What to eat in ... Midvalley / The Gardens

A new Japanese restaurant just opened in The Gardens, Hokkaido Ichiba. And wandering around one Sunday afternoon, we were glad to find something new to try in the Gardens.

Hokkaido Ichiba is from the same chain of restaurants that brought us Sushi Zanmai and Pasta Zanmai. The restaurant is pretty large but even then, there is always a queue if you are even a bit late for lunch. There seems to be many Japanese customers in the restaurant, so i guess that says something about the authenticity of the food served.

Well...moving straight to the food.

For appetizers, we ordered raw octopus marinaded in spring onion, chilli and soy sauce (RM 9.90++). It tastes a little bit rubbery and salty but surprisingly, quite nice! We were preparing ourselves to try the raw sliced octopus in Korea.

My hubby had a chicken-katsu don lunch set (RM 25.90++) which was very tasty and filling meal. The chicken katsu had lots of sauce which soaks into the rice. Over the chicken is a hearty amount of egg and below it are wonderful stir-fried onions with sauce. Overall, it just hits the spot and ranks into my list of comfort food. :)

I ordered a sukiyaki (RM28.00++). The beef slices were thinly sliced and 5 slices is an adequate amount. The rest of the ingredients were fresh and the soup base was tasty. I would prefer a large egg as there wasn't quite enough to dip all the ingredients in. But i loved the sukiyaki overall.

After our main course, we indulged in a dessert of black sesame Hokkaido ice-cream in a waffle bowl (RM 8.80++). The ice cream was creamy and tasted full of black sesame. A nice ending to a nice meal.

This place was really comfy and the food tasted good, it is perfect for a Sunday afternoon meal with friends or just hanging out with your loved one. In fact, it was so attractive to us, that we went back another Sunday afternoon for lunch.

My hubby just couldn't resist the chicken katsu don set again. And i tried the beef (gyu-don) rice lunch set (RM28.80++). As usual, the food tasted great, and definitely very filling.

Overall, this is a nice place to come and get some good Japanese food.

However, i have a few beefs with the place:

1. Service - is quite slow. As there are so many customers and and few waiters. Also because of the design and layout, it's hard to catch the attention of the waiters.

2. The crockery - The first time i went, it was ok as it just opened not too long. But the second time i went, the cups were chipped. I'm amazed that they still use the chipped cups to serve tea to the customers.

3. Cleanliness - The round table with the cushioned seats, usually have food on the seats, like rice or bits of sauce. Maybe it is difficult for them to clean the seats regularly.....

Ratings:-
Value for Money: Good
Ambience : Cosy
Taste : Good
Occasion : Lazy Sundays, Any meal, Cravings, Hanging out with friends