Sunday 28 February 2016

Kizuna Japanese Restaurant Times Square Penang

It's Sakura's season now! My lovely Sakura from Japan.
OH WAIT, I wasn't in Japan, don't get me wrong. Though it looks real. XD
At once, I really thought I'm in Japan. I will reveal to you shortly.

Exterior of this restaurant made me feel like I'm walking a Sakura street and imagine if the Sakura petals are flying down. Romantic~~
This lovely Japanese place is Kizuna Japanese Restaurant at Times Square Penang.

Talking about Kizuna, most Penangites would remember the one located in Bay Anenue.
Yes, this is the second branch of Kizuna that started their business months ago.  

This place isn't only about delicious food, but provides plenty of good spots for photography.
Scroll down to explore the insight...

There are 3 entrances for this restaurant. 
At first, I lost my way as I wasn't sure which one to get in.
And I'm telling you, this is the main entrance that you shouldn't miss for a good shot.

As soon as you enter the restaurant, Sakuras are welcoming you from two sides. 
Isn't this a Winter Sonata feel? Ramantic~~

A welcoming posture by the Japanese doll, Geisha.

This restaurant has two storeys: 
bottom level is more to usual customers while top level has some dining tables, bar and VIP rooms.

According to the owner Kevin, he had invested about RM 2 million in renovation which completed in 3 months time. 

His concept is to provide more than just appealing yet delicious food, but also awesome Japanese ambient that allows his customers to relax and enjoy as if they are dining in Japan. 

The ambient not only covers place that is at your eye-level, but is 360 degree wide angle.

Don't trust me? Just look up and you'll see stars are charming everywhere, it's galaxy style!


At my first glance, I thought these were real!XD

Look at that, my favourite salmon, thick and fresh!

And this Tuna~~~ Oh my, wait! These are not real sashimis okay?
I'll reveal the real one as you scroll down.

~Spring~

~Summer~

~Autumn~

~Winter~

There are 10 VIP rooms available for booking, which is more to cater private functions, at least10 pax for each room. 

VVIP Room 4 is specially designed for a bigger function. 
It could take in about 18-20 persons with projector provided, a good place for meeting or mini conference.
If' you've more than 20 pax, they could also expand it to the next room (the next photo) by opening up the side doors (where the gorgeous Geishas are).


And here, their bar that serves alcoholic beverages.

They do have a wine cellar that's customized for wine-lovers.

Alright, after all about the stunning design and decorations, let's come back to the main point today- Food!

Now, let's get started!

Shake Ikura Salad - RM 25.90
We started off with "nutritionist's food" - Salad. I personally think that this is a great idea to bulk up our fiber intake when we're taking Japanese Cuisine, the rest of it are more of fish and seafood.
Salmon has never failed to be my favourite fish ever, hence I became a little picky when I eat Salmon.
This dish incorporated salmon slices and salmon roe with Homemade Refreshing Wafu Dressing. 
It was very refreshing yet appetizing, a good one to turn on our appetite for the next few dishes.
Soft Kani Karaage & Shake Kawa Salad - RM 25.90
My first try on crispy soft shell crab was with this dish and fortunately, I wasn't disappointed. 
It was served with the fragrant Homemade Roasted Creamy Sesame Dressing.
Tips: don't put too much dressing, it counts on calorie and kinda affect the crunchiness crispy soft crab. It tastes better  to dip than pouring the dressing on the salad, though it may not be the right way of eating it, but a healthier way of consuming.

Sashimi Moriawase - RM 128 (15 pcs) / RM250 (30 pcs)
Assorted premium cut air flown fresh fish delivered by a well-decorated ship!

Every pieces was so freshly cut in a way to enhance the sensation of tongue, and well preserved by a ship of ice to ensure the quality last until it's consumed.
I have never eaten Sashimi in this thickness and freshness, the last time was when in Taichung (gonna introduce you soon).
Tips: a slice or 2 is fine for people with high uric acid and high cholesterol. 
Remember sharing is caring.
Top sashimi with Wasabi not only helps in drawing out its flavour but also believed in its effectiveness of suppressing microbe and bacteria that can cause food poisoning.

Both of us were so out of control when we saw this!
hello, why were you holding that shell? It's decoration only!

Maguro Otoro Sashimi - RM160 (5pcs)

First time trying Tuna Belly that exactly melted in my mouth as soon as I consumed.
I couldn't forget how this "melting" feeling satisfied my taste buds to the max.

Unagi Cheese Roll - RM 30.90 (8 pcs)
Sushi rice roll with roasted eel and top with creamy cheese. 
It has been quite some time since my last Unagi, I used to love it. 
The combination of Unagi and cheese were palatable and would definitely become a great choice of those love cheese. 

Smoked Duck Roll - RM 25.90
Again, first trying on this sushi rice roll served with smoked duck topping (because I always go for Salmon for my Japanese cuisine.).
It tasted quite sourish when we tried it out, and we confirmed with the Chef that it was the right taste.
So, no worries. Do expect some sourish when you consume this. 
Salmon and Avocado To Caviar - RM80
Salmon, caviar and avocado are good sources of healthy fat: polyunsaturated fat (Omega-3 & 6 are part of them) and monounsaturated fat. Both are protective to heart. However, everything is good at moderation, not over-eating. 
So I had one piece of this! 
Other than the ingredients mentioned, white radish is wrapped with Japanese cucumber and topped with caviar. 
The cucumber and radish gave me the crunchiness while creaminess of avocado and smooth texture of salmon truly made a perfect combination. 

