A little bit of everything

By TAN KARR WEI

karrwei@thestar.com.my

UYEN JAPANESE RESTAURANT,
Lot F9, 1st Floor, Centrepoint,
Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03-7725 9688
Business hours: 11.30am to 3.00pm (lunch)
and 6pm to 11pm (dinner) daily.

WHEN the Japanese restaurant that he frequented was to be closed down, businessman Larry Loo decided to buy over the place and run it himself.

“We live in this area and my wife and children love Japanese food, so we used to come here quite often,” said Loo, 41.

Creamy: One of the Uyen signature dishes from its a la carte menu is the Yaki Ringo, which features scallops and mushroom in a hollowedout apple, topped with a creamy sauce and grilled.

He offered to take over the restaurant when the previous owner wanted to give it up about half a year ago.

Now renamed the Uyen Japanese Restaurant, the outlet has retained some of the items on the a la carte menu while head chef C.K. Wong is whipping up new dishes.

“I sampled many types of food when I was on business trips abroad and sometimes, I couldn’t find what I’d tasted when I came back to Malaysia, so I work with the chefs to re-create some of those dishes,” said Loo, who has since also started the Ocha Japanese Restaurant & Cafe from scratch at Menara PGRM in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.

For connoisseurs of Japanese cuisine who would like to try a bit of everything, the Uyen Restaurant weekend dinner buffet could be the answer.

“We have about 70 different dishes for the buffet and we occasionally change the items for more variety,” Loo said.

There is a counter piled with different sushi and sashimi and the chef will gladly make other items, like hand rolls, to order.

From the grill: Among the new items on the outlet’s a la carte menu is this grilled squid.

“Our fresh raw oysters are also very popular with the customers,” Loo said.

Besides the various appetisers, main dishes and soba noodles, there is also a Sukiyaki or hot pot at the buffet table with fresh vegetables, tofu and meat.

Out on the balcony, there is a counter that serves yakitori (grilled skewers of salmon, prawns, squid and chicken) and tempura (prawns and vegetables dipped in batter and deep-fried).

“These items taste better when cooked just before eating,” Loo said.

For the sweet-toothed, there is a selection of desserts, including jellies, cakes and fruits.

The buffet dinner is available on Saturdays and Sundays and is priced at RM49.90+ for adults with a 50% discount for children between four and 12 years old.