Ittan Izakaya @ Solaris Mont Kiara

Konnichiwa! 

I'm pretty sure that you can see the pattern and the strong love that I have for the Japanese food especially an Authentic one but hopefully I can realize my dream of traveling to the land of the rising sun to enjoy fresh seafood and culture!

So when I got to know that there was an opening of a new Japanese eatery in the expat populated city of Mont Kiara from a friend that has a special delicacy which in a way motivates me to gather my food buddy to venture this place.. 

The moment you arrive their doorstep which actually located just opposite of the Villa Ju Bakery and it immediately transports you back to the land of the rising Sun as the excited servers of Ittan greets you endlessly with cheers in Japanese and they also have some lady servers that were in their traditional clothing (Kimono) and it's awfully cute! 

After you are being seated and the menu is promptly being presented to you, there were also drinks being offered but here is the only place to find a Suntory beer to my understanding.. But if you aren't the Suntory fan, you can still opt for a Sapporo.. There are also corkage charges for champagne which is RM30 per bottle..

Without wasting too much time, we started to scan and study their extensive menu from their scrapbooks which has pictures that comes in handy for those who aren't familiar with the Japanese cuisine and also they have another list which are the specials of the day or night perhaps but sadly it's all writing and not in English but in Japanese.. No fret, there will be all the well verse in Japanese servers to guide you through that menu and you may find some surprises in that menu along the way.. 

Afterwards, we finally made our decisions and we went for a Japanese feast that would drive any Japanese food lover crazy with their beautiful presentation and not to forget their amazingly fresh ingredients! 

Sea Urchin Sashimi (RM65)

First off to arrive is their Sea Urchin Sashimi which is a lovely and delicate roe of the Sea Urchin that is in their opulently golden hue and it came along with a few pieces of seaweed to eat it either in a roll or you can eat it just as it is! In terms of taste, I can tell you that it is the most delicate and buttery yet heavenly piece of food that you will ever experience.. It is that delicious and it totally brought us the joy of eating and from their buttery and delicate texture you would know why it cost alot because this delicate roes are actually extracted from the female sea urchin and they are a seasonal item to have which made it such a sought after delicacy.. A must order dish for some indulgence or even on a special occasion.. 

Tuna & Salmon Sashimi (RM42)

After that sumptous and decadent starter, we were then presented with a duo of Tuna & Salmon Sashimi.. This tower of sashimi is beautifully presented and wrapped together that makes it look rather artistic but simple and it was topped off with a dollop of wasabi.. Both the salmon and tuna sashimi is really fresh and quite a thick cut as well.. 

After the sashimi course, then came the giant Grilled Oysters that is the only dish we ordered that requires live cooking right on our table!

 For RM15 the oyster is really worthy as it is a huge one and also fresh.. Besides that, you are also given the opportunity to witness their staff being skillful in preparing their heat source which is the charcoal grill  that is purely japanese and it is the expertly being handled with care.. 

Grilled Oyster (RM15)

The grilled oysters is really cooked well with a covered foil and it was cooked to perfection and I was really amazed that the flesh of the oyster is still succulent and tender and retains much of its clean flavours..

After much seafood galore and we decided to take a palate cleanser with something rather clean and pure to clean our appetites for the following course!

Chilled Tofu with Savoury Sauce (RM6)

The first palate cleanser that we ordered from their menu was the Chilled Tofu with Savoury sauce which is actually a petite bowl of a block of tofu being portion earlier on in fours with a dash of sliced seaweed and bonito flakes on top of it alongside the spring onions.. The sauce is served on the side as they allow you to have it as salty as you want or you can have it just like how it is.. Since we love some sauce and flavours into our dishes, we added some of the savoury sauce which gave the tofu a slight salty taste.. The texture of the tofu is really delicate and silky smooth and it goes well with the bonito flakes that gave it some shrimp taste.. 

Chicken Sashimi Ponzu (RM11)

From the fantastic and rich sashimi & delicate palate cleanser, we finally moved on to the dish that made it the reason we came here for! 

It's the moment of truth to try out the elusive Chicken Sashimi with Ponzu Dressing! Actually in this Ittan Izakaya there are several renditions to the Chicken Sashimi dish but for this visit we opted for the Chicken Sashimi with Ponzu Dressing..
 Hopefully we survive this dish as norm the chicken is cooked till the flesh turn white but for this place, they opted to serve it raw.. It may sound alittle intimidating to try this dish as you will think of the fear of being sick from it.. No fear as the chef in Ittan Izakaya was really careful in the preparation of this dish despite it was raw..

Let's talk about this dish! Despite it being a fancy sashimi chicken version and it requires extra special care and attention in the preparation of it, it was still reasonably priced and at RM11 we were presented with a reasonable portion of the chicken sashimi and beautiful plating nonetheless.. It was really worth the money and risk to try this dish..
The chicken meat used for this sashimi was a section of the breast which was dressed in ponzu dressing that is a citrus element that helps to cook the chicken but not too much and you may notice that the colour of the breast has changed slightly.. In terms of taste on the palate, it was really  mindblowing good as the chicken taste wasn't that evidently pungent as we were expected to be but somehow it reminiscent of the taste and texture of a salmon sashimi and the breast has a hint of citrus and horse radish to it that made it enjoyable mouthful..

Mizu Karei Grill (RM92)

This fish is grilled to perfection and the flesh of this fish just  flakes off effortlessly and the taste of it is really sweet and not oily! An excellent recommendation from the server ! This grilled fish is really a rare treat and its only available on their special menu or you can get from the friendly staff recommendation.. 

Verdict:

A satisfying and enjoyable  authentic Japanese meal filled with the most fresh seafood!

Must Try:

Butter Grill Squid 

Chicken Sashimi Ponzu dressing 

Sea Urchin Sashimi

Ambience: 4/5

Food:4.5/5

Price:3/5

Service:4.5/5

Ittan Izakaya 

No.9, Jalan Solaris Mont Kiara,

Jalan Solaris 4,

Solaris Mont Kiara 

50480

Kuala Lumpur

Opening Hours:

Monday- Sunday 

4pm-2am

Contact: 

03-62110054