Full of vibrant funk, Senya Izakaya @ Publika (鲜家) is your atypical Japanese Japanese Restaurant. It’s colorful; it’s fun; it’s casual. The semi-private booths especially, are decorated with posters and Japanese elements the vibe could not be anymore Japanese.
If you can’t get a seat at the booths, that’s OK because the rest of the restaurant is pretty groovy too. The neon lights make it as if dining at the busy streets of Shibuya at night; while there’s absolutely no worries about getting a smokey smell on your clothes if you are sitting in front of the the grill station.
Placing orders via ipad at Senya Izakaya is super-swift.
I ordered the “Hoppy Beer” (RM 12) – only because I misread the menu; I thought it was “hAppy beer”, thinking it might be something different from others. Well, it’s beer that’s a little flat on taste.
Korean seaweed (RM 5) works as a really good appetizer if you are dying of hunger and need something to munch on fast.
The amazing Hokaido Pork (RM 20) is THE must-order at Senya Izakaya. The thinly sliced, grilled pork is both sweet and savory. Charred on the edges and lightly caramelized , I could eat this dish over and over again. This dish consists of just the pork, it also comes with rice (Pork Don RM 22) – I can already imagine how compatible it would be with the rice when all that superb sauce is mixed into the rice.
The freshness of the sashimi is tantalizing. Salmon-lovers would love this place to death because at a promotional price of RM 12.80 for 5 pieces, it is definitely hard to beat. (Do note this is promotional price so I am not sure how long this price will last).
Japanese Yellow Tail (RM 35.80, 5 pieces).
Shimesaba Nigiri (RM 12, 2 pieces).
Salted Squid (RM 9.80) caught my attention because it’s something I haven’t seen before in Japanese restaurants. The taste will have your fullest attention too once you take a bite into it. Glaringly salty with an intense fermented flavor, it would fall under the acquired taste category. We couldn’t finish this dish.
Pork Belly with Ladies Fingers (RM 6 per skewer) – good old pairing of vegetables and pork will never be wrong.
Pork on pork pork taste even better when there’s Pork Belly with Pork Sausage (RM 8 per skewer).
Salmon Skin Salad ( RM 14) – satisfying with crispy skin and a generous serving of sesame dressing.
Senya Izakaya’s menu consists of comprehensive items including sushi/sashimi, appetizers, deep-fried, grills, salads, rice and noodles. The prices are reasonable you’ll be able to order a rice or noodle dish under RM 20.
More Info
Senya Izakaya Facebook
D5-G3-5, Solaris Dutamas 1, Jalan Dutams 1, 50480 KL, Malaysia. (in Publika).
Always tell myself must try this whenever I saw people share about the pork don but always end up forgot about it when I was at Publika >_< By the way, the thickness of the pork seem getting thinner?
The pork is really to-die-for ! I don’t know about the pork getting thinner though…