#DINEWITHME: SHINJUKU JAPANESE CUISINE | KINTA RIVERFRONT HOTEL & SUITES (IPOH)

Call me "fussy" when it comes to Japanese dining. Besides than good quality Sashimi that I had high hopes on, services that a Japanese restaurant provided are fairly important. Well, I understands, price versus quality too of course. I am not comparing the commercialized with a Fine Dining Japanese restaurant for sure. For some reason, small Japanese restaurant sometimes serves better food, I don't know why. 

Every year during the Chinese New Year festivities, me and my old schoolmates usually plan a night out for dinner. This year, we ditched the Western and continued our tradition in a Japanese way. 

We decided to have a try at the Japanese restaurant located inside Kinta Riverfront Hotel & Suites Ipoh, named SHINJUKU JAPANESE CUISINE. It is a stylish contemporary looking restaurant, very spacious and set with VIP rooms for those who prefer a private dining experience. 

Picture from Shinjuku's Facebook

My friends and I went on Day 5 of Chinese New Year where most restaurants in Ipoh town are fully booked. We managed to get a VIP Room for the night, thanks to the advanced reservation made by my friend, Carmen.

The restaurant was almost full by the time we arrived that day, around 8pm. The waiters and waitresses are seen busy running the floor's operation. Upon my arrival, I was greeted by the staff at the entrance and was ushered into our VIP Room. 

Since we were already hungry, I quickly flipped through the menu and see what's exciting for my dinner. It took some time for the staff to serve our drinks, let alone to get our orders. 

We ordered a Salmon Yee Sang to start off with, as the picture seemed quite convincing. Based on Chinese tradition, Yee Sang or Lou Hei must be serve as the appetizer due to its symbolism of "Good Luck" for the new year. However, the waitress came to inform us that our Yee Sang will only be served later due to the busy kitchen. So, we were forced to start without our Lou Hei - feeling Meh

To our disappointment, the Salmon Yee Sang came up to be crappy looking. The Salmon fish slices are extremely fishy smelling too. One of the worst Yee Sang I ever had this year! 

Picture shown in menu

Salmon Yee Sang (RM 38)

The actual product looks crappy, aren't they? 

Customers are entitled to enjoy the Jin Hou Bao Xi sushi platter at a discounted rate when they place an order for any Yee Sang. For the price of RM 80 per platter, I felt being cheated in a way. The platter came with Unagi Hako & Salmon Hako (3 pieces each), White Skin Maki (6 mini rolls), and Hotate Fuku Bukuro & Kani Fuku Bukuro (2 pieces each). I don't understand why does this platter worth RM 80, let alone RM 120 at the usual price. 

Jin Hou Bao Xi 

RM 80 (If you order any Yee Sang)

RM 120 (Without Yee Sang order)

What makes a good Japanese restaurant? 

It can simply be identified by the Sashimi being served. The rule is simple here. Just one word, FRESH. Seasonal fishes are often being offered for Sashimi platter depending on the availability, daily. As for the one we had, one of the fish came out to be mushy. Not so fresh I supposed?  

The service provided was also so-so. We got agitated by requesting for tea refills numerous times. Tired repeating the same process, we suggested the waitress to place the entire pot in the room instead. Or else, the service bell in our room will be working really hard that night.

Okay..The service might be interrupted due to Chinese New Year right? I should give them another chance to come back and try again in the near future. Fair enough? SHINJUKU JAPANESE CUISINE closes at 10pm daily. Last order sets at 9.30pm. Be sure to come early if you wish to dine here. 

Before leaving, we voiced out our comment to the Floor Manager about the food quality. He offered us some discount, off the bill as a token of apology. The restaurant was already empty at 10pm and we quickly make a move after a snapping a few photos. 

From left to right:

Carmen & her princess, Myself, May & her princess and Biky

#michiebillie #shinjukujapanesecuisine #kintariverfronthotel #ipoh #japanesefood #sashimiplatter #japanesedining

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SHINJUKU JAPANESE CUISINE | 
KINTA RIVERFRONT HOTEL & SUITES (IPOH)
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Address: 
Jalan Lim Bo Seng, 
30000 Ipoh, Perak.  
Tel: +605- 245 8838

Opening Hours: 12pm - 10pm (Daily)