Yakitori is a type of Japanese skewered chicken grilled over charcoal fire and seasoned with sauce or salt. Nowadays, some of them are also grilled with other types of meat, tofu, mushroom or seafood. In Japan, yakitori is usually paired with alcoholic beverages or liquor as a side dish. It will surely be quite costly if you are having these as a main meal to fill up your stomach.
This was our maiden visit to Torii - Yakitori & Whiskey Bar after hearing some good reviews about both their foods and whiskeys. In fact, this was also our first time having yakitori in Malaysia.
As usual, we did some research from their online menu prior to our visit to determine the must-order items (mainly meat skewers and some signature dishes). After placing our order with the waiter, the kitchen staff started preparing the foods from the open concept charcoal place.
We wondered if the foods will be too dry, slightly burnt or tasteless as we watched the kitchen staff grilling our orders. It isn’t an easy feat to ensure that each skewer isn’t overcooked while preserving the food’s juiciness and enhancing the taste with some seasoning. In the end, we were impressed with the food quality as we took a bite of our ordered skewers. All of them are just so juicy and tasty. Some of them taste even better once you squeeze some lemon juice on it.
Originally, yakitori refers to skewered chicken cubes or perhaps chicken organs in some places. As time passes, sellers start to provide more choices to eaters. So, how can we skip the chicken wings? The grilling time is just nice as the skin is crispy and fragrant while the meat is tender and juicy. We squeezed some lemon juice on it and it taste even better. We were amazed with this fantastic grill and texture since chicken wings are bony instead of meaty (we guessed it would be easier to grill chicken cubes).
The taste of the sirloin isn’t bad with its soft, tender and juicy texture. It is definitely a perfect grill.
The next order certainly tested the skill of the chef but he obtained a perfect score from us. The Enoki mushroom isn’t burnt or dry but instead it is juicy and tastes so good when eaten with the beef! Same trick again, squeeze some lemon juice and the taste levels up! We just love it!
When the Wagyu Sliders were served, we were skeptical about it even though it is one of the better known cattle breeds. The wagyu beef in the mini burger is quite tasteless. Not sure if the taste is being covered by the sauce or bun. To our surprise, the sirloin tastes much better than this.
Well-sliced smoked duck wrapped with scallion. With a bite, the salty taste of the smoked duck appears first and then relieved by the scallion providing some freshness aftertaste. This is also one of our favorites.
Their recommended Rock Lobster has perfect cooking time with very mild seasoning to create a fresh, bouncy and juicy meat texture. Nevertheless, it still have a long way to go if compared with the one we had in Perth a few months earlier.
The King Mushroom’s texture is nice due to its perfectly cut size keeping the mushroom juicy even after grilling. If you aren’t a mushroom lover, you will not like this because the mushroom taste is quite strong (only light seasoning during grilling).
This is one of the foods which attracted us here besides yakitori, their Bonded Unagi and Foei Gras. Foie gras tend to appear only in fine dining foods and famous France cuisines. Being our first time trying fatty duck liver, it tasted and felt like what most people said, a greasy liver. Other than being oily, the texture and taste is similar to chicken liver. Even though this is one of their signature dishes, it was unfortunate that we couldn’t appreciate it.
Next food is our skewer of salmon cubes. Initially, we hesitated to order this since it is too normal. We also thought that if the salmon isn’t grilled well while maintaining its juiciness, it may have some fishy taste. To our amazement, the salmon cubes turn out juicy and fresh with no fishy taste at all. Another food to enhance with lemon juice! Thumbs up for this tasty skewer.
The Crispy Cheesy Beef was normal and didn’t impress us at all. The cheese didn’t have a strong taste probably intended not to take over the beef taste. This combination is just average.
A fusion dish with equally nice appearance and taste, Avocado De La Mer. The avocado is blended well with cheese and baked with many ingredients such as scallop, mushroom, prawn, etc. The cheesiness is just alright with a smooth and not too oily texture. It looks more like a Western dish but they topped it with some seaweed slices to create a Japanese feeling. The drawback is its salty taste after eating a few spoons of it.
We also ordered the Chicken Bomb due to its interesting name. It is actually minced chicken meant to dip into raw egg and soy sauce. The appearance certainly bombs us but sadly the taste is quite disappointed. Definitely not to our liking.
In short, we had a satisfying dinner especially after trying so many unique food for the first time. Most of them are yummy particularly their yakitori. The chef is skillful enough to control the fire while preparing tasty and juicy skewers with simple seasoning. We were certainly presented with the food’s freshness and original taste which allows our taste buds to enjoy every bite. Sadly, we didn’t order any whiskey as green tea is good to go with yakitori too (we are also not frequent drinkers).
Just a reminder, the foods that we ordered are only served during dinner until late. During lunch hours, simple bento meals are served instead.
Torii – Yakitori & Whiskey Bar
Address: Lot 8-6, Jalan Batai, Damansara Heights, 50490 Kuala Lumpur.
Operating Hours: 11.30am – 2.30pm (Weekdays); 5.00pm till late (Daily)
Tel: +60 3 2011 3798 / +60 19 203 7093
Email: mgr1@torii.my
Website: http://torii.my/
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