I wonder if the popularity has dwindled for places like Zipangu, Kampachi & Iketeru all these restaurants that were onceconsideredthe old dame of Japanese buffets, ever since theproliferationof cheaper, mass market Japanese buffets like Tao, Jogoya, Tenji, Saseiki & the likes.
When I walked in on a Sat afternoon for lunch, the restaurant wasconsiderably packed, with the crowd much much better behaved & sedate compared to the monkeys people that you normally meet jostling for fresh sashimi & oysters at your other mid-priced buffets in town. I guess the prestige of being in Shang filters the crowd a bit.
Zipangu, for RM96++ /pax offers almost pure Jap fare for their weekend buffet. Fresh seafood was aplenty; though it was no longer sourced from Japan directly, and this poster in the lifts & at the front of their restaurant clearly stated their source of fresh produce.
Zipangus salmon is imported from Norway, beef and scallops from Australia, crab from Alaska, tuna from Indonesia and local herbs and greens from Cameron Highlands.
While I wont say that patrons of Zipangu Japanese buffet are spoilt for choice, for choices were obviously lacking; I would say this is worth considering if you are looking for purely Japanese fare, & definitely worth your moolah if you are a Shang card holder. For it is Buy One Free One if you are.
The appetisers. Pretty much the norm.
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The fresh sashimi. Nothing too fancy but you can expect the expected. Tuna (maguro), salmon, kampachi, octopus, hen clam, scallops, shime saba (mackarel) & butter fish.
Crowd favourites such as fresh oysters are available of course.
Theres a fair selection of sushi as well.Octopus, maguro (tuna), hen clam, sweet shrimp, tako, tamagoyak, eel, crab stick, ika, i! nari.
Makis selection - Kampachi, california, salmon, tuna, oshinko- pickled radish, kappa cucumber, tenmusu.
Moving on to the cooked items section, there isnt that much to look forward to. Taste-wise, all were fair & some bordered onforgettable.
Choices: Chawanmushi. Soba. Oden. Sukiyaki. Gindara miso kimchee soup. Yaki soba. Chasoba. Perch with lemon sauce. Chicken sausage with asparagus. Salmon head shioyaki. Garlic & seafood rice (both of which bordered on tasteless).Sanma shioyaki saury pike.
Gindara Miso Kimchee Soup (the only dish that features COD here).
Sanma shioyaki saury p! ike.
The soba noodles section.
Miso soup.
The tempura wasnt anything spectacular. It was crunchy on the outside & the prawns were fresh enough.
Choices :Kariaage. Tempura prawns. Potatoes/broccoli/carrot.
Desserts were boring, with some local Malay kuih, then the customary cheese & chocolate mousse (this one was a bit like black forest).
Only interesting ones were this Green tea powder coated truffles & the Japanese fruit sushi.
Then theres green tea francais.
Even the mochifailedto make any impression as it was dry & hard versus supple & chewy.
Other desserts.
Fresh fruits.
Fresh strawberries & fresh cream! 
My lunch:
The fresh sashimi cuts lacks flavour. No refills for me.
Soups (miso & the daikon soup) was ok. The shocking part was when I was informed that there were no lamb or beef available at the teppanyaki section. WHAT???
I topped up on the eel (unagi) since I love em. The eel was fleshy, only marred cos of the skin; which was rubbery & thick. I would have preferred crisper or thinner skin.
Im not sure who cooked the vegetables at the teppanyaki counter. My plate of simple vegetables cames swimming in oil & lacked seasoning so it was almost tasteless.
Since Im deprived of lamb or beef, I resorted to teriyaki chicken for my meat. Unfortunately, this was disappointing as well, as the chicken wasnt properly grilled with the teriyaki sauce but came across almost as if it was deep fried, cut & then glazed with teriyaki sauceinstead. It certainly wasnt marinated enough to flavour the chicken.
Ice cream selections were limited as well, just chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, green tea & . There is no goma (black sesame) ice cream available for buffet. Not sure if that means it is available ala-carte though.
Conclusion?
All in all, Im fine with the food. For places like this, youre guaranteed a certainly level of quality, though not necessarily the best. Heck, for the price youre paying, it better be. Service wasexemplaryas well.
But would I re-visit?
No. Nothing stood out for me here.
Would I recommend it to my friends? If you have a Shang card, definitely. If you are looking for solely Japanese fare, why not. However, I do wonder if the fresh seafood from Japan would make any difference.
Total bill:
RM111.xx after taxes. Its good to have a Shang card!
NOTE: The 88 Sakura Spring Specials runs from 4 April 2011 until 31 May 2011.The first eighty-eight guests who book for either lunch or dinner will receive 50% discount (only limited to 88 for lunch and 88 for dinner per day) on total food bill (terms and conditions apply).
Make your reservation:
Website:Zipangu Shang-rila Hotel KL
Zipangu
Level 1,Shangri-La Hotel,
11,JalanSultan Ismail,
50250KualaLumpur,
Malaysia.
Contact:
Telephone number: 03 2074 390
Fax number: 03 2070 1514
Website: click (here)
Opening hours:
Lunch : 12noon 2.30pm (Monday Friday)
Lunch: 11.30am 2.30pm (Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays)
Dinner : 6.30pm 10.30pm (daily)
All pictures are:
More pics of the restaurant Zipangu & Shang-rila Hotel. Classy, grand & redolent of old opulence.
And last but not least, because I havent put up a photo of any of my dogs lately, here is one! 