Sushi Ryu – Japanese Omakase Restaurant Platinum Park KL
Words: Nichole Ong
Photos: Rich Callahan
Located on the second floor of Platinum Park, Sushi Ryu provides an intimate, elegant reprieve from the busy city centre. It’s an ideal spot to experience an introduction to quality omakase, with full experiences beginning at RM 279. In a city where omakase rings close to the RM 1000 mark with top chefs and premium ingredients, the less eye-wateringly expensive menu is a welcome change.
The restaurant is already intimate with its chef’s counter seating and limited tables. However, there are also several private rooms with private doors, allowing guests to enter and leave with complete discretion.
Sushi Ryu Menu
Sushi Ryu receives a fresh shipment of fish from Japan every Tuesday and Friday. They vary their menu based on seasonal varieties to ensure the best experience. While the restaurant is known for its omakase (and option for topping up with extraordinary ingredients for those looking for something extra special), the a la carte menu and lunch sets are not to be overlooked. They offer luxurious yet convenient options for work lunches, social gatherings or a quick but premium meal.
Omakase
We were delighted to indulge in the Sakura Omakase set (RM 579), an eight-course experience showcasing the best ingredients prepared by highly skilled chefs. It was a luxurious start, with the Ryu Signature White Fish (kanpachi) served with truffles and truffle caviar. This dish was a fantastic starter as the fish was fresh and buttery, synergising wonderfully with the earthy flavours of the truffle. It combined two of the ingredients Sushi Ryu prides itself on, fish and truffle caviar, to craft a well-balanced beginning.
Next on the menu were two seasonal cold appetisers, Monkfish Liver and King Crab Capellini. Monkfish liver is regarded as the ‘foie gras of the ocean’ with its sweet, creamy decadence. At Sushi Ryu, they soak the liver with milk and sweet sauce, then top it with wasabi to bring out the natural fish flavours. A mild heat from wasabi lifted the recipe. The King Crab Capellini was another shining example of an expertly composed dish, with the elegant texture of the noodles as a base for the finely shredded crab. The flavours played together beautifully, with the truffle sauce and dash of lime adding vibrancy. Visually appealing, pretty shiso flower garnished the pasta strings.
Everything on our exquisitely presented Sashimi dish was selected from fresh, seasonal, quality fish. This included chutoro, the middle part of a tuna, which had a nice balance of fattiness undercut with some bitter notes from the skin. Our scallop had a subtle sweetness that complemented the caviar. My favourite was the madai (snapper), which was soft and buttery and paired well with the shoyu. Everything on this plate was edible, including the garnishes of shiso leaves, chrysanthemum, and water pepper, which can be pulled apart and sprinkled in the sauce for extra flavour (and visual appeal!).
Our seasonal hot dish was a smooth and flavourful Chawanmushi (steamed egg) with king crab and tobiko. Though typical fare at many Japanese restaurants, this chawanmushi went above and beyond, serving creamy, warm bites elevated with pops of savoury tobiko and texture from the king crab.
We were then treated to a very impressive spread of the Chef’s Selection of Premium Nigiri Sushi, which was a plate of eight varieties to be eaten in order from lightest to heaviest. The sushi is plated with all the condiments (including shoyu sauce and wasabi) inside the bite. However, extra is offered on the side for personal taste. They’re prepared using black vinegar sushi rice to create a better flavour match with the fish and to make them more aromatic.
We started our journey with the Shima Agi (Japanese Stripe jack), which was a light start, going well with a kick of wasabi. Next up, the Hirame (flounder) was also pleasantly light, with a bit more of a buttery consistency. The toro kanpachi (amberjack belly) was topped with Sushi Ryu’s special truffle caviar, harmonising the fish’s freshness. A vibrant orange, the uni was rich, thick, and creamy, creating a luxurious bite. The akami, taken from the lean part of bluefin tuna, had a slightly more meaty texture and was seasoned to bring out its natural freshness. Another part of the tuna, the otoro (belly), was satisfyingly fatty and buttery. We enjoyed the hint of nuttiness from the engawa (flounder fish fin), and for the finale, the botan ebi (spotted prawn) with foie gras completed the decadent line-up.
Our last stop before dessert was the Signature Mini Wagyu Beef Don (available as an add-on for RM 75), which was absolutely delicious, with quality melt-in-mouth beef alongside fluffy Japanese rice. We also appreciated the addition of an egg for a creamy finish, as well as the sweetness of the onion.
