Tenjin

Grand Millennium finally has a Japanese restaurant, with food and service that sparkle on the same level as other sashimi-serving outlets in KL's hotels.

Salmon roe marinated with soy sauce on organic grated radish. Perfect pops of pure pleasure, though a spoon (instead of chopsticks) might have made these easier to scoop up.

Couldn't find fault with the sushi platter; everything from the saltwater eel to the medium-fatty tuna belly tasted lusciously fresh.

Raw octopus with basil sauce. Seemed more like Italian carpaccio than something from the Land of the Rising Sun, but this supplied slick, slimy satisfaction nevertheless, with a nuanced chewiness and pesto-like fragrance to prevent blandness.

Flounder grilled with miso sauce. We could rhapsodize for several m! inutes a bout how moist, flaky and flavorsome this flatfish was _ a thorough triumph for the kitchen, which suffered no first-night teething troubles whatsoever.

Shiso Shochu Tantakatan. Pressed for time, we couldn't finish this. Thankfully, the restaurant helped us doggie-bag the bottle, enabling us to smuggle it into a neighboring multiplex and take swigs from it while watching mutant heroes battle villains.

P.S. Unrelated to Tenjin, but here's some cool news for the residents of Kota Kinabalu and everyone who might visit Sabah next month: the first KK Food Festival will take place July 9-22, organized by lifeandstyle.com.my. See www.lifeandstyle.com.my/kkff for details!

Tenjin Japanese Cuisine,

Grand Millennium Hotel,

Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2143-9399