Sakae Sushi, Paradigm Mall: New Temptations for 2012!

I can Never resist Japanese Cuisine!

My first visit to the latest mall in the city had a motive! The ninth outlet in the area, Sakae Sushi, the trendy quick service kaiten (conveyor belt) sushi concept restaurant, had just opened its doors in Paradigm Mall recently. The much beloved Japanese restaurant has recently unveiled its new menu of 30 temptations for 2012 alongside its all-time favorites. A big bunch of us congregates at this latest outlet to check out the sumptuous new menu with great anticipation!

Did you know that Sakae Sushi was born from the love of a husband for his wife?  Yes! He wanted his wife to enjoy quality Japanese cuisine at affordable price, hence Sakae Sushi was born. With more than 50 outlets across Asia, one will be pleased at its value-for money price, new and classic favorite dishes and promotions, evolving technologies, uber cute mascot and more!

Sushi fans will be extremely pleased with the new choices of sushi at Sakae Sushi. Sakae Blossom (RM9.99) is a must for salmon lovers! Intricately cut and shaped, lightly grilled thick salmon slices are delicately balanced on cut up sushi rolls coated with lots of miniscule popping flying fish roes. A light dollop of mayonnaise makes each bite creamy and delicious!

Another salmon creation of Hana Maki (RM9.99) featured beautifully crafted thick salmon slice wrapped around sushi rice to create an illusion of a pretty flower. Love the simplicity of the taste for this one. A big dollop of mayonnaise and a sprinkle of shrimp roe completed the pretty creation!

Soft Shell Crab Maki (RM5.99) was a combination of sweet inari slices rolled around crispy fried soft shell crab and cucumber. A light drizzle of spicy mayonnaise sauce added creamy and spicy flavors to the roll. I always like textures and this roll had a nice balance of crispy, crunchy and soft textures in each bite.

A foodie who loves prawns is very pleased with this new creation of Inari Avocado Ebi (RM7.99)! Succulent whole prawn is mixed with vegetables and salad dressing, sitting snugly in a sweet beancurd pouch. I tasted the mix of sweet and creamy flavors in this sushi. Fairly decent… as I do admit in having a soft spot for the Japanese sweet inari. J

Another tempting prawn creation is Ebi Crepe (RM5.99), a roll featuring a light yellow crepe wrapping the roll instead of the usual seaweed. Whole cooked prawn and vegetables is the filling inside the roll. Nice presentation for visual effect!

An oceanic bountiful salad was aptly named Kaisen Salad (RM16.90)! Filled to the brim with prawns, crab, tuna and flying fish roes, the lovely salad was accompanied by the classic Japanese sesame dressing. Love the sesame aroma that really compliments the seafood and greens beautifully. One of those salads that I certainly don’t mind enjoying in loads… J

Scallops!! How can one resist Hotate Mentaiyaki (RM20.90)? Four succulent scallops in half shells are baked with a creamy sauce filled with cod fish roe. Although a tad over cooked, the flavors are just simply heavenly with a creamy salty finish! Yum….

Kaisen Pirikara Nabe (RM24.90) sounds lilke a mouthful and that is exactly what it was… an iron pot filled with loads of prawns, cuttlefish, salmon, mushrooms and vegetables stewed in a Kimchee broth! The stew was surprisingly not overwhelming but a light broth of spicy pickled vegetable soup with a good dose of seafood flavors. I would love to enjoy this with a bowl of rice or even noodles!

A dark horse for me was Curry Udon (RM12.90)! Normally I shy away from Japanese curry as they tend to taste a bit wee too sweet for me. The version here was a bit more geared towards our Malaysian taste bud as it had a hint of sweetness that was not overwhelming. The consistency of the curry was also medium thick and coated the udon lovingly. Tender pieces of chicken, fish cake and soft potatoes added more textures to the curry. Slurping this one was really easy!

Dessert was awesome! Featuring a lovely array of ice creams, we tasted Goma (Black Sesame), Matcha (Green Tea), Dragon Fruit and Passion Fruit (RM5.90/RM6.90) ice creams and sorbets. I really cannot decide which my favorite is since all four tasted equally delicious on its own merit!

Sakae Sushi not only caters to adults but little ones are always welcome. All outlets feature a creative selection of Kid’s Meal menu served in theme meal box vehicles!

Last year, Sakae Sushi launched the first iPad ordering system in Malaysia to improve the customer’s dining experience. Being the pioneer to implement the user friendly iPad interactive menu, the system lets customer experience a new level of interation when it comes to checking out the menu and ordering the dishes. Every table has an iPad for those who seek a little fun in the technology department. With this patented system, ordering is fast as each order goes directly to the kitchen and one can even keep a tab of their orders and bill easily.

The system is so user friendly, even children can have some fun in ordering. Little Ethan obviously is enjoying himself in ordering his own meal at the iPad interactive menu!

Ethan was so proud of his meal that day! The Fire Engine car (RM9.90) left the table empty that day… J

Two new kiddie picks in addition to the Kid’s Meal is Happy Froggie and Little Sushi Home. We saw Happy Froggie and squealed in delight! Isn’t this uber cute? The whole sushi with tuna and candy froggie is edible!

After our meal, we cannot resist but to take pictures with Sakae Sushi Mascot. The apple green frog was just too huggable to resist.

At the end of the meal, I walked home with two adorable plushies from Sakae Sushi! My little one loved both dearly.

As a means of further rewarding its loyal customers, Sakae Sushi has also launched several promotions for the customers. Newspaper readers can enjoy a special RM10 cash voucher valid with a minimum spend of RM25, with an additional free pink plate worth RM3.99 for Citibank cardholders. Facebook users will also be entitled to their share of freebies by joining the Sakae Sushi Facebook fan page and taking part in various fun contests.

For more information, check out the details at their website: http://www.sakaesushi.com.my/index.html