Bangoya, BBQ & Kushiyaki @ Jaya One: Grilling Under The Stars!

Hanging out Izakaya Style under the Stars!

The newest kid on the block at Jaya One, Bangoya is set to wag some tongues! Truly madly in love with the Izakaya concept, the owner conceptualize a place where everyone can hang out after a long’s day at work. Thus Bangoya was born, a casual izakaya place to chill, to drink and to eat some awesome Japanese BBQ & Kushiyaki.

Invited to their soft launch recently, it was love at first sight for me the moment I climb up the narrow stairs to the rooftop of Kissaten at Jaya One. At the entrance, one gets greeted by a wall of beers and Japanese printed cloths. Then you walked out to open air to a cozy space filled with lots of bamboo, greens, recycled furniture and tiled countertops. A rustic bar also made from wood sits in one corner where luscious aroma perfumed the air around.

It’s all about the grill at Bangoya! The menu consists mostly of its specialty of Japanese Yakiniku and Kushiyaki. Simply order to grill yourselves or have the chef grill up skewers of Kushiyaki for you. Bangoya uses Binchō-tan or white charcoal, a high quality charcoal originated from Japan. It is renowned for its ability to burn steadily for a longer period and does not release much smoke or unpleasant odours. When it burns, one can see how white the coals are and true enough, there was less smoke than the usual regular coals unless the meat has release its fats onto the coals.

Since we were still waiting for others to arrive, we snack on some snacks with our chilled beers. It’s GUINNESS for me since I have grown really fond of this black gold. Bangoya serves up plenty of beers - draught and bottle, sakes and sochus, cocktails and other non-alcoholic liquids.

The menu at Bangoya is relatively tight and sufficient, showing off what they do best. We munched on blanched Edamame and feasted on Hiyayakko Tofu and some Kushiyakis. There are not many sides available but who wants sides when one can feast on scrumptious meats and seafood? If you must have your salads, there are a few available like Bangoya Bitter Gourd Salad, CabbageSalad, Onion Salad and Bangoya Cucumber Salad.

Here comes the star! Our grill arrived in a huge clay vessel ready for some Yakiniku grilling action. Order platters of meats from beef, pork and lamb to seafood and vegetables. Some meats and seafood are laced with marinades while some are simply sprinkled with salt to show off its original taste. Two sauces are served with the BBQ, one with a gorgeous soy based sweet sauce and the other a lemon infused sauce. I love the first one as it goes really well with the meat while I find the lemon one goes better with seafood.

We feasted on Australia Beef Sirloin, Beef Tongue, Lamb, Pork, Eggplant and Mushrooms. Don’t ask me for a favorite choice… every plate was my favorite!! Each one has its own taste and even the plain meat with a little salt is superb. All meats are thinly sliced so it really doesn’t take much time to cook it. Meat and seafood platters run from RM10 to RM20 while vegetables are RM5 each.

My first time having Beef Tongue and I must say that it’s not as scary as it sounds… in fact, it’s delicious!

We sure had loads of fun… the ambience was really warm and cozy with Mother Nature changing from dusk into midnight blue. Much laughters and cheers added the izakaya ambience that night!

Kushiyakis arrive in between our Yakinikus and were also devoured in no time. Call us gluttons but it was just a perfect evening of great companies of friends, beers and BBQ… in no certain order!

The skewers of chickens and spare parts, pork, seafood and vegetables are all nicely grilled and prices from RM3 to RM5 per stick. Some of the chicken parts are seasoned with teriyaki or salt. One gets all part of chickens here from Meat to Liver, Gizzard, Wings, Skin, Tsukune and even The Pope’s Nose!

The Tsukune is tender and yummy while I braved my first attempt at trying the liver and gizzard. The liver had a great charred edge but it is really very soft and tasted like a pate. The gizzard with salt is amazingly good, boasting a great juicy bouncy almost crunchy texture that just pops in the mouth. Make sure to order the gizzard!! Chicken with leek is pretty good since I like the soft subtle leeks and the skin, well the skin is a something of a treat. Indulge in it once it a while is definitely good for the soul…

We were naughty. We wanted a taste of Kissaten’s burger after we saw someone had it earlier. And so before we knew it, orders were placed and we got our way for an order of Kissburger of Teriyaki Pork and Teriyaki Chicken. Try your luck and ask nicely and you may get to order the burger at Bangoya…

Both burgers are simply lick-a-licious! Juicy and sandwich with a fluffy bun made according to Kissaten’s secret recipe, its sweet and savory, providing a great satisfying of flavors. The pork one comes with a fried egg for extra sexiness.

Time flew by and we didn’t even realize it simply because it was just so comfortable to hang out under the sky at Bangoya. Yeah, there was still smoke and I did smell like a BBQ humanoid but it is a grill after all. Look on the bright side because the atmosphere and awesome food is worth every smoke and smell on my hair and clothes. The casual ambience coupled with superb food and chilled beers or sake just makes me want to hang out there every day after work. The place has limited seats, make sure to head there early and get some R&R with scrumptious Yakinikus and Kushiyakis!

BANGOYA

(Rooftop of Kissaten)

L12A-1-1, Palm Square

Jaya One

72A, Jalan Universiti

46200 Petaling Jaya

Tel: 03 7954 1990

Email: hello@kissaten.com.my

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bangoyakul

*More Photos at my Facebook: Chasing Food Dreams