The flagship Kampachi restaurant in Malaysia at The Troika takes cues from the building’s architecture and features large glass windows, high ceilings, sushi counters, teppanyaki grills and well-spaced tables that makes for a modern and luxurious atmosphere.

Wooden furnishings persist throughout the restaurant and the bright yet warm ambiance makes it versatile enough to accommodate couples, small families or even larger parties during dinner service. Having the ability to glance outside to view KL street life is a welcoming touch when enjoying your meal.

Start the meal with the light, refreshing and delicious shake kawa salad, a selection of greens mixed with flakes of fish and crispy salmon that makes for a winner. The sashimi set also offers a selection of popular cuts of salmon, tuna and Japanese amberjack. The scallop and amberjack are creamy, slightly sweet and deliciously oily. Those who like fresh wasabi might be disappointed to know that the restaurant offers it for RM38.

Sampling both the ebi tempura and gyumaki roll paired with garlic fried rice is pretty palatable. The fried rice is garlicky and flavourful, especially when taken with bites of crispy prawn tempura or rolled beef stuffed with vegetables and garlic. The prawn tempura is a tad oily but is still satisfying. The gyumaki roll proves that the teppanyaki chefs definitely know how to grill meats the right way, as the beef is slightly charred yet juicy.

For dessert, pancake ice-cream is the perfect way to end the meal. Slightly baked on its belly and sides, the pancake is wrapped around a serving of ice-cream and peanuts, making for gratifying mouthfuls.

The restaurant has a wide selection of sakes and Japanese teas, so much so that they have a specific menu just to list and describe these varieties. All manner of sake, from quality to premium, litters the menu’s pages.

As stated under the sake’s description, the Taketsuru sake pairs well with oily foods and therefore acts as a palate cleanser for dishes like tempura.

Sake at the restaurant is either offered by the bottle or by small decanters in either 150 or 300ml variants.

Service at the restaurant is remarkable throughout. The maître d' is very friendly and efficiently shows guests to their table while the waiters are also warm and affable. Waiters recommend dishes to guests based on their preferences, likes and dislikes and also take the liberty to explain the various types of sake to go with the meal.

RM300/Per person

The final bill for the meal above was RM430, which is fair considering the amount of food that was ordered. It is best to go during the dinner service as the ambiance is lovely, making it suitable for a date or even a small celebration