Buffet lunch at Jogoya

We had team lunch at Jogoya Japanese Buffet @ Starhill last Monday. I didn’t even know of its existence, the “katak bawah tempurung” that I am, but I found out later that it has been the talk of the town since it’s inception in January 2006. The restaurant is really huge, with various seating halls arranged around the various buffet stations – it’s like a maze so it can be quite confusing at first. The atmosphere of the restaurant is casual, relaxed and elegant.

The buffet spread was impressive, with a wide selection of sushi & sashimi, teppanyaki, tempura, soup, shabu-shabu, BBQ, deep fried, cooked local, Western and Japanese cuisines, dessert, beverages, and several more which I can’t quite remember. Beverages are free flow, and include fruits juices, fragrant coconuts, and even a small selection of wine and liquor. But what caught my eyes was the ice-cream bar – Haagen-Dazs, no less. And there were 16 flavours to choose from, so you will be spoilt for choice.

There were 16 of us and we booked a private room. A chef came in and cooked grilled mini lobster with cream sauce for us in the room shortly after we arrived. We then proceeded to sample buffet line. For food that needs cooking, each customer is given a clip with the table number to pass to the chef, and the food will be brought to your table once done. That saves a lot of waiting time. Each table also has several mini-stoves that are used for cooking soup and food in stone pots. Quality wise, some food were really good, while some were rather mediocre.

Food clip with table number, and a selection of sushi, sashimi and cold dishes

Mini stove for soups, shabu-shabu and self-cooked dishes

It costs RM78++ for lunch (11:30-13:40), RM68++ for late lunch (13:40-16:20), RM88++ for dinner (17:00-21:30) and RM78++ for supper (21:30-01:00). It’s actually quite pricey as many of the food items are fusion and Oriental, rather than pure Japanese food. But but, sit tight – they are having their 3rd anniversary promotion from 13 October - 19 December 2008. There’s a 50% discount for ladies all day long from Monday – Thursday, while for Friday, it’s only valid for lunch and late lunch. Another promotion is the senior citizens promotion – 50% discount all day long from Monday – Thursday on every third week of the month. The flyer says valid for senior citizens aged 60 years and above for four adult guests, so I guess it means one senior citizen can bring up to four guests? Call them at 03-21421268 to find out if you are planning to give your parents a treat. Will see if mum is up to it, coz she’s not a fan of Japanese food.