Monjayaki is a Japanese dish that is well-loved and many who have traveled to Japan would often times crave for this particular dish when they return to Malaysia.
As such, when the first ever monjayaki restaurant in Malaysia was established, many were intrigued and wanted to know more about the Kota Damansara eatery.
The Discover KL team recently had the opportunity to try out some of Monjayaki Restaurant’s bestsellers and here is what we thought about it.
The Monjayaki Restaurant is located within the Sunway Nexis building and it is only a stone’s throw away from the main entrance of the open-air shopping mall. The restaurant features a design which is reminiscent of Japan, what with the bamboo design at the main entrance of the eatery.
When we entered the restaurant, there were even Japanese blossom decals adorning the walls!
The first dish we tried was the okonomiyaki (RM27.90).
Meera of Monkayaki Restaurant shared with Discover KL that the okonomiyaki features beef strips and mozzarella cheese.
The okonomiyaki batter is a light seafood batter grilled with shredded cabbage. It forms a thick pancake upon grilling. “The usual okonomiyaki is seafood, but the one we served you is our shop’s original creation,” Meera said. The cheese, as we would find out later, would also add a creamy texture to the okonomiyaki.
The brown sauce is an okonomiyaki sauce, which is a fruit-based sauce, whereas the white sauce is mayonnaise. Both adds a distinct sweet-savoury flavour to the dish and they were criss-crossed across the batter expertly by Miss Eryn, who is nicknamed the Senior Monjayaki Specialist.
The dish is later topped off with bonito flakes, which are thin-tuna flakes. Who would’ve thought that these tiny flakes could make a difference in flavour, but they certainly did!
Overall, the okonomiyaki has a tangy taste which is attributed to the sauce and the mayonnaise it comes with makes it creamy as well. The dish almost has a pizza-like texture to it and the fresh vegetables it comes with gives it some added crunch. In fact, the dish tastes a lot like takoyaki! For those who enjoy a gingery taste, they would like the taste of the okonomiyaki as it has a hint of ginger that gives it some added flavour.
After our okonomiyaki, we were served the prawn monjayaki (RM24.90).
The huge prawns were laid aside to grill while the batter of seafood pancake is cooked separately. We could smell the inviting aroma of monjayaki as it was being grilled and had to exercise a little bit of patience as it required several minutes prior to setting.
Miss Eryn poured the remaining batter into the well shape she had created with the prawn monjayaki and she explained why this step is a necessity in order to make the dish stick together.
“The stickiness of the monjayaki is due to the ratio of batter to flour. It’s just the difference in ratio of water to seasoning that differentiates monjayaki to okonomiyaki,” Meera said.
She adds: We are the only shop in Malaysia that serves monjayaki. Even in Japan itself it’s hard to find as it’s usually only found on one street in Tokyo called ‘Monjayaki Street’, which is considered the top 5 sightseeing sites for local tourists.
After the batter is completely cooked, Miss Eryn whipped out a bottle of toppings and proceeded to add her own ‘signature’ onto the dish with the words ‘Monjayaki’. The prawns are also laid on the top and that is the final step before we proceeded to dig in.
The monjayaki had a lovely taste to it, and again, the taste of the brown sauce is really flavourful. Meera suggested that we create ‘little islands’ of monjayaki with the tiny spoons that we were handed. We could also allow the dish to brown longer and that is what gives it the crispy texture. If you prefer your monjayaki to be slightly softer, just remove the dish from the grill once it has been cooked.
Meera smiled as she brought over our third dish which was the chicken ramen (RM24.90). “I hope you guys aren’t full yet,” she piped, though we knew that there would always be space for the meals to come.
This dish consists of grilled teriyaki chicken, ramen and Japanese chicken broth. The chicken is succulent and it really adds flavour to the springy ramen.
Our fourth dish, the chicken karaage (RM12.90), is served with a slice of lemon, a side of mayonnaise, chili sauce and chilli powder. The chicken had a crispy exterior and a juicy middle and it was satisfaction with every bite. It is a filling side dish and in fact, pairs really well with the chicken ramen.
Last, but certainly not least, is the creamy panna cotta (RM10.90) which was creamy and had an almost jelly-like texture. Meera shared with Discover KL that this dish is in fact Miss Eryn’s own creation!
No meal would be complete without desserts and this one really made our evening extra special. The creamy layer is topped off with a homemade strawberry sauce made with fresh strawberries.
Out of all the meals we tried at Monjayaki Restaurant, the definite must-try is what else but the famous monjayaki. It’s easy to see (or rather, taste) why this dish is such a hit among Japanese and tourists of Japan. If you have yet to give the monjayaki a go, head on over to Monjayaki Restaurant and try the dish out for yourself!
Monjayaki Restaurant
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday: 11.30am-9.30pm. (Closed on Mondays).
Address: D-GF-07, Sunway Nexis, Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya
Website: Monjayaki Restaurant
