Kitano Japanese Restaurant Penang – Kitano @ Jazz

Since Kitano @ Jazz opened, I have dined there four times since the Chinese New Year. Many friends have asked why I prefer to return to the same restaurant again and again.

One question that people like to ask is, “So you eat free, Ar?”

I find this curious question a little amusing.

This is not a free meal-feeding frenzy, my dear curious friends. If it is, you will find me at every “free” invited hotel buffet, especially during Ramadan and Christmas promotions.

Instead, sometimes I return to the same outlet or restaurant because it means I like the same consistently good, clean taste, clean food prep, premium ingredients, and excellent service.

Japanese dinner at Kitano Japanese Restaurant

You will like the ambiance at the restaurant, which is contemporary and tastefully designed.

Two cordoned the semi-private area with a long family and friends gathering table.

There are no traditional Japanese-style rooms (和室, washitsu) with tatami mat flooring.

A meal on a tatami floor around a low table may appear engaging.

I can never get comfortable sitting on the floor to eat.

The Dining Table, chair, and utensils are excellent.

The overall decor is clean and reminiscent of a Japanese teahouse.

Kitano Japanese Restaurant Penang – Cuisine

Kitano offers a menu of delicious contemporary Japanese cuisine.

We enjoyed dining with Japanese Chef Alex, who had been preparing our food for years.

It has become a norm for the girls and families to gather for a nice relaxing dinner and catch up.

When Chef Alex was at Matsu, we would gather there to dine. So it is only natural that we follow Chef wherever he goes.

Chef Alex meticulously selects condiments, tempura oil, and even salt and pepper!

So, what would you order if it’s your first time dining?

Freshest Salmon Sashimi

I accompany a friend who likes to eat conveyor belt sushi. Most of the time, she will order an extra Salmon Sashimi for me.

Every time, I would decline and stick to munching on salted Edamame (boiled Japanese soybeans in the pod), eating fatty chicken katsu, and counting calories.

She would ask, “Don’t you like raw fish?”

I would smile and stick to my beans and chicken; these make an excellent, protein-dense, cheap meal.

One day, I took her to dinner at Kitano, and we ordered Salmon Sashimi and ate together.

She looked at me and said, “Now I understand why you would only eat beans and chicken.”

Different techniques for butchering a whole salmon—versus, say, a conveniently filleted salmon at your local seafood section in the hypermarket—have different colors, textures, and tastes.

There’s a difference between raw salmon and salmon sashimi. Salmon used for sashimi has been “super frozen” at minus 40°C.

This process kills parasitic worms that fish host but doesn’t break down the flesh.

So, the fish flesh remains fresh.

The rule for sushi and sashimi is never to buy pre-cut fillets from the wet markets.

Do I eat Sashimi at Kitano?

The answer is yes.

Why do I eat there? The restaurant uses the freshest raw saltwater fish and premium ingredients.

Sashimi Moriawase (5 kinds of imported raw fish to Chef’s selection)

Sashimi eats raw, thinly sliced seafood, including fish, shellfish, squid, or octopus.

They use only the freshest catch.

Sashimi is made by cutting the seafood into bite-sized rectangular shapes, thin diagonal slices, small firm squares, or thin julienne slivers.

It is served without rice.

Sushi is not raw fish but vinegared rice topped with other ingredients, which may or may not include fresh fish.

Salmon sashimi is the easiest to work with if you’ve never tried it. It has a very mild fish flavor and a vibrant, smooth taste.

Reds like Tuna are much less fatty and have a much firmer texture.

A lovely Sashimi Platter has Tuna, salmon, sea bream, mackerel, yellowtail, squid or octopus, shrimp, scallops, and clams.

The taste and texture of sashimi depend on the type of fish used.

At Kitano, you can order a Sashimi Moriawase with five kinds of imported raw fish for the Chef’s selection.

Mega Mango Maki Madness (Mango with soft shell crab reversed roll)

This Mango with assorted raw fish reversed roll is a dish recommended by the restaurant, which everyone loved.

