鮨 おり Sushi ORI ( Chef ORI ) — Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur

Ate on 21 July 2024

Usually happy to pay for top tier omakase, however this was not up to standard in terms of food or service. I am quite surprised Sushi Ori is featured on the Michelin Guide and rarely do I say this about restaurants, but I do not believe it deserves to be.

Firstly, there was an issue with the booking system, which was my bad, and I was charged for the cancellation (RM400) on top of the meal price (RM1800) which we absorbed, even though we did show up at the restaurant for our meal. We begged to speak to the manager, who declined to come out to the front of the restaurant. Instead, we caught her peeking out from behind the curtain multiple times to see who we were, making a judgement, and continue leaving her waitress to deliver the bad news that we would still be charged the cancellation on top of our meal price. We had already started the dinner.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, we continued with hopes that the food would make up for it, but it just went downhill from there.

For the sushi, we were served chutoro first - an odd choice since most high end omakase’s usually serve lighter, white fish followed by heavier red fish. After a series of white fish, we were served the leanest ootoro I have ever seen in my life (pictured), followed by akami. Again, a high end restaurant would have built the notes from least fatty to fattiest: akami, chutoro then ootoro. It is always this same process and considered quite vulgar to be doing it any other way.

On top of that, the squid was over salted, the rice was under-seasoned, and the balance of the sushi with condiments like yuzu kosho was off. The tamago was gritty, when it should have been smooth and homogenous.

While Chef Ori was sweet and the food was by no means “terrible”, Sushi Ori simply should not be able to command the price tag of RM900 a person for the meal because of the quality of the fish (often slightly soft), fishy uni (usually love the taste of the sea) and the cold and unempathetic service.

We carried our handbags on our laps for a number of courses, and only when we finally enquired did the waitress suggest we could leave it outside in the lockers. My napkin dropped onto the floor, and was not noticed or picked up by the service staff - a lack of sharpness you would expect from a restaurant on the Michelin Guide.

I camped for a month in advanced, excitedly hoping to book a spot, and I regret not biting the bullet and leaving the moment they told us they would not refund the cancellation fee. At least we would have saved RM1800 on a meal that was much awaited, but only left a bitter taste in our mouths.

There are many other sushi restaurants that your hard earned money can go much further on, please do not...

This was a great learning experience where I had essentially sampled all the fancy stuff displayed in glass cases labelled 'don't touch/photograph' and more. In just two hours, I was able to experience:

Palette cleanser ginger that was soft and imparted such a gentle flavour,

Mustard that was mellow in heat but had a strong sweet and umami taste,

Freshly grated wasabi, which added just a touch of spice without being overpowering at all,

Octopus, while ordinarily tough and rubbery, that was made so tender after being massaged for a long time,

The intricate preparation of dishes whose ingredients come from various prefectures

The delicate the texture of fresh, seasonal fish that just melts in your mouth, and

A literal explosion of juiciness from top quality fruits.

While the food served were undoubtedly of premium quality, I felt that it focused more on texture than flavour - I personally found the light and delicate flavours to be lacking, but it may suit those with a more refined palette.

I felt that the service could also be improved as I had my conversation interrupted multiple times when they chose to clear the plates in between, rather than around, the person I was speaking to. Their presence felt excessive as they would refill my green tea when it was still 3/4-full and pass over plates from the chef that were already placed within arms' reach. All this made for a rather stiff and impersonal dining experience.

Regardless, Chef Ori was absolutely lovely and worked hard to ensure my evening was as comfortable as possible. His passion for the craft was clear and it was a pleasure listening to him enthusiastically answering our curiousities. If you are eager to experience something new, then Sushi Ori is definitely worth a visit.

Direction guidance: The restaurant is hidden deep inside of a shared office complex. Google street view will get you to this building. Once inside, continue straight, take the entrance on the right, and keep walking until you find the restaurant's black wall and wooden...

Taste: 5/5 ⭐ | Service: 5/5 ⭐ | Ambience: 5/5 ⭐ Price: RM780 per pax before tax | Number of pax: 2

Finally visited this Omakase place which we have heard so many good things about. You can make reservations easily online but the waiting period is a bit long, about a month or so. After all, they only have about 8 counter seats (highly recommended) per slot.

We had the Omakase Kohaku. The courses were curated very well with fresh seasonal ingredients and amazing flavours. It felt like we were going on a journey with our tastebuds. Even very basic dishes like Chawanmushi was so well done. The spectacular meal ended with a juicy Yuzu inari sushi which was a burst of flavours in our mouths. The tamago that was served with it also tasted splendid, almost like a cheesecake.

We have no bad things to say about our experience here. Chef Ori was very patient in explaining the dishes and took the time to make conversation with us. The service by the staff was also really good and they were all really attentive. Money very well spent as you’re not only paying for high quality ingredients, but also for the skills and hard work that goes behind preparing each dish.

Best item of the visit: Everything lol. Will we return: Yes

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