EATS: A little slice of Japan

FEUDAL Japan, bamboo trees, tatami mats and wooden huts. These words in a sentence would not usually be associated with any parts of Malaysia - until now. Situated in the heart of the Golden Triangle, Fukuya Japanese Restaurant takes you away from the fast paced city and drops you in an environment of calmness and tranquility.

The restaurant is actually an old bungalow, converted into a restaurant. It has a mini bamboo forest lining the cobbled pathway and also around the grounds. Visitors have the option of a private room (minimum of four people) or to dine inside the main restaurant area, where they can watch as the chefs prepare sushi and sashimi dishes.

Must-trys include their fresh sashimi platter, grilled scallop, grilled eel and their various soups. But perhaps the best way (and least known) is to call up the restaurant ahead of time, make a booking for your party and tell them your budget per person (suggested minimum four pax at RM88) and ask the chef to come up with a custom menu for that night.

A bottle of ice-cold sake to accompany your meal and a scoop of green tea or sesame ice cream to finish off the night is strongly recommended.
Designer food
West 57th Street Cafe
ZANG Toi, the designer to such stars as Ivana Trump and Fergie is known around the world for his couture designs and flashy outfits.

But the Malaysian designer does more than just create one-of-a-kind outfits – he’s created a one-of-a-kind café
as well.

Named after the road where the design house is located in New York, West 57th Street Café, better known as Zang Toi Café, is tucked away in a corner of Parkson department store, Pavilion shopping mall.

Zang’s Fruity Ice Tea Punch is one of the specialties of the house, filled with refreshing ice lemon tea with bits of lemon and orange peel for that extra tangy flavour together with lime and mint. So good you want to bottle it and take it home to share.

A favourite of many diners is the large portions of the Hainanese Chicken Chop, crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, served with a special Hainanese sauce.

Top the meal off with a scoop of ice cream and Zang Toi’s Chocolate Banana Cake, drizzled in hot chocolate sauce and you’ll be one step closer to being a celebrity. All else failing, you can buy some bling and just pretend.