Yaki Niku Wahyu Rosu (grill wagyu rib eye on charcoal brazier-sumibi-yakiniku)

Yakiniku is the art of Japanese barbecue, which means “grilled meat cuisine.”

Japanese writer Kanagaki Robun popularized this in his Seiyo Ryoritsu in 1872.

If you ask me which food item I would save up to eat, it has to be a Yakiniku, my absolute favorite.

When I was in Tokyo, we went to a time-sensitive Yakiniku (Japanese BBQ) Restaurant.

There was a mild tremor, and they turned the gas off.

It was hilarious as we got hot under the collar, waiting impatiently.

There’s no chance of that happening, as Kitano uses a portable charcoal brazier.

Tori Teriyaki (grilled chicken with teriyaki sauce)

My favorite is a chicken meal.

Juicy, tender chicken thighs glazed in a sweet and savory teriyaki sauce are the perfect comfort food.

Tempura Moriawase (assorted seafood and vegetable tempura)

The tempura is a Japanese dish that is a crowd favorite for battered fritter deep frying.

Most diners love the crunchy taste of vegetables and seafood. The most popular seafood tempura is probably Ebi (shrimp) tempura.

Chef Alex makes it crisp with no oiliness!

Salmon Skin & Soft Shell Crab Salad (crisp salmon skin and soft shell crab salad)

Before that dangerously addictive Salted Egg Salmon Skin snack from Singapore, most gourmands wouldn’t think of eating salmon skin per se – even though salmon skin is usually considered safe to eat.

The skin contains more of the same minerals and nutrients as salmon.

If I were to tell you where soft-shell crabs came about, you might not be so enthusiastic about ordering them.

Let’s save that story for another day, and we will eat dinner in the meantime.

The crispy crunch of fresh greens and Salmon Skin that look and taste like crackers are good.

The salad is one of my favorite items to order at Kitano.

Kurogoma Ice Cream (black sesame ice cream)

You may have tried the famous Japanese-flavored ice cream such as Green Tea and Red Bean.

For me, it is the Black Sesame Ice Cream, fully transformed into a peculiar dark gray Color.

I was surprised by the unique, nutty, toasty flavor.

I first had the mysterious Black Sesame Ice Cream at the Japanese restaurant in Matsu at Lone Pine Hotel.

Black Sesame Ice Cream is a perfect finish after a delightful Japanese dinner.

I would describe it as a vanilla ice cream base mixed with black sesame paste (Neri Goma) to give it that dark grey color and tasty, sweet, and nutty flavor.

For Asians, we commonly use black sesame flavor in desserts – Black Sesame Soup is a popular dessert.

They typically serve this hot in Chinese restaurants.

The main ingredients are ground black sesame seeds, rice, and water.

It takes the form of tong Sui, or sweet soup, with higher viscosity in Cantonese cuisine.

Black Sesame differs significantly from tahini.

I remember a young man who once loved the hot Peanut Tong Sui.

He told me he used to replicate it by adding half a jar of peanut butter into a boiling water bowl.

It doesn’t work this way, okay?

The chef makes the black sesame paste from roasted black sesame seeds before grounding them into a paste.

Review of Kitano Japanese Restaurant Penang

What else would I recommend?

Order all these and more.

Kitano @ Jazz has an extensive menu that I would return to repeatedly to try out.

However, every time we go, we always order our favorites.

Tell me what else you tried that you think I should eat next!

Kitano Japanese Restaurant Penang – Kitano @ Jazz
Lobby Level, Jazz Hotel Penang
No. 1, Jalan Seri Tanjung Pinang 1,
10470 Tanjung Tokong, Penang, Malaysia
Tel: +604-375 3333
Business Hours:
11:00 am – 2:30 pm, 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm daily

 

Blog Disclosure: This is a NOT sponsored blog post. All opinions are mine. The writer and friends paid for their meal.