TORII Yakitori & Whiskey Bar Japanese Restaurant @ TTDI Kuala Lumpur

Always a fan of grilled Japanese meat, or yakitori as they call it, I had the opportunity to dine at TORII Yakitori & Whiskey Bar Japanese Restaurant recently. Located in TTDI Kuala Lumpur, the restaurant itself looked rather unassuming, hiding a gem of a restaurant inside. Serving yakitori and whiskey, it is indeed a haven of grilled skewered meat lovers. Check out what we had the other day below.

TORII Yakitori & Whiskey Bar Japanese Restaurant @ TTDI Kuala Lumpur

TORII Yakitori & Whiskey Bar Japanese Restaurant 

18 Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 1

Taman Tun Dr Ismail

60000 Kuala Lumpur

(Same row as Tadika Diyana, next to Presto Grocers)

Tel: 03 - 7733 9309 / 012 - 668 4399

Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 5.30pm till late, close on Sundays.

Website: http://www.torii.my/

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/toriimy

Grilled to perfection

Interesting decor and design inside

Torii Yakitori's menu features a rather wide range of over 40 grilled skewered meats, seafood and vegetables. On top of that they offer some unique fusion-like japanese cuisine as well. Behind, there's a liquor section with over 100 types of whisky, sake and soju for the customers. It has been the norm for diners to enjoy yakitori with liquor, and here at Torii, they provide an avenue to do that, in a confortable environment.

Choose your liquor

A quick check with the good folks from Torii Yakitori and I learnt that the name Torii actually refers to yaki"tori" as well as Japan's father of whisky Tori Shinjiro who founded Suntory. Interesting background to the choice of restaurant name.

Buttery Shoyu Mushrooms & Scallop Broth - RM20

Spicy Miso Seafood Chowder - RM20

We kicked off our meal with the soupy dishes, namely the Buttery Shoyu Mushrooms & Scallop Broth and Spicy Miso Seafood Chowder. Both came in a similar type of plating, both similar but very different. The Spicy Miso Seafood Chowder had a very salty flavour to it, probably due to the miso inside. I preferred the mushroom and scallop broth as there were generous amounts of fresh shiitake and enokitake mushrooms inside the buttery soup.

Blue Fin Tuna Salad - RM23

A savoury salad dish, the Blue Fin Tuna Salad came in a multitude of colours and flavours. Rather huge chunky pieces of pan-fried tuna is tossed with the salad mix of mangoes, cilantro, safron, and cherry tomatoes with mayo dressing. Tuna lovers will like this dish, as it is both savoury, and full of greeneries. 

Saute Mushrooms & Baby Spinach - RM20

Mushroom lovers will like the Saute Mushrooms & Baby Spinach dish which came next. No meat inside, the dish is a combination of baby spinach with fresh  fresh shiitake mushroom, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, flavoured with shoyu. Love the bonito flakes topping, which gives that extra flavour to a savoury tasty dish. 

Bonded Unagi & Foie Gras - RM29

Avocado De La Mer - RM19

Two dishes were served next, one which I do not really prefer due to the ingredient used, the Bonded Unagi & Foie Gras and Avocado De La Mer. The Avocado De La Mer is a fusion creation by Torii with avocado, seafood, mushroom and piquant miso baked to perfection, covered in cheese, and sprinkled with shredded seaweed. Cheesy, savoury, flavourful stuff here. 

Sizzling Beef - RM35

Finally, my meaty dishes start arriving, beginning with the scrumptious Sizzling Beef. Served while it's sizzling on a piping hot platter, we had the sirloin BBQ beef ribs marinated with BBQ sauce. Lovely dish, with the beef still retaining its juiciness, this is one of my favourite dish at Torii that evening. 

Chicken Wing - RM8 per skewer

The skewered chicken wing came at a price of RM8 per skewer, a tad high but worth it as it was really good. Lightly seasoned with sea salt, I do love the thin crispy skin on the chicken. The portions were a bit small though, and that's my only complain there. 

Sirloin - RM15 per skewer

If the initial sizzling beef dish did not satisfy, then go for my other favourite dish from Torii. Their skewered Sirloin Beef are to die for. The delicious skewered meat were both succulent and moist, retaining all its flavours. I could have these alone at Torii and be satisfied for the rest of the day. 

Wagyu Tendon - RM8 per skewer

Not a big fan of tendons, even though it wagyu, but hey, if you love them, you'll definately like the ones offered by Torii Yakitori. The tendons are chewy and flavourful doused in fragrant home made garlic chilli sauce.  

Ox Tongue - RM17 per skewer

Rock Lobsters - RM11 per skewer

Not a big fan of Ox Tongues, but hey, whatever rocks your boat, then go for it. I do prefer the Rock Lobsters which were firm and succulent. Served with home made garlic chilli sauce, the skewers were topped with chopped scallion. Perfect to go with alcoholic drinks, whisky, sake , or beer, which are also available at Torii yakitori. 

Crispy Tofu - RM6 per skewer

King Mushroom - RM6 per skewer

After all that meaty dishes, we were back to healthier vegetable dishes, in the form of the Crispy Tofu and King Mushrooms skewer. I do like the crispy tofu, as it had that crunch outside. Coupled with sesame peanut sauce, this is the perfect healthy veggie dish. King mushrooms? They do look like royalty on a skewer, grilled with shoyu sauce for that unique flavour and aroma. 

Grilled Sweet Potato - RM5 per skewer

Simple, yet tasty and fun to have, the grilled sweet potato came seasoned with sea salt and butter. It's rather good, though I wish it had more pieces per skewer, or serve one whole potato. Good munch indeed. 

Buttery Angel Hair Pasta - RM18

Torii Fried Rice - RM25

Torii Yakitori do serve some delectable Japanese dishes other than the usual skewered grilled stuff. Shown above are the two notable ones, Buttery Angel Hair Pasta and Torii Fried Rice. The fried rice has to be one of the most fragrant bowl of rice that I've had in a while. Inside, we had the Japanese steamed rice fried with foie gras, chopped herbs, garlic chips and scallions, contributing to an awesome explosion of flavours in the mouth. 

Green Tea Creme Brulee

We ended our feast, full and satisfied at Torii Yakitori, with some sweet dessert in the form of their Green Tea Creme Brulee. Made from green tea powder, this sweet offering is topped with lots of cut fruits, from Kiwis to strawberries and blueberries. Paired with the White Chocolate Lavender ice cream, it was a perfect end to a good meal out. Do drop by TORII Yakitori & Whiskey Bar Japanese Restaurant the next time you're in the vicinity of TTDI Kuala Lumpur.