Subscribe to my RSS Feeds

Motormouth From Ipoh

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Akamomiji - The Latest Japanese Restaurant in Ipoh?

Akamomiji has piqued my interest since its renovation period sometime during the Chinese New Year. Located in Medan Ipoh Bistari (yup, don't you get that sense of deja vu ....), this latest addition to Ipoh's line up of Japanese restaurants opened few days ago to much fanfare, almost fully booked every evening, and prior reservation seems to be the norm, lest you decide to casually waltz in and capitalize on the furore/chaos that is surrounding almost all newly-opened outlets. Josephine Cafe and David's Diner come to mind, naturally.

Occupying 2 shoplots of space, the restaurant is brighter than its counterpart, Kizuna, and a tad more spacious. With a sushi bar that can seat about 5 guests
Service was far from satisfactory however, let alone impeccable. But given the fact that the place is rather new; the new staff and new management deserve a second chance (least in my humble opinion) and time to improve before being put on the gallows. I mean, before passing any judgmental opinions. Some may disagree on this, I'm sure, as discerning diners may categorize first impression as a make-or-break experience, and the proprietor's better impressed, or else.
But seriously, this IS Ipoh after all, whereby quality and quantity of the food comes first, while dining experience comes a close (or distant) second. And credits to be given where credits are due, all the staff were in fact, rather friendly and approachable. Just lacking in terms of training, and more vitally, hands-on experience. Imagine to be seated and without any menu nor attention for a good 5 minutes. But with that said, the waitress was rather accomodating, topping up our cups of green tea every now and then.

Chuka Wakame @ RM4.80
OK, let's move on to the food. Before that, Ipohans must have heard about Kizuna japanese restaurant? Situated a stone's throw away from Kizuna, the owner of Akamomiji is in fact, from the management of Kizuna. Still on good terms or not, I don't know. But for sure this is a strong contender to Kizuna (and even Waraku, to some extent), business-wise, as all of them are located within the same area.

Chuka Idako @ RM4.80
Our orders got mixed up somehow, and we were served more dishes than we initially ordered. But we relented and gobbled up everything that was put in front of us. Such hungry souls eh?
The appetizers of marinated seaweed (Chuka Wakame) and marinated baby octopus (Chuka Idako) came in dainty portions, but served their functions as appetizers well. Sweet, slightly tangy, and spicy (for the seaweed), the appetizers teased the palate for more to come. The baby octopus were crunchy to the bite, served on a bed of julienned cucumbers. Refreshing.

Unagi and Tamago Sushi

Kyushu Nigiri Sushi (Platter of 9 pcs) @ RM25.80

The staff explained that the fishes are freshly flown in from Japan every Tuesdays and Fridays. Hmm, Waraku (yet to blog, later) seems to import their supplies on the same days as well. Suspicious?
It's already Sunday, (meaning we could be savouring on Friday's supplies) the slices of fish remained fresh, sweet and succulent. Especially tempting was the roes (tobiko?), VERY 'crunchy' and QQ, every bite released squirts of juices. A far cry from Sushi King's, believe me.

Ebi Kisu Tenpura @ RM16.80
The prawns and fish tenpura was disappointing though. Not exactly LARGE prawns, the platter consisted of 2 prawns, a slice of fish, and a piece or two of vege only. And the batter was nothing to shout about, nor was the accompanying generic tenpura sauce.

Una Jyu @ RM23.80
We were served with the Una Jyu (grilled eel with sweet teriyaki sauce on rice), something none of us ordered. And we digged in before realizing it was not in our order list. Oh, but what the heck, the thick, juicy and well-marinated slabs of eel were perfectly grilled, with its juice retained, and none of the cold, fishy taste. Thumbs up to the unagi!!! With complementary miso soup.


Chicken Teriyaki Jyu @ RM11.80
The chicken was succulent, and tender. Simply served with strips of seaweed, and sprinkling of sesame seeds. Sufficient to be a complete meal, or a light lunch. Also came with a bowl of miso soup.

Ninmiku Chahan @ RM3.80
And ultra-light eaters can order any of their variety of fried rice, from garlic to crab fried rice and silver anchovies fried rice. The garlic fried rice was good; fluffy and fragrant from the garlic cloves, perfect as an ala carte order to complement your salads, grilled meats, hot pots, or even the kushiyaki (which sadly, was not available this particular evening). They serve okono-miyaki (japanese omelettes) as well, but unfortunately was not available for orders on this visit.


