This high-end restaurant is located near KLCC, and it stands out for its expert use of warayaki, an ancient grilling technique that uses blazing rice straw to imbue each dish with an alluring smokiness.
Hailing from the Kochi prefecture on the mountainous Shikoku Island, this centuries-old method elevates each ingredient, leaving you with a delightful and unforgettable culinary experience.
The intense heat of the rice straw, which Kikyo imports straight from Japan, quickly sears the food, locking in its natural juices and creating a satisfyingly charred exterior.
Whether you’re enjoying the delicate smokiness of its freshly grilled seafood or the succulent char of its prized Miyabi beef, Kikyo’s warayaki expertise is apparent in every bite.
With the renowned Chef Yamasaki Kenichiro at the head of the kitchen, you can be sure that a magical dining experience is in store.
There are three meticulously curated menus – Ren, Kou, and Mikado – and they promise to transport diners to a world of culinary refinement at the restaurant.
FMT Lifestyle recently tried the 10-course Kou menu. It was priced at RM798.
The course started with an amuse (from amuse-bouche or mouth amuser), a modern interpretation of a tomato gazpacho. Light, airy and refreshing, this classic Spanish cold soup gets a Japanese twist with a surprise at the bottom of the bowl: caponata – an eggplant and vegetable relish – and prawn marinated with kombu seaweed.
Next was the Chef’s Special Arrangement, the Uni TamagoYaki. Resting elegantly atop a black nest was an eggshell filled with uni (sea urchin), tamagoyaki (Japanese omelette), and wasabi cream, crowned with a sprinkle of caviar. The best way to enjoy it was to take small bites and savour every creamy spoonful.
Get transported to the coasts of Shikoku Island with the Dashi Sea Mineral, a cold dish. Be warned, though. If you’re not into the taste of the ocean with a hint of brininess, this cold soup with oyster, sea urchin, crab and dashi jelly may be a tad overwhelming.
Move on to the Warayaki Sashimi, a simple but exquisite dish of rockfish marinated with koji – a fungus used in Japanese cooking – and black cod marinated with miso. This was served with pickled ginger. The sashimi was grilled over a bed of glazing rice straw, giving them a smoky exterior and a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth interior.
The Wanmono, which came next, is a traditional style of cold shabu shabu using A5 Miyabi striploin resting on a creamy bed of rich sesame sauce and bamboo charcoal sauce.
Next was the Shiizakana, a dry-aged wagyu brioche slider served on a block of marble. The Miyabi wagyu, drizzled in sabayon sauce – a mixture of egg yolk, sugar and wine – was delicious. However, the mini brioche buns could have been crispier and more buttery.
The mango sherbet was served next as a palate cleanser, in preparation for the star of the evening, the Warayaki Grill.
The succulent tenderloin was infused with a tantalising smoky aroma and exquisitely charred on the outside. Each bite was beefy perfection and the combination of the chef’s special sauce and mushroom sauce would make you float to the clouds.
The last dish before dessert was Donabe Rice. The bowl of white rice with a whole egg yolk and sliced warayaki wagyu rump looked simple enough. But beneath that simplicity was mouthwatering flavours that finished the main course. The straw grilled rump was enhanced by the egg yolk that was marinated in shoyu for three hours.
The verdict? At Kikyo, the gastronomic encounter is an authentic homage to cultural legacy, reimagined with contemporary flair, where tradition meets modernity in a symphony of taste and texture. Meshiagare!
Follow Kikyo on Instagram or head to its website.
Kikyo
Lot G-3, The Troika
19, Persiaran KLCC
50490 Kuala Lumpur
Business hours (daily)
6pm-8pm (first seating)
8.30pm-10.30pm (second seating)
Contact: 012-799 7751