Ika Teriyaki - RM 26.90
I wasn't a fan of squid, not until my last trip to Taiwan. I started to fell in love with its chewiness, especially the grilled squid. Sauced with sweet Teriyaki, it's definitely sweet in flavour. 
Despite of its excellent flavour and appearance, I would suggest people with health concern may not want to take more than 2-3 pieces. After all, squid is rich in cholesterol (as high as 70% of recommended level). 
Again, moderation is the key to just satisfy our temptation yet protect our health. 
Foie Gras To Unagi - RM 85
Another first time trying ingredient - Foie Gras. Imported French premium grade goose liver served with homemade dressing. 
The preparation of this goose liver is a challenging task, it really requires chef with excellent skills.
My first experience with Foie Gras was: little hard outside with soft and smooth yet creamy taste of the interior, truly melted when it touched my tongue. 
I started to understand why classy people like Foie Gras so much. XD
I felt myself was a Cinderella on that day~haha

Surprisingly, 1 tablespoon of Foei Gras only contribute 60kcal with less than 10% kcal from total fat. In fact, it's slightly higher in monounsaturated fat than saturated fat. 
Did you see the two round whitish ingredients? At some point, I thought they were scallops!
Ops, they're actually white radish. XP

Buta Amiyaki - RM 23.90
From its appearance, it told me that "we're grilled pork", that's all I can tell at my first sight.
Hence, I chose to neglect it and tasted others, though it was served in front of me.
But you know what, I couldn't stop after having my first piece! I have never tried so delectable thin-sliced grilled pork, ever in my life! (from the very deep bottom of my heart)
Not only me, Joewy and Jennifer couldn't stop themselves from having another and another pieces.
Great marination with strong garlic and ginger enhanced the flavour of pork.
Is a MUST ORDER item during your visit!

Kataifi Shrimp with Pumpkin Soup - RM 55
This looks like sugar-coated haws to me in appearance, but in different colour. 
Haha, don't you think so? We had a good laugh when we saw this was served. 
Alright, come back. 

Deep fried Katifi wrapped prawn served with pumpkin soup added with some mango.
So the interesting part was to dip the crunchy wrapped prawn in to a rich and smooth pumpkin soup. 

Soft exterior with crunchy texture inside the prawn, perfect!

Hokkaido Scallop to Caviar - RM 85
Other than crab, scallop happened to be my favourite seafood.
Juicy yet tender seared Hokkaido scallop topped with premium grade caviar and served in ponzu sauce (a citrus-based Japanese sauce).

A good news from my expertise is, scallop is neither high in calorie nor cholesterol (less than 15% of recommendation level) despite its categorization as seafood.
In term of fat, its less than 1%. Hence, it's kind safe seafood to consume. XD

Black Cod to Truffle Oil Shitake - RM 60
Grilled black cod fish with truffle oil stir-fried Shitake mushrooms. The moment it was served, its fragrance reach my nostrils and it successfully drew my attention.
It did not turn me down with its palatable and soft fish fillet, greatly paired with fragrant Shitake mushrooms. 

Black Cod fish is low in calorie about 5% of Daily Value per serving, with low in fat.
However, its contains considerably high omega-3 and moderate cholesterol level. 

Botan Ebi Shioyaki - RM 140
Just prawn? That's all?
Yes, just prawn, fresh and big prawn. 
But I could never imagine how tasty they are, until they touched down on my tongue.

** This is not in the menu, only upon request. 

Couldn't resist this fresh, sweet and juicy prawn anymore!

Pork Mayo Ramen - RM 21.90
Buta Kakuni Ramen - RM 21.90
Gengi Kara Ramen - RM 21.90
Beef Chili Ramen - RM 21.90
Our last menus before proceeding to our desserts, RAMEN!
We had 4 types of Ramen on that day itself. 
I don't eat beef, thus I only tried out the other three types. 
What interesting was, Gengi Kara Ramen has 20 level of spiciness!
According to Kevin, you could ask for different level of spiciness when you order the Ramen.
The one we had that day was just level 3, but to me (a person who really enjoy spicy foods), it was spicy!XP
I'm gonna try out their level 20 and see what'll happen next time. Call me spicy queen then XD.
Vanila Bran / Chocolate / Fresh Strawberry / Uji Matcha / Colombia Coffee / Organic Black Sesame - RM 12/scoop
Here was how we ended meal, a perfect dessert to calm down our spiciness from the Ramen. XP
I'm not a dessert person, but I enjoyed some of this flavour - Organic Black Sesame, Columbia coffee and Uji Matcha. 
They are smooth, milky yet with strong individual taste, and the sweetness was just right to me.

So, don't miss out this beautiful dining place that provides you amazing ambient, delicious food with friendly services. 


Their exterior from roadside view.

Visit them at 
Kizuna Times Square Penang
Penang Times Square, Ground Floor, 10150 George Town
Contact them at 
04-370 0268 | 013-9469 796
Opens daily 11:30am - 10:30pm
Enjoy your dining!

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