Pan Fried Hokkaido Scallop with Avocado and Caviar - Christmas Course #1

I began with a serving of scallops pan fried to tender perfection, wrapped in sliced avocado and topped with caviar, saffron strips, butterfly-pea flower and finished with a Yuzu champagne sauce. The dish was really light but it still packs in a ton of flavours as well as texture. 

The scallops were naturally sweet, firm and bouncy while the avocado gave it a really creamy finish. Caviar and saffron added a tad bit of savoury notes to the dish and the flower is simply pretty. A stunning appetizer to say the least. 

Live Baby Lobster & Kinmedai Sashimi - Christmas Course #2

Next up, I had a gorgeous serving of live baby lobster (air-flown from Japan) and Kinmedai sashimi. It certainly is quite rare to find a restaurant that serves live baby lobster as most of them are frozen. Hence, the flesh is firmer yet soft, tender and sweet. A touch of wasabi and a light dip in soy sauce is all you will need to enjoy this dish. 

The Kinmedai sashimi, which is known as the Golden Eye Snapper, had a really nice shine. It is also really tender and the taste isn't as fishy as I'd imagine. Overall, a lovely dish indeed. 

Creamy Potato & Green Bean Soup - New Year Course #3

Though it may look quite simple, the soup was actually quite flavourful. Do not be fooled as the soup was quite lumpy, which gave it a pretty unique texture. It was nicely seasoned and the grilled Kinmedai fish head was firm and flaky. 

New Style Snow Crab Leg Tempura - Christmas Course #4

To be quite honest, this was something new to me. I've yet to see black tempura and the use of squid ink to achieve it was ingenious. However, I personally do not fancy tempura as much and the quantity wasn't as generous. The snow crab was firm and sweet, but two strips were barely enough. However, I did enjoy the crispiness and lightness of the tempura. 

Wagyu Beef Steak with Sesame Sauce - Christmas Course #4

Now this is what I really like. Wagyu grilled perfectly pink and seasoned with salt, pepper and in this case, sesame sauce. It is slightly leaner than what I'd expect, but it was still incredibly tender and juicy. It has a nice sear on the crust while internally, it was really moist. Though I would prefer my beef to be seasoned with only salt and pepper, the homemade sesame sauce gets an exception this time due to the theme of the restaurant. 

Lobster Steak with Sweet Sauce - New Year Course #4

As for the New Year course, you will be getting a perfectly grilled lobster with sweet sauce. Do not worry, the sauce did not overpower the lobster but instead, worked in harmony alongside its tender flesh. As you can see, the lobster is firm, bouncy and well packed with flavour. Served with a side of potato salad. 

4 Season Sushi - New Year Course #5

Finally, a tad bit of carbs! Here we have a stunning looking 4 season sushi, in which from the left we have chopped toro with fried China leek infused rice, duck liver with Sisho leaf infused rice, caviar with gold leaf and Japanese Chrysanthemum infused rice and finally, Uni (sea urchin) with butterfly-pea infused rice. 

All of them are bite size, which allows you to put them whole to savour both the flavour and texture. My favourite was certainly the chopped toro as it was my favourite. The duck liver was really buttery but the taste might need some getting used to. The caviar was really good as well while the sea-urchin personally, wasn't what I would enjoy. But as a whole, they were fantastic. 

Dessert - New Year and Christmas Course #6

As for dessert, I had a serving of sponge cake filled with cream and coated with chocolate, topped with edible honeycomb and a side of strawberry. After all that amazing dish, the dessert certainly did seem a little underwhelming. I'd prefer something cold and refreshing like ice cream or fruits, but then again that's personal. However, the chef did mention that the dessert will change in time to come. After all, it is a mystery dessert! 

Overall, my experience this time around at Ishin Japanese Dining was great. It still maintain the standards of what I had before where everything was executed to perfection and the ingredients were fresh. I believe that for this Christmas, it's time to try something new instead of the conventional turkey dinner. Go for Japanese, a fine one at that and give Ishin a go, you will not regret it!

Christmas Menu: RM168

#1 Pan Fried Hokkaido Scallop

#2 Live Baby Lobster & Kinmedai Sashimi

#3 Fresh Soya Bean Soup with Lobster Head

#4 New Style Snow Crab Leg Tempura or Wagyu Beef Steak with Sesame Sauce

#5 Golden Fried Rice with Hokkaido Uni

#6 Dessert

New Year Menu: RM188

#1 Pan Fried Duck Breast with Mixed Fruit

#2 Hokkaido Baby Scallop & Sea Robin Sashimi

#3 Creamy Potato & Green Bean Soup with Grilled Kinmedai head

#4 Lobster Steak with Sweet Sasuce

#5 4 Season Sushi

#6 Dessert

These special menu will only be made available on the 24th of December 2016 (Christmas Menu) and 31st of January (New Year Menu). You will be required to call in and place a reservation. 

Call now at 03-7980 8228 or book online at www.ishin.my/facebook.

Address:

202, Persiaran Klang, Batu 3 3/4, Off Jalan Kelang Lama, 58000 Kuala Lumpur.

Operating hours: Daily 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 1am

Tel: 03-7980 8228

FB: https://www.facebook.com/ishinmy/home