Eat Drink KL: Wagaya KL Japanese Cuisine, Imbi

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Wagaya KL Japanese Cuisine, Imbi

If you only have one omakase meal this month, make it at Wagaya, which wowed us on multiple fronts.

The food harkens to the original lure of omakase, teeming with seasonal surprises to take us on a voyage through the unknown.

The cost is fair: A RM680 menu is loaded with many more courses than expected, exceeding KL's other omakase experiences.

The chefs for our evening - Howlson and Kar Lok - show care and patience, skill and understanding, warmth and generosity. 

The setting is stellar - the counter sits under a skylight that beautifully reveals a wide-open view best savoured before twilight.

We counted no fewer than 10 pre-sushi courses, gliding gracefully from raw and preserved to poached, grilled and fried, garlanded elegantly with leaves and flowers, fruits, vegetables and nuts. 

The produce pays homage to plenty of fish and their roe, liver and milt, subtly seasoned, modestly marinated, letting pure, pristine flavours shimmer and shimmy on our taste buds. 

You might encounter snails, scallops, octopus, clams, crabs, eel and the best Japanese beef that melts achingly in the mouth on this journey, each leaving us excited for what comes next.

Highlights of our sushi courses included luscious oyster gunkan and local mantis prawn nigiri (the latter illustrates Wagaya's budding efforts to incorporate Malaysian seafood into its repertoire).

Wagaya's charming, own-made wagashi wonderfully concludes the night, with yuzu sorbet bubbly to send us out on a high.

Wagaya KL Japanese Restaurant
39, Jalan Inai, Off, Jalan Imbi, 55100 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 013-999-9768

This post first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com