Koikeshoten @ Bangsar

Aisatsu!

You know how much I love Japanese food and I heard so much about this yakitori place which is really famous for an authentic Japanese experience from the chef and servers right up to the food preparation..

There were alot of great buzz about this relatively new yakitori place in the area of bangsar which is just constantly mushrooming new eateries with interesting concept..

The latest addition would be the one located  nearby the Domino pizza shop which has a view facing directly opposite of the houses.. The signage isn't exactly very obvious but if you happen to be walking or tend to be very familiar with the landscape of the businesses in the Telawi area, I'm pretty sure you would be able to spot the latest addition of that row..

This place is which has  a very strong Japanese vibe in terms of the decor of the restaurant, the people and their greetings too that you would struck you automatically that you're in a Japanese owned or run enterprise.. According to many, they say that this is the place to be for a scrumptious feast of yakitori delights and it's non-halal too!

They have an extensive menu ranging from the endless combination of yakitori to the cold tofu until the rice and finally the desserts.. We were caught by surprised on how affordable their pricing was for each of their dishes as we were thinking its going to be on the steep side of the coin..

Well from the variety of skewer dishes option available on the menu, we started off the dinner with a Butter glazed grilled squid, grilled eel, tuna and leek and pork belly & neck.. I know it looks rather sumptous and quite a mouthful to eat but don't be deceive from the portion itself as the skewers just comes in one stick.. 

This is a great place if you're looking to have a light and simple Japanese dinner with the ambience with affordable price! The portion here aren't crazy as the skewers are being served in one stick which has 2 pieces of meat so it would be excellent choice for you to savour more of their other varieties of skewers on the menu.. 

Butter glazed grilled squid (RM24)

The first up would be the butter glazed grilled squid which is basically a personal recommendation from their friendly servers.. They are always happy to be at your service in recommending what is great or even to help you figuring out what certain dishes are if you aren't well verse with the yakitori cuisine.. 

The first impression we got from the appearance is that it is really simple and the chefs are kind enough in slicing the squid into rings for our enjoyment! Well we were really excited in trying out as squid is easily to be over cooked and rubbery so this can truly test their expertise.. From the first mouthful that we had from this grilled squid, it just blown our minds away as the squid is perfectly cooked which still retains their springy texture and the squid has this buttery yet light dressing that is glazed all around the squid and there was a dollop of mayonnaise which is the Japanese mayonnaise along side a wedge of lemon for you to add on the squid.. But for us we just like it as it is as we just eat the squids with the glazed that make you wanting more! 

 Truly pleasurable to have and also to share among friends!

Pork Neck & Pork Belly

The first yakitori that we ordered from a long comprehensive menu are the Pork Neck & Pork Belly which is really something rare to find in a menu as usually you may find a pork belly but in this Koike Shoten they are aiming to provide you a delightful yet authentic Japanese yakitori experience.. The moment we saw both this pork belly and neck on the menu we knew that we had to have it!

 And we were really impressed with the outlook of it as it is every foodie and pork loving people would expect from a yakitori pork belly that has layers of fats melting in between the layers of meat and skin! From the taste aspect, the pork belly rendered fats really melts in our mouth and the meat is so tender yet soft that you don't really need much effort to chew it! 

Next is the pork neck which is has lesser fat content in comparison to the pork belly but they are like the masters in the kitchen with expertise in handling a part of the animal that has not much fat in it.. The meat of this pork neck is wonderfully made with balanced in seasoning that just delightful and you can really taste the tenders and the sweetness of the pork neck meat.. 

Chicken &leek (RM22)

The 3rd yakitori that we ordered is the Chicken & Leek which is really something interesting in terms of combination as we haven't try any vegetable yakitori and also the chicken yakitori made by the chefs in Koikeshoten.. 

It is really simple presentation and we were rather hungry eventhough we ordered a lot of the different types of yakitori and grilled squid but we still have ample of space to try out! 

Let's focus back on this chicken and leek yakitori which does sound really simple but you will be surprised on how they magically able to turn a simple and ordinary meat into something delicious with interesting flavour notes.. 

The first bite we had from this yakitori chicken is that it is really perfectly moist and with a light seasoning with a layer of chicken fat and the amazing part of grilling has the power in transforming a plain vegetable into a sweet yet crunchy leek with a slight hint of charcoal that goes amazingly well with the clean flavours of the chicken.. 

