My introduction to Japanese food came 40 years ago when I attended the Japanese Summer Course at Sophia University in Tokyo. I was one of the 5 students that were selected to represent Malaysia in this program that was sponsored by Japan Air Lines. Under this program, I stayed in Japan for a period of 7 weeks while studying Japanese Management and Comparative Asian Industrial Development at Sophia University. My stay in Japan was an eye-opener and I was introduced to Japanese culture including Japanese food. This would also explain my affinity for Japanese culture and food.

The entrance of Sushi Zanmai

A few weeks ago my family and I went to Sushi Zanmai for dinner. Sushi Zanmai is actually a chain of restaurants. I had eaten at their branch in Kula Lumpur a few times previously. For Sarawak, its branch is located at Viva Mall in Kuching.

I loved the look and feel of the restaurant. It is chic and everything seems so organized and in its place. The big circular lights not only decorate the ceiling but gives character to the whole place.

The decor makes use of a lot of wood. The light bulbs creatively placed made the atmosphere and environment warm and vibrant.

The floor-to-ceiling glass makes the place more spacious and brings in the outdoor.

Sushi Zanmai is quite a popular restaurant and so there is a good crowd of diners.

It is great that a number of sitting arrangements are available and this breaks the monotony of the place.

You also have the option of sitting at this counter.

The restaurant has an open kitchen concept and you can observe the chefs working at the counter and in the kitchen.

A Japanese meal is incomplete without wasabi and shoyu.

This restaurant serves a wide range of Japanese cuisine.

My daughter ordered the Niku Udon which is udon noodles with beef. The noodles came with delicious hot dashi(Japanese vegetable) broth topped with onions.

On the other hand, my wife Roselind ordered the Teriyaki Chicken Donburi. Donburi is bascially a Japanese rice bowl dish and in this case it comes with chicken cooked with teriyaki sauce, fried egg and onions. The chicken was tender and tasted delicious with the teriyaki sauce.

Both my son Jonathan and I had the same dish, Ebi Omurice. This is fried rice with shrimp with a fluffy omelette on top. We both enjoyed the dish very much and the maynoise and terikayi sauce made it even more delicous.