Sushi Takumi – Japanese Restaurant, Damansara Kim
Words: Nichole Ong
Photos: Han Sen Hou
As the Curate group’s Damansara outlet, Sushi Takumi brings its exceptional omakase experience out of the city centre and into a more accessible neighbourhood.
Stepping inside Sushi Takumi, we were greeted by a serene and intimate space, seats facing the chef’s counter underneath calming white cloth decorations on the ceiling. From our perch, we marvelled up close at Chef Khong and Chef Ken’s culinary prowess, asked them questions, and learned more about our dishes throughout the meal. We also appreciated the attentive service from Melba, who anticipated our needs throughout.
Omakase at Sushi Takumi
The menu at Sushi Takumi is fresh and seasonal, offering a range of omakase from RM 188 to RM588, as well as sushi sets and a la carte options. We were treated with the Premium Omakase (RM 588), a seven-course set with optional supplementary add-ons. We experienced a meal inspired by the freshest imported seasonal ingredients from Japan’s winter months.
Appetisers
A trio of appetisers ignited our appetites. Individually prepared and served by Chefs Khong and Ken, our first dish featured crunchy Japanese leek with vinegar miso sauce. The vegetables were served with fresh akagai (blood clams) alongside a shiso flower for a peppermint finish.
The fragrance of the torched hirame (Japanese flounder) wafted in the air as Chef Khong explained our next dish. The fish had been marinated using the Japanese kombu technique, making it especially tender and imbuing it with umami. The shirame was then wrapped around radish sprouts, freshly plucked in front of us, topped with tobiko, and seasoned with fresh yuzu. The result was a dynamic blend of sweet, sour, and umami flavours with pops from the tobiko and a nice crunch from the sprouts.
When we asked the chef what our next dish was, he smiled knowingly and told us he’d tell us later. I will also reveal this detail later, after highlighting that its time in kombu water had given it a melt-in-mouth creaminess that was nicely balanced out by the brine and yuzu seasoning, as well as the savoury-sweetness of the shoyu sauce. I learnt halfway through the dish that it was called tara shirako and is the milt (sperm) of a codfish. This Japanese winter delicacy isn’t for everyone, but it was prepared and seasoned well by the chefs. It also, apparently, has a long list of skin benefits.
Sashimi
Moving into more familiar territory, our sashimi plate featured Hokkaido scallops, marai, and otoro, which we wholeheartedly enjoyed. The Hokkaido scallop was tender and topped with Italian caviar. The madai was seasoned with lime juice, allowing the acidity to bring out the fish’s natural flavour. Our cut of otoro was luxuriously fatty and blurry, living up to Chef Khong’s description of it as ‘wagyu swimming in the sea.’ Alongside the fish, we also appreciated the steady stream of pickled radish and ginger (done in-house) as palate cleansers and the shiso leaf and chrysanthemum flowers we could sprinkle into the shoyu provided.
Seasonal Cold Dish
Our seasonal cold dish was a delightful Japanese mackerel pickled with salt and vinegar, the traditional way of preserving the shelf life of fish in the days before refrigeration. It was served on a base of black vinegar sushi rice and wrapped in seaweed for a nice contrast between the fattiness of the fish and the acidity from the black vinegar, finished with a satisfying crunch from the seaweed.
Seasonal Hot Dish
The seasonal hot dish was gindara misoyaki, or miso-marinated black cod. The codfish was sourced from Hokkaido and marinated in miso for two days to fully saturate it with a savoury, umami flavour. Biting into the fish revealed milky and tender meat cooked so expertly that it seemed to gleam. The cod was served alongside juicy radish slices and brushed with sweet miso to complete the dish.
Sushi
Our sushi platter consisted of eight pieces of sushi made and served individually by the chefs. They all used black vinegar rice as a base and had all the seasonings in the bite, so there was no need for us to season with shoyu or wasabi. The fish were cut and left to warm up to near room temperature to match the rice temperature.
Our first sushi was the shimaji sushi, made from Japanese strip jack, which was a bit on the sweet side and went well with the spicy kick of the wasabi. We enjoyed the complex flavours from the baby snapper pickled in kombu brine, then topped with yuzu zest and blanched with sake. These elements came together to make a chewy, citrusy, and umami bite. We welcomed the return of the otoro, which was lusciously buttery and seasoned well. At this point, the chefs pulled out the part of the bluefin tuna our cuts were coming from and showed us the sheer size of the fish. Japan has annual competitions where the biggest one sells for millions! From the same tuna, we had the Akami, which was the lean part of the fish, nice and chewy, playing well with the vinegar rice. The iwashi (Japanese sardine) sushi was a satisfying fatty cut topped with spring onion for a nice crunch. The luxurious Hokkaido spotted prawn topped with uni combined the sweetness and chewiness of the spotted prawn with the creaminess from the uni to create a satiating mouthful. We enjoyed the engawa soaked in shoyu and its synergy with the lime and chive toppings. The blow torch then made a re-appearance on the anago (Japanese sea eel), which is thinner and richer than unagi (river eel). Its smokiness and succulence made it the ideal finisher for our sushi course.
Add-ons and A La Carte
As a bonus, we indulged in the Mini Wagyu Don add-on to the meal (RM 75). A full-size version can also be ordered a la carte for RM150. The dish features A5 Miyazaki Zabuton Beef, a cut near the neck that bears the tender, buttery hallmarks of wagyu but is slightly leaner. Alongside the beef, the rice was beautifully fluffy, and the poached egg saturated everything wonderfully.
Just before dessert, we were served a warm bowl of miso soup as a light palate cleanser before the big finale.
Dessert
My favourite part of the dessert was the yuzu ice cream, which was fresh and citrusy – the perfect end to a hearty meal. Dessert also included a thin monaka wafer with yuzu paste mixed with pieces of yuzu, which was another delightfully sweet finish. For a healthier sweet treat, the seasonal winter grapes and melon provided a refreshing and light finish to a truly satiating meal.
Review
Sushi Takumi provides a luxurious dining experience that allows for an appreciation of the cuisine and culinary skills required to execute each dish. We enjoyed the restaurant’s intimate setting and the opportunity to interact with the chefs across the kitchen counter. All the ingredients were of superb quality, making every last bite enjoyable.
Reasons to visit Sushi Takumi: fresh seasonal produce, interactive experience, and great location for those living in the Damansara Kim area.
Sushi Takumi
No. 81, Jalan SS20/11. Damansara Kim
47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
+6018 356 6725
@sushitakumi.kl
Sushi Takumi Opening Hours
Tuesday to Sunday: 12 pm-3 pm & 6 pm-10 pm
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