MIZU Japanese Fine Dining has been in operation for over 9 years. That in itself is a pretty good testament to its offerings. Mizu is the brainchild of Mr Simon M. Sangawa, who hails from Japan. With his rich experience in the Food & Beverage industry (over 40 years), he gathered a few local Japanese food lovers to open Mizu, aiming to provide all customers who step into the restaurant with the best service and the highest quality of Japanese food.

Mizu simply means ‘water’ in Japanese. According to Mr Simon, water is often used to describe the food & beverage industry in Japan, as water is always fresh in the beginning which attracts people, but can deteriorate over time, causing them to walk away to find something new; signifying the challenge for continuous self-improvement to keep the customers excited about the restaurant.

It is quite easy to find Mizu, located just in front of the escalator after coming up from the supermarket downstairs at Bangsar Village. The entry to Mizu is intriguingly narrow, with a lovely water feature at the front to honour its name. The walkway eventually opens up to a spacious dining room surrounded by an impressive display of wines and sake, sleek furniture and a long sushi/sashimi bar where you can watch the chefs in action.

Mizu has a rather large selection of dishes, with one page dedicated to Chef’s signature dishes. The rest of the dishes are also categorized according to cooking methods for the ease of ordering. Prices are on the higher side, although there is also a separate set lunch menu which offers lunch at more attractive prices.

While the food at Mizu is mostly authentic, some dishes contain a little fusion twist, such as the Japanese Cucumber with Salmon Roe, Cheddar Cheese and Olive Oil. The cucumbers are delightfully crunchy and refreshing, and briny salmon roe bursting with umami flavour. Simply delicious. The Baked Fresh Oysters with Garlic flavoured Tomato and Cheese were unapologetically rich with an oriental twist from the spicy tomato sauce, a great match with the creamy oysters. The oysters, which came directly from Japan, were massive and perfectly cooked, providing a great mouth feel.Chef’s signature dishes include the “Tenderly” Braised Ox Cheek with Special Blended Sauce. Despite the slightly vague dish name, this is one dish you shouldn’t miss at Mizu, it’s a winner. The Ox Cheek is exquisitely tender and the sauce is rich in collagen. The chunks of Daikon Radish absorb all that tasty sauce, the snow peas and star-shaped carrot provided a bit of crunch for textural contrast. One important tip for Japanese food lovers, most Japanese restaurants gets their fresh supply of seafood every Tuesdays and Fridays. For the best sashimi experience, make sure you visit on those days. The assorted sashimi for 2-3 comes with Yellow tail, Snapper, Salmon, Tuna and Sweet Shrimps. The portions are generous as the fish are thickly sliced. Bonus point for using freshly grated wasabi for that pungent kick up the nose. Add on a side of Sea Urchin if available. For the uninitiated, the freshest sea urchin should ‘taste like the ocean’, with a slight briny flavour. This is one platter one would remember for days. Die-hard carnivores should give the premium grilled wagyu steak a go. Cooked to your liking, the steak comes with a savoury sweer teriyaki sauce, assorted mushrooms, and best part: plenty of crispy fried garlic. Personally, I feel that Wagyu beef should be cooked to medium for best texture as the fat would have adequate time to melt. The service here is satisfactory, though requires a little prompting at times. There is a sizable wine list, as one would expect seeing the walls are full of alcoholic beverages on display. This is a restaurant suitable for romantic dates, special occasions and corporate lunches. A wonder little piece of Japan on our doorstep. Recommended.

Tucked away in the hill of Changkat Kia Peng, just a stone's throw away from KLCC, a beautiful abandoned mansion converted into a chic French House, thanks to the vision of owner Sainy Chun. This establishment is truly an urban gem. A little representation of Paris in the middle of Kuala Lumpur.

It's all about details at Maison Francaise, and we are not even talking about the food yet. Blessed with plenty of natural light, the decor is classical French while relatively minimalist, with a monochrome colour theme, fresh roses on the dining tables, elegant chandeliers, and French accordian music in the background. There is also a pool area downstairs which is only open for functions and events. Looking out the windows or balcony, a sea of green with partial view of the sparkling Twin Towers is a sight for sore eyes.