On the whole, the meal was above average, with rather reasonable prices to boot. The meal costed less than RM100 for the four of us. But of course, we did not go crazy with the orders nor order any sashimi, given the fact that it's 2 days too late to sample their freshly flown supplies from Japan. But there's always another visit, when the craving comes, ya? :)
Location : AKAMOMIJI JAPANESE RESTAURANT @ 36-38, Medan Ipoh 1E, Medan Ipoh Bistari, 31400 Ipoh, Perak. Tel : 605-546 8368. It's directly opposite the row of shops with SSTC Italian Cafe, Kafe Tim Curry Mee, and Serai Sate Kajang. Visit any of those links for directions.
#Updated 24/3/2009 : Here's The Star Online's compiled version of this article #

36 comments:

Precious Pea said...

I was told too that fishes from Japan flies in every Tues..so I guess they all get it from the same supplier?

Anonymous said...

so this is the place u were telling me abt...looks good and yeah take us along for the 2nd visit.una jyu..yummy.hehe.must try this!

precious pea: congrtas ur article on seafood is up in the star today.

Anonymous said...

wow... good discovery, MotorMouth!!! haha...

was in a SuShi mood past few days.. ended up paying a visit to Sushi King in order to satisfy the craving and my 'little' soul.. :)

hmm...nxt time i know where to seek 'treatment' when my sushi mood attacks me.. hehe..

yeah..true true.. take us along for the nxt visit la.. :)

Rebecca Saw said...

didnt really had a good experience at Kizuna, but this plc seems more promising...but Jap food stil lacks behind in Ipoh compared to KL.

Anonymous said...

nice sharing, must check this out as well. BTW, the standard at Waraku has dropped tremendously during my visit last month. That's why I didnt post it.....disappointed...

Anonymous said...

Same people who runs Kizuna and yet, it's opened so near to eac other?? :S

Selba said...

The sushi looks so fresh and definitely delicious....

iamthewitch said...

Probably not related to the food, but I wonder if they charged you for the food that they wrongly served to your table? :P The unagi definitely looks TEMPTING! I'll give that a try next time I'm in Ipoh!

minchow said...

The tempura looks like a real downer, but the chicken teriyaki jyu totally redeems this place. I shall be on the lookout should I ever venture into Ipoh (and not feel like the thousand other things on my priority list to eat) :-P

J2Kfm said...

Precious Pea : u mean those restaurants in KL got their supplies on Tues as well? gee ... maybe it's law of nature. Mon catch must be freshest?

FCOE & KCA : yeah, we can always go for lunch with the Rambutan gang, but sadly they do not serve set lunches.

thenomadGourmand : Japanese food in Ipoh cant be charging an arm and a leg, unlike Kampachi, Iketeru and such. therefore some compromise on the quality by using as much local products as possible, or skimp on the ingredients. Seriously, this place reminds me of Kizuna a lot, from the menu to the setting.

SimpleGirl : one thing for sure, Waraku's grilled meat on skewers (kushiyaki) are tasty, and cheap. but kinda sad they dun have most variety on the days I went.

jason : erm, I guess the boss ventured on his own, and detached himself from Kizuna. Can't be digging up stories from the pitiful staff right?

Selba : yeah, delicious sushi's the way to go! just read ur post on Teppan meal. heheh ....

iamthewitch : yeah, they did. and we paid, not reluctantly though. as the Una Jyu was really nice.

550ml jar of faith : yeah, stay away from the tempura.

New Kid on the Blog said...

any good restaurant around in Greentown???

Ciki said...

wow, ipoh is exploding on the food front huh? i rmbr just a few years back there was only ONE jap restuarant (jusco) rite? lol.. fantastic.. more choices for us, i say!

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

oh well..at least theres japanese food in ipoh lor..

Anonymous said...

Ah well... if the unagi's good, count me in!

Signed,
Major Unagi Fan.

LOL

J2Kfm said...

NKOTB : in Greentown, erm, you can give David's Diner a try. Or Nasi Vanggey in the afternoon. Chinese food : Overseas Restaurant, Soon Fatt, and there are steamboat such as Good Times which uses charcoal instead. But nothing special, at least to me though. Indian fare : Pakeeza's been around for some time. Yum Yum (nyonya&thai) also not bad.

Cumi & Ciki : the Jusco one, (Moritomo) has since ceased operation, and came out on its own, as Kizuna. so there goes. major ones in Ipoh include Kampai, Waraku, Kizuna, and Akamomiji. The rest I cant judge as I've never been, or rather paltry affair.

Joe : erm, there has always been, just that not as fancy/high end/popular as those in Klang Valley.

Life for Beginners : oh can i join your club then? =P

ahlock said...

The only Japanese restaurant I've patronized was Kizuna. Very expensive. The bill for two comes to RM70.00.

So, when I read that the meals cost less than RM100 for four, this must be real cheap!

worldwindows said...

With the lack of Japanese food in Ipoh the more the merrier. The unagi slab is huge. Yum.

Anonymous said...

Hey nice photos, R u taking wf ur h/p? Haha.. Let's go n hve a try...someday..

J2Kfm said...

ahlock : erm, if you order the sashimi, or go crazy over the sushi orders, i'm sure the bill will multiply. :)

worldwindows : yeah indeed. the dearth of good Japanese restaurants in Ipoh, in fact, good restaurants for dining are really hard to pinpoint here.

TallGal : hahaha... already know yet wanna ask? :)

Mummy In Vain said...

how long has this been opened? i really dun know abt it. not expensive ler....i think sushi king is more costly than this!

fatboybakes said...

sounds very exp by ipoh standards hor...RM16.80 for two prawns a piece of fish tempura???

HairyBerry said...

yeah, the tempura looks bad but the unagi..hhmmm..seems like a very big slab there. i likez!!! oh yeah, j-food costs a bomb when we go crazy with the menu. i abstain all the time too! haha!

Shell (貝殼) said...

Less than RM100 for four persons!! Worth it! and the unagi looks tasty^^

Anonymous said...

i guesse the food here must be good.I heard the owner was the partner to the guy who owned kizuna.

J2Kfm said...

Mummy in Vain : erm, at the time of this post, this place was opened not long before.

FBB : erm, and some other vege tempura as well.

Nic : yup, but the sight of all those dishes on the table .... salivate, BABY!

Anonymous : yup, can be considered as one of the best, by Ipoh's standards.

simon poi said...

Akamomiji Japanese restaurant, i highly recommended for business meeting as the environment there, is suitable for business discussion. Further with fresh food serves plus a friendly operation manager, her name is Constance who always recommends a nice food for me to eat. Every time i travel from KL to Ipoh, I have no chance at all to miss this japanese food...what else with the price is reasonable...

Jackson Foong said...

Dude! It really seem delicious! Too bad cant find it in google map. So all i need to get there is a map n time. XD!

Ayla Chan said...

I give the comment for AKAMOMIJI Japanese Restaurant is no good.
I'm last sat(26/02/2011) lunch go to try the sashimi no fresh, n then the sashimi feeling like rotten,
after complain with the waitress also no reply, services no good.

Teds Woodworking Plans said...

I was so hesitant to try sushi before and now I cannot seem to get enough of it!

Colgate Coupons said...

Wow that Kiyushu Nigiri platter looks absolutely delicious!

Nivea Coupons said...

I've had the Ebi Kisu Tenpura once and its really good.

Nivea Coupon

Photoshop Tutorials said...

Una Jiyu - That's what I'm talking about!
Lysol coupons
Lysol coupon

Killer Content said...

Colgate Coupons
Gillette Coupons
Diaper Coupons
Huggies Coupons

Bare Minerals coupons said...

Barclays credit card, Firestone credit card, Best credit card rewards, Exxon Mobil credit card, Orchard credit card, Valero credit card, Maurices credit card, Union Plus credit card, Southwest credit card

Container store coupons said...

This really is a great restaurant. Providian credit card, Southwest Airlines credit card, bealls credit card, elan credit card, the limited credit card

Maybelline coupons said...

Kiyushu Niguri Sushi is the best! 0 financing on new cars
Nitto Terra Grappler
Hankook Optimo H727
Fictitious business name California