The wifey has been wanting to try this shushi bar for quite some time. However the long queue always got in the way of our plans. Thus, when we could get off work a little earlier last Friday, we decided to give this place another try. "Koh Grill & Sushi Bar" is located at the Food Republic food court in Wisma Atria Shopping Centre. Despite being early for dinner, we still had to queue. Thankfully the wait wasn't long.
We were seated at the bar, right in front of the grill. Usually good Japanese food depends largely on the skill of the chef. Looking at the relatively large number of kitchen staff, I wondered how this place could produce food with rave reviews. Moreover, not all the food-handlers used gloves. I was skeptical.
We ordered swordfish belly on sticks. It was the first time I'm having grilled swordfish. Surprisingly, it tasted pretty good.
Next came the Century-egg Maki - sushi rice wrapped around fragrant century-egg and sashimi, topped with roe and sprinkled with chopped garnish. The century-egg literally melts in your mouth. I've never been a big fan of Japanese ginger. But this time the Japanese ginger paired extremely well with the maki. The burst of flavour is reminiscent of traditional Chinese cuisine, coupled with the chewiness of Japanese sushi.
It was followed by the restaurant's signature "Shiok Maki". This sinfully creamy maki is simply Shiok. Salmon wrapped with shushi rice, topped with mayo and roe. Delicious as it may be, I prefer the Century-egg maki though.
We had a choice between fried and grilled beef. Since this place is known for its shushi and grill, we went for the latter. The beef looked appetizing. However we were disappointed with the taste. The beef was too dry and overcooked. We certainly had better in other Japanese restaurants.
In conclusion, the unique maki are a must-try. The grill, on the other hand, has to taken with a pinch of salt, not literally of course.
