Kaiseki Artistry @ Xenri Japanese Cuisine, Old Klang Road

Xenri Japanese Cuisine celebrates its 13th anniversary this year, penning down a history of excellence in serving quality fine Japanese cuisine to many of their avid connoisseurs. Many flock to this elegant dining scene for its luscious list of tempting Japanese dishes filled with lavish as well as premium ingredients.


To celebrates 13 years in Malaysia, Xenri wants you to embark on a unforgettable culinary adventure with its gastronomic masterpieces themed “Kaiseki Artistry”.

Kaiseki (懐石) or kaiseki-ryōri (懐石料理) is a traditional Japanese menu that consists of several courses of selected food served to diners on individual trays.
It is a Japanese art form today where chefs focus on serving a balanced Kaiseki menu of taste, texture, presentation and colours of food. Using and focusing on the freshest seasonal ingredients are a must in any Kaiseki menu.
Xenri’s chefs carry on this proud tradition by picking only the finest seasonal ingredients and crafting them into amazing culinary offerings.
I was at Xenri last weekend to get a taste of the specially crafted Kaiseki meal.

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Aburi Hokkaido Mukimi Hotate

The Aburi Hokkaido Mukimi hotate is a visually stunning dish, featuring pan seared scallops perched in a pool of purple sea urchin. Also presented was the Tatami Iwashi (Japanese processed food product made from baby sardines) was also served with caviar and beautified with edible flower petals. Every element was well executed. The plump scallops was beautifully seared till just cooked, giving a succulent and tender taste. The sensual flavours of the savoury sea urchin broth, the crispy Tatami Iwashi as well as the briny caviar, all complemented each other perfectly. I adored this course for its bold and well-balanced flavours.

 

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Poached Masu with Smoked Apple Woods Chips

The Poached Masu Salmon was in an inviting orange hue. It was fresh, delicate in flavours and tender with adequate fat that simply melted in my mouth. The salmon roes provided an interesting popping sensation to the overall dish.

 

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Slow Cooked French Meltique Beef

The Meltique Beef is one indulgence to be experienced if you have not had it before. With minimal seasonings and coated with charcoal powder, the divine piece of beef was nicely seared to medium rare – it showcased the original flavours of this quality beef. It was brilliantly paired with savoury sauce and sides of sauteed broad beans, pineapple, mushroom and tomato.

 

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Wild Mushroom Soup with Cheese Dumpling

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Our next soup course was a comforting bowl of mushroom soup with a Japanese twist. I could barely taste the flavour of the mushroom but the broth was strongly infused with saltiness from the miso, a bit overwhelming for my liking. The cheese dumplings were great nonetheless for a cheese lover like me!

 

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Chirimen Jyako Houba Meshi

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Meticulously wrapped in a Houba leaf (Magnolia leaf) imported from Japan, the short grain rice is steamed to perfection with a lovely bite. Every morsel fully absorbed the flavours of the stock which was richly infused with sansho (mountain pepper from Japan) and baby sardines.

 

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Miso Cheese Cake

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A compelling combination of cheese and miso, the result was surprisingly astonishing! The texture was not as smooth as a normal cheese cake but still creamy and rich to please any cheese cake lovers. The accompanying pop paddy was interesting as well.

 

There is no menu for the Kaiseki cuisine, the kitchen team using only the freshest ingredients handpicked and creatively paired to create taste and visual sensations, elevating the diners’ gastronomic experience.  Presentation is a crucial element of Japanese cuisine and Xenri’s team has certainly taken their food presentation to a whole new level of impressiveness, check out their other Kaiseki course below.

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Kunsei Saba Jitate (Smoked Blue Mackerel Bisque)

 

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Snow Crab Avocado Sphere

 

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Smoked Duck Mousse

 

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Poached Black Cod with Chrysanthemum Leaf

 

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Buttery Poached Brittany Blue Lobster

 

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Pen-Shell Carpaccio with Organic Apple Dressing

 

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Seared Bluefin Tuna and Avocado in Grapefruit

 

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Sous Vide Wagyu Rikyuyaki

 

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Kama Toro Arimani (Braised Bluefin Tuna Collar Belly with Arima Mountain Pepper)

 

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Warabi Mochi

From now until 30 June 2016, enjoy a complimentary sake for every Kaiseki set priced at RM 230++ per pax.

 

The Xenri dining experience is further enhanced by serene and zen-inspired interior and ambience. Besides the main dining area, there is also a sushi bar with plenty of sectioned areas the another end to provide diners more privacy.

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Themed in rich oak wood colours set with natural muted beige, the various sections of the restaurant are gorgeously illuminated with soft warm lighting throughout the space. Japanese elements with plush greenery and indoor water stream with koi fishes completed the decor with modern elegance.

 

Verdict: The Kaiseki experience is a treat and worthy of its price with the quality of the ingredients, coupled with Chef Andrew’s skill and the restaurant’s ambience. So head on over to Xenri Japanese Cuisine for an authentic and multi-sensory Japanese dining experience.

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Xenri Fine Japanese Cuisine

No.9, Wisma Elken, Jalan 4/137C, Batu 5, Jalan Klang Lama

58000 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: +603-7783 8118

Website: www.xenri.com/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/xenri

7 comments

  • Wow! They are 13 years old today and that was the year I first dined there when they newly opened. It was before the renovated ambiance which you just saw. I like their service, decor and food very much! The boss certainly maintained well since he embarked into his dreams. I should visit this place soon.

  • Everything looks good…the kaiseki courses must be quite pricey since no price is mentioned! 😀

  • EWEW, the Kaiseki meal is RM230 & above, depends on your budget. You just need to inform your budget to the chef and he will prepare the meal accordingly 🙂

  • I’m a little embarrassed to say that I’ve never heard of this place. It serves such wonderful food too. I’m intrigued by the blue lobster dish. Everything looks so high quality and it has more courses than the overpriced and underwhelming Nobu KL omakase. I’ll be sure to drop by one day. RM 230 is on the high side but it’s cheaper than Nobu and the 2 year old ex-Tokyo Michelin chef place (the name escapes me now but it’s RM 400 per pax IIRC).

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