The best way to showcase fresh, quality meat is by allowing its natural flavours to do the talking – which is what you’ll get when dining at Yakiniku Kuro, IOI City Mall.

As the name suggests, this Japanese restaurant specialises in yakiniku, or grilled beef cooked over smokeless griddles. The style here is that you cook the meat yourself over a smokeless grille, so you can adjust the meat’s doneness to your own liking.

This is the brand’s second branch after its 1Utama outlet, and it sports similar features: lots of light wood typical of Japanese restaurants, but incorporated with a modern design. Diners can choose to sit at the family tables where you can share a griddle, or the common area in the centre which has individual seats – ideal for solo diners.

Yakiniku Kuro offers mainly Prime Angus cuts, including karubi (beef short plate), rosu (beef chuck), harami (beef skirt) and zabuton (chuck flap) to name a few. Portions come in 100, 150, and 200 grammes, with the option of marinated or non-marinated, and prices start from RM36.90.

Those looking to indulge can go for either Australian or Japanese wagyu beef, price of which varies according to the cuts they have available. There is also lamb and seafood like squid, salmon fillet, and prawn.

I went for the 150g karubi set meal (RM49.90), which is great for yakiniku as it has a nice ratio of lean and fat. The set comes with rice, salad, and a soup, and two dipping sauces.

The grill has a heating coil underneath so it doesn’t produce any smoke, but you get that smoky char-ness over the meat all the same. The meat is not too thick nor thin – just the right size for grilling.

What can I say? The meat was extremely tender, and as I lifted it off the grill, it glistened with juices and flavour. One bite and it practically dissolved in a flurry of savoury umami in the mouth. If this isn’t culinary bliss, I don’t know what is! It’s easy to polish off bowls of rice with just one piece. The marinade has a slightly sweet flavour to it, so you don’t need any dipping sauces.

While the price is a bit on the higher end, Yakiniku Kuro is a good choice for quality yakiniku in a comfortable mall setting. Service is decent.

YAKINIKU KURO

L3-209, IOI City Mall 2, Lebuh IRC Resort City, 62502 Putrajaya

Opening hours: 1130am – 10PM

Phone: 03-8682 4146

Website

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