Tatsu, InterContinental Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Tatsu, InterContinental Kuala Lumpur – 88 Splendid Dishes

Award-winning, and one of very few chefs to hold the Fugu or Puffer Fish license, Chef
Tetsuya Yanagida of Tatsu InterContinental Kuala Lumpur is a man with a reputation. With over 10 years in Malaysia, rumours of his talents have been murmured in the city for at least the past decade. Whispers said, “best Japanese chef in KL,” “the only man in KL certified to prepare pufferfish” and “authentic Japanese cuisine.” Not quite brave enough to seek out a Fugu meal, I was delighted to learn of the current 88 Splendid Dishes promotion.

For RM98++ guests can choose unlimited dishes from an exciting a la carte menu. Only five requests at a time will be taken to ensure freshness of product and less wastage, but you can order as many times as your tummy has space. Sushi, sashimi, tempura, teppanyaki, soups, noodles and desserts all contribute to this substantial list of eighty-eight Japanese dishes. The minute we heard that 22 items were the most anyone had ever eaten, hubby’s competitive streak reared its alert head and, determined to beat the record, hubby ate inexorably until we had worked our way through 23.
Clearly too many to highlight in one write up, our top picks were: the Prawn Tempura Hand Roll (Ebi Tempura Temaki), Smoked Wild Duck (Agedashi Dengaku) and the melt-on-your-tongue-just-like-a-spoon-of-butter Butter Fish (Abura Bouzi) from the sushi and sashimi sections. Grilled Salmon and Cod with Teriyaki Sauce (Shake Teriyaki and Gindara Teriyaki) were winners from the Teriyaki selection and Prawn (Ebi) and Pumpkin (Kabocha) fried up nicely from the Tempura options. But… the best came last in the form of Australian Beef and Mini Scallop Teppanyakis, Mini Sukiyaki and the Chicken Hot Pot (ToriYose Nabe). Next time round I’d order from the bottom up making sure we had space for these delicious barbecues and broths. A handful of desserts seem to be more of an after thought and not worth saving space for.
Drinks are not included in the price, but a respectable beverage list affords a second look. A decent wine and liquor selection, as well as tea and sake, are on display. With no less than 28 sakes listed, we did the only sensible thing (in our minds) and ordered a couple – hot is our preference. Trying two varieties, we loved the Tamano Hikari Sake for RM52 for a 180ml beaker and, followed it with the Sake Otokoyama, RM56 for the same size.
Tatsu is packed on the weekends and reservations are strongly advised. A corner seat during daylight hours extends a view to the garden and waterfall. Open dividers lined with sake bottles and, lighting on sticks irradiating from sake tumblers, provide a softer evening ambience. Bring a shawl or wear long sleeves as the air is perfectly chilly for raw fish, not so for preventing goosebumps.
The 88 Splendid Dishes promotion is available for Lunch and Dinner Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.
Reason to visit:  88 Splendid Dishes promotion, the coolness factor of dining with the only puffer fish licensed chef in KL
Tatsu
InterContinental Kuala Lumpur
165 Jalan Ampang
50450 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
+6 03 2782 6118

19 Comments

  1. We dined here last month (oops havent blogged abt it yet) and really liked the food and ambiance.

  2. fugu fish is a poisonous fish..
    in china there are lots of restaurant serving this fish.
    I didn't try it cause don't know whether the chef know how to cut properly..

  3. the last time I had fugu was in Fukuoka. did you ask for a trace of poison to be left, so that you had a slight lip numbness? this is a skill of the Japanese Fugu chefs;)

  4. No label, no name? Can't tell what's what just looking at the photos…

  5. I have been meaning to try this out… hope to really have a taste of this before it ends this year! Everything looks really yummy as always at Tatsu 😉

  6. ooo, i THINK i could work my way to eating 24 dishes at one go (or maybe my foolhardiness talking)! me and your hubby should have an eat-off challenge someday 😀

  7. Very attractive price for a splendid Japanese meal prepared by the award-winning chef!

  8. Its always nicer when food is cooked to order at these buffets, although then you are committed to the whole plate-ful…Butter fish sounds meltingly marvellous 🙂

  9. Goodness! If only I can find this kind of price in S'pore. Tried Fugu when I was in Japan & wrote a post about it too. It was an amazing experience 🙂

  10. Fantastic food!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.