Mid Valley doesn't need another Japanese restaurant, but Kita No Zen is still a worthwhile addition, offering a better selection than most of this mall's conveyor-belt sushi outlets.
Our mission here was to sample this Oroya Sushi wine, bought from wineactually.com. The wine has been around for a few years, but we had fun finally testing whether it lives up to its claim of being the most harmonious alcoholic match for raw fish, vinegared rice & spicy wasabi.
Kita No Zen's sushi platter is an OK order, comprising a reasonably fresh-tasting assortment for less than RM100. Most of the usual suspects are here, including tuna belly, mackerel, prawn, squid, octopus, eel, sea urchin & salmon roe.
The wine went well with all of these. It seemed less acidic than other white wine varieties, though that also meant it was a bit bland and characterless.
Maki stuffed with salmon & topped with avocado & collagen. Is a "collagen craze" sweeping KL's Japanese joints? Since we're fast losing the final vestige of our youthfulness, it probably wouldn't hurt for us to consume this purported health food.
Pacific horsehair crab, served cold. Firm, fleshy and sweet. But beware of its thorny shell.
Avocado & tofu salad. Melt-in-the-mouth bliss that's guilt-free for a change.
Wasabi-marinated octopus entrails. Slimy but slurp-worthy.
We love the ice cream here (ordered from the neighboring Hokkaido Ice Cream outlet, part of the Hokkaido Ichiba brand that houses Kita No Zen as well). Here's some smooth, milky Hokkaido corn ice cream with fresh corn & butterscotch sauce.
Vanilla & Japanese potato ice cream.
Hokkaido melon ice cream & Niagara wine sherbet with rock melon.
Vanilla & salt caramel ice cream, topped with butterscotch sauce, almonds, pecans & marshmallows. A true treat; one of our favorite desserts this year.
Kita No Zen,
The Gardens, Mid Valley, Kuala Lumpur.
