Daikanyama @ Changkat Bukit Bintang, KL

PART III to Ciki’s Birthday Week

Of course Daikanyama is not a swear word! Aoyama, Omotesando and Daikanyama all share things in common- they are in central Tokyo and have small shopping centers and restaurants, as well as a relaxed atmosphere.
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Daikanyama… we saw it walking by Changkat BB the other day en route 21. I also recently read about it on Sean’s blog. No wonder it is named as such, because walking into the establishment, one is immediately aware of how relaxed and trendy the place is.

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Anyway, I had been badgering Cumi to check this place out for a week now, and so it was with great surprise when we walked in and saw Bari aka Barricudda! and Edwin, who are both our friends.. what a small world!

Cumi knows Bari from his adventure activities (Bari is an accomplished diver and daredevil.. amongst other things ahem..) and I know Edwin from Hajime. You can see and feel the upbeat tempo and deco of the place from the moment you look at the menu, drawn out to look like the Tokyo subway, to the ‘green-lung’ in the centre of that cozy bar.

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I should call it the ‘un-green lung’ rather, because that’s where the smoking corner is!

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Looking at the menu , we feel rather perplexed as the menu is rather brief. Then Bari informs us that Daikanyama is positioned not as a restaurant but rather as a bar with quick and easy food! It is not a place to bring families and have a long and extended dinner session. It is more a place for a drink to unwind after a hard day’s work and for some fuss free, quick, Japanese. On the menu are, Sashimi, Yakitori, Japanese Rolls, Japanese Noodles (cold/hot) and an interesting variety of Japanese fried rice. To get this point across, Daikanyama does not serve Ocha… that’s right.. we are not a restaurant.. goddit? 😛

Well, if you’ve been following my birthday week, you will see this was the perfect place for us for dinner that night, because after eating that humongous lunch only hours ago and birthday cake courtesy of fbb, we were still stuffed. (well, cumi was.. me .. i was ready for dinner!)

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The first carafe of Sake was the Toku Toku Non-Bei and the last was the Kasen Ginkan Ozeki. Don’t ask me what came in between:P

The Umeshu which Edwin gave us on the house (sweetie!) was the ‘Taru’ Umeshu which was a premium Umeshu(plum wine) that’s stored in Oak barrels for a premium finish. Not too sweet like some other brand of Umeshu for sure.

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I love the Maki here. No complaints all these dishes go really well with Sake.
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Reading about the battered soft bone (Chicken) on “Eat Drink KL”, I just had to have it. Good is not the word! I use to ‘whack’ all the soft bone out of my Grandma’s boiling pot, before she could give it to the dogs. That’s why, till today, I have such good enamel. Kids, eat your bones.
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Sardine with a not dissimilar feel to that of beef jerky(I call this fish jerky), dipped in the Japanese mayo, also a winner. Don’t let my description of the texture put you off – the flavour is smoky and grows on you the more you eat it.

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Chicken gizzard.. tres tres yum!
There’s me fighting tooth and nail with my food. My, my .. what strong jaws u have ciki. All mine – cumi would have none of this 😛
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Many rolls later, we were finally satiated.
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We really like this place. It’s as cosy as the bars you find in Tokyo proper. We will definitely be back to kick back and unwind to a nice, chilled, shot of sake, knowing that there will be no screaming kids to disturb our Zen.

Thanks Bari and Edwin for a smashing night:)

Add:
Daikanyama,
42, Changkat Bukit Bintang,
50200 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel:603 2141 0323


16 Comments

  • "Joe" who is constantly craving says:

    no nia ya mah indeed..

    japanese bar..we r really getting all the different ethnic themed bars mushrooming everywhere eh?

  • Timothy Low says:

    Hahaha .. if you didn't mention it, I would've had that in mind … especially with the yama thing. Anyway, delicious looking place.

  • mimid3vils says:

    Hope it's not too late to wish u "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" !!!!

  • thule a.k.a leo says:

    it's a small world after all… it's a small world after all…

  • Sean says:

    wow, the place looks like it's really buzzing now!
    was gonna ask u what daikanyama actually means then, but i just googled it, so nevermind! 😀

  • 550ml jar of faith says:

    Lurve lurve the look of the interior of this place! Reminds me of a contemporary version of the working salarymen's izakayas in the narrow streets of Tokyo – yes, getting drunk on a schoolnight is a required!

  • Mellie says:

    Oooh ooh! I know the perfect occasion to go. Sake & sushi, best combi in the neh-ah-ma world ;p

  • thenomadGourmand says:

    sake & sushi = cumi & ciki? ;p

  • Simon Seow says:

    Hmm..I wonder if they have any link with Dantihill in Pavilion.

  • Life for Beginners says:

    Happy belated birthday, dear! So sorry I missed it (busy last weekend with helping a friend move house). Here's to a bright and brilliant year ahead! 😀

  • Lyrical Lemongrass says:

    Grandma, what strong fangs you have. More to eat chu with, mah dear. chew chew chew.

  • sc says:

    it's those fried soft chicken bones that pique my interest when i read it in sean's blog too. looks like a great place to relax. wanna pop by soon..

  • CUMI & CIKI says:

    joe:
    ya la.. spoilt for choice

    tim:
    we love the place. go check it out

    mimi:
    of course not ! thanks

    thule:
    its a small small world!

    sean:
    yup yup! updated:)

    faith:
    can identify with u.. totally

    mellie:
    gr8 combination hor?

    TNG:
    so cute.. but erm.. a bit late hor, your slogan submission ?! ROFL

    Simon:
    I just heard from Bari – Daikanyama is not linked to Dantihill in Pavilion but rather to Wabisabi in TTDI Plaza and Shuraku Izakaya in Solaris, Mont Kiara.

  • CUMI & CIKI says:

    LFB:
    dats OK.. i knew u were there with me in "spirit" .. burp!

    LL:
    are you calling me g'ma:P

  • Bari says:

    @ Simon: No, we are not linked to Dantihill in Pavilion but we are to Wabisabi in TTDI Plaza and Shuraku Izakaya in Solaris, Mont Kiara.

  • ling239 says:

    if i am not mistaken… they share the same name with the one at Pavilion ? wonder if they are the same… but food here looks so much better ~ ^_^

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