Tenka Noshoku @ Kuale

Tenka Noshoku..... Deliciousness on Earth :-)

Kuala Kangsar is a district with many small villages all around. And one of them is Jerlun.  

Most of the villagers are of Chinese ethnicity working in the agriculture sector, mainly rubber estates. Nowadays many no longer follow the ways of the parents and have ventured elsewhere to seek employment.

One young man decided to try his luck in Japan at the age of 19. Struggled for many years .... Learnt up, buckled up himself with knowledge and with some culinary experience in Japanese cuisine decided to return to his village in Malaysia. 

My mother in law told us about it and I have to admit I was rather skeptical at first. Japanese food in that village?

I was impressed upon my first visit. The outlet is nothing fancy and it's situated in a hawker outlet built by the municipal. Although low scale but it has nice details to take note of.

They use pretty plates to serve, use good  short grain rice that is nicely steamed and sticky, garnish their food nicely and most of all..... Provide a nice makeshift washroom nearby. 

The washroom really came as a surprise for me. It didn't look like much on the outside but once you open the door, you'll be greeted with a clean toilet that comes with automated buttons and wall deco. I love the kerosene lamp hanging outside... It's rustic. 

My kids do try to make the washroom as a 'must visit' each time. Haha. Lately they even embarked on growing creeping flowers like allamanda to decorate the mobile toilet's outer wall. 

Clean !! Every visit it is clean!!

The boss told me, there were reasons why the toilet has wheels. They are not for deco!!

It's actually an illegal toilet. So, if one day the municipal decides to demolish it, he will just detach the pipings and pull the whole toilet home. He loves his toilet. 

Daily menu on white board, seasonal menu on black board . Taken over a few visits. 

Ok, toilet stories aside......

I've been there quite a few times and their menu is quite limited because of the clientele and they have limited man power. Although limited, but it's still impressive for a village shop. Even in Ipoh I don't see Nagaimo Tofu... But it's here.

They serve shashimi only on Sundays and it's only salmon. The things on the chalkboard is seasonal and changes according to availability. 

And here are the things I had.... I've been here many times but I didn't shoot all the food I had here. Just to show u some...

Cucumber with Ume sauce... I personally prefer their cucumber jellyfish salad 

Salmon shashimi.... Nice

Salmon salad, ........salmon meagre.... But portion is big

Curry chicken rice.... Very generous portion each time!!

Chef's version of Buta Kakuni... Served with a dash of mustard. A bit under braised for my liking. 

It's unlike the other versions I had that is cooked with soy sauce and taste sweet... This is different and he said, sooo many versions in Japan. 

Yakitori, can ask for DIY .... They will put a charcoal pit in the table for u. We didn't DIY ours.

Korokke.... Nice. Served with Kewpie mayo! I seriously didn't expect Kewpie as most restaurants will just cheat with regular mayo.

One note: when I had it the second time, it wasn't good. I suspect it was yesterday's potato, as it smelled stale. The only disappointment I had so far after patronising for more than a year regularly. 

Bon Bon chicken....jap style, chef said. Cold chicken thigh rolls dressed with sesame sauce and served like a salad. Yumz!!!

Teriyaki salmon. Moist succulent with a light tinge of sweetness. 

Traditional homemade tofu. It's his family's recipe. It may not be that 'Japanese' but he wants to share his family's tofu with his customers. It has a crispy crust and wonderfully fragrant of soy. Served with garlic chilli sauce. 

After being their regular customer for more than a year... Rice quality stays the same, no shortchanging with other rice of inferior quality. To me, rice is the core of any Japanese eatery. If the rice isn't nice... It spoils the whole experience, no matter where it is. 

The rice here is actually much better than so many Japanese restaurants in Malaysia, soft, chewy, sticky and fragrant.... And it's fairly priced. 

And so if you ever happen to be in Kuale... Do visit this humble shop

Directions: 

If you're coming from KK town, after Jerlun village,  you will see this school on your right. 

Turn right and you will see this police station on your left.

The hawker center is just beside the school, SRJK (c) Jerlun, Kuala Kangsar. 

It's just next to SJKC Jerlun