Remember Hajime? … and my endless obsession to dine there?

Once upon a time, if anyone i know asked me where to go for the best Japanese food in town, Hajime would be at the tip of the tongue. And despite the quality (and service for that matter) which had dropped drastically – hence our absence from the restaurant for a very long time, i would still miss the wonderful food we tasted on numerous visits before.

Then we learned that Hajime had shut down due to licensing problem and we felt kind of sad.
 

You could only imagine our delight when the boyfriend was googling for a place we could go to celebrate our 5th anniversary and found out Hajime is back in town!

Actually the new Hajime is now called Coco Tei (hmm… i like the old name better) and it’s located at Jalan Delima, next to Fukuya. So you could guess where we headed to right? Yes, last night we dined at Coco Tei and it was bliss.
 

Coco Tei has a life of its own. It’s tastefully designed with stone walls and wooden furniture and wall decors, obviously with comfort and zen in mind. Absolutely beautiful.
 

Tatami style seating as well as normal seating is available. The dim lights (all the photos here are taken with night mode hence the brightness) and candles on the tables sets the perfect setting for a private dinner with loved ones. It is spacious yet extremely cozy.
 

There is the a la carte menu or you could always sit at the bar and asked the chef to whip up something for you. Also there is a set menu to choose from (mostly sashimi sets).

We decided to give the a la carte menu a try.

First up was the Avocado Lover.

Both of us obviously adore avocados and this particular maki roll was perfect. With succulent and crunchy baby octopus in the middle and soft buttery avocados on the outside topped with sprinkle of caviar, it was absolutely delicious!
 

My favorite of the night is the Hotatei Ninniku which is grilled scallop with cheese. The scallop too was laces with tiny caviar and seaweed giving it an extra bite while the scallop with cheese itself was rich and juicy.

I’m drooling right now! 4 pieces is really not enough!!
 

Also another dish from the grilled section is the Gindara Saikyo – Grilled Codfish with Garlic Sauce.

The portion might be small but taste wise it was great. Even though the fish is grilled it wasn’t over-cooked or charred. The flesh remains juicy and soft. Just squeeze some lemon onto it and it’s ready to be savored.

It tasted slightly salty but it’s ok since the cod fish has a slightly natural sweetness making it a nice blend.
 

To take a break and to let everything digest, we ordered a pot of seafood soup, the Dobin Mushi. There are a few selections of soups on the menu but we wanted something light with no meat in it so this is what we decided.

The soup is served in a small clay pot. Like drinking Chinese tea, the soup is poured into small cups. It’s a nice way of enjoying soup anyways because you could drink slowly and the rest of the soup remains warm in the pot.

The soup was nice – sweet and warming.
 

Next up we tried their sashimi sushi. We tried 3 different types, the kanpachi (amberjack), tuna and tai sushi (red snapper).

I think this is one of the best places to have sashimi. I remember having beef sashimi at Hajime on my first visit and it was superb. Nowhere else could compare. Coco Tei serves extremely fresh sashimi which is carefully prepared.
 

The sushi we had was good. I don’t really dig sashimi but if it’s super fresh i’m keen on trying. The sashimi here i definitely approve.

It’s also my first time trying tai sushi (amberjack) and i thought it tasted very ‘green’ and weird so i’m not so keen to have it next time around.
 

Finally came the Chasoba (green tea noodles) served cold with a bowl of soy based dashi broth. The noodle was springy and smooth but i think soba taste around the same anywhere you go so it’s nothing spectacular.

In the end we paid RM187.00 which i think is very reasonable for the quality of food.

I regret that we were too full to have the sesame ice cream, one of my favorite at Japanese restaurants. But hey, since we were given a RM10 voucher i’ll make sure we do try the ice cream on top of other more luxurious food (sea bass and foie gras) on the menu on our next visit.

Oh by the way, there is ample parking within the compound and if you dine in Coco Tei you get complimentary parking.
 
 

Dobin Mushi – RM18.00
Hotatei Ninniku – RM16.00
Gindara Saikyo – RM42.00
Chasoba – RM18.00
Avacado Lover – RM26.00
Akami Sushi – 14.00
Kanpachi Sushi – RM18.00
Tai Sushi – Rm18.00

Total: RM187.00 inclusive of 10% svc chg
 
 

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Coco Tei (Tokyo Japanese Cuisine)
No. 5, GF-B,
Jalan Delima,
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 1800 88 6655
Fax: +603-21100418
Website: www.cocotei.com