Tenjin

Grand Millennium finally has a Japanese restaurant, with food and service that sparkle on the same level as other sashimi-serving outlets in KL's hotels.

Salmon roe marinated with soy sauce on organic grated radish. Perfect pops of pure pleasure, though a spoon (instead of chopsticks) might have made these easier to scoop up.

Couldn't find fault with the sushi platter; everything from the saltwater eel to the medium-fatty tuna belly tasted lusciously fresh.

Raw octopus with basil sauce. Seemed more like Italian carpaccio than something from the Land of the Rising Sun, but this supplied slick, slimy satisfaction nevertheless, with a nuanced chewiness and pesto-like fragrance to prevent blandness.

Flounder grilled with miso sauce. We could rhapsodize for several minutes about how moist, flaky and flavorsome this flatfish was _ a thorough triumph for the kitchen, which suffered no first-night teething troubles whatsoever.

Shiso Shochu Tantakatan. Pressed for time, we couldn't finish this. Thankfully, the restaurant helped us doggie-bag the bottle, enabling us to smuggle it into a neighboring multiplex and take swigs from it while watching mutant heroes battle villains.

P.S. Unrelated to Tenjin, but here's some cool news for the residents of Kota Kinabalu and everyone who might visit Sabah next month: the first KK Food Festival will take place July 9-22, organized by lifeandstyle.com.my. See www.lifeandstyle.com.my/kkff for details!

Tenjin Japanese Cuisine,

Grand Millennium Hotel,

Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2143-9399

Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds beckons anew, baking a fresh batch of creative treats for June.

Earlier entries on Hummingbirds: May 19 & May 28.

This month's special: wasabi cupcakes, to complement Hummingbirds' wasabi macarons. With a wasabi-infused white chocolate frosting to top a banana-flavored base, this one is deliciously quirky enough to breathe new life into the old cupcake fad. Timid customers can choose the chocolate cream cheese cupcake instead.

The latest assortment of macarons is also marvelous, especially the flavor-packed triumvirate of peanut butter, caramel & Earl Grey tea.

Garden Cake: a flourless dark chocolate variety, lusciously lined with Chantilly cream & cranberries and aromatically topped with toasted nuts.

An eye-catching rainbow-patterned cake, similar in taste and texture to a red velvet. There still isn't a name for this cake, although Hummingbirds is taking customers' suggestions (which range from 1Malaysia Cake to Gay Pride Cake).

Oatmeal carrot walnut cake, for a relatively healthier option. Moist and hearty, but not as rich as Hummingbirds' other offerings.

Hummingbirds Coffee Bar,

Beatrice Looi Boutique,

Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2201-5889

Vintage

Porky pleasures rule the roost at Vintage, one of Puchong's better-looking watering holes.

The char siew here is meaty and well-marinated, though customers craving a melt-in-the-mouth lusciousness might not be completely satisfied.

Pork ribs. Bony, but reasonably tasty. Just not the best in town, that's all.

On a happier note, lots of booze is offered at fair prices, including weird but wonderful white wine cocktails: Milky Way (white wine laced with milk & honey) & Daffy Duck (with vodka).

Luis Felipe Edwards Pupilla Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (Santiago, Chile).

Vintage,

IOI Boulevard, Puchong.

Sanbanto @ Bangsar

Sanbanto @ Bangsar: Round Two. Earlier entry: May 18.

Tonkatsu _ a 180-gram slab of pork loin coated with breadcrumbs & served with mustard, shredded cabbage & potato salad. Meaty and tasty enough to recommend.

Beer-braised pork with polenta. The zenith of comfort food; succulent flesh, remarkably rich in flavor, wading in groovy gravy and wedded to creamy cornmeal.

Pork burger. The patty, topped with bacon, was tender but unexceptional; what made this mouthwatering was a fat cut of deep-fried mozzarella cheese, oozing with a lava-like flow of searing-hot savoriness to complete the ensemble.

Purple sweet potato soup. Visually alluring and nutritionally beneficial, bearing antioxidants that aren't found in regular white potatoes.

Sanbanto's only alcoholic beverage is beer, but feel free to bring your own wine, since the corkage charge is a mere RM20 (which was waived on this visit. Thanks!).

Sanbanto Premium Pork,

Persiaran Ara Kiri, Lucky Garden, Bangsar.

Tel: 03-2201-1301

TeaRoom by Bel Jee

It's a terrific time to harbor a sweet tooth in Bangsar, since several divine dessert specialists have sprouted here. This week, TeaRoom by Bel Jee joins that list of sugar-high suppliers.

Belinda Jee has spent years baking for online orders, but she now has her own sunny cafe where walk-in customers can savor top-flight wares such as decadently creamy coffee cupcakes & densely moist carrot cupcakes, bursting with fragrant bits of grated carrots, raisins & walnuts.

We also liked the chocolate cupcake with dark choc ganache, but if you choose only one item, make it the chocolate blueberry cheese cupcake. Instead of a cake base, this has a soft, sticky layer of rich chocolate at the bottom, a nectarous swirl of blueberry-filled cream cheese in the middle and thick, luscious frosting on top. Otherworldly.

Strawberry cheese cake. Juicy morsels of ultra-fresh strawberries pervaded every bite of this slice, proving that Bel Jee tolerates no short cuts or second-rate ingredients.

Chocolate cake with milk choc icing. TeaRoom Boutique Cafe is smallish, so it might get crowded for lunch. Business hours are 8.30am-6pm on weekdays _ inconvenient for those of us who work away from Bangsar, but let's hope it eventually stays open for dinner.

TeaRoom Cafe,

TeaRoom by Bel Jee,

Wisma Volkswagen, Lorong Maarof, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.

Matsuba Shokudo

Nestled in Tmn Desa's cluster of condos, Matsuba is a hushed hideout where customers feast on a cornucopia of Japanese chow & meditate on the soothing sight of a landscaped poolside.

Tororo gohan _ steamed rice with sticky yam & egg yolk. Some might scorn this as bland, but it compensates with a gentle warmth & creamy softness. Culinary consolation for the work-weary.

Salmon & avocado maki, topped with a princely portion of fresh fish.

Unagi & avocado roll, expertly executed to placate the clientele, which seems to mainly comprise Japanese expatriates and their families.

More avocado makis? Why not _ this mix of irreproachably crunchy soft-shell crab with velvety avocado is a surefire route to epicurean ecstasy.

Special salmon roll, wrapped in rice paper but without rice stuffed within. The health-conscious connoisseur's compromise between having a salad and a carb-loaded maki.

Buta kakuni. Braised pork belly that's as tender and tasty as any in town.

Crisp tonkatsu, unblemished by excess grease. Pork has a place of honor at Matsuba.

Mentaiko. Fried fish roe that screams out for a helping of nasi kandar.

Nonkatsu ramen. Not a thorough triumph, since the broth is watery and bland.

Grilled pork belly & chicken gizzard. Smoky succulence, squared.

Chicken skin skewers. Probably grilled a little too long, since it seems all dried out.

Green tea & sesame ice cream, with a homemade feel.

A 1.8-liter bottle of sake proved too much to handle (particularly since one person was compelled to consume the lion's share).

Matsuba Shokudo,

OBD Garden Tower Condominium,

Taman Desa, Off Jalan Klang Lama, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-7987-7088