Mono Sushi, Solaris Dutamas

The deal: RM16 for RM30 cash voucher for food and drinks at Mono Sushi (the RM30-for-RM60 vouchers were sold out by the time we decided to get the deal)

What we got:

Mono Sushi prides itself on its 120-variety of sushi; 10 interpretations each of 12 different main ingredients: aji (horse mackarel), ika (cuttlefish), hamachi (amberjack), suzuki (sea bass), tai (sea bream), hotate (scallop), ebi (shrimp), unagi (eel), salmon,  managatsuo (butterfish), tako (octopus) and maguro (blue tuna). Prices for the sushi range from RM1.80 to RM10.80. 

Left to right: salmon belly (RM2.80), butterfish (RM1.80), sea bass carpaccio (RM3.80), mentai butterfish (RM2.80), spicy blue tuna (RM4.80) and mango eel (RM6.80)

Ume shiso sauce sea bream (RM3.80) and nama su sauce sea bass (RM2.80)

When presented with so many choices, it can be hard to make a decision - so what we did was to decide what seafood we wanted first, then move on to how we want it prepared. As you can see we kept it safe the first order round, before venturing into less familiar territory with the last two sushi. 

The fish/eel were generally fresh, but we weren't a fan of the rice; it was too wet/mushy and the taste required tweaking (for us, some of the better conveyor-belt sushi chains may fare better). 

Chicken teriyaki and sushi bento (RM23.80)

Mono Sushi's bento box came with the usual chawanmushi and miso soup, but no fruits. Portion was a little small for our liking (though it may not look it from the picture; that or we were just really hungry) and we didn't really enjoy the sushi (the centre is cucumber, not fish as you would expect). In terms of taste, it was just average.

We also ordered a glass of cold green tea, which costs RM1.80.

As a whole, we'd say Mono Sushi was worth a try, 

Tax: Service charge of 10%

How much we paid: RM32.50

Marufuku Udon, Jaya One

The deal: RM12 for RM20 cash voucher for food and drinks at Marufuku Udon

What we got:

We've been frequenting Sanuki Udon in Taman Desa for several years now, which we love for its simple, fuss-free, affordable meals and speedy service. So when we decided to check out Marufuku Udon, Sanuki's sister restaurant located in Jaya One, we couldn't help but make comparisons with our favourite udon place in KL.

Gyuniku nabe (RM13)

Tempura seafood nabe (RM12)

Marufuku has, no doubt, a lot more choices when it came to the menu. There was a bigger variety of udon, side dishes and drinks, and they also serve donburi and dessert which are not available at Sanuki. Prices are generally RM1 or so higher than Sanuki, which is understandable given its location.

We got the gyuniku (beef) nabe and tempura seafood nabe, both of which are not offered at Sanuki. Served in a claypot, both nabes were rather substantial in portion, with more than sufficient servings of beef/tempura. While most people would welcome an egg in their noodles, we would have preferred doing without it so that we could enjoy the light, sweet taste of the broth. Aside from that, we were pretty much satisfied with our main course.

Kakiage (RM2)

The kakiage here was surprisingly cheaper (by RM1) than the one at Sanuki, despite Marufuku being housed in a shopping complex. The vegetables were cut thinner than what we're used to and have come to enjoy, but that's just us nit-picking.

Chicken katsu (RM5) 

Chicken katsu with wasabi mayonnaise, also not available at Sanuki. We would have enjoyed it more if the wasabi flavour was more prominent.

Chicken karaage (RM3) and tempura oyster mushroom (RM2)

The chicken karaage was pretty consistent in quality with the one in Taman Desa, albeit being rather small. The tempura oyster mushroom was fine.

One significant difference I found between the two outlets is the service. While service was efficient at Sanuki, with food usually served within five to ten minutes of placing the order, the waiters at Marufuku seem unable to cope and appear to be working somewhat haphazardly, resulting in food reaching our table rather slowly.

All in all, considering the amount of food we had, the price we paid was certainly more than worth it.

Tax: Service charge of 10%

How much we paid: RM24.70

Yuu-jo Japanese Restaurant, Mont Kiara

The deal: Omakase 6-course meal for 2 pax (RM37) at Yuu-jo Japanese Restaurant, Mont Kiara

What we got:

Despite being advertised as 'omakase' on the deal site, it really isn't. This 6-course meal seems to be a current promotion, because you could order it even without vouchers, albeit at a higher price. 