Oyster (RM18)

This oyster is really fresh and huge in size actually and be sure to spot it being written on their entrance of the restaurant that has a small white board there stating the chef's specials! You wouldn't want to miss out the awesome chef's special..
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I am really lucky on that day as this was put on special and sometimes even you don't realize the board by the entrance, their ever helpful servers are so eager yet happy to share with you their chef's specials and with their honest recommendation as well; we tried it! Their oyster is really delicious and fresh! 

Cold Tofu (RM11)

The only cold dish that we have which isn't a seafood is the Cold Tofu which presented rather simplisticly yet it is pack with flavour that just caught your palate by surprise as it is really clean in terms of flavour yet the tofu is cold with a soft and silky texture! 

After having the cold tofu which act like a palate cleanser, we moved on to the sweet delight of the teriyaki based of the Unagi which is the grilled eel that was constantly bath and brush with the teriyaki dressing that is quite reminiscent of how the American BBQ would do for their meats.. The dressing on this piece of eel is coating it like a second skin with a perfect balance between salty and sweet notes.. The eel is perfectly cooked with the back note of charred flavour! Great with their Asahi beer or even sake.. 

Unagi (RM25)

After all the yakitori, we were really looking forward to the only rice dish that we ordered for the night.. There were a few choices for us to choose from on the Rice part of the menu but there was one that really caught our attention which is the Sea Urchin Rice!

Sea Urchin Rice (RM38)

This is a simple dish that really represents the Japanese cuisine culture of simple yet fresh with a beautiful presentation alongside it!

 This dish is presented on a bowl of sushi rice which is then includes a runny poached egg placed above it and finally it was topped off with some sliced seaweed and precious Sea Urchin! 

We were in awe in how simple that bowl of rice looks like but the first spoonful of it just brought a wide you smile and you just want to concentrate this bowl for the night only!

 It is that good and powerful as the spoonful itself brings various texture and flavours to your palate that comprises of the richness and buttery texture from the sea urchin to the slight spiciness from the horse radish and the stickiness of the sushi rice that acts as the pillow for this sea urchin to sleep on.. Together it is the great pairing in heaven!

Enoki with Pork Belly (RM6)

Such an enjoyable bowl of Sea Urchin Rice that we are brought back to earth to sample this Enoki with Pork Belly yakitori.. This is actually one of the many surprises and creative ideas that the chef in Koikeshoten presented in their menu which is really tempting us to order it! So we ordered this Enoki with pork belly and we were rather inquisitive on how the chef would be incorporating this two proteins that can be presented into a skewer..

Normally, you will be able to see a similar but a beef version of it in the Japanese restaurant but here since they have the leverage on making it into the pork version which made it even more interesting yet mouth watering.. The first bite that we had from this yakitori was pure heaven as the pork belly is sliced thinly to wrap the enoki like a warm blanket of fat marble in between the meat and the grilling action melts the fat slightly to make it rich, soft and supple and just literally melts in your mouth with just a slight chewing exercise for the enoki!
Really delicious pork belly!

Scallop (RM20)

The next yakitori to arrived is the Scallop skewer which is actually a two scallop being sandwiched with the onions.. The scallop is grilled to perfection and with the hints of charred flavour and natural sweet taste to the scallop whereas the onion which was charred has caramalized it to compliment the scallop with the crunchy and sweet texture of the onions..

After the scrumptious yakitori then came the Wagyu Beef Carpaccio.. The presentation from this yakitori place is really immaculate! They really treat every single dish as a work of art and so does the flavour too! This carpaccio was thinly sliced and it was really flavourful with great seasoning and the fats melt in your mouth in every bite! 

Wagyu Beef Carpaccio (RM56)

Verdict: 

Very authentic Japanese yakitori! 

Delicious food and very polite and efficient service!

Must Try Dish:

Grilled Unagi

Uni Rice 

Wagyu Beef Carpaccio

Ambience: 4/5

Food:4/5

Price:3.5/5

Service:4.5/5

KoikeShoten Japanese Restaurant (Non-Halal)

8, Jalan Telawi,

Bangsar Baru,

59100

Kuala Lumpur 

Opening Hours:

 Monday- Saturday 

6pm-1am