Headed by Chef Franck Lamache, whose accomplishments include his stints at the 3 Star Michelin, Crillion hotelin, Paris (Les Embassedeurs), Alain Ducasse and Le Taillevent to name a few, you can expect nothing but well-executed authentic French cuisine here. Yet, contrary to what we know about French cuisine, Chef Franck focuses on light, refined and healthy cooking style, hence we can enjoy our meal without worrying too much about our waistlines.

Service staff are well-mannered and attentive, without being disruptive, making the dining experience such a pleasure. They were truly on top of their game. Now to the food. Amuse Bouche came in a form of light and airy Monk Fish mousse accompanied by tangy tomato coulis, showcasing Chef Franck's delicate touch with seafood, while the vegetarian Amuse Bouche played safe with several mouthfuls of earthy mushroom soup, elevated by a touch of truffle oil.With increasing numbers of health conscious diners, it's always reassuring to know that there are more than just salads for the vegetarians. The vegetables terrine with kalamata olives and goats cheese struck a chord with my vegetarian lunch company with its vibrant colours and classic provencal flavours.The terrine consists of delicate layer of red capsicum, zucchini and tomato, pairing extremely well with the aromatic chopped olives, peppery arugula, and the rich goats cheese.

The Smoked fish platter is one of the signature dishes at Maison Francaise. Arranged beautifully on a black slate, it was almost too beautiful to eat, a masterpiece actually. Smoked inhouse, the paper thin slices of fish were delicate and less salty than store-bought variety, although the co-star of the show was the refreshing and delightful cucumber salad.Vegetarian Risotto is not actually on the menu but can be requested. Topped with a parsley pesto and supported by tomato coulis, the creamy grains were comforting, to say the least. Simplicity at its best.It's not easy to do justice to black cod as it's such a delicate ingredient. Chef Franck kept it simple by pan frying and finishing in the oven, then pairing the fish with well thought out accompaniments: Heady Lobster Bisque, Quenelle of mash with mushrooms, Vibrant Pesto, Slightly crunchy vegetables for textural contrast. Crispy skin and buttery flesh, the black cod was textbook perfect.Maison Francaise offers very affordable High Tea daily from 1pm-5pm. So instead of dessert proper, we got to sample a variety of teatime treats and the Canele de Bordeaux was a clear favourite with a caramelised shell, fluffy interior and custardy centre. Also superb was the roasted figs, lemon madeleines and the refreshing apricot sorbet.

Whether it's a romantic date for two, a girly hangout in the afternoon, a business lunch, even a wedding dinner, Maison Francaise has it covered. More than its good look, it has the potential to become one of the best French restaurants in Klang Valley.

Malaysia International Gourmet Festival (MIGF) is back with an interesting theme “Cool Chefs – Cooking with attitude”. Having missed out on the Taste MIGF due to work commitment, naturally I was excited to receive an invitation to try the MIGF menu at Nook, joining the festival for the very first time. This menu is extra special to me because Chef Steven Seow, though not actually from Sarawak, has taken the effort to feature the treasures from Sabah and Sarawak. You’ll see when we talk about the dishes.

It wasn’t our first time dining at Nook as I have tried out the buffet spead as well as ala carte dishes numerous times when I was performing at W XYZ bar back in June. I also went for an invited review earlier in the year when it was still brand new. I know that they have taken a special interest in improving their dishes because each time I visited, the dishes just kept getting better. FYI, 2 out of 4 dishes on this MIGF menu I have already tried as ala carte, albeit a little less luxurious. I shall stop rambling and let’s get started on the food. Starter first.Smoked Scallop Umai Sushi, Duck Confit with Pomegranate and Yoghurt Sphere

Ooh! Here’s a little bit of molecular gastronomy to please my inner food geek. I loved the presentation and this looks like a well-thought-out dish with different components. The glass contained the smoke (for the wow factor, I guess), I was told it was lemongrass flavour but it dissipated too fast for me to catch a whiff. The scallop umai is basically a Sarawakian citrus cured seafood, very much like ceviche but with local flavours.I enjoyed the sweet, sour, savoury, herbaceous combination of the Scallop umai sushi. Moving on to the duck confit with a tiny piece of skin, well that was seasoned perfectly with good umami flavour and you can give me more of that crispy skin. Yum! I tried that with the sweet fruity coulis, pomegranate seeds and raisin separately and all worked very well together. You simply can't do wrong with sweet and savoury pairings in my book. Oh and the Yoghurt sphere actually popped in my mouth. How cool! What a great introduction to the night. This course is paired with Villa Maria Chardonnay, NZ. Lovely crisp and easy to drink.

