Haru Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur

Horrifying Experience at Haru Japanese Restaurant – Unacceptable Cleanliness and Disrespectful Attitude

On Tuesday, 10th September 2024, four friends and I decided to have lunch at Haru Japanese Restaurant. We arrived early at 11:45 AM, even though they officially open at 12:00 PM. We were seated at the sashimi bar, and a waiter kindly took our drink orders. We requested 2 hot green teas and 3 cold green teas. While we waited for “Oreo,” the chef, to arrive, we were happily chatting and anticipating our meal. But what happened next was beyond shocking.

One of my friends took a sip of his iced green tea, and after placing the glass down, he shouted in horror. The rest of us turned to look, and to our disgust, we saw a cockroach about the size of a man’s thumb sticking to the inside of his glass! It was absolutely revolting!

We immediately called the waiter, and a female staff member quickly came over, grabbed the glass, and rushed to the back. She casually blamed the ice, saying the cockroach came from there. This explanation raised even more concerns. If the ice was contaminated, then what about the rest of the ice being served? Were they going to discard all the ice in their chiller, or would they continue serving it to other unsuspecting customers that day? And guess what… They served us a new batch of ice green tea with the same batch of contaminated ice…

I informed the manager about what had happened with the cockroach. Her initial reaction was disbelief, She asked where it was, and I told her that his staff had already taken it away. She then disappeared into the pantry where the tea was being prepared, and I overheard her reprimanding the waitress, telling her to “check before serving the customers!” When she returned, she asked if we had taken any photos or videos of the incident, which, unfortunately, we hadn’t. However, I believe their CCTV could have captured the entire situation if they cared enough to investigate.

The most disappointing part of the experience was the reaction of the chef, Oreo. When I tried to address the issue with him, he made light of the situation, jokingly saying that the cockroach was his “little pet” that got lost 2 days ago. I was shocked by his complete lack of professionalism and sensitivity to such a serious matter. It felt like he didn’t take the health and safety of his customers seriously at all… Either this happens so frequently as if nothing should be alerted, or they normalised such poor service in the industry.

At this point, I was furious but chose to remain silent. This incident has left a lasting impression on me, and I feel compelled to share this review to warn others. Food hygiene should be the top priority for any restaurant, and the presence of a cockroach in a drink along with the staff’s dismissive attitude raises major concerns about the cleanliness and safety of this Japanese Restaurant.

I would never recommend Haru Japanese Restaurant to anyone after this horrible experience. I hope the management takes this seriously and rectifies their hygiene practices and staff training, but until then, I advise others to think twice before...

I cannot even begin to tell you about this place. Please don’t bother coming here. Service Service is utterly horrible at this place. Upon walking in - the lady presumingly the manager or supervisor don’t bother greeting you. I had to mention my reservation, and she pointed me at my table. She took my orders with the worst attitude - the I can’t be bothered face. The service staff has ciggerettes in his top pocket that was popping out each time he puts food on the table. I mean come on.. I brought a party of 7, and we resorted to ordering a bit to give face because we wanted to go somewhere else to another Japanese Restaurant after.

Food The food combination is just pieced together not because it taste good but because of its price. Refer picture 7. Wagyu, sea urchin and caviar maki - RM130. The wagyu is ridiculously cut with its tendon still in tact making it hard to chew. It’s like they think placing all these things together and bam - RM130 for 8 pcs. Dobin mushi tasted like mushroom soup. The worst I’ve tried. Presentation for pic 2,3 and 4 is ok. However this place seriously lacks effort.

I would not recommend coming...

Not sure if I’d return.

The overall experience felt off from the moment I walked in at 6pm - staff looked tired and unprepared, as if the day had already worn them out. The atmosphere lacked energy, aside from the foreign male waiter who was the only one showing enthusiasm. Unfortunately, the rest of the team didn’t feel welcoming. The front counter staff seemed disinterested / won’t even smile / I don’t give a crap face & only gave the judgy face, and one older waitress repeatedly pressured me to order, which felt intrusive rather than helpful.

Cleanliness was also a problem - I noticed a trash bin placed on the toilet bowl next to the flush button, which was quite off-putting.

On top of that, the raw fish on display didn’t look appealing (except for the salmon), with the portions appearing small and uninviting. I ultimately decided to leave and dine elsewhere rather than spend more time there.

I couldn’t find anything good to say about the place...