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Celebrating its 13th anniversary, Xenri Japanese Cuisine sets itself apart by blurring the lines between gastronomy and art with sublime results.
Japanese cuisine is a booming market, so much so that everyone and their second cousins have a favourite Japanese restaurant and a favourite Japanese dish. Now, if you’re part of “everyone” or are their second cousins, you’ve probably heard of Xenri. The Old Klang Road outlet used to be called Xenri D’River View, as a sister to Xenri’s D’Garden Terrace, which used to be in the heart of KL. Now, known simply as Xenri Japanese Cuisine and celebrating its 13th anniversary, the restaurant sets itself apart from the competition by blurring the lines between gastronomy and art with sublime results.
Artistry
Kaiseki Artistry is the theme for Xenri’s milestone year and artistry is exactly what they deliver on. My six-course lunch started with a proverbial bang in the form of seared Hokkaido diver scallops with a sea urchin puree (Aburi Hokkaido Mukimi Hotate). A feast that starts with your eyes and ends with you fighting yourself from picking up your plate and licking it clean. My only frenemy was the little wooden teaspoon that was meant to help me maintain my modesty while I shovelled up the creamy uni purée.
The high points carried on into the salmon poached in organic apple dressing that may well have been the highlight of the lunch. The chef elaborated on the exact temperatures everything was cooked at and breaking into the flaky and succulent salmon it was hard to argue against the chef’s obsessive compulsion. The apples enhanced the fish ever so slightly and I was left happy to report that I sent back two clean plates in my first two dishes.
The lunch followed with a spinach chawan mushi liberally topped with melt-in-your-mouth foie gras and slow cooked beef that was finished with Japanese charcoal to make it both artistic and digestion friendly. But what followed them was a fascinating dish I was made to understand was an award winner and is one of Xenri’s most popular.
The Chirimen Jyako Houba Meshi is rice that is wrapped in Houba leaf imported from Japan and steamed with a Japanese pepper and mini anchovies. This time you eat with your nose first before you fight the temptation to chow down on the leaf as well. The fluffy rice is so well rounded in flavour, you need nothing to go with it.
Ambiance
It may sound like a cliché that’s been beaten to death, but when you’re dining surrounded by the sound of running water and soft melodies from a traditional Japanese zither the only word that comes to mind is ‘Zen.’
In vast square-footage, Xenri houses several seating spaces that work for both casual as well as more formal dining, and also includes a private room. Liberal use of glass gives the casual diner views of the kitchen while channels of water expertly carved through the more formal dining area give it a serene setting.
The setting makes the effort it takes for someone with considerable height and/or considerably bad knees to get in and out of the sunken floored tables completely worthwhile.
Adventure
With a menu that depends entirely on the freshest ingredients available, there are no limits to what you may end up eating at Xenri. Not only is it possible that you get nothing that I had the pleasure of tasting, you may also end up never getting what you yourself had if you visit more than once. While that that is both wondrous and somewhat frustrating, what I can vouch for is the skill that the chefs, with over 30 years of experience put into each and every Instagram-worthy dish.
Kaiseki also isn’t the only offering at Xenri. The a la carte menu also serves up plenty of traditional Japanese delights, but let’s be honest, you have to try the Kaiseki at least once, if not more.
For more information, visit Xenri Japanese Cuisine’s official Facebook page.
