Yashi-No-Mi

This little known Japanese café has actually been in operation for over nine years. Located under the shadow of the Pavilion across the road, it looks like this quaint place will most likely continue to slip under the radar of most diners, with so many brighter and more extravagant eateries around. The dark glass frontage, obscuring any view into the café, doesn’t help either.

But to a small and loyal following, Yashi-no-mi will continue to delight. It is popular amongst the expatriate Japanese crowd working in the area. They pop in for a quick bite or stay for a few drinks in the evening for there is a decent collection of whiskeys, sake and shochu on offer.

If you think Japanese food was all about sushi and tempura, then you will be happy to discover great, down to earth Japanese café cuisine here. Dishes such as omu rice – flavoured fried rice encased in a delicate omelette, spaghetti and Japanese curry may all sound like foreign dishes. However, they have all made their way into the contemporary Japanese diet, featured at Yashi-no-mi in a simple but homely menu.

Japanese curry, which is sweeter and milder than our Malaysian version, is a real favourite at Yashi-no-mi. The pork cutlet curry (RM20) contained a piece of pork loin, covered in Japanese breadcrumbs and fried, only to be immersed in a delicious curry sauce and served with rice.

The preparation of the pork and the depth of flavour of the sauce are key and Yashi-no-mi excelled at both. It is easy to dry out the pork, but here, it was still very juicy. You could also taste the onions, vegetables and stock in the curry, without the jarring artificial flavours often found in Japanese curries from other restaurants. The curry came with a small side salad of julienne white cabbage, lettuce, tomato and cucumber, which was topped with an outstanding homemade onion dressing.

The ton tama don (RM18) was equally worthy of praise. Using meat from pork belly, the thin slices were pan-fried with ginger, onions and egg and served in a bowl on top of fluffy Japanese rice. The pork slices were fantastically soft and tender, with a wonderful aroma of rice wine, no doubt used in the marinade.

The miso soup (RM3) provided the perfect accompaniment. Yashi-no-mi uses more red miso paste in their soup, giving it a deeper, earthier flavour than the more familiar white miso soup.

The only drawback was the price of the food. With so many cheap stalls in Wisma Cosway, it’s no wonder that people normally give Yashi-no-mi a miss. Although it is more than many would spend on an office lunch, for a sample of authentic Japanese café fare and ambience, Yashi-no-mi deserves a try.
 

TEXT & PHOTO : CHAN WAI LEE