Finishing as strong as it started, our omakase experience was completed with rooibos soft serve, melons, and grapes as our seasonal desserts. The ice cream was well portioned, small enough to finish off a heavy meal but still providing enough soft serve for us to appreciate its mildly sweet tea flavour made in-house. Similarly, the melons and grapes were juicy and sweet, rounding off the meal beautifully. This is an excellent menu if you’re a sushi lover and new to omakase. It highlighted premium fresh fish and provided enough variety to keep us entertained and paying attention throughout.
Sushi Ryu A La Carte Menu
In addition to several omakase sets, guests have the opportunity to select from Sushi Ryu’s a la carte menu. The Wagyu Don (RM 150) is one of the best-sellers, a bigger version of the dish available in the omakase, and is a marvellous option for a satisfying lunch or dinner.
The Wagyu Katsu Sando (RM 220) has all the hallmarks of an excellent and very lush sandwich. Made with A5 Miyazaki beef alongside the chef’s secret sauce – mirin, black pepper, honey, and a secret ingredient – the sandwich provided a succulent bite of wonderfully tender beef. The bread on the outside was toasted precisely to complement the beef, retaining a good crunch while enveloping the meat’s jus.
We also enjoyed the Uni Scrambled Egg (RM 85), which elevates a staple food into a delightfully decadent dining experience of creamy and filling eggs mixed with uni. The dish is served with crunchy toast (artfully stamped with the Sushi Ryu logo) to create the most luxurious eggs on toast.
Valentine’s Special
A special creation, the Uni Caviar Tart, comes in either a circle (RM 420) or a heart (RM 520) – just in time for Valentine’s Day! The base of the tart is buckwheat, which is then topped with savoury cheese, uni, and caviar, and zested with lime and yuzu. This creates a unique and exquisite interplay of sweet and savoury tied together with the cheese on top of a crunchy and mildly sweet base. This is definitely a treat with a “wow” factor. The caviar sparkles on top alongside gold flakes and oozes with creamy uni goodness when sliced open.
Dessert
After marvelling at the expert construction of the tart, we were invited to try our hand at making our own desserts. Thankfully, the Ichigo Daifuku (RM 65 ready-made, RM 55 DIY) only required us to wrap a chewy, stretchy mochi skin around sweet Japanese strawberries. This is a seasonal dessert at Sushi Ryu, available for the winter months of Japan (November to January) when the best strawberries grow. The sweet juiciness of these strawberries is unmatched, harmonising well with the pliant character of the mochi and the subtly sweet white bean paste used to join it all together.
Drinks Menu
Sushi Ryu’s drinks list is more than adequate, with a cool refrigerator of bottles tempting diners as they enter. We enjoyed the Tatenokawa Seiryu house sake (RM 80/carafe, RM 280/bottle), a versatile pairing across the meal with its fruity body and dry finish. The Sake Iwa (RM 1200/bottle) is an excellent option for a luxurious pairing, made from five different rice grains and brewed by the company behind Don Perignon. We enjoyed the Bijofu Yuzu Liqueur (RM 35/glass, RM 250/bottle) as a citrusy palate cleanser during the omakase, and the Tsurruume Kanjuku Ume (plum liqueur) (RM 25/glass, RM 190/Bottle) as a lovely sweet finish with dessert.
Sushi Ryu Review
We left Sushi Ryu extremely satisfied with the food, service and setting. The omakase is a highlight and fitting for those wanting an introduction to this form of dining. The a la carte menu is also well worth deeper exploration, filled with premium ingredients cooked with skill. Sushi Ryu offers a first-rate, satiating dining experience that is not to be missed.
Reasons to visit Sushi Ryu: excellent first-time omakase experience; fresh fish directly imported from Japan; must try the DIY Ichigo Daifuku; elegant interior and private rooms; good value set lunches; perfect for birthdays, anniversaries and special occasions; if you want to wow your uni-loving partner, get them the special Valentine’s Day tart!
Sushi Ryu
1, Platinum Park Tower, Unit 3.3 Level 2
11 Persiaran KLCC, 50088 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
+60 13-203 3775
@sushiryu.kl
Sushi Ryu Opening Hours
Monday to Saturday from 12 to 3 pm & 6 to 10:30 pm
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Look impressive 😀