A Japanese restaurant & bar with quirks that might not be everyone's cup of sake.
Hidden on the ninth floor of Menara TA One, Karuizawa Kogen has a cover charge of RM75 per person for every entry. That keeps this place somewhat exclusive, with a clientele dominated by Japanese businessmen (on a Monday night, there were four or five occupied tables).
Also note that friendly female members of Karuizawa Kogen's service team will take a seat beside you at your table even before you manage to order; no worries though, they can be informed politely that their presence won't be necessary.
The list of liquor is extensive, though there's predictably much more by the bottle than the glass; we opted for some umeshu (RM25 before taxes), as well as umeshu mixed with whisky (RM28 for a single, RM48 for a double) ...
... plus a trio of shochu, comprising ho, kuro kirishima & tantakatan.
Karuizawa Kogen is affiliated to Ozeki Tokyo, the long-enduring restaurant on this building's street level; customers can order some of the latter's specialties, possibly the likes of mentaiko spaghetti & hijiki seaweed udon ...
... or perhaps the jumbo futomaki & steamed steel-bowl rice with seafood ...
... or simmered spicy konnyaku & sliced tomatoes topped with tosa vinegar jelly.
Come right in, leave your coat on any wall; there are hangers everywhere.
Choose a window seat with a Petronas Twin Towers view; that's the most coveted space here.
Karuizawa Kogen,
Level 9, Menara TA One, Jalan P. Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur.
Open 8pm onward daily.
Level 9, Menara TA One, Jalan P. Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur.
Open 8pm onward daily.
Hmm, I think this is not my kind of place, hehehe.
ReplyDeleteCK: heheh, ya, i'm not sure whether i will ever return here, though it was a bit interesting to visit once =)
DeleteI love the ambiance here, Sean! The wicker chairs and pillows are nice. The recess lighting is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteLinda: you're right, there's actually something soothing about this place, and you pointed out some of its cool traits =)
Deletehmm.. cottage environment with japanese fusion food.. the place looks cosy though.
ReplyDeleteJean: ya, true, it's quite comfortable here. overall, it's a rather unique place, heheh =)
DeleteOh my – yes – yes I could most definitely go there...
ReplyDeleteCquek: hope you enjoy it! there are definitely some people who are fans of this place, heh :D
DeleteRM75 cover charge per pax! Nope...I rather spend the cash on good food =)
ReplyDeleteUlric: heh, and i guess especially since the food here can be ordered downstairs at ozeki tokyo without a cover charge =)
DeleteWow, expensive, i'm not too sure if i'm willing to pay for the cover charge fee although the place looks cool... not too wallet-friendly eh?
ReplyDeleteKen: yeah, i didn't quite believe it at first when the hostess said there was a RM75 cover charge. but since we were there already, and we wanted some drinks and the place seemed pleasant enough, we figured, OK, let our wallets take the hit =)
Deletenice venue and food to celebrate the independance day~ =D
ReplyDeleteMr lonely: heh, this wasn't actually a merdeka day visit, but hey, maybe it might have been a good spot to see the fireworks =)
DeleteYea I think the cover charge may stop a lot of ppl from going here. But others will like it for its exclusivity.
ReplyDeleteBaby sumo: true, it has its plus and minus points. But I guess the management would have weighed all that in balance, heh =)
DeleteWell I guess it's targeted to a specific demographics in this city and the exclusivity will sell to them. It certainly has the appeal.
ReplyDeleteKelly: yeah, the japanese businessmen who were here did sound like they were enjoying the evening. lotsa booze on their tables and a fair amount of laughter in the air. and i guess the cover charge seems less exorbitant when converted into the yen =)
DeleteDefinitely to keep the rowdy (or 'less behaved' - u know what i mean :P) crowd out.
ReplyDeleteAnd with ermm 'female escorts', this place truly has a target clientele. :)
Rebecca: heh, yeah, i guess they have a strategy, and maybe that strategy is quite lucrative for them. it's a peaceful place, i wouldn't mind hiding out here from time to time if i could escape the cover charge somehow :D
Deleteinteresting concept with a cover charge!
ReplyDeleteumeshu and whisky. I think i can reward myself that combination tonight...at home...hehehe
Missyblurkit: ya, we had no idea there was a cover charge until we had already entered and sat down at the table :D heheh, sounds like a nice reward, and at least there won't be a cover charge at home, heh =)
Deleteand do they serve Karuizawa whiskies there?
ReplyDeleteEiling: ooo, i'm actually not sure. didn't study the whisky list, since it looked quite pricey, the bottles, heh :D
Deleteyeah right.. the chick sitting next to you would be an absolute waste of time :P OK, food looks superb and I do like mentaiko and could eat it daily, if it weren't so blardy fattening :P
ReplyDeleteCiki: haha, well, yes, we didn't really require the conversation :D yikes, i actually didn't realize mentaiko was calorie-laden. i guess i've been trying to remain blissfully ignorant this whole time, hahah =)
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