Eats & Treats: Sushi Mentai @ Taman Bukit Indah

Hope this tantalizing plate of sashimi caught your eye! :p Guess what? It's only RM16.80! In celebration of my dad's birthday last week, we decided to go for Japanese food - our family favourite! One of the popular Japanese food chains now is Sushi Mentai and I decided to treat the family at the Bukit Indah branch. While our meal included lots of sashimi and seafood, it's unbelievable that we only spent RM160 in total! Check out what we ordered.

Now, I'm no stranger to Sushi Mentai as I've been frequenting the branch in Taman Mount Austin since it opened but this was the first time that I'm visiting the Bukit Indah branch. The restaurant is located at the older side of Bukit Indah (according to my dad) and isn't hard to miss with its shiny signboard. There was a short queue when we arrived but we were seated within 5 minutes.

It's no surprise that the restaurant is almost operating at full-house capacity. With jaw-dropping prices of their conveyer belt sushi starting from RM1.80 only (!!), who wouldn't wanna come and try? Even the sushi in Jusco costs more than this already haha.

Admittedly, all the Sushi Mentai branches have a generic white-themed layout with the conveyer belt in the centre of the room and tables for big groups at the sides of the restaurant. Mind you, it's a very family-oriented restaurant so don't expect the quiet, soft-spoken environment like in most posh Japanese restaurants. Everyone feels right at home in this more casual atmosphere.

This is where the money-maker's at! The conveyer belt is constantly rotating and is full of sushi, especially those drizzled with their specialty mentaiko sauce! It is basically charred cod roe mayonaise and omg, it's the tastiest thing ever to suit our local tastebuds. You can find the wasabi and pickled ginger on the conveyer belt too.

Red Plate Sushi | RM2.80 each

Since I've almost tried all the sushi on the conveyer belt (I'm not kidding when I say I'm a regular), my mum suggested that we order more off the menu instead. My brother is a small eater so he only picked these few plates as his starter. Note that the Pink plates cost RM1.80 and the Red plates cost RM2.80 each. If you think about it, it's still super affordable considering that these are all topped with salmon!

Chawan Mushi | RM3.80

One of my must-have dishes at Japanese restaurants is their chawan mushi or steamed egg custard. This was quite flavourful and has quite a lot of ingredients like chicken, fish cake and mushroom hidden inside it. Still, I wish that the egg had been smoother!

Asari Miso Shiro | RM4.80

Miso soup is my dad's favourite and he found this quite nice compared to other restaurants, although there were only a few clams in it.

Chuka Kurage | RM4.80

Surprisingly, this was my favourite dish that night. The jellyfish appetizer is just so chewy and well-seasoned!

Take (Sashimi Platter) | RM16.80

Where else have you heard of a Japanese restaurant serving a 9-pc sashimi platter for less than RM20?! Originally, the platter was supposed to come with salmon, octopus and white tuna sashimi but the waiter told us that they've run out of white tuna that day, so we chose salmon belly as replacement instead. The sashimi was so fresh & thick that we ordered another plate! XD

Salmon Mentaiyaki | RM14.80

This is one of Sushi Mentai's recommended dish, which is freshly grilled salmon smothered in Sushi Mentai's specialty mentaiko sauce. I can just eat it on its own without rice cos it's so nice and juicy!

Ebi Mentaiyaki | RM9.80

Since we love seafood, we decided to try the grilled prawn mentaiyaki too. The sauce is the same, but the giant prawn is sliced and grilled so that it's soft and juicy too.

Shishamo (3 pieces) | RM4.80

I randomly ordered this grilled smelt fish and it turned out to be my mum's favourite of the night, although it tastes much better while it's still hot. 

Ebi Tempura | RM11.80

This is crispy battered prawn served with special tempura sauce. Mum ordered this but decided that the ebi mentaiyaki was much nicer after that. Lol. 

Kaki Fried | RM9.80

Somehow I remember there were 5 pieces of fried oyster the last time I had it, but turns out there were 3 only. The batter was a bit too thick for my liking though.

Spider Maki (4 pieces) | RM13.80

This soft-shell crab sushi roll is best eaten with the accompanying sauce.

Ten Cha Soba Set | RM12.80

Dad's must-order dish is green tea soba whenever he dines at Japanese restaurants. While the soba and sauce was to his liking, he did not really enjoy the tempura as its mostly vegetables.

All it took for us to be completely and utterly stuffed for only RM160 for 4 people. There were some hits and misses with the dishes but overall, it was good, considering the price. We would totally come back for a quick sashimi fix next time! Speaking of which, this is definitely one of the most affordable Japanese food I've ever tried and because it's so budget-friendly, many students frequent the restaurant too. No fuss, no frills, no membership needed to enjoy Jap food at affordable prices. I thought only the conveyer belt sushi was afforable, turns out all the food in their menu are reasonably priced too. So the next time you're craving for Japanese food, you can drop by one of the many Sushi Mentai branches in JB to satisfy your cravings (and keep your wallet happy!)

For more information on Sushi Mentai and the list of locations, log on to:

Website | Facebook (Main) | Facebook (Bukit Indah Branch)

SUSHI MENTAI @ TAMAN BUKIT INDAH
