Miraku Japanese Cuisine - G Hotel Central Gurney — Restaurant in George Town

Elegance of Japanese cuisine at Miraku

When dining at Miraku you would be able encounter such an art form as soon as you are served, so much so that you are compelled to feast with your eyes first. Here, food preparation is such a delicate craft that it is pursued with passion and executed to perfect artistry. Miraku offers more than just sushi and sashimi and ramen. There is a wide variety of Japanese delights to choose from. Before you place your order, ask the captain about their seasonal offerings. Miraku has some flown in directly from Japan.

During a recent visit to the restaurant we were served Miraku Salad with salmon, crab meat, octopus and scallop with a selection of dressings. I would usually opt for the sesame dressing which harmonises well the flavours of fresh seafood and crispy iceberg lettuce. Also remember to add succulent grilled oysters with spicy miso paste to your list of items to try at Miraku. Miraku's Dragon Roll – deep-fried prawn roll sushi wrapped with avocado and topped with tobiko is among my favourites. If you are seated at the main atrium where the chef would be preparing this dish right before you, you would be amazed with his meticulous attention to detail. Spider Roll – deep-fried soft shell crab sushi with cucumber and mayonnaise was another wonderful dish we tried.

Once at Miraku we had fresh hotate (Hokkaido scallops) and it was a real treat. The fresh scallops sashimi was sweet in taste and soft in texture with rich decadence – a tasty realm of seafood luxury. Because of the need for freshness of the seafood, I would usually go for seasonal items from Japan that are available. Although they are not on the main menus, the captain would be happy to run down the list. The lobster above was glazed with miso butter and grilled over a charcoal stove. The smoky flavour that accentuated the sweetness of the lobster meat made it such a scrumptious delight. Flying fish (Tobiuo in Japanese) is a seasonal fish in Japan from Spring to Summer. This was my first time sampling this fish and it was simply fantastic! I feel lucky that although living in Penang, we were able to savour bountiful catch from the seas of Japan.

If after all the sashimi, sushi and grilled items you still have room for more, try the garlic fried rice or Niku Udon – thick white wheat noodles cooked in hot fish soup with thinly sliced beef. A bowl of clams in clear broth would accompany the fried rice perfectly. Tempura style deep-fried Vanilla ice cream top with read beans is excellent to conclude a satisfying gastronomical experience. If you are lost and spoilt for choice, and do not know where to start ordering, it is a safe bet to try one of their set menus. It has a combination of various items for...

Service is attentive and earnest, but still lacks the refinement expected at this price point. A little more polish and professionalism would go a long way.

The meal starts off on the wrong note. The first bite tells the story: tofu topped with kimchi. A muddled gesture that betrays the Japanese soul before the meal even begins. The appetizer feels confused and misplaced. How does that align with the Japanese soul? Instead of setting the stage for authenticity, it raises doubts about the kitchen’s understanding of its own identity.

The food, unfortunately, does not recover. The ama-ebi, charged at “fresh” market price, is unmistakably frozen in quality—bland and mushy. The chef pulled the shrimp straight from the freezer, ran it under tap water to defrost, and served it as if nothing were amiss. To make matters worse, the head was already detached from the body—stripped of the sweetness and vitality that define true ama-ebi. What should have been a delicacy felt lifeless, careless, and insulting at this price point.

The handrolls fare no better. The seaweed—meant to be the crisp, briny star of the show—limped onto the stage stale, chewy, and lifeless. What should crackle with freshness collapsed like damp cardboard. A basic oversight, yet a fatal one, because without good seaweed a handroll isn’t a handroll—it’s just rice and regret.

The soba, seemingly pre-cooked and left sitting out, arrives clumpy and unappealing. Tempura is equally disappointing—batter too dense, lacking crispness, with the eggplant soaking up oil from being fried at too low a temperature. The result is greasy rather than light and delicate.

Even worse, the sushi chef inexplicably places lemon slices beneath the sashimi. The acid leeches into the fish, half-“cooking” it and ruining its natural sweetness and flavor. A clear misunderstanding of the ingredient’s delicacy.

Hygiene standards are also troubling. Sushi staff wear gloves but handle food with wet hands after rinsing, never drying properly. Watching them touch everything with soggy gloves is unappetizing and frankly unacceptable for a Japanese establishment of this tier.

At these prices, one expects finesse, freshness, and respect for ingredients. Instead, what’s served feels careless, inconsistent, and overpriced. A disappointing experience, falling far short of the standards both the cuisine and the bill demand.

The only saving grace of the evening was the matcha ice cream—a rare moment where the kitchen finally delivered. Rich, velvety, and balanced with the right touch of bitterness, it stood out in stark contrast to the mediocrity that came before. The tragedy is that dessert, not the main courses, ended up carrying the...

What you see in pictures I've posted is exactly what you get at the buffet. Choices are so limited. Extremely disappointed considering how much Miraku charges for the Sunday buffet lunch. Sushi was 80% rice 20% fish or other filling. As for sashimi, only 3 varieties.

Our buffet slot was 1:15-2:45pm. However by 2pm, the chefs have stopped refilling the sashimi station as they told us it's finished. 45minutes before the buffet closes and its finished??? That's ridiculous!!

When questioned, the head chef unwillingly told the staff to refill a few slices of sashimi for me.

You would think at a Japanese Buffet, they would serve green tea ice cream as a dessert, NO! That didn't exist either.

If anyone is down in KL, you're better off spending your money at Mitasu Bukit Bintang or Old Klang Road. It only costs rm95 after tax (rm74 for seniors 55 years and older), it's ala carte buffet, and best of all customers can dine for up to 3 hours for lunch and 4 hours for dinner, no time limit unlike Miraku.

I really hope one day Mitasu will open a branch in Penang. At least then Miraku will have some competition. Perhaps then will they realise how bad their buffet really is when their customers start dining at Mitasu instead.

Definitely will not return or recommend...