Kampachi Branches Out

Kuala Lumpur’s most successful Japanese restaurant and Hotel Equatorial’s famous in-house brand Kampachi is now open at Pavilion. According to Kampachi Pavilion managing director, Donald Lim, Kampachi Equatorial experiences such heavy demand for lunch, dinner and the very popular Sunday brunch that the only reasonable thing they could do in the face of such a growing appetite for Kampachi cuisine was to expand the eatery. Initially, the management toyed with the idea of expanding the existing restaurant. Those ideas were quashed when they realised the large dining area would ruin the existing ambience. But with the timely opening of Pavilion, Equatorial was able to take both Kampachi and …toile Bistro beyond its hotel doors. Pavilion’s convenient location creates abundant foot traffic from surrounding hotels and shopping malls, which includes many tourists and visitors. Shoppers can watch how Kampachi chefs hand make fresh soba noodles through their show kitchen daily, which will no doubt be one of its main attractions. While Kampachi Pavilion will have the same food supply as Equatorial to ensure quality, items listed on the menu at Pavilion are faster to prepare for the convenience of shopping mall customers who have limited time. With the opening of Kampachi and …toile Bistro, KLue wonders if other hotel eateries may be tempted to branch out. Donald Lim says he wouldn’t be surprised. And frankly, if the food is just as great, neither would we. As they say, the more the merrier.

Text & Photo Didi Ramlan

Published in Issue #110