Bloggers Review, Hilton Hotel, PJ

Sorry for the lack of updates. I had problems with my internet connection & this post takes almost a week to get it done! Enjoy reading!!

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Date: 18 June 2009, Thursday
Venue: Hilton Hotel, Petaling Jaya
Occasion: 1st bloggers review jointly organized by Hilton Petaling Jaya & theQguides.com

*fuh* It was massive fun at Hilton that night! The best part is that I needn't head back to Cyberjaya after the event like I usually do! *woohoo!! dances with joy* I could head back home & spend the entire weekend as I wanted to :) Sweet.

I was invited by theQguides.com for the 1st bloggers review at Hilton Petaling Jaya. Each blogger could bring along a partner, so I had my sister, Rachel, to accompany me for the lovely & yummilicious night ;) The review was to introduce http://www.zestpj.com/, a blog for the restaurants & bars of the hotel: Paya Serai Restaurant, Toh Yuen Chinese Restaurant, Genji Japanese Restaurant, Caffe Cino, & Uncle Chilli's Lounge & Bar.

Here's a short write-up by ZestPJ themself:
"ZestPJ allows restaurant guest to share their dining experience with other online users and their favorite social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Stumble Upon, Delicious and etc. The blog is regularly updated with the latest happenings at the restaurant and bar, from food, entertainment to recipes from the chefs. Regular contests are also something one can look forward to on ZestPJ. Besides that, partygoers can check out photos from the theme nights at Uncle Chilli's. Visitors who want the latest information can RSS feed the blog or sing up for the e-newsletter. like any other blofs that are fun, ZestPJ is truly interactive because visitors get to vote for their favorite dining experience, post comments and have those comments responded to by the ZestPJ Team, making it a two-way interaction!"

Five bloggers (and their partners) were invited for this event. It was like a 'reunion' for myself with Sue Lynn (bangsar-babe) & Rachel (thamjiak), plus a chance to meet Voon Keong (vkeong) for the 1st time! *yay* I do look forward to meeting KY (kyspeaks) in the upcoming events since he couldn't make it this time around :) Before the gastronomical dining experience, all 4 bloggers & their partners gathered at the Executive Boardroom for an introduction by Jek from theQguides.com & Cindy from ZestPJ-Hilton Petaling Jaya. After the introduction session, each blogger drew lots to decide which restaurant they get to go for dinner (between Genji, Paya Serai, & Toh Yuen) & moved on to make test out the theQguides.com site by making a reservation for the restaurant that each of us picked :D

PerutBesi got the Genji Japanese Restaurant!! *jumps in excitement!*

From there, we 'parted ways' & were ushered to the restaurants, where the restaurant manager (and chefs, if you get to see them :P) played host presenting us to an unforgetable dining experience! The evening concluded on a high note at Uncle Chilli's, together with some drinks, chit-chats, & an extremely energetic live performance by Manila Spice, Uncle Chilli's resident band! *wow* What a week-night! Ruth rarely gets out of Cyberjaya nor does she goes to such places 'til late night. This was truly an experience to be remembered ;)

Not to forget, here are some photos taken on that night to be shared with all of you!
(some photos were taken with my sister's handphone camera cos my camera ran out of battery! =.=" bummer)

TheQGuides - online restaurant reservation @ Hilton Petaling Jaya
[photo courtesy of theQguides.com]

Jek Tan from theQguides doing an introduction

All the bloggers & their partners
Jek & Cindy (Marketing Communications Manager from Hilton Petaling Jaya) spent some time introducing theQguides.com & ZestPJ to us bloggers before we proceeded to the restaurants< [photo curteosy of theQguides.com]

Genji Japanese Restaurant
"Genji is derived from "Genji No Ma" or "House of Genji", which was named after a legendary nobleman of feudal Japan. He was known as the shining Genji and famed for his appreciation & greatest passion for fine food, wine and lifestyle.

Opened since 1988, Genji Japanese Restaurant at Hilton Petaling Jaya has carved a reputation for its consistent quality of food with a myraid of country-style Japanese cuisine of seasonal delicacies, including popular favorites, ideal for social dining with business associates and with family..."

What I noticed when I first stepped into the restaurant was its authentic country-style design, which makes the restaurant very 'homey' & truly Japanese. It's actually my 1st time at this restaurant & my 1st time in such a well-designed Japanese restaurant! *stands in awe* I really appreciate the space that the restaurant has, plus the concept of having separate dining-styles for patrons with different taste for dining comfort (open tables+chairs dining area & private rooms where diners get to sit on the floor like in the Japanese custom).

