Tuesday, May 3, 2011

50% off food & drinks at Zipangu (Shangri-La KL) - 88 Sakura Spring Special.

Zipangu, or by its' full name Zipangu Super Dining by Nadaman, Shangri-La's Japanese restaurant, is one of the places that the darling and I have never really dared to venture into - I didn't think my wallet or even my credit cards would be able to take the shock. So it was a nice surprise to read about the 88 Sakura Spring Special on kampungboycitigal.com - in a nutshell, the first 88 diners for lunch or dinner get 50% off all food & drinks!

So anyway, putting aside the question of what exactly is "super dining?", we find ourselves seated here for lunch. It's nicely decorated with an open kitchen concept, but the apparent lack of any sound dampening means that the volume level does get a little loud.


We're a bit confused initially by the menu that's handed to us because everything in it is a "set lunch" dish. I'm not sure if this is just a 'lunchtime' thing - perhaps the restaurant switches over to ala-carte for dinner. In any case, the set lunches open up with an appetizer of 茶碗蒸し (chawan mushi) and a seaweed-and-carrot dish. The chawan mushi was delicious - silky smooth and nicely flavoured, with some chicken and half a fresh shrimp at the base.


My initial plans to try the grilled cod were scuppered by logistics - they didn't have any because the cod "hadn't arrived yet." So I take a gamble and go for the 日本の焼き魚と刺身定職 (Today's Grilled Fish Set with Sashimi, MYR75.00 - you can also have it sans sashimi for MYR50.00). The set meal also comes with a simmered dish of the day, pickles, miso soup and rice.

The "fish of the day" turns out to be a type of grilled mackerel. If you're here on a date, or to impress business partners, I highly recommend not to order this. It's nicely grilled and flavored, but it's also a very boney (bony?) fish, so it's difficult to eat in a very 'dignified' manner. I gave up halfway and decided to use my fingers to help separate the meat from the bones.

Oh and I do think that for the extra MYR25.00 you pay for adding on sashimi, they could have perhaps squeezed in a little more than the two small slices of salmon & butterfish that I got.


The darling had the 鰻蒲焼と天ぷら定職 (Grilled eel set with sweet sauce and tempura, MYR105.00, or MYR85.00 without the tempura). The Unagi was heavenly, with a slight charred aftertaste coming from the grill. Portion was generous, too!

The tempura was battered very light and fluffy, although perhaps we'd prefer a slightly more crispiness.


Your choice of coffee or tea rounds up the set lunch.


The 88 Sakura Spring Special was initially due to run til mid-May but has been extended by popular demand til the end of the month. Prior reservations are a must, especially on weekends where they're 'sold out' days in advance. If you're worried about the effects of the nuclear fallout, Zipangu imports their food from places other than Japan.


Overall, we liked the restaurant very much and thought that the after-discount-and-taxes price of MYR104.40 for two pax was reasonable value - if you've never been to Zipangu there's no better time to pay a first visit - call them up at 03-2074 3900 to make reservations before the promotion ends!

Zipangu is in Shangri-La Hotel, KL.

2 comments:

  1. whoa, that's a worthwhile deal indeed! yeah, zipangu's prices can add up to a rather heart-stopping bill at the end of the evening, so this sounds like a great way to ease the pain! :D

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  2. Oooo..I love my Unagi so much, won't think I would enjoy others as much as this.
    Btw, it was super BIG portion (3" wide 9" long)! That dear have to help me eat nearly Half. haha!

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