The trend of Japanese food never fades and is here to stay for many years more judging by the increasing number of Japanese restaurants in Penang. It is fair to say that where ever there is a major complex, you will definitely spot a Japanese restaurant/cafe there. One of the latest addition in town is Goku Sen Restaurant in Udini Square, Gelugor.
Goku Sen in Japanese means absolute freshness. Therefore, one should expect a certain level of freshness for its food served.
It is easy to locate this new and upcoming restaurant. If you are driving from Penang bridge towards town direction, you will surely pass by e-gate on your left. Turn left to the direction of egate and keep driving and you will see Udini Square just in front of you. One of the advantages of this place is there are many indoor parking slots and it is free entrance at the moment.
The surrounding of the restaurant was so cozy and with large fish figures hanging around the restaurant.
Another advantage of Goku Sen is this restaurant is currently not charging GST 6%.
The chopsticks paper cover was labelled and written by hand.
The bottomless Japanese green tea hot/cold is one of the best in town in which the taste and aroma of the tea was very strong even after a few refills.
Mabo Tafu Set – RM13.80, Minced pork and tofu fried with spicy bean paste sauce. Serving together with the set was Japanese rice, salad, miso soup and fruits.
For those on the watch out of diet, this would be a great option as it has minimum meat. The bean curd (tofu) was cut into cubes and cooked in a peppery and spicy sauce. The dish was served hot and it was full of aroma. It was really oishii (tasty)!
Saba Steak Plate Set – RM18.80, Mackarel fish cooked with pepper and onion sauce. Serving together with it was some salad, deep fried crab stick, mayonnaise and rice.
The taste of the Mackerel (saba) was very fresh. However, the peppery and slight spiciness sauce was slightly too overwhelming which is a waste as the freshness of the fish couldn’t be fully enjoyed. For my personal preference, I would prefer the sauce to be non-peppery to preserve the freshness taste of the fish.
It was very cute to find that Japanese rice for this set had been molded into a sakura (cherry blossom) shape and then sprinkled with some black sesame.
Overall, this place serves fresh food in a cosy environment. The price of the food is reasonably-priced. Parking will not be a problem as there are many empty slots in the indoor car park. The only drawback is the taste of the saba steak sauce has covered the freshness of the fish. In my personal opinion, the sauce should be non-peppery or spicy if the fish is fresh.
Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):
| Taste |  |
| Price (more stars, more reasonable) |  |
| Food Presentation | |
| Service | |
| Overall | |
Quick Facts:
| Family Friendly |  |
| Parking | |
| Pork Free |  |
| Alcohol | |
| Credit Card | |
| Smoking | |
| Reservation | |
| Private Room (Private Area) | |
| WIFI Available | |
Operation hours: 12:00pm – 2:30pm; 6:00pm – 10:30pm (Dining, Daily) & 10:30am – 12:30am (Bar – Fri, Sat & Sun)
Contact: 04-376 3591 / 010-985 9301 (Miyagawa Akira)
Address: Block 2-01-23A & B, Udini Square, Lebuh Tunku Kudin 3, 11700 Gelugor, Penang.
GPS: 5.378265,100.314141