Review: Shokudo at Armada Hotel

Venue: Shokudo Japanese Restaurant
Occasion: Food review
Overall comment: Simple & delicious Japanese meal at RM15.00++ that's served to you in 15 minutes! The meal is available from Mondays - Saturdays (Shokudo is closed on Sundays). We can now have quick & good lunches even on Saturdays!
Halal: Yes

Have you ever associated the established Armada Hotel in Petaling Jaya with good food? Overseas Restaurant aside, I was pleasantly surprised to discover a gem within the familiar ground of Petaling Jaya! Thanks to Shanton & his team, I was invited to a simple & delightful food-tasting session of Shokudo's "Speedy Lunch" dishes & some of their ala carte dishes as well.

 

Shokudo is a cosy little Japanese outlet located on the 1st floor of Armada Hotel. It has been established since the year 2007 & has served various customers from all walks of life. The 'restaurant', or more like a deli, serves an extensive variety of food, from the well-known sashimi, sushi, to bento, soba, udon, & more. It could fit up to 36 persons at 1 go (9 tables of 4 persons). Shokudo's "chief in the kitchen" is their Chef Helmi, who has almost 10 years of experience in the area of preparing Japanese dishes. Among his many specialities is the sashimi, which he skilfully cuts into the thickness that enhances the authentic taste of the dish.

 

For this food-tasting review session, we were presented with the 4 unique sets from the "Speedy Lunch" deal. We were also generously fed with more food - the best from their ala carte menu, & the PR team even ensured that the dinner ended on a sweeter tone with some desserts from their coffee house.

For just RM15.00++/set!

This deal is especially great when you want a quick Japanese meal :)

Speedy Lunch #1: Unagi Rice/Bento Set

I thought this is a pretty good deal, considering it's very expensive to have an unagi bento at such a price! You'll get a decent portion of unagi, rice, some green salad, pickles & some fruits as well. It's quite a "healthy" lunch, I must say :)

Speedy Lunch #2: Soft-Shell Crab Maki with Chawan Mushi

Love, love, love! I love unagi & I also can't resist soft-shell crab maki! Top it up with some smooth & steaming hot chawan mushi & it's a deal I won't want to miss - you shouldn't miss it too! The portion is just nice for small to moderate eaters :)

Speedy Lunch #3: Kakiage Soba/Udon

If you're vegetarian, fear not! Shokudo caters to your very needs as well. I actually enjoyed this dish very much. The broth is light but flavourful (not too salty like many Japanese restaurants), & the soba is actually a really good alternative & option compared to rice/udon, which is more "jelak"/filling. If you're not too hungry, but you want a good, affordable Japanese lunch, I'll recommend you to go for this set!

Speedy Lunch #4: Chicken/Beef Katsudon

I find this really filling. It's A LOT of rice...and a PerutBesi's hand-sized piece of fried chicken/beef! If I'm really hungry, I'll certainly go for this. If not, I will definitely not go for this set man. I tried the chicken variant first & it was slightly too salty for my liking (I know AP's bro will love it since he can add soya sauce into his rice dish even without tasting it first...and he LOVES fried chicken). After that, I tried the beef, & mind you, I'm NOT a great fan of beef. But my taste buds were elevated to another level! There's no other way to describe it, but the beef (Australian tenderloin) were SO MUCH MORE fragrant & makes the dish tastes WAY better than the chicken variant. Moo-la-la....

Ala Carte: Sashimi Boat

Variety of fresh sashimi, Chef Helmi's specialty.

Ala Carte: Chawan Mushi (RM10.00++/serving), 

Cod Fish Teriyaki (RM30.00++/teppanyaki set), 

Gyoza (RM15.00++/set)

All the portions below are tasting portions, not the actual portion. I felt the chawan mushi could be smoother, but the chefs were generous in loading in the "gems" into the simple steamed egg custard. The gyoza was pretty good, actually. It was packed with meat (as shown in the photo below) & were flavourful. The cod fish was okay, in my personal opinion. I felt the fish was a little over-cooked, but still acceptable since I'm no "fish connoisseur"...hahaha. I expected more though...something smoother, with a lighter sauce (not so thick/gooey).

Good Gyoza *pat pat tummy with satisfaction*

 

Ala Carte: Kani Stick Maki (RM8.00++/serving)

I reckon this is the actual portion or the actual portion would have around 6 pieces. As I'm not a great fan of the crab stick, I felt that this was just fine to the palate. 

Ala Carte: Tori Kara-Age (RM15.00++/serving)

This is like "popcorn chicken" ala Japanese! SO GOOD!! Light, "fluffy", & crispy chicken pieces, extremely sinful & just breaks EVERYONE's diet plans! Your best friend (and worst enemy ever) over good chit-chat with family/friends :D

Ala Carte: Tempura Moriwase (RM30.00++/serving)

An assortment of tempura pieces - crispy batter coating fresh prawns/vegetables/mushrooms.

Ala Carte: California Roll (RM9.00++/roll)

I was too full to try this, so I passed. It sure looks tempting though.

That was A LOT of food, right? It didn't end there. You should have seen everyone's faces - everyone went into slow-motion mode! No one was quick to pick up their cutleries to dig into the desserts by the time it was served...hahaha...

Assortment of cakes

Assortment of mini tarts

I tried one of them - the one that looked like a watermelon ball, but eeek! It was soft papaya! Aiseh man...if I was at home, I would have smelt it first (yes, I depend A LOT on my nose before I pick up any food & place it into my mouth). Too bad I was in a restaurant, sitting in front of the PR team & other bloggers! Teeheehee...I'm okay with papayas, but papayas in a fruit+custard tart is just too unique. I can't register it into my mind yet...

Beautiful jelly/puddings

There were too beautiful to behold that no one wanted to hold it & destroy its beauty. *lol*  Presentation-wise, no doubt pass! :) I didn't try it as well. Heh. Seriously over-eating le...putting on too much weight that the weighing scale screams in fright!

Map to Armada Hotel (next to Federal Highway)

View PerutBesi in a larger map

If I'm around the area, I wouldn't mind having this Speedy Lunch! It's pocket-friendly & tastes great too! :)

Shokudo @ Armada Hotel
1st Floor, Hotel Armada
Lot. 6, Lorong Utara C
Section 52
46200 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan.
Tel: (+603) 7954 6888 ext. 4547 - for reservations, (+603) 7954 6888
Fax: (+603) 7958 5593
Email: armada@armada.com.my
Website: www.armada.com.my
Business hours: 12:00p.m.  - 2:30p.m. & 6:00p.m. - 11:00p.m. every Mon - Sat
(Shokudo closes on Sundays)
Facebook: Click here


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


Overall:

Enjoyed the pocket-friendly meal,