The interior of Genji
Very 'woody' looking, & gives the restaurant a warm & comfortable touch. The lights were quite nice as well...perhaps you could say that it's a 'zen' style, but I felt that it was a little too dim & 'orangey' :S Not really nice for people like me who takes photos with a compact camera *sigh*

Wine/Liquor Variety
I noticed that almost every fine-dining Japanese restaurant will have a glass case of wine/alcohol. I wasn't adventerous enough to try out their sake. Somehow, I don't fancy alcohol *shrugs*

The private room
I didn't have the opportunity to sit in one of these rooms & dine. Well, even if I did, I won't feel very comfortable as well...I sprained my left ankle again (3 weeks ago) & the swelling is still visible :S such sitting positions won't be very encouraged for a person with such injuries/disability...I really feel disabled at times! :(

Our host for that evening was Amos, who manages both Genji & Toh Yuen. Amos was terribly busy that day as there was just SO many patrons! It was really surprising since it was a Thursday (weekday night!), but the restaurant looks as if it was going through its weekend crowd! They were short-handed as well because 5 of their staffs were on leave, which leaves only 10 workers running the restaurant (out of which only 4 were seen serving, & this included Amos himself) *faints*

There was just a large variety to choose from in the menu, so my sister & I decided to seek Amos for his recommendations instead. I just wanted to try everything! *lol...greedy me* I reckon Genji was my 3rd visit to a Japanese restaurant in 2 months! I've never eaten so much Japanese food in a such a short period of time :P

Genji's Menu
I thought the menu looked really pretty :) It does reflect a very Japanese 'feel', doesn't it?

Layout on our table

PerutBesi Ruth before the meal began :D

Rachel, delighted to be part of the dining experience :)

Pickled Seaweed
Once you start on this, you'll never want to stop! It's aromatically-addictive *chants for more* The seaweed was savory, with a tinge of chilli-spicy kick, & it has the fragrance of the sesame seeds scattered over the seaweed plus the sesame oil that was used for the marination :) The texture of the seaweed was crunchy & it's just irresistable. We were given each 2 plates of this appetizer, and we finished both plates! If not for the amount of food ordered, we would have asked for more seaweed...who would have actually thought that this humble-looking platter of green-strands would make you cry out for more? :P

Mixed Sashimi Platter - Salmon, Tuna, & Butterfish (White Tuna)
I only need 2 words to give a concluding description of the sashimi: Very fresh!
The salmon was very smooth, sweet (the kind of fresh natural sweetness), & most importantly, it melts in your mouth! The chef did a great job in slicing the sashimi to the right thickness :) Well done! I somehow liked the salmon best. The tuna was a little fishy, but the texture was firm (nice), so it went well with the soya sauce + wasabi as such sauce combination takes away the fishy smell :D Butterfish was something new to us & we found the texture & taste rather interesting. Just like its name, it does taste slightly 'milkish' & 'butterish'. It is not as firm as the usual tuna, & we believe it is best eaten as a whole slice & not in bites, where you'll not be able to taste the wholeness of the fish :)

Fresh Salmon

Fresh Tuna

Osaka-Style Sushi
You'll usually have the individually hand-packed sushi, where the rice is compressed & the meat/egg/vegetable will be placed on top of the sushi piece. Genji is proud to have it's signature Osaka-style boxed sushi! This style of sushi is not made with the hands, but uses a square or rectangular shaped sushi box (oshigata) which acts as a mold. The compacted rice in the box is then topped with individually-sliced cooked/cured ingredients like the unagi (sea eel), egg omelet, or ebi (poached shrimp), after which the box of rice is cut into individual pieces to be served.

Osaka- Style Unagi Sushi
This Unagi Sushi that we had was very delicious indeed :) There was a slight tangy-taste from the lemon slices that they slit in between the sushi, which makes the sushi taste very "refreshing" & not so "jelak" (bored/had too much 'til you don't want more). The rice was moist & nicely compressed, plus there was no fishy-smell from the unagi, which was nicely flavored & rich in taste as well...melts in your mouth. Perhaps the only small issue with the unagi is that this unagi slices had some, fine bones, which made the eating experience a 'lil unpleasant :S

Frat Mustard (Marketing Manager for theQguides.com) posing with the Unagi Sushi

[photo courtesy of theQguides.com]
Blogger & her organizer/host
PerutBesi Ruth with Rachel, Lisa (theQguides.com), Cindy (ZestPJ, Hilton Petaling Jaya), of course, Frat (theQguides.com). I'm sure it made Frat's day to be fed some mouth-watering Unagi Sushi...

