Yuzu at The Gardens

I have been meaning to try this restaurant ever since my first visit to The Gardens. In case you didn't know, I'm crazy over Japanese cuisine, especially sashimi. Whenever I go to Gardens I will satisfy my sashimi cravings at Sushi Zen on the lower level but I finally got the chance to sample the food at Yuzu during Chinese New Year.

Yuzu is spacious and feels very comfortable. The tables offer a certain degree of privacy from other diners and the waitresses are mainly from the Philipines. Quite cute too. Sorry for the lack of pictures as my phone was running low on memory.

Salmon Roe $18

For appetizer, I decided to order the salmon roe. It was okay, tastes exactly like the Salmon Fish Oil tablet I take every morning.

Mixed Sashimi Platter $150

Next was the sashimi platter. I opted for the special which consists of salmon, tuna, hamachi
( Japanese amberjack ), toro ( tuna belly ), scallops and Iwate ( Japanese sea snail ). The wasabi they use is grated from horseradish, but pity they serve you the normal ones when you ask for more. What cheapskates !!
This dish costs $150 and the restaurant is currently offering 25% off their sashimi dishes.
The salmon was mediocre. It lacked the sweetness and firm texture you get from fresh salmons.

Where do I start with the toro... There are two grades of toro, Chu-toro which is slightly to the rear of the tuna and is less fatty, therefore less expensive and O-toro the ultra premium, uber fatty tuna belly from bottom half of the fish. I do not know what kind of toro this is. It has the coppery taste of blood and the texture of horsemeat. Definately the worst toro I've ever had..Period !

The rest of the dish was so-so..

Beef and Tempura bento $48

For the maincourse, I opted for the beef and tempura bento. The beef tasted quite nice grilling on a hotplate over a small flame but the amount was pathetic. The tempura didn't taste authentic because the batter was too oily and it killed the taste of the vegetables and prawn.
The cold fish from the platter was the worst ! It's fried and doused with a funky tasting sauce..served cold. *shudder*

But on the upside, they included a slice of macha cream cake... Wheee !

Unagi bento $36

My companion choose the unagi bento. It was similar to mine except it came with yam rice and soba. The rice was quite nice actually and it complemented the mediocre tasting unagi. Personally, I've never been a big fan of unagi since I don't like eating anything that is remotely sweet.



Overall, I did not enjoy the food at this restaurant and it definitely wasn't worth the amount they charged but I sincerely hope they will improve the quality of their food since I enjoy the ambience here.

Location: T236, 3rd Floor, The Gardens Mid Valley City.
Tel: 03-2284 7663/7763