We recently had the chance to visit this authentic Japanese restaurant that’s located in AEON Mall Taman Maluri and tried out their tasty dishes.
Over at Nakamura Bashi, we certainly went in with high expectations as we knew that the founder had spent some quality time in Japan, perfecting his skills of the cuisine before opening up his own restaurant. The ambience was warm and welcoming, certainly one thing you’d look for when you dine in a Japanese restaurant.
Diving into the food, they served us plenty of different dishes that we were absolutely stoked about.
For appetisers, we tried the Gyoza (RM12.80) however it wasn’t as great as we expected it to be. Although it did come with a nice pan-fried sizzle mark on top of it with finely minced fillings, we thought it was just stodgy. Dipping into the sauce didn’t do the dish much justice as well. Perhaps with slight adjustments to it, the gyoza would be perfect.
Moving on to the Chicken with Leek Kushiyaki (RM5.50), Bacon-Wrapped Cheese Kushiyaki (RM7.90) and Hokkaido Scallop Kushiyaki (RM9.90), it was absolutely tasty. The chicken was cooked perfectly and the leeks were just a good accompaniment to the skewer. Whereas the cheese, oozing out was just heavenly and something we’d want to keep having again. Last but not least, as someone who takes her scallops seriously, your resident foodie was impressed with it.
Then came the main dish — their signature ramen, Tonkotsu Ramen (RM26.80). Perfect for the rainy day that it was, this comforting bowl of rich broth just makes you want to sigh with relief because it’s that tasty. The dish came with sliced pork belly, a marinated hard-boiled egg, mushrooms, a slice of Narutomaki topped off with some spring onions and two nori sheets.
As for the Tonkotsu Spicy Ramen (RM28.80), it was even better than the previous dish. Your resident foodie enjoys her spice and this bowl of noodles just nailed it. So kaw, we can assure you that this isn’t like your regular instant curry noodles. An exceptional dish that we personally will come back for.
Besides the ramen, we also tried out the Breaded Pork Cutlet with Japanese Curry Rice (RM31.80). Not a fan of it because personally, the curry lacked seasoning and the rice was quite dry. However, we won’t blame the latter as the camera did eat first before anyone. Nevertheless, they did nail the breaded pork cutlet as it was crunchy on the outside whilst nice and meaty on the inside.
Just like the pork cutlet, the Tori Katsu (RM19.80) was really good too. The same texture as the former, basically if it’s anything fried, please just send it our way.
Another additional side dish that we also tried was the Stir-Fried Prawn Scrambled Egg (RM20.80). Although the dish highlights scrambled eggs, the right consistency of the eggs should be slightly runny and it was exactly just that. The prawns were also a nice touch.
What’s a Japanese restaurant if they don’t serve Bento right? The Bento 1 (RM55) came with Chicken Ginger Sauce, Grilled Eel, Breaded Chicken, Fried Tofu, Salad, Salmon Teriyaki served with Fruits, Miso and Steamed Rice. Everything that was laid out was made fresh and seasoned to perfection.
Now, to our favourite part of the meal — sushi and sashimi.
The Sashimi Moriawase Sakura (RM128) is served with seven different types of sashimi: Salmon, Amaebi, Maguro, Hokkigai, Shiro Maguro, Tako and Hotate. Pro tip: To know if your sashimi is fresh or not, you need to look out for three things which are the fish should be shiny; no fishy smell and that the flesh of fish should be firm enough for it to bounce back when pressed.
When it comes to the sashimis from Nakamura Bashi, it passed all three tests. One word, fresh.
It’s the same thing with the sushi as well. We tried the Salmon Sushi (RM7.80), Inari Ebiko Sushi (RM7.80), Dragon Roll (RM23.80) and on the side, some Chuka Idako. Honestly, we got no complaints at all and enjoyed every bite of this delicious set. A personal favourite would have to be the Dragon Roll of course.
All in all, we would go back for the spicy ramen, sushi and the sashimi. So premium and exclusive, you definitely don’t want to miss this place out if you’re a huge sushi lover like us.
Presentation: 4/5 | Taste: 4/5 | Value: 3.5/5
Hours: 10am – 10pm, daily
Address: Level 2-S05, AEON, Jalan Jejaka, Maluri, 55100 Cheras, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur