Matsuya, Bangsar

 19, Jalan Telawi 2,
Bangsar Baru,
59100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel# 03-2202 0720
https://www.facebook.com/Matsuya-Japanese-Cuisine-Bangsar-229646843806171/

 A rather unassuming Japanese restaurant in the middle of Bangsar, the entrance is rather discreet and hides a rustic interior inside. Rustic as in olden time and not just old. This is one of those Tinder dates dinners. I don't know why but like how the Chinese always go look for Chinatown when they are traveling abroad, the Japanese also tend to gravitate towards Japanese food.

 Carrot juice. It's weird but that's what the Japanese man ordered.

 Agedashi tofu RM 12

 I know, damn expensive block of tofu but the mentaiko topping was ultra creamy.

 Somehow, they aren't very consistent when it comes to presentation. But, looks aside, do they taste better than they look? Well, yes and no.

 Shirao sarada RM 25: deep fried icefish salad
This is the most un-Western salad that I've had. However, that's a good thing because the dressing had a slight citrus twist, typical of Japanese salad dressing. The crunchy small fishes gives it that crunch with the fresh greens. Good way to get your kids to eat more vegetables.

 Chawan mushi RM 10: steamed egg custard
While this was not bad, the prawns certainly did make quite a grand entrance. What's missing would be the big juicy salmon roe.

 Sushi platter.

 It only made sense to let the Japanese do the ordering while I sit back and wait for the food to arrive. So, when this arrived, it didn't surprise me much. I guess you can gauge how good a Japanese restaurant is by the quality of their sushi. Unfortunately, this one didn't quite deliver. Fresh ingredients but the cuts have room for improvement. Even my date friend was slightly disappointed. I felt bad for him.

Kinoko moriawase RM 25: assorted mushroom teppanyaki
I think he misses vegetables in general so he ordered quite a big of non-meat dishes. This one sadly was marred by too much garlic that it didn't leave room for anything else but its pungentness.