Saisaki, Jalan Pinang, Kuala Lumpur

Saisaki, which shares it's fame with it's sibling outlets, Shogun is one of my favorite spot for buffets. Not to say that they serve the best Japanese food around, but the mix and match plus the price of it - RM52.20 somehow makes up for it. Definitely choosing Shogun/Saisaki if I were to go for a budget wise buffet but with better food quality. Shogun is located at 1 Utama and Sunway Pyramid, but my choice is still always Saisaki which is located at Jalan Pinang, Kuala Lumpur as I felt the food quality and environment there is much appealing.

The sashimi counter. They have quite a few varieties, and real yummy crab meat!

Large varieties to choose from, and almost half of them are really good. However, don't expect some really fancy or pricy food items. The food here - from pasta to crab, to fried chicken tastes good though.

The sashimi here are of ok quality. Lowering down my expectation, the sashimis here are not bad actually. Not the freshest, but acceptable. I took some butter fish, tuna, salmon and some Alaskan Crab(?) Sashimi. The crab tastes the best to me!

Chawan Mushi is a must have. Like the smooth texture and best of all, piping hot!


Some fried and stewed food items. The fried quail and chicken tasted really good. Don't over stuff yourself with these though, really addictive; especially with beer!

Clam soup, one of the best item here. The soup is really good; dozed with lots of chinese wine. Nice!

The huge lamb shank, in my opinion is the most money worthy and can easily put Secret Recipe's version to shame. The reason I'm saying it's money worth is because a plate or lamb shank could cause you around RM 25+ for a huge serving. You can get as many as you want, really tender and the meat just falls of with fork piercings! Warning though, it's one of the most sought after food on the buffet line.

Some fried tempura. Lots of choices, but the batter tends to turn soggy after awhile.

Some Teppanyaki to end our meal. A little too salty, but other wise the meat and seafood tasted great in the buttery sauce.

The birthday girl, which was the reason we came - to celebrate! =)

Really crazy colleagues - which translates to FUN!

Overall, Saisaki/Shogun is really quite recommended for the amount/quality of food vs the price paid. Would gladly return it for gatherings or family reunions too, as well the food wise and environment - which is less classier conveniently suits for an otherwise noisier crowd in my opinion. It's just different choices at different occasions.

Saisaki's Detail
Address : Unit No.1-9, 1st Floor, Wisma UOA II, No.21, Jalan Pinang, 50450, Kuala Lumpur
Phone : 03-2166 3728, 03-2166 4728
Website :
Price : RM52.20 per pax

Tao, Kota Damansara

The very 1st post. Big apologies if there are insufficient information and such on the blog; just started and needs time. So here goes.

Had actually heard about Tao which had branches at Penang for quite a long time from the internet. Once, while fetching the girlfriend who also lives in Kota Damansara and noticed there's a Tao branch opened at Sunway Giza! Certainly overwhelmed and arranged some time to go for some (expected) great buffet dinner! What's more surprising is that after some research on the internet, May babies would actually get a 50% discount from Tao only at this month (May). Certainly an extra combo as my gf's birthday actually falls on May. Didn't get to snap surrounding pictures though as never thought of posting the pictures on a blog. Will do so for next food reviews!

Tao is located at the 2nd Floor of Sunway Giza Shopping Mall, Kota Damansara. Very easily accessible during non-peak hours and parking is very ample. So we went straight in and enquired abit; and got ushered to quite a rather comfortable seat. Settings are so-so; comfortable enough yet not that posh if compared to higher priced buffet places - Jogoya, Tenji, etc. Tao's dining concept is that there are buffet sections; which consists of various sashimi (raw fish), sushi (raw fish with rice), teppanyaki (pan fried food items), yakiniku (grilled food) and oden (stewed soup with processed food ingredients - fishballs, etc.) choices. Another section of Tao is that it ordering could be done from the menu that is on the table. Foods like tempura, *noticed* more premium grilled items, steamed items and etc. could be ordered. I kind of like the concept as compared to other buffet restaurants which only incorporate only 1 concept. Reason saying is that sushi, sashimi and the said foods are always kept fresh by large amount of ice on the respective serving tray; so there is no need to order from the menu. On the other hand, items like tempura, grilled stuff and meat cut should be prepared if only requested by customers so that the freshness and crisp level could be keep till the last bite. It also cuts down the workload of the already busy waiters/waitresses miserably alot. Brilliant idea I must say.

Once seated we are briefed by the captain on their specialty and brief introduction. Great customer service. We then get to choose between green tea and some choices of juice. We zoom-ed around and survey on the food. The sashimis look fresh and appetizing.

Fish roe sushis, some fresh prawns, salmon, tuna, mackarel sashimis and duck breast. Pretty fresh and taste good too.

Some baby octopus, jellyfish and raw oysters. The oysters tasted really fresh and has no sign of smelly pungent taste. Really good that my girlfriend had like half a dozen by herself.

After having some raw food appetizers, we moved on to some cooked items on the menu. The 1st to come was the unagi don; which literally means grilled eel with rice.

Pretty good unagi; but it's better if they could let us omit the rice as it's very fulling. Didn't bother to finish the rice though, lol.


Grilled mackerel fish which tasted ok. Reason saying was maybe perhaps I'm not a big fan of mackerels. Preferred grilled salmon.

Grilled scallops with thousand island sauce (I guess?). Tasted abit tad too sweet for our taste bud; but the mixture of seafood and the consistency of the sauce is interesting.

Fried cheese and crab rolls. The cheese tasted very good and rich; but couldn't taste any crab meat as it's being overpowered. Will definitely go for this dish again.


Tempura set. The fried items consists of prawns, eggplant and ladyfingers. Decent tempura and the prawns tasted quite good too. However, tasted a lil hint of reused oil; which gives a little unpleasant after taste.

Some grilled foods - teppanyaki. Had some beef, scallops and prawns. Pretty good with very good buttery taste and flavored pack. Beef remained medium rare which is a good sign that they do keep consistency in cooking.

The best dish of the night - Grilled lamb! OMG, looking it makes my stomach making noises right now! Medium rare, with Tao's very own special secret sauce and added with very fresh lamb meat makes it the best order. I was surprised when it was brought to the table - uncut and looks like something that I would order from a steak house. Hint of blood is still found - medium rare! Perfect! Would return to Tao just for this dish. No doubt! Enjoy this dish till the last bite.

Ordered some other dishes like chawan mushi, tried the oden - pretty decent and ended up the meal with 2 cups of coffee - cappucino and latte. Not bad! Coffee keeps me happy =). The girlfriend had some fruits and ice cream. The total bill came up to around RM 100 (50% discount for the girlfriend who's birthday on May). Worth every cent considering the amount and quality of food we had. Would certainly be coming back.

The very happy couple after enjoying every bit of the meal. Lol.

Tao's Detail
Address : Sunway Giza Shopping MallBlock D, S.02A 2nd Floor, Kota Damansara
Phone : 012 481 8608
Website: Tao-Cuisine
Price: Around RM58 per pax for dinner. Not so sure bout lunch. [As the time posted (May 2010), 50% discount for customers who were born on May]