Kome Sushi

Keen to try a new Japanese food restaurant? Well, we just found one below Taman Kheng Tian's apartment. It is good to find a Japanese restaurant in the Jelutong housing area. Before we entered the restaurant, we saw this sign at Kome Sushi Restaurant that said "affordable and quality Japanese food". So, we gave it a try.

Kome Sushi's menu

We were there on a weekday. It was only 50% filled with customers at 8 p.m. and there was a section near the washroom which was closed although it was dinner time. However, do not be mistaken that it is not popular as the crowd started to build up after 8.30 p.m. and also due to the rain, many came for late dinner (I guess). By the time we finished our dinner, every table was taken. 

A glimpse of the restaurant's interior

The lighting of the restaurant is dimmer than most Japanese restaurants so it makes it cosier. The chairs are comfortable. The waitress was very attentive maybe due to lesser crowd at that time. She was there to introduce the dishes and write down the order for us. I am highlighting this because the customers actually require to write down their own order in the order form before the waitress collects it from them. We only realised this later when we saw other customers writing their order in the form themselves. Okay, special privilege for early birds?! 

We ordered a Shake Teriyaki Set, Yaki Soba, Hokkaido Nabe Shiro (with Salmon meat instead of Salmon head as in the menu) and two glasses of water (refillable) (RM 0.50 each).

The Shake Teriyaki Set (RM 20) comes with a piece of Teriyaki salmon, rice, salad, Miso soup, Chawanmushi and fruits. We like the salmon with its crispy skin and the portion is generous but the Teriyaki sauce is too sweet. The salad portion is just average. 

Shake (Salmon) Teriyaki Set

Crispy salmon skin and salmon in Teriyaki sauce

Next is the Yaki Soba at RM 13.80. If you want to skip white rice, try this. It is fried with prawns and vegetables such as carrots and cabbages. It is tasty but I would prefer eating Udon (the wheat broad Japanese noodle) to Soba though (just my personal preference).

Yaki Soba

This time, we were a little adventurous so we also ordered a soup entree; Hokkaido Nabe Shiro (RM 16). This  pot of soup (which has milky look) has enoki mushroom, vegetables and a very generous portion of salmon meat in it (and we could hardly finish this pot). The soup is tasty and smooth. We welcome the amount of vegetables in the soup but not the salmon. We still prefer the grilled salmon or Teriyaki salmon. Salmon in soup does not taste that appetizing as it is a little hard. Maybe fish is not meant to be cooked in soup as it hardens the salmon. In addition, it is not so juicy anymore. 

Hokkaido Nabe Shiro

Overall, we were satisfied with our dinner here. Plus, the food was served in a jiffy. Yes, we would come again to try their other Japanese food sets and noodles. They do charge a 10% service charge but not government tax in their bill. 

The details of the Kome Sushi Restaurant:

Address: 9-1-25/26, Taman Kheng Tian

Jalan Van Praagh, Jelutong, 11600 Penang

Sushi Tei at Gurney Plaza, Penang

Sushi Tei

Sushi Tei, a Japanese restaurant was on the second floor of Gurney Plaza shopping complex. We were in for a late lunch at about 2.30 p.m. last Saturday but there was still a crowd in the restaurant. We were quickly shown a nice table near the window. We were delighted as we got to enjoy the view of Gurney Drive from this place.

Inside Sushi Tei, Gurney Plaza

We thought of ordering their set lunch but they were not available on weekends. So, we ordered salmon sashimi, a hot bowl of chicken Ishiyaki Soba and a set of chicken Katsu Udon. 

The five slices of salmon sashimi were fresh, thick and juicy. They were really worth the price of RM 10.80 per plate (without service charge yet).

Five slices of salmon sashimi for RM 10.80++

The hot bowl of chicken Ishiyaki Soba was very fragrant but it was a little too spicy and oily for us. I loved the mushrooms in it. 

Chicken Ishiyaki Soba (RM 12.80++)

The set of chicken Katsu Udon consisted of a plate of boneless fried chicken and a bowl of Udon with seaweed in miso soup. We found that the Udon with seaweed was good but the boneless fried chicken were a little too oily.

Chicken Katsu Udon (RM 16.80++)

In a nutshell, we enjoyed our lunch very much and we would definitely come back again for their salmon sashimi. We will also want to try their value-for-money set lunch on weekdays.

A big Santa Claus in the concourse area of Gurney Plaza

Authentic Japanese food at Gohanya

The restaurant

Pulau Tikus area is a hub for Japanese food. There are about six Japanese restaurants here. Well, if you are looking for authentic Japanese food with quiet and cozy ambience, Gohanya is the place. Located a little hidden from the Pulau Tikus main road, Gohanya Japanese Restaurant serves authentic Japanese food. The main chef is a Japanese. This place is tastefully decorated with Japanese decor such as face masks, Japanese dolls, cute art and crafts. To further spice up the mood, Japanese songs are being played in the restaurant.

The Japanese dolls greet you as you step into this place.

The table laid with condiments

The interior... don't worry, it is air-conditioned.

There are about ten tables in here. Also included is a bigger and longer table to accommodate a group of people. What I love most about this place is that it has lesser crowd and the Bento set is value-for-money.
The bento set  that we ordered included grilled salmon, Japanese chicken salad with cucumber, salad, garlic rice, a slice of orange and miso soup. This set is RM25.80.

Bento set with main dishes; grilled salmon and chicken salad

This other set which is also in my favourite list is a bento set that included grilled salmon, terriyaki chicken, salad, white rice (used to be served with black sesame and salt), a slice of orange and miso soup. This set costs RM23.80.

Bento set with main dishes; grilled salmon and terriyaki chicke

During our recent visit, they also served a scoop of complimentary ice-cream. Actually, this was the first time we got complimentary ice-cream after three visits.

Complimentary ice-cream

There is a service charge of 10%. They also have delivery service and the price of the meal sets ranges from RM11.80 to RM 26.80. I realize that both bento sets that I mentioned above are not in the menu. I guess you need to dine in to enjoy these two sets. Or in other words, they have different menu for delivery and in-house.

Take note of the decor. This place changes their decor every now and then. The Japanese fans were not in sight anymore during our recent visit. Instead they were replaced by Japanese greeting cards and postcards. You are welcomed to photograph them. Since I took a keen interest in them, I also managed to get more information on the Japanese wedding greeting card from the staff. I learnt that there was a small envelope inserted into the Japanese wedding greeting card. The purpose of this envelope was to keep money as a gift to the bride and groom. So, the greeting card actually acted like the Chinese angpow packet. Interesting?!

Japanese postcards as part of their wall decor

Japanese wedding greeting card with an  "angpow" inside

The outlet's details:
No. 2 Lintang Burmah,
Pulau Tikus, 10250 Penang.
Tel: 04-2262548 / 016-4978977
Business hours: 11.30 a.m. to 2.30p.m. / 6.30p.m. to 10.00 p.m. (Closed on Sunday)

Direction to get there:
If you are coming from Tanjong Tokong, try to slow down when you reach Bellisa Row and look out for Bee Cheng Hiang shop. At Bee Cheng Hiang, turn into the road, Lintang Burma. Gohanya is on your right.