food | natalie sia

Because I am pregnant, whenever I am to meet friends for meals, they would ask me:

“Nat, what do you want to eat? You’re the preggers mama. What are you craving for?”

Well. To be honest, I crave for random things at random times. But one thing I always crave for (whether or not I’m pregnant) is Japanese food!

So when Robataya invited the hubby and I for a meal, I jumped at the opportunity!

Robataya is unlike my usual choice of Japanese dining places, because instead of just sushi and sashimi and bento, they are known for robatayaki, which is a Japanese cooking style where food are slow-grilled on smoking charcoal.

The delicious slow-grilled skewers, from left to right, prices per stick: Momo (chicken) at RM4, sausage at RM6.50, tomato bacon at RM6, Buta Bara (pork belly) at RM6, and Gyu Tan (beef tongue) at RM8.

These are sold individually, so you would have to order them separately.

Besides the skewers, they also serve a variety of the usual Japanese dishes.

Kyushu Ramen, RM22

I loved this. I know how some people like their ramen broth to be super thick. But to me, this was light and just nice.

Goya Champuru, RM18

Fans of bittergourd and egg and pork would enjoy this.

Salmon Oyako Sarada, RM26

Salad, topped with salmon and salmon skin. Perfect as an appetizer or even as a side dish.

Buta Mayo Roll, RM20

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but no Japanese meal is complete to me without some sushi rolls.

Okan Sashimi Moriawase, RM70

I started drooling the moment I saw this platter. Unfortunately, because I am pregnant, I cannot take any sashimi. So my hubby had a great time downing them on my behalf.

Look at that salmon sashimi! I will be back you guys. I will be back once baby has been born. I will be back.

They also have a list of Japanese beer and sake available, for those of you who are not pregnant.

Robataya is also an izakaya restaurant. Izakaya is a type of informal Japanese gastropub, and it is known to serve interesting dishes to go with beer or sake. On the particular day we were there, it was pork uterus.

Yea. You read that right.

If you want to try it, all you have to do is ask for the otsusume menu, and the friendly Robataya waiters will let you know what’s being served that day. Just remember to be adventurous!

Overall, I really enjoyed the different dishes they served. They have a lot of other (delicious-looking) stuff on the menu as well as desserts (!) that I didn’t get to try, so I will definitely go back!

A heads-up: Robataya is quite popular and can be packed during lunch and dinner hours. I would suggest that you go a little earlier than the usual crowd, or be prepared to wait a bit.

SPECIAL OFFER:

Robataya is giving a special offer to NatalieSia.com readers! All you have to do is show the image above when you dine in at Robataya at Publika, and you can get a Banana Bacon skewer and Tomato Bacon skewer free of charge!

This offer expires on 31st October 2016, so do drop by and try them out!

Note: The offer is not available during weekday lunch hours though as the grilling bar is closed during weekday lunch time

Robataya
D4-G3-09, Solaris Dutamas Publika
Open Mon-Fri 11am – 2.30pm, 5.30pm – 11pm, Sat, Sun & Public Holidays 11am – 11pm
Tel: 03-62112785
FB: https://www.facebook.com/robatayaizakaya

Japanese is my favourite cuisine. I just can never get bored of it. If given a choice, I would go for Japanese meals at least once a week. At least.

I have heard of MOF Japanese Dining in Sunway Pyramid, but have never tried it mainly because I seldom go to the mall. Plus, I’ve always thought that MOF is all about desserts only. Well apparently, they were about desserts, but this particular outlet has decided to expand their menu to offer other meal choices. And there is such a wide selection of food – from bento sets to noodles (udon, soba, ramen) to sushi. They’ve also got pasta for those in the mood for Western Asian fusion.

There is also quite a variety of drinks. If you’re a green tea lover, you can go for their macha drinks. Or if you prefer red bean, there are the azuki drinks. For those who need some caffeine, they also have coffee selections. I went for the Cookies and Cream Shake, but there is no decent picture of it here because the hubby and I kinda gobbled it down the moment it arrived. I loved it.

Anyway, these were what we ordered and liked.

Salmon Teriyaki Bento, RM20.90

OK the salmon is in the right compartment and you can’t really see it here, but it was so good. I could finish the entire fish at one go because the teriyaki sauce made it so appetizing.

Salmon Aburi Roll, RM15.90

For me, a Japanese meal is not complete unless you have some sushi, and salmon! This roll combines both, and I highly recommend that you try it.

Tori Kara Age Jyu, RM14.90

This is apparently one of MOF’s signature dishes, and rightly so. If you feel lost flipping through the menu because of the crazy amount of choices, order this.

Chicken Katsu Tomato Pasta, RM16.90

Again, if you are looking for Western Asian fusion, this is a good dish to go for.

California Maki, RM11.90

You can never go wrong with California Maki.

5-Piece Salmon Sashimi, RM12.90

Yes, I know there are only three pieces in the picture. That is because our friends ate it before I snatched it away from them for my camera.

Rice and Noodle Teishoku, RM19.90

This is perfect for me, because I often cannot make up my mind if I should go for noodles or rice. Haha!

Shiratama Kurian, RM13.00

Soft-serve ice cream! I loved the Japanese dumpling and Hokkaido red bean paste that were paired with it. The one that I had didn’t have gyuhi though; it was replaced with marshmallows.

Macha Zen, RM13.90

My friend who ordered this said he had been looking for Hokkaido red bean dessert high and low, so he was very happy to be able to eat this! It’s Japanese green tea gelato with the said red bean and Japanese dumplings.

Overall, satisfying Japanese food and dessert at reasonable prices. Definitely worth a try.

MOF Japanese Dining
F1.67, First Floor, Sunway Pyramid, Subang Jaya, Selangor
Open 10am – 10pm, every day
Tel: 03-56110949