Mokuren Japanese Cuisine @ Ipoh: Amazing And Best Japanese Food, Discovered!

Today is my gf, Jenny's birthday. She's a year older today (of course I'm not telling her age, hehe).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JENNY!!!

Unfortunately, I couldn't celebrate with her today (sigh!) because I need to work (I blame this on Lee Chong Wei for losing to Lin Dan yesterday and thus, no public holiday for Malaysia today, hehe). Anyway, we did celebrated her birthday last Saturday by having a lovely dinner at Mokuren Japanese Cuisine restaurant in Ipoh. FYI, she loves Japanese food a lot, especially fresh salmon!

Mokuren Japanese Cuisine @ Ipoh. If you want know why it had been under radar by most of us, it's probably got to do with their signboard. Insignificant, poorly lit, small fonts and badly contrast from the wall color at the background. If they just do 'something' with their signboard, I guarantee business will be BOOMING! Trust me, please.

My friend, JT recommended this restaurant to me last time when he found out that J and I, and MOST people had been eating ate at Kizuna Japanese Restaurant (Read: Kizuna Japanese Restaurant, Jalan Medan Ipoh 1B, Ipoh, Perak: Best In Ipoh, Taiping And Some Say Whole Perak?) without knowing about another even better/ best Japanese restaurant nearby.

My table decor. Neat, clean and I love the wall (I can't believe that I commented the wall, hehe).

He told me the best Japanese food is definitely not Kizuna but can be found at Mokuren Japanese Cuisine instead! I was dumbfounded because I never heard of Mokuren before! Akamomiji Japanese Restaurant, yes, but not Mokuren Japanese Cuising restaurant. More surprise ensues when I found out that Mokuren is located on the SAME row as Kizuna, just 5-7 shop houses away only, haha!

Table arrangements

Only one waitress/ proprietress/ lady boss working (who's Japanese) on the floor. Service here wasn't fast but I don't mind the wait because I can spend more time with J:) I really don't know how's she's going to cope when more and more people visit her restaurant in the future:)

Okay...to borrow from the word 'Mokuren', which in Japan is the oldest flower on earth. It's flower language is Continuity, and that's how my love for J is. Aww, so sweet! Hehe

Mokuren Japanese Cuisine's Menu

Their story, I like!

What we ordered? Tomato Jyako Salad (RM12), Salmon Sashimi (RM20), Saku Saku Kyuri Reverse Roll (RM15) and soft shell crabs (not in the menu, RM18). Sorry about the 'already' eaten photos, too impetuous to eat after seeing all these nicely presented Japanese foods, hehe! Don't worry, more mouth-watering photos below:)

Appetizer: Tomato Jyako Salad (RM12)

This appetizer was too large in amount to be called 'appetizer', haha! It can be a full meal by itself (I'm not complaining, bring it on!). A lot of fresh greens and reds (tomatoes), plus a lot of small, crispy, salty and newly-fried anchovies, yay! Also not forgetting is their the special home-made dressing, light in taste and thus, allowing the fresh veges to take center stage, backed by little armies of anchovies, hehe. Truly refreshing. For the first time, I was glad to feel very full, not by stuffing myself with rice but with healthy vegetables instead, hehe. For J, although she doesn't like to eat vegetables, she still ate a respectable amount, which are not usually seen, hehe. She like it too, especially the small anchovies!

Salmon Sashimi (RM20)

Salmon sashimi, 6 pieces. I ate two fresh, medium thickness salmon with all their inherent freshness and taste intact! I wished there were more. J ate 4 pieces of salmon and immediately became happy and glowing like salmon color, just joking, hehe:)

Saku Saku Kyuri Reverse Roll (RM15)

Why this is called 'reverse roll'? Normally, you'll have the rice outside surrounding the fillings/ 'inti' (shrimp/ eel/ crab/ tuna/ salmon meat). Imagine now have the fillings outside and the rice inside, get it?:)

However, the reverse roll that I ordered, Saku Saku Kyuri Reverse Roll, was different because there's NO rice component inside. It's made from shrimp, eel, crab cream, salmon, tobiko, lettuce, avocado, spicy sauce and teriyaki sauce! Can you imagine putting all that in just a small 'reverse roll'. Not easy to made, wey! Need special skill one. Amazing, right?! Excellent in the preparation part but when evaluating this food in the eating aspect, honestly, I think all these mixture-combinations probably beats the purpose of eating Japanese food, which is to be able to taste the food's unadulterated taste. By putting everything you can imagine in one Japanese 'rojak', I can't differentiate anything at all in it, no matter how special is their sauce or fillings.

Photo taken before arrival of the soft shell crabs:)

Soft shell crab (RM18), cooked a'la tempura style, not in menu but 'by demand', hehe

The soft shell crab(s) was rather sizable compared to other soft shell crabs that I'd eaten at other place and there was even a lot of crab meats inside the crab(s). Nicely fried until crispy and crunchy outside and soft, smooth, warm and sweet crab meats inside! The controversy after eating this crab is whether we got 1 or 2 soft shell crabs. I should have clarify this when I was eating there.

Another photo, after the arrival of the soft shell crabs

 

Mokuren Japanese Cuisine

20, Jalan Medan Ipoh 1B, 

Medan Ipoh Bistari 31400 Ipoh, Perak

05-545 6513

Business hours;  12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 10.30pm

Close on Monday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JENNY!

LOVE YOU:)

Tasty Or Not?
Rating: 8.5/10. I had an enjoyable and satisfying dinner here. Quality, delicious and fresh Japanese foods all under one roof. Amazing Japanese foods, discovered! I'm a convert now...preferring Mokuren more compared to Kizuna. How about you?