Jogoya Buffet Restaurant

I have heard a lot about this place since it opened its doors in 2006. I heard about the wide selection of food and how the ice-cream served here is from Häagen-Dazs and New Zealand Natural. Mum and Dad were not too impressed when they visited, though. Same here, other than the wide selection of food, I was not too impressed with the quality of the food.

I did leave feeling extremely stuffed, though.

Buffet pricing for adults:
Lunch: RM82.00++/AUD27.95++
Dinner: RM92.00++/AUD31.35++
Supper: RM82.00++/AUD27.95++

Buffet pricing for children is according to height:
80cm - 100cm: RM10.00++/AUD3.40++
101cm - 120cm: Half price++
121cm and above: Normal price

 

Jogoya Buffet Restaurant
T3 Relish Floor, Starhill Gallery, 181 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Tel: +60 3 2142 1268, Fax: +60 3 2148 8171
E-mail: contact@jogoyarestaurants.com
Opens daily from 11:30am (Weekdays)/11:00am (Weekends) to 4:20pm, 5:00pm to 9:30pm and 9:40pm to 11:40pm

Nihon Kai Japanese Restaurant

When he asked if I mind having Japanese for dinner, I replied, "No, I don't care what we have, as long as someone is willing to have dinner with me." He then forwarded a link to me to have a look at the restaurant that he thought of taking me to.

I did not know that there was a Japanese restaurant situated just a few shops away from Denise's dad's shop along Old Klang Road. With only street parking available, it took some time to find a spot for the car.

A friendly waitstaff ushered us up the stairs to where there was more seating. Both of us shared some warm green tea, which we ordered first, and then proceeded to browse the menu. The result:

It was a combination of what I wanted (the agedashi and unagi sushi) and what he liked (the seaweed below), as well as some other dishes to share.

Mixed sushi plate (RM48.00/AUD16.35)

As I only dug into the udon after I had sushi, I was not able to finish the whole bowl. In the end, he helped me to finish the udon.

However, with the agedashi tofu, I had more (3 out of the 5), because I love agedashi tofu! They could have made it more crispy, though. Either that or lessen the sauce that the tofu pieces are soaked in.

Interestingly, after that first visit with him, my second visit was with his sister-in-law who brought me here for lunch one day (seems like the only times I dine here is with the members of the same family). I ordered a Chicken Katsudon and Sashimi Set (RM28.00/AUD9.50) and thoroughly enjoyed it. The sashimi, although not as fresh as the sashimi at a smaller Japanese establishment in nearby Taman Desa, was still of commendable freshness. The chicken katsudon was done to perfection, too. A little too heavy for lunch though, I reckon, but reasonably priced for the portion and quality.

Clean, quick and friendly, not easy to tell why they are popular. They do not take reservations so be sure to arrive early to beat the queue.



Nihon Kai Japanese Restaurant
4-2 Jalan Telok Gadong, Off Jalan Klang Lama, Batu 3½, 58100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Tel: +60 3 7982 3668
Open daily from 12:00pm to 3:00pm and 5:00pm to 10:00pm

The Teamwork Rainbow

One of the many activities that we frequently carry out at Honey Bee is completing scenarios to display on our walls. These scenarios are like large scale craft projects, which involve a group of children, sometimes from mixed age groups.

For this rainbow scenario, the children were guided by Puan Nora and Miss Foo, who modeled what to do for the children to imitate and complete independently.

Some children chose to sit on the floor, some chose to stand while a few others chose to grab chairs.

There was much negotiating that occurred between the children; lots of asking for glue, passing different colour paper and asking for help with tearing or cutting.

They would also ask the Puan Nora in Malay, "Puan Nora, macam ini ah?" or Miss Foo in Mandarin, "这样可以吗?"

It is always a sight to behold to watch children working collaboratively, as they use so many of their existing social, cognitive and language skills. In addition, the sharing and negotiating that occurs further develops their emotional and higher order thinking.

Alexis

It took me a while before I had a chance to visit Alexis Bangsar. Friends have been talking about the place for years and instead of visiting with friends, I visited with Dad.

As it was just before lunch time, the place was still quiet. We were shown to our table very quickly.

We sat right at the front overlooking their outdoor dining area.

I liked the interior of the place - they used quite a bit of wood.

The place was brightly lit at that time but I wondered if it would be as brightly lit during dinner time.

Dad ordered a Chicken and Mushroom Pie (RM26.00/AUD8.90), which he found just average. He reckoned that it was a tad expensive, though.

Please smack me for I did not take down what I had (again, sorry). It was a little too heavy for lunch, as I realised that I had to force myself to stay awake as I was driving home. The penne could have been left to boil for slightly longer though.

Was not very impressed despite how friends rave about the place, in all honesty.

Alexis Bangsar
29 Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Tel: +60 3 2284 2880 
Open daily from 12:00pm to 12:00am

As they had a bigger outlet at The Gardens, I asked VK if we could dine there before our movie. I decided to give their pasta another try and chose to have a pumpkin and ricotta ravioli (I love ravioli). I was disappointed yet again, as the eight pieces of ravioli that got served were not worth the price VK paid.

The only consolation was the Tiramisu (RM15.00). Starting with a top layer of caramelised nuts followed by layers of finger sponge soaked in rum and rich mascarpone embedded with chocolate shavings, the huge piece of cake could make a meal on its own. Although the home-made raspberry sauce was a unique addition, I did not think that it added to the taste of the cake - it was fine on its own.

Alexis Gardens

Lot F209 1st Floor, The Gardens, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: +60 2287 2281

Open daily from 10:00am to 12:00am

Restoran Kari Kepala Ikan Tiga

We love our steamed fish head, so when we stumbled upon this restaurant, we stopped and walked in. We gave their Famous Steam Fish Head a try and were not disappointed. The fish was fresh and I liked how it was spicy with garlic flavour.

Not sure what this other steamed fish dish is called but it came in a peppery broth with lots of chopped garlic and lala (Asian clam). One dish that I would recommend.

Another dish I would recommend is Guang Xi Tofu Puffs, juicy puffballs stuffed with fish mince. 

Their restaurant is of reasonable cleanliness and we have always opted to be seated outdoors instead of indoors. Waitstaff are happy to recommend dishes when asked.

Restoran Kari Kepala Ikan Tiga
1 Jalan BPU5, Bandar Puchong Utama, 47100 Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia.
Mob: +601 16 288 2829, +60 19 647 7941 (Johnny Yap)