Sakana Japanese Dining — Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur

Dropped by Sakana Japanese Dining with a friend for lunch on a quiet Tuesday afternoon. The place is super convenient—right on the ground floor of Suria KLCC, behind Dome and overlooking the KLCC pool (very close to the Mandarin Oriental). We loved that you could choose to sit inside or go for the al fresco area with a view of the park. Not crowded at all during our visit, which made for a really relaxing meal.

This restaurant is very clear about being halal—no pork, no lard, and all the sauces and vinegar are halal-certified (even the mirin and rice vinegar are JAKIM-approved from Japan).

The chef, Makoto Saito Sam, has a super impressive background—he’s trained in top places around the world and was even named a Japanese Cuisine Goodwill Ambassador in 2025. He’s managed to keep the menu authentic while making it totally Muslim-friendly.

We kept it simple since we’d had a late breakfast:

Edamame (RM 15): Classic, lightly salted, and great for snacking while you chat.

Salmon Kama (Grilled Fish Collar) (RM 38): Super juicy and flavourful, especially with the lemon and grated radish on the side.

Chicken Teriyaki (RM 35): Tender chicken, sweet-savoury glaze, fresh salad on the side—can’t go wrong.

Aburi Salmon Nigiri (RM 38): Five pieces, perfectly torched. The fish was so fresh, it basically melted in the mouth.

The vibe here is cozy and chill, especially if you can get a seat by the window with the park view. Service was friendly and quick—staff checked in just enough without being overbearing. Nice bonus: if you order a set, you get free refills on miso soup, rice, and onsen egg.

Perfect For… This spot is great for family outings, business lunches, or a casual meal with friends. There’s even a private space for bigger groups if you need it.

Anything to Improve? The menu’s not huge, and a couple of popular items were out when we were there. It’s also on the pricier side, so maybe save it for a treat or special occasion.

Overall Thoughts If you’re after fresh Japanese food, a peaceful spot, and halal assurance, Sakana really delivers. Prices are a bit high and the menu is focused, but the quality and experience make it worth it. Would definitely recommend, especially for anyone looking for authentic...

Come here on Christmas Eve with my wife to try the food and ambient here before our plan for another occasion with friend here next month for the sake session. They suppose to get a 4 stars instead of this 1 as the food is not bad with some hit and miss, coffee from Cloud Catcher is great, service is good and thanks to Queenie warm hospitality. Everything seems good at the beginning until a group of customer that arrived here who making inconsiderate noise which spoilt everybody dining experience including an old couple that sit next to us where the hubby complained to the wife that he felt like in a downtown pub where patrons shouting while watching the football game on the projector screen. The situation became worse when the Japanese chef that seems knowing some members of the group back to the restaurant. Passing the beer to the chef and incited him to drink. Glass after glass and now even the restaurant manager is coming out to entertain the customer and tossing the beer with the customer where everybody require to bottom up. The MOST unacceptable thing was the restaurant allowed the customer to play cards in the restaurant where whoever lost gonna finish a glass of beer. There are a bunch of vulgar words throughout the game. We were just like wth, are we in the foodcourt or casino? The noise persist throughout our dinner session until we left. And yes, I have just changed my mind that we wouldn't come back here again with my friend that I mentioned in the beginning of this review. It's simply a BAD BAD BAD...

2 totally different experiences, 24th March and 30th March.

24th March, everything was great. Ordered a train kids set and grilled salmon kids set at 1020am. Service was good.

30th March, came in at 1014am. The waitress allowed us to sit down and told us they only serve Grilled Salmon/Grilled Saba Breakfast Set and Curry Beef Set. We then asked if we can have the kids set as well. She went to check with kitchen and told us they can only serve at 1030am which we agreed, and also ordered 1 breakfast set and 1 curry set. We then asked for the train set from the same waitress (just like what they provided on 24th March). She told us there is 2 different sets, one with train and one without train. The one she placed order for us is the one without it. I then politely asked if she can change it for us. She replied it very rudely that "Mam, you didn't tell me just now. Cannot." The husband wasn't happy with her response and told her we didn't know. She replied "Mam came here before. She should know we have 2 different sets." Finally she agreed to change for us after the husband voiced out his frustration. But then she came back with the set and told us "We actually open at 11am but I let you all in." That was totally unacceptable to us and it definitely ruined our dining experience. Definitely not coming back for the 3rd time even though we enjoyed the food.

P/S: There was another family walked in after us without scanning My Sejahtera and the waitress didn't notice. We had to inform her on that but no...