For our first course, we were served a bowl of soup each. Although it was labelled 'chicken soup', the broth was more vegetables than meat chunks, but it doesn't matter--it was delicious regardless. We couldn't get enough of this.

Next came the salad. Now, we're not salad people (give us meat any day!), but we enjoyed this one: salmon flakes and bits  of tempura with cherry tomatoes and greens. The highlight of this dish? The dressing, hands down. My partner took his first bite and went, 'Wow, refreshing!'. The dressing was light and citrus-y, and, cliche as it may sound, really awakens the tastebuds.

Dish 3: salmon carpaccio. Unlike the thin fish slices you'd normally find in most Japanese restaurants, Yuu-jo's salmon was sashimi-thick and served skin-on. Would've preferred it without the skin, though. My partner felt it wasn't very fresh but I thought otherwise.

Our fourth dish (and we were starting to feel like we've eaten half a main course by now) was yasai, or vegetable, tempura. Consisting of cucumber, eggplant, sweet potato and onion, I didn't quite like the breaded texture of the deep-fried vegetables. Give me normal tempura batter anyday.

Ah, our main course, finally. He got the beef teriyaki don while I chose the salmon teriyaki don (serving for both was a little on the smaller side). Nicely flavoured from the salty teriyaki sauce, but the beef turned out tougher than we'd like, while the salmon came a little dry on the inside. Not a bad dish overall, but could've been better.

Dessert was ice-cream. We were given one scoop of vanilla and one of chocolate. Nothing to shout about; these taste like your typical store-bought frozen treats.

At RM18.50 per person, I'd say it was a good deal.

Tax: Service charge of 10%

How much we paid: RM37

Menya Musashi, The Intermark

The deal: RM20 for RM40 cash voucher for food and drinks at Menya Musashi.

What we got:

Note: Prices are estimates because the menu we got at the restaurant differ from the one shown online, and since it's been awhile I can't recall how much it was exactly

White Musashi ramen (RM24)

Black Musashi ramen (RM24)

The white and black Musashi ramen came with 2 pieces of chashu, one ajitama (flavoured egg), spring onion and black fungus, along with a dollop of white and black paste, respectively. The white soup base was lighter in taste compared to the black soup base, although it was by no means bland. Both were distinct in its own way, with none better than the other--it was all a matter of preference. I picked the black soup while my partner went with the white, only because I was captivated by the colour of the broth.

We also added one ajitama (RM2), in addition to the one we already had in our ramen. Comparing this with Ippudo's, I thought Menya Musashi's flavoured egg was better executed. It was perfectly half-runny and went so well with the ramen.

Gyoza (RM14)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the price of the gyoza increased quite a bit from the menu provided when I bought the deal. From 6 pieces for RM10 to 4 pieces for...RM14? We thought that was a bit steep. No complaints on the fillings, though; the gyozas were adequately stuffed with meat and leek.

For drinks we had the macha milk (RM5), which was forgettable. 

Tax: Service charge of 10% and government tax of 6%.

What we paid: RM40.05

Manmaru Homemade Udon, Mid Valley Megamall

The deal: RM10 for RM20 cash voucher for food and drinks at Manmaru Homemade Udon.

What we got:

Kamo seiro udon (regular: RM15.90)

I love udon. If I had to choose between ramen, soba and udon, I'll almost always choose udon (except when there's cold soba, because cold udon still seems a bit strange to me). It's been two months since I've last had udon, so the voucher was very timely.

I got the kamo seiro udon, which was udon served in hot water, with duck broth in a separate bowl. I know they call it 'gravy' on their menu, but I thought broth would much better describe its consistency. There were four or five slices of duck, which were tasty. The broth tasted somewhat herbal-y but I found it a little too salty.

Niku udon (regular: RM14.90)

My partner got the niku udon. The beef slices were tender and the broth was less heavily flavoured compared to the duck one, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. We also thought the noodles were firmer in texture compared to udons we've had in other places.

Tori karaage (RM2/piece)

 Yasai kakiage tempura (RM1.80/piece)

The tori karaage was less oily than the ones we have at our usual udon place, and the kakiage had less flour coating as well--which means we could taste more of the veggie, with us deceiving ourselves that this was 'healthier' (though we know it likely isn't). 

After our meal, we washed it all down with a cup of cold green tea (RM1.50).

Tax: None.

How much we paid: RM20