Looking for an authentic Japanese Cuisine? Worry no more as Kampachi at Hotel Equatorial is one of the few restaurants in Penang, if not pioneer, to serve authentic Japanese Cuisine. The food ingredients are air-flown directly from Japan in order to maintain the authenticity of the cuisine.
Kampachi Executive Chef Koji Tamaru is one of the most experienced Japanese Cuisine Chefs around. Chef Tamaru has been mastering Japanese Cuisine for more then 40 years. Aside from cooking great Japanese dishes, Koji Tamaru San is also able to speak fluent Malay as he has been staying in Malaysia for 20 years.
Chef Tamaru is especially talented in preparing Omakase (Japanese for “entrust’) meals – a procession of elegantly presented authentic Japanese dishes using the best seasonal ingredients. As a well-rounded chef, he is sharp at his judgment to be able to deliver an outstanding curated menu that goes well with patrons’ preferences. Each dish is meticulously prepared and artistically presented, not just a feast for the palate but for the eyes as well.
The showcase for the night presented all the best that Chef Tamaru that capable of. One of the signatures of Chef Tamaru is the Hanakago Bento. This is a very delegate and distinguish 9-course Japanese bento meal. The highlight of this meal is the refined and precised arrangement by the chef with passion. The Hanakago Bento costs RM150 nett per person.
Cocktails are also available at Nadaba.
Another star of the night was Teppanyaki Chef Joseph who performed his professional skill by ‘throwing’ flames on to the stove. It was a breathtaking and spectacular moment.
Japanese Salad – Cold salad served in cherry tomatoes together with Japanese cucumber, shrimps, mushrooms, lettuce and purple cabbage. Each of it was topped with homemade Japanese salad dressing. This serving of salad was delicate and unique, it tasted appetizing too.
There were many varieties of freshly-made sushi which were hand-pressed instead of machine-pressed.
Chawanmushi – also known as “tea cup steam” in Japanese. This dish is an egg custard dish found in Japan. The custard consists of an egg mixture flavored with soy sauce, dashi, and mirin, with numerous ingredients such as shiitake mushrooms, kamaboko, yuri-ne (lily root) and ginkgo. This is a very regular and standard type of dish.
Yasai Itame – This is a stir-fried mix veggie. The most important ingredient of this dish is the cabbage, which was mixed and fried with bean sprouts, carrots and mushrooms. It was a very simple yet healthy dish.
Niniku Meshi – also known as garlic fried rice. The fried rice was cooked with spring onions, eggs and garlic. The “wok” aroma was so nice and it really brought out the flavor of the fried rice.
Yaki Tori – Also known as Japanese “Satay”. The preparation of Yakitori involves skewering the meat with kushi, a type of skewer typically made of bamboo. After marination, they are then grilled over a charcoal fire. During or after cooking, the meat is typically seasoned with tare sauce or salt. Tell me about this, I am going back for this mouth-watering Japanese “Satay”.
Shiromi Zakana Saikyoyaki – Saikyoyaki is a very popular traditional Japanese grilled fish marinated in Saikyo Miso (sweet white Miso) made in Kyoto. The sea bass fillet was marinated overnight to let the Miso soak thoroughly into the fish and tenderizes the fish to give it an absolutely delicious, sweet and rich flavor. This dish is perfect to go with white rice.
Miso Shiro – Commonly known as Miso Soup, is a traditional Japanese soup consisting of a stock called dashi into which softened miso paste is mixed. The additional ingredients such as Japanese Tofu and other top ups were placed just beside the soup.
Wanko Soba – Wanko in Japanese means bowl, is a style of Japanese soba noodles originating from Iwate Prefecture in Japan. It consists of a small serving of soba noodles in a small bowl. Is a cold type of noodle, usually served during summer. This dish is one of the signatures here in Kampachi. Once tried, you will sure come back for it again.
Additionally, there were some other delightful dishes as below:
- Salmon Carpaccio
- Tai Nigiri
- BBQ Nigiri
- California Rolls
- Futo Maki
- Soft Crab Maki
For those on a sodium watch out, Kampachi also provides Tosa (Japanese Soy Sauce) that is lower in salt level.
Overall, Kampachi serves one of the greatest authentic Japanese food in Penang. It is a great place for gathering and chilling out with family and friends. The food here is delicious and fresh, and the choices of Japanese food is aplenty. The only drawback is the hotel parking rate here is on the high side.
Buffet Lunch
Available: 12.00 noon – 2.30 pm
Price: RM98 nett per adult , RM49 nett per child
Buffet Dinner
Available: 6.30 pm – 10.00 pm
Price: RM128 nett per adult , RM64 nett per child
Prices are inclusive of 10% service charge and 6% GST
Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):
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Quick Facts:
| Family Friendly |  |
| Parking | |
| Pork Free | |
| Alcohol | |
| Credit Card | |
| Smoking | |
| Reservation | |
| Private Room (Private Area) | |
| WIFI Available | |
Operation hours: 12:00 noon – 2:30 pm (Mon – Sun); 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm (Sun – Fri), 6:30pm – 10:00 pm (Sat)
Contact: 04-632 7000
Address: 1 Jalan Bukit Jambul , Bayan Lepas , 11900 Penang, Malaysia
GPS: 5.3370286,100.2824649