Taste of Japan

It was a spur of the moment decision as we headed towards the Aji Nippon Restaurant located at Ideal Avenue. Our original plan was to have dinner at Indiraas, a popular banana leaf rice restaurant. Then SP remembered she had a mild cough so curry was out of the question. So while waiting for the traffic lights to turn at the Bayan Lepas roundabout, we decided to have Japanese.

This was SP's second time at Aji Nippon. She's told me about her previous dining experience and how much she liked the place. I didn't have much expectation when I first saw the place. The exterior decor was very plain compared to the neighbouring restaurant that also served Japanese food.

But I learnt not to judge a book by its cover because the interior was very nice. There is a Japanese theme, but they didn't go overboard. Some Japanese art on the wall, modern Japanese pop music from a small portable radio, a few Japanese inspired wall lamps and dark wood tables and chairs completed the theme.

It was a weekday so there wasn't a crowd. Good for us because we had the first dibs on the private booth. This private booth had a low table with the floor recessed under the table so we don't have to fold our legs when we eat. You know what was the best part? The waitresses had to kneel when they served us. WOW! Talk about being pampered. Aji Nippon's waitresses were very attentive. Our cups of green tea were never empty. They kept coming in, kneeling beside us and filling up our cups.


SP ordered the Wakayama Ramen. It was a huge bowl! I liked the soup and goes well with the thick noodles and several generous slices of pork. The soup spoon was quite unique. It looked more like a ladle, but works surprisingly well.


SP suggested I get the Aji Nippon Special Set. First the raw stuff - thick slices of salmon, tuna and another fish that I couldn't identify, slices of octopus tentacles and a baby octopus. I thought that was it, but then....


the second part of the set - tempura, chawan mushi, miso soup, grilled salmon, rice and some watermelon dessert. WOW!


I was beaming throughout the meal. The meal was very satisfying and very substantial. I'm definitely going back to Aji Nippon. If you decide to try, don't judge the place by its exterior decor. Check out the place and taste their food. I think you'll enjoy it. We certainly did.

A quick google and I found out that the literal translation of the Japanese word Aji is taste. So Aji Nippon would be?