House of Happiness
News Straits Times, Streets Pg.Q3 (Tuesday, 11th March 2008)

CONNOISEURS of Japanese cuisine alreadt familiar with the name Fukuya will be pleased to know that One Bangsar has it very own outlet.

Fukuya is the brainchild of chef Takao Ando, who aims to provide connoisseurs of Japanese cuisine with an all-encompassing feast – one that seduces and delights the senses.

From the taste of the authentic cuisine to the touch and feel of the dining area to the very sight of the restaurant. Fukuya – which means “house of happiness” in Japanese – has already made waves among Kuala Lumpur’s Japanese food fans.

Fukuya One Bangsar offers a simple, minimalist setting – diners can opt to sit at the sushi bar and watch the chefs deftly slice fresh seafood or dine comfortably at areas made semi-private thanks to the clever use of curtains.

The two-storey restaurant can comfortably seat 100 people indoors (50 on each level), with additional seating available outdoors.

Upstairs, diners who would like their privacy can opt for a dining room with tatami setting or dine in one of the two private dining rooms which can be combined to accommodate a larger crowd.

Guest can expect the freshest to served when they dine at Fukuya One Bangsar, from sushi and sashimi to the ingredients of the season in an elaborate kaiseki, a sumptuous multi-course meal prepared according to the strictest traditional methods. The kaiseki is Fukuya’s speciality and comprises steamed, simmered and grilled dishes, sliced raw fish (sashimi), tempura and dessert.

Most of the ingredients used in Fukuya are air-flown from Japan twice weekly to ensure only freshest is served. As a result, Fukuya is able to serve special seasonal items on its kaiseki and a la carte menus.

In spring, there;s tai (sea bream), lamb and the fragrance of sakuta blooms. Then there’s sweet ayu (river fish) and unagi (eel) to cool the body during summer.

When a leaves turn blazing red in autumn, there’s plenty of mushrooms, sanma (saury) and shake (salmon) while the chill of winter brings with it juicy root vegetable, seabass and hamachi (yellowtail).

Fukuya One Bangsar’s menu is filled with an assortment of temptation and there are separate menus for lunch and dinner. For lunch, the restaurant offer leishoku (set lunches), bento boxes and mini kaiseki while for dinner there are teppanyaki, grilled and fried dishes, yu-zen (traditional dinner sets) and full kaiseki.

For the more adventurous or discerning diners who would like something off the menu. The restaurant’s master chef Takko Ando will be more then happy to oblige to cries of Omakase. Which in Japanese means, “let the chef decide.” Ando will then whip up a worthy meal using the freshest ingredients while ensuring that Fukuya’s cuisine pays homage to Japanese seasonal ingredients as well as the country’s flair for presentation.

No Japanese meal is also quite complete without a range of traditional quenchers and Fukuya offers a wide range of shochu and sake, as well as a great selection of wines.

For this month, Fukuya offers crab meat lovers the chance to sink their teeth into Alaska crab, cooked in a variety of styles. Steamed or charcoal-grilled Alaska crab with vinegar source lets you savour the flavour of meat, as with the steamed whole crab leg sushi.

The crab hot pot with vegetables, on the other hand, is chockful of ingredients from succulent mushrooms to crisp cabbage, paired with fine Japanese glass noodles. The other dishes on Alaska crab menu are chili crab croquette and crab miso soup.

Fukuya is located at One Bangsar, 63B, Jalan Ara, Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur. It is open daily from noon to 2.30pm for lunch, and from 6.30pm to 10.30pm for dinner. For reservations, call 03-2282-1111 or logon to www.fukuyaonebangsar.com to book online.

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