Manmaru Robatayaki & Bar @ Atria Shopping Gallery, PJ

From the same management that brought us the Manmaru Udon at Midvalley Megamall, they have opened up a modern Japanese meet Italian cuisine restaurant over at Atria Shopping Gallery in PJ. Each dish served at Manmaru Robatayaki & Bar @ Atria Shopping Gallery is given a modern twist by the hands of talented Chef Danny Leow. We were there the other day to try out some of their fares, and it was good. Read on below for what we had that afternoon.

Manmaru Robatayaki & Bar @ Atria Shopping Gallery, PJ

Manmaru Robatayaki & Bar @ Atria Shopping Gallery, PJ (Pork Free)

G26, Ground floor,

Atria Damansara,

Jalan SS22/23, Damansara Jaya,

47400 Petaling Jaya

Telephone: 03-7733 1038

Email: info@manmaru.com.my

Facebook: www.facebook.com/manmaru.robatayaki

Website: www.manmaru.com.my/atria

Modern Japanese flair type of decor

Spotlights concept

Entering the restaurant, I was impressed by the effort put in to decorate the place. It's not quite the traditional styled Japanese restaurant, with some cool spotlight concept as well as beautifully drawn out Japanese themed art. There are a few sections to Manmaru, a sushi bar, robatayaki bar, a common dining area and a private room for those who want that extra privacy. 

Dine in comfort 

We ha d a feast of sorts that afternoon, going through Manmaru's menu trying out most if not all of their specialty and popular dishes. Are you ready to be awed by the dishes? Read on then. We kicked off with some delectable appetizers, followed by mains, and ending with sweet dessert. 

Salmon Ikura Millefuille - RM45

Beautifully presented, the Salmon Ikura Millefuille came with salmon and roe millefuille in accompanying wasabi and avacado sauce. Interestingly this is a French dish, given a Japanese twist. Served with crackers on the side, spread it on, and enjoy the kick that comes with the sauce. I find it interesting that there's a mini crab placed in the middle of the dish. 

Wagyu Roll - RM68

An exquisite dish, pretty to look at, we had the Wagyu Roll next. The decorations were beyond beautiful, with the main being one whole sushi rice ball topped with a generous slice of Japanese Wagyu. Served raw, with some gold flakes on top, everything laid out on the plate is edible, and served as sauce for the wagyu. You must try this, to appreciate the raw sweetness of wagyu. Good stuff. 

Hotate Chawanmushi - RM30

Not your usual chawanmushi dish, the one served at Manmaru Robatayaki & Bar came in a bowl filled with goodies, fish roe, scallop, with other interesting garnishing. The Hotate Chawanmushi is steamed upon order, so be prepared to wait a good 20 minutes to be served. It's worth the wait though, freshly made, silkier and creamier than other chawanmushis I've tasted before this. 

Fugu Kaarage - RM50

The notoriously poisonous Fugu or Japanese blowfish as I like to refer it by is in season at Manmaru. We had it in the form of the Fugu Kaarage, which I was told is way safer than having its liver or other parts. Hence we weren't really too concerned about being poisoned after, and happily gobbled down the delicious pieces. It did taste really good, sweet and fragrant. 

Happy hour menu dishes - RM50

Before starting on the heavier stuffs, we took a break by trying out Manmaru's new Happy Hour package promo set. Priced at RM50, you get two glasses of Suntory Draught Beer with any 3 choices of small bites. I find it to be really worth the price, where we picked and matched three bite sized dishes to suit our palate, namely the crispy salmon skin, crispy soft shell crab and koebi (deep fried shrimps) kaarage. This set is available from 3pm - 7pm daily. 

Wafu Spaghetti - RM48

Imagine having one whole piece of flower crab placed atop a platter of delicious spaghetti. Imagine no more, that's exactly what you get with Manmaru's Wafu Spaghetti. If you look at the generous portions given, the price justifies itself. This dish is meant to be shared, as one person cannot possibly finish it all by his own. Sweet and savoury, the spaghetti goes well with the sauce used. 

Tobiuo Carpaccio (Flying Fish) - RM95

Enjoy the delicious raw fish all round the plate

A good selection of seasonal fishes are also available at Manmaru, with the Tobiuo (Flying Fish) Carpaccio being our choice of dish that wonderful afternoon. The decoration is unique, with the bones being deep fried and hung in the middle. Along the side of the plate we had the carpaccio, with each slice of raw fish topped with ikura and tobiko. Delicious indeed, especially when taken with their savoury homemade sauce. 

Sakana Kami Yaki - RM58

Grilled snapper, bacon and herbs make up the Sakana Kami Yaki dish. Wrapped with baking paper, served fresh from the kitchen, this dish had really generous amounts of cheese. I'm impartial to the taste though, as it needed some getting used to, a mix of sweet and sour all in one. 

Australian Wagyu Teppanyaki - RM180

My favourite, deserves a double shot

I was delighted beyond words the moment I sank my teeth into the very tender, melt in your mouth Australian Wagyu Teppanyaki. It's so nice that I don't think I could try others without comparing to this one that I had at Manmaru. Fatty chunky pieces of wagyu beef were used, with an equally princely pricing of RM180. 

Coconut Ice Cream

Dessert that melts in your mouth

We ended our lovely meal out at Manmaru Robatayaki & Bar @ Atria Shopping Gallery, PJ with their sweet desserts. I do love their coconut ice cream, served in these cutesy real coconut husks complete with the flesh. Do drop by Manmaru the next time you're out shopping at Atria, or if you feel like indulging in some really nice Japanese cuisine with a twist.