At Sushi Foo, seafood is delivered fresh, up to three times a week, from Hokkaido and Kyushu (Photo: Sushi Foo)
Do not let the overall lifelessness of the commercial complex put you off. Despite the prettiness of a lakeside location and ample surrounding greenery, the only obvious sign of life in the vicinity comes from the fairy lights of the tenacious Cajun-Creole restaurant, Secret of Louisiana, and — if you wander around a little more — a small noren-curtained door that leads you to Sushi Foo.
Just about a year old, the unpretentious Japanese restaurant is a good option for those in search of affordable omakase dining. A caveat — it is not Michelin-starred nor does it pretend to be. What it does do is honest, eager-to-please meals that won’t break the bank. Helmed by Tokyo-trained chef Foo of the former Hinoiri in Bukit Jalil and his wingman CJ, formerly of Kampachi at the Troika, Sushi Foo offers you the chance to indulge without committing cardinal credit card sins.
img_6676.jpg
There are four menus, Hana (RM388++), Kaze (RM488++), Aki (RM588++) and Fuyu (RM688++), named after the Japanese words for flower, wind, autumn and winter respectively, available for dinner. Alas, car troubles put Foo out of commission the night of our visit but CJ, de facto itamae-san (Japanese for “in front of the board”), manned the ship most adequately.
The 14-seater dining room (a 10-seater L-shaped counter and two tables à deux) was completely empty before we arrived, though we were assured the lunch crowd is decent. However, there were muffled noises (or so we hope, for the restaurant’s sake) coming from the private room, which seats six to eight. Despite the stillness, there is much to be pleased with at Sushi Foo. First, the affordable options that ensure you will not leave as blanched as a serving of spinach ohitashi. Second, its cosy set-up and obscure location means the chances of dining en privé is relatively high. Third, despite being a small sushi-ya, its fish is delivered fresh, up to three times a week, from Hokkaido and Kyushu. The cuts, portions and dishes are also interesting and more than adequate, leaving you nicely filled up even if you do not order the more extensive menus. The Kaze, for example, began with a trio of starters: mozuku akagai (blood clams with seaweed), nicely vinegared to whet the appetite, braised baigai (whelk) served in its shell and yuba-wrapped Kyushu iwashi with ume (plum) sauce. Kudos to CJ for executing the latter well as sardines tend to go rancid quickly due to their high Omega 3 content. Traditionally served with minced ginger to cut through the fat, the tartness of the plum proved to be a clever balancing act.
img_6679_1.jpg
A rare treat followed: tuna noten, aged for 10 days and special due to its cut from the very crown of the fish, accompanied by grated radish, a grilled shishito pepper and a squeeze of sudachi lime.
Up next: kegani with Murasaki sea urchin and tosazu jelly sound heavenly on paper but this combination proved to be lacklustre, owing to the dryness of the flaked horsehair crab. Thankfully, the next course — smoked wild amberjack served with onion sauce and myoga — more than made up for it.
Chef Foo needs to work on the tastiness of his sushi rice but there was no fault to be found in the extensive line-up of neta or sushi toppings. From striped jack to luscious engawa, Hokkaido scallops with precious shavings of karasumi (mullet roe and the closest version of bottarga Asia has to offer), aoyagi (surf clams) and a very lovely sweet prawn hand roll topped with bafun uni, you have to remind yourself not to nitpick as a full and generous meal here costs less than RM500 — a near-impossible find in the Klang Valley these days. Even the chawanmushi dish — topped with a special seaweed sauce — shows that care and creativity have gone into its creation while dessert was a platter bearing orange jelly, peanut-dusted red bean-filled mochi and Shine Muscat and Kyoho grapes. There are misses, of course, but the hits far outweigh them.
img_6673.jpg
If you still are not convinced, perhaps drop by for lunch then. The menu is extensive and ranges from crowd-pleasing rice bowls (the Ebi Furai Don of fried prawn and soft-boiled egg with special sauce is just RM38) to a set of hot Inaniwa noodles and six pieces of sushi (RM78) — all of which would prove friendly to both pocket and palate. Foo also maintains a decent corkage policy (RM40 for wine, double that for hard liquor) should you wish to enjoy your meal with something more exciting than green tea. Not many of us remain oblivious to fast-creeping inflation but it is nice to know that there are still noteworthy gems to discover out there and which, mercifully, will not aburi (flame sear) your meal allowance like engawa on shari. Sushi Foo is proof of that.
D-06, 1 Jalan SS7/13A, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. 011 1336 6463. Opening Hours: Noon-3pm (Mon-Fri); 7pm-11pm (Mon-Sat).
This article first appeared on Sept 23, 2024 in The Edge Malaysia.