[photo courtesy of theQguides.com]

Pan-Seared Cod Fish with Teriyaki Sauce
This was by far the BEST dish of the night...seriously...!!! *drools* The fish was crispy on the outside & smooth+tender on the inside :) Kudos to the chef who cooked this & not get it overdone! There was also a 'milky-feel' when you chew on the fish...very nice!

Ebi Chilli Mayo
Pan-seared (I think it's done this way) large prawn served with mayonaise & spices.
Both of us felt that the prawn was overcooked as its texture was slightly tougher & dry. The taste was actually quite nice, a little creamy & chilli-spicy, but it tastes even better with some lemon juice (lessens the creamy feel of the mayonaise). In our opinion, this dish should be eaten last since it's a spicy dish - won't "kill" your tastebuds to enjoy the rest of the dishes :P

Soba
The soup was not too salty & more flavorful than the ones I've had in other restaurants. Nevertheless, this is still a very common dish - nothing to shout about :)

Teppanyaki Mixed Mushrooms
This is something different :) Usually, teppanyaki comes as a veggie dish, but this one has just mushrooms! It's very fragrant; "butterish" & pepperish in taste & smell. The mushrooms were fresh & 'crunchy', but the fresh-taste was slightly overpowered by the amount of pepper added to the dish. The sauce enhanced the taste of the mushrooms as well :) Something different to try out when you come by Genji ;)

Three types of mushrooms
Black mushroom, golden needle mushroom, & erm....a bunch of mushrooms?? *lol* I've no idea what's the name of this particular mushrooms, but I didn't like it! It was slightly bitter...eeeyer...

Japanese Ice Cream
Clockwise: Black sesame, Green tea, & Sorbet (made from "yuzu", a grapefruit-like fruit)
Black sesame: Very fragrant, smooth & not too sweet. I feel that this is the best among the 3 variants! It's not like the usual creamy ice creams, but it is still very smooth :P
Green tea: Typical Japanese green tea ice cream, but you can certainly taste the green tea in your ice cream...it's not just green coloring! I felt that it could have more green tea in the ice cream :D
Yuzu sorbet: TOO sour for my liking *wergh* My sister whacked up the whole scoop though :S

PerutBesi Ruth when she had the sorbet ice cream...
Seriously sour...cannot 'tahan'...*bleagh*

PerutBesi Ruth when she had the lovely Green Tea & Black Sesame ice cream...sweet dessert
Cam-whoring? Ahahaha...this is called 'showing the difference in taste with the face' :P
Ruth, Japanese-clothed staff, & Amos, the restaurant manager
Photo taken at the entrance of the restaurant

Sisters

Uncle Chilli's
This place is labelled as PJ's hottest joint with DJ & live band performance. It underwent a major facelift 2 years ago, updated with a sleek, contemporary, & stylish ambience - its winning concept of ' The Place Where U Belong', appealing to the dynamic lifestlye of today's discerning customers.

Every Monday to Saturday nights, you can expect some lively music from their own resident band, The Manila Spice. Uncle Chilli's also have special theme nights to offer (e.g. Bunnies Night & Nurses Night), where you may check out their updates on the http://www.zestpj.com/ website.

Uncle Chilli's
After dinner & chit-chats at the restaurants where we dined, we continued with the night at Uncle Chill's, Hilton Petaling Jaya's famous hang-out spot.

Walking Stick (RM19.00/glass)
I didn't want any alcoholic drinks, so they recommended this to me. It contains a mixture of apples & cherries, & is pretty refreshing. The only thing that really struck me was its name "Walking Stick"...oh yes, I really needed it, especially when I'm limping cos of my injured ankle...

Manila Spice performing

The Manila Spice girls

[photo courtesy of theQguides.com]

Ruth & Rachel @ Uncle Chilli's

Here are some photos of the other bloggers at the event [photos courtesy of theQguides.com]:

Voon Keong

Rachel & Queenie

Sue Lynn

A big thank you goes to theQguides.com & Hilton Petaling Jaya for a wonderful night & memorable dining experience! You both surely made my routine weekday nights something different ;)

To our dear readers, look out for Genji's weekend buffets (I heard they were really good) & upcoming events/promotions at Hilton Petaling Jaya itself! Check out their latest updates at http://www.zestpj.com/!


Genji Japanese Restaurant
Hilton Petaling Jaya
2, Jalan Barat
46050 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan.
Phone: (+603) 7955 9122
Fax: (+603) 7957 7294


Ratings:
Presentation: * * * *1/2
Price: * * *
Environment: * * * * 1/2
Taste: * * * *
Service: * * * *


Overall:

- Ruth