Inside 5 design-focused Japanese restaurants in Kuala Lumpur

Designed by Karen Mok, the rammed earth walls, burnt wood furniture, and honey-coloured palette combine to create a space that elegantly expresses the elevated flamed cuisine served.

Custom floral arrangements and modern lighting further finesse the restaurant, led by a respected local chef, Eddie Ng.

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Entering the small but beautifully realised Wagyu Kyo in Damansara Uptown is like being transported to an atmospheric garden.

Designed by Ground Up, the designers wanted to set the stage with a moody ambience. 

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To this end, they created the main design detail by enclosing bamboo behind frosted partitions that wrap around the entire space. The lightbox effect makes it look like diners are sitting behind a screen and mimics the environment of a Japanese landscape behind a window.

Textures like stone and dark textured walls are paired with light wood to underline this garden effect further and evoke a zen Japanese interior.

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Relocated to a new space in Four Seasons Place, Sushi Hibiki serves refined sushi in an elegant setting. 

The sushi counter is the heart of the space and is strategically lit to emphasise this. Dark wood is favoured, with crafted details like timber beams and crafted furniture.

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Behind the sushi counter, chef-owner Makoto Saito's tools of trade take pride of place amongst a landscape of stone, which includes precious bottles of sake and sculptural objects.

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For a restaurant that celebrates traditional kaiseki cuisine through a contemporary lens, Kintsugi treads a similar balance of sophistication and welcoming throughout the compact space comprising a 12-seat Kaiseki counter, 18 seats in the dining hall, and three private rooms. 

Designed by Sim Boon Yang of eco.id architects, calming material and colour palette greet guests; a carpet of ginkgo leaves adorn the ceiling. These leaves pay homage to the four trees that survived the atomic bomb blast in Hiroshima and are still growing today. Head chef Jeff Ramsey's mother is a native of that city and was born in the same year of the incident. 

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Indeed, Kintsugi is designed to accentuate nature in its purest form, which is evident in the kaiseki counter crafted from Borneo oak that is native to Malaysia.

According to Datin Dian Lee, co-founder of The Clearwater Group: "This deliberate choice of locally sourced materials aims to highlight the rawness of their forms and evoke a sense of authenticity—a thoughtful tribute to the natural elegance of wabi-sabi."

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Designed by Office for Design Evolution (ODE), this wood-panelled omakase restaurant is an ode to materiality. The repetition lulls the eye into zen-like tranquillity and sharpens the senses to appreciate the way the wood has been crafted,

Gentle curves were favoured to terminate tables and ceiling coves, lending a lyrical quality to the space, while off-white chairs and soft lighting ensure the focus is on the food served.

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