PETALING JAYA, Dec 27— You'll fall hard for the food at Sushi Kitchen. Hold on.. how is this possible, you ask? Isn't it just oh-so-boring vegan eats?
You will be surprised. Vegan food never tasted as good as this. Even meat eaters (the discerning ones I brought over) enjoyed the food served here.
Realistically, they won't be visiting all the time. Maybe just once a week to detox from their carnivorous meals?
The Sushi Kitchen concept stems from Penang. About 10 years ago, co-founder Samm Yeoh quit his job in Singapore to embark on a six-month cycling adventure.
Fuelled by the desire to raise awareness on global warming issues, he had cycled from here to China. Once he returned to his home base in Penang, he decided to set up Sushi Kitchen together with his friend and later on, life partner, Jing Tan.
The talented woman is a whiz in the kitchen. She devised her own recipes for the vegan menu, without any formal culinary training.
From Sg Ara in Penang, they mushroomed all over Penang, PJ and even Kunming, China. The PJ branch, housed in the commercial annexe of an apartment block in Kota Damansara, is run by Ying Hoo, 29, and Song Kuek, 33.
Both of them trained at the Penang establishment. "To own a franchise like this was a good platform for us," said Ying. A lot of Sushi Kitchen's customers in Penang had asked for a branch here and they opened this place last year.
It may be a franchise but the relaxed management approach makes it different. The franchises are also managed by trusted people like Ying who have worked in Sushi Kitchen for many years.
Originally a customer of Sushi Kitchen's (her go-to spot to destress), she joined them part-time as a waitress after she quit her stressful job. Later, Jing invited her to work in the kitchen where she spent two years.
"I never imagined as a Sushi Kitchen lover, I can join them to cook the food and own a franchise," said Ying.
Their organic plant-based menu features daily meals or what Ying calls "food that is easy on the stomach." You will find a selection of Japanese sushi such as various makis, gunkan sushi and hand rolls.
They also offer noodles, porridge, pasta and rice. The Japanese slant is thanks to Samm. "He loves the essentials of Japanese life... everything from their spirit to how they prepare food," explained Ying.
Appearances are also deceiving here. Their dishes look simple... but take a bite and it'll blow your mind. You will change any pre-conceptions that vegan food tastes bland.
The secret lies in their commitment to keep their fruit- and vegetable-centric menu as fresh as possible. Everything is made to order. No pre-cut vegetables or fruits.
There is also no mock meat. An exception is their G-ken floss, derived from soy fibres with less processing. For seasoning, they only use Himalayan rock salt, raw sugar, olive oil and sesame oil.
Vegetables are soaked in an enzyme to remove any harmful chemicals. They also use energy water — a practice by alternative medicine practitioner Masaru Emoto — where positive, energy words are believed to alter the water crystals into a healing power water.
And of course, the place is filled with good vibes, making a meal here a pleasant dining experience.
Start the meal with the Golden Age, a seasonal item, made only when they can source Thai chokanan mango. The slight, sweet golden flesh, pairs well with the sushi filled with carrots, kyuri cucumber and a smidgeon of G-ken floss.
The rice is mixed with their own vinegar blend while their in-house mayonnaise is vegan. A best-seller is their global warming maki. Here the seaweed rice rolls are deep fried with a light batter, giving it a crispier bite.
If you love fried noodles, try the Radiant Light Fried Udon served with fresh vegetables and mushrooms. What makes it incredibly tasty is the Chinese thick soy sauce. It gives this dish, an umami kick with a hint of sweetness.
There's a variety of soup-based noodles using different types of udon and ramen plus claypot noodles. Some use oat milk, while others like the sweet potato noodles, use an unusual blend of sweet potatoes, cabbage and carrot to create a thickish gravy.
For a spicier kick, there's their Happy Spicy Noodles, cooked with their own-made spice paste of lemongrass, turmeric, curry leaves, chillies and tofu. You can ask them to adjust the spice levels to suit your tolerance to heat.
And of course there is rice. You can order it with miso soup or cooked into porridge. The must-have for any Asian tummy is well represented with nine types of fried rice here. You have a choice of white or brown rice.
The crowd favourite is the Japanese edamame fried rice. You will be surprised but the rice is full of wok hei. This ups the tastiness of the rice. Couple this with a sweet, savoury tasting dark soy sauce and you'll finish up your plate of fried rice in a jiffy. We certainly did!
If you crave a creamy type of dish, their Milky Way Spaghetti hits the spot perfectly. Using oat milk as a substitute, it is topped with enoki mushrooms for a light, satisfying meal.
Should you be overwhelmed by the choices, go for their four-course meal set, priced at RM23.90 served with free flow green tea. There's a selection of appetisers to pick from like chuka wakame, edamame or miso soup.
A sampler of four types of sushi is also part of the set, giving you a nice sampling of their sushi selection. For the main meal, there's noodles like their Spicy Red Sea Udon, Black God (charcoal noodles) or Rainy Day served with a five grains oat milk broth. For rice lovers, there is the edamame fried rice.
A meal is not complete without a little sweetness. Try their vegan cakes. Conjured up from flax seeds and olive oil, the cake has a feather light, moist crumb. According to Ying, it took about two years for Jing to get this perfected.
They top their cakes with whipped cream... made with soy milk! Fresh fruits like apples are used, or their own-made strawberry puree. Pair this with a frothy cup of oat milk laced organic coffee.
You may be curious why this particular spot in Kota Damansara was chosen. Ying explained to us that when it came to selecting locations, they worked on two reasons.
Firstly, the place has to give you a good feeling when you walk into it, which is what Ying experienced with this second floor spot. located just across a golf course. And secondly, there's ample, free parking... a rarity in the busy city.
Uncomplicated parking, wholesome food and good vibes... it's a powerful combination that definitely won me over.
Sushi Kitchen
No. 1-06, I Residence, Persiaran Surian, Section 4, Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya
Tel: 011-5680 1088
Open: 11.30am to 2.30pm, 6pm to 10pm.
Closed on Tuesdays
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sushi-Kitchen-KL-Branch-Kota-Damansara-546011642434841/
