that’s all. YEs, you have to do a little bit of post processing to give the picture the extra boost that cameras couldn’t do. What for you want a 10mm lens?
Jijitankyy : Hehe. Pricy? Not really, considering its taste and quality, pretty decent or reasonably priced.
Vian : Yes, very cheap. Want to belanja me makan or not?