A squat little Japanese lantern standing before a discreet flight of stairs is the only indicator of Sushi Kazu’s presence on a corner of Jalan Batai. The restaurant needs no hooks or parlour tricks. Since it opened December last year (and reopened after the MCO), the reservations have come thick and fast for the 12 seats at its counter, plus its 10-person private room. Sushi Kazu is a place that you’ll want to be nimble about booking, largely because so many diners make repeat return visits, drawn by executive chef Norikazu Shibata’s Edomae sushi and finely tailored omakase menus.
Customer loyalty is, in fact, the reason behind Sushi Kazu’s existence. Shibata’s business partners – a family of dedicated epicureans who prefer to remain under-the-radar – were his avid fans when he was the master sushi chef at Kampachi in Troika. Their fondness for his culinary art helped them rediscover Shibata two months after he had stepped away from his position. It was then when they suggested setting up Sushi Kazu together.
Picking up none of the hustle and bustle below, the sushiya is a calm, measured, and refined space – rather like Shibata himself. (Prices for lunch at Sushi Kazu range from RM129 to RM238, while for dinner, a choice of three omakase menus runs between RM308 and RM598. Should you wish for an even more lavish selection, name your price, and Shibata will fashion his menu accordingly.) Blonde and tan wood mingle, the spotlights overhead pull off the feat of achieving cozy illumination without harshness, and a striking orchid arrangement welcomes newly arrived customers at the end of a lacquer-red corridor.
Standing on ceremony isn’t a necessity here, though. You’re likely to spot regulars greeting Shibata warmly, occasionally with a bottle of his favourite Jameson or Johnnie Walker Blue Label whiskies in tow. So what keeps those old faithfuls coming back, time and time again? “One of the most important points with Kazu-san,” one of the partners tells me, “is that every meal is different. That really is his specialty.” Add to that his skills in ageing and marinating fish from Tokyo Bay – in true Edomae style – to bring out their very best flavours, and his ability to play with seasonings and garnishes that enliven the most sluggish palate.
On any given day, Shibata might serve grilled tuna jaw sprinkled with salt and lime, yellowtail belly laced with a touch of chilli and sesame oil, or buttery flatfish engawa lifted with a single chive. It is these masterful combinations that leave diners curious to know what other tricks he has up his sleeves. Before they know it, they’re making their next reservation at Sushi Kazu just as they exit down the stairs – or at least, that’s certainly what happened to me.
Photos: Law Soo Phye