Interesting, Chef Steven Seow has chosen to pair the next course with a beer (Leffe Blonde), and I can understand why.Sarawak Laksa with Organic Soba Noodle, Lobster & Abalone

I like to refer this to Sarawak Laksa on steroids. Haha. You see, the robust flavour of prawn and chicken stock in the broth with all that laksa spices would be too strong for a white wine, but pairing it with a red will totally overwhelmed the delicate lobster and abalone. So it totally makes sense. Compared to our first visit, this Laksa has totally exceeded my expectation. The broth is perfect (perhaps a little spicier than usual) with the right ratio of coconut milk: spices. Paired with grilled lobster that was juicy and sweet, it was rather divine. I am not normally a fan of abalone, but here the abalone was cooked with some butter and herbs, giving it a lighter flavour than usual, so this fussy eater approves.While the usage of soba will probably induce a pang of panic for the purists, I don't think it's a huge problem because I love soba noodles anyway. Chicken was poached just right and I like how delicate the omelette strips were.

The next course is the heaviest of all and it features Sabah style cooking.Wagyu Beef Rendang, Farm Vegetables Achar Jelatah , Turmeric Coconut Rice
Some might think using Wagyu beef in rendang is simply sacrilegious. But since Wagyu beef cheeks are used commonly in braised dishes (especially by the French), why not give it a local twist? Here the beef was incredibly tender and the rendang flavours worked pretty well with this cut, although slightly on the rich side for me, probably because of the lighter dishes beforehand. The achar jelatah is Sabahan and it was just sour enough to help balance the dish.Do not underestimate the portion of this: the rice was compacted hence we were mostly fooled. I am a small eater so I could only manage half of the Turmeric Coconut Rice (Sabahan) before waving my white flag. It was suitably aromatic and not overly rich though. I would have happily gobbled the whole thing up if this was the only course (which I had done previously, yum). This course is paired with Madfish, Shiraz, Australia.

Time for dessert and this was super fun!Eight Treasures Ais Kacang

Call me nerdy but any food item presented in lab or medical appliances gets me pretty excited. Before getting the injection on, let's see what we have here in the bowl: jackfruit, sweet potato, sago, cendol, black jelly, blackberries, strawberries and blue berries and of course a scoop of ice cream as cherry on the cake. As for the syringes: they are filled with colorful syrup including yellow – orange + lemongrass, red – rose + strawberry, green – pandan + apple, brown – salted palm sugar, white – cornflakes creamer.In order to not confuse our taste buds, it is recommended we try individual syringe first to see what we liked best. My favourite is the salted palm sugar, followed very closely by the orange/lemongrass concoction. I thought the corn flakes flavoured milk was pretty interesting too.

There are 2 options for this MIGF menu: The light menu priced at RM160+ per person which comes without the Sarawak Laksa from set listed above. The Go Strong menu (full menu) is priced at RM180+ per person (RM280+ with wine and beer pairing). This set menu is available through lunch and dinner and in both September and October.

I mentioned that I will bring the other half to Nosh after my last visit and few days ago we finally had the chance to do our little date night. I called beforehand to enquire about vegetarian options and it seemed promising. As I browsed the menu, I knew this meal was going to be good and it surely didn't disappoint! We started with some truffle cheese bread. The bread was toasted with thick layer of gorgonzola and cheddar. The gorgonzola was pretty strong (well it is a blue cheese after all) so I felt that the addition of truffle wasn't necessary. In fact I think the flavours kind clashed a little and it was bordering on stinky. But no matter, the bread was nice and fluffy, definitely comforting. Frank wanted the 'Smashing Cucumber'. It looked like nothing much but tasted pretty good with hint of sesame and soy, a Japanese twist I suppose. The crunchy and slightly sweet cucumber was very refreshing. Our last starter was these garlicky, peppery sauteed mushrooms, which came with toasted bread. Frank wasn't a huge fan but I loved the peppery note. Very moreish. The token vegetarian got the Pumpkin Ravioli which induced a case of food envy in me. Look at those gigantic handmade ravioli! Each of them filled with fresh, soft pumpkin that is seasoned just right. The butter, cheesy sauce was eye-openingly rich and full of flavours, with hint of deep fried sage to add that herbaceous note. This was so good I wanted to have more. But I was getting quite full at this point and needed the stomach space for my main course. And luckily I practised some restraint because my braised beef cheeks dish is huge! I wasn't supposed to be eating red meat but the menu description won me over. The gravy has coffee in it! I've always wonder how that would taste like, and turns out coffee complemented beef in a very strange way. I guess the slight bitter burnt taste works. The beef cheeks were melt-in-the-mouth tender, amazing. I liked the mash because it wasn't overly creamy, which was quite necessary as this is a very rich dish. Loved the beautiful presentation of the dish especially the carved vegetables. So beautiful. I had to admit I couldn't finish the mash because I was stuffed!

But we can't not try their desserts, especially after I saw pictures from my friends who have visited recently for their new desserts. Unfortunately the Goma Macha dessert I was eyeing wasn't available so I settled for the Pumpkin Panna Cotta, while Frank ordered an Apple Cheese Tart. Apple Cheese Tart in a deconstructed matter

Decent dessert, but didn't have the wow factor. I did like the spiced apple and the cream cheese 'balls' though. Pumpkin Panna Cotta
Frank described this as over-the-top presentation but I felt that was the attraction of the dessert: wow factor. Not only visually pleasing, it was so delicious. The soft pudding has the perfect texture with ever so slight hint of pumpkin. The best thing is that it wasn't sweet and cloying. So, so good!

I love the attention to details not only in their food, but also their service. Very attentive, quick to refill our glasses without being too disruptive. Love to come back again to try more dishes. Might just make this a monthly thing since they do rotate their desserts. The bill came up to RM322 but that was because we also had a few glasses of wine. But for food this quality, it's worth it.

Chef Ryan Khang is a man of many talents: Not only he has great passion in cooking and baking, he is also the editor in chief for a well-known food magazine, and during his freetime (does he even have any) he organises food related events. Proud Janny is his brainchild and it's an Asian Fusion restaurant with some Western dishes as well. Lunch is definitely busy and as it attracts a lot of corporate customers. Even though they were full when we dined there today, the service remained efficient and polite. Upon Chef Ryan's recommendation we ordered some of his signature dishes. But first, to wake me up, I needed a strong cup of latte and this definitely delivered the hit I needed. And it reminded me so much of Melbourne. It's no wonder because the name Proud Janny also reminds me of Proud Mary, a well-known cafe in Melbourne which serves superb coffee and brunch dishes. Not long after we placed our order, the Lo Bak arrived on our table. This is the Penang version which sees minced meat spiked with 5 spice wrapped in beancurd skin and deep fried. The taste was definitely spot on, the chili sauce with peanut also was fantastic to go with this. Though the skin has lost its crispiness during the reheating process. But no matter, it was good. This was the first dish that caught my eye and I was craving some Omega-3 in the form of oily fish so it was an obvious order. You could definitely have the Aglio Olio plain (RM10!) or choose to add chicken or salmon. The bonus for me was that fantastic hollandaise sauce with right amount of tang to balance the richness of egg yolk and butter. The salmon was cooked perfectly with that irresistible crispy skin, yum. Pasta was cooked al dente with plenty of garlicky and herbaceous note. I added some chili flakes for good measure. Delicious.

How can we leave Proud Janny without trying their famous desserts? We ordered a slice of chestnut cake and sea salt caramel (swoon, who doesn't like salted caramel?) to share. Chestnut Cake in front, Salted Caramel background.
My prefered choice obviously would be the salted caramel cake. The top was creamy, bittersweet and the addition of salt just brought this to whole other level. In the sponge there were some crispy caramel bits "surprise" too. Great dessert. The chestnut cake had good flavours but unfortunately the top was on the dry side for me. Nevertheless an enjoyable dessert.

For food this quality I am surprised this lunch was not at all expensive. I will definitely return to try the Ayam percik (they were flying out the kitchen like hot cakes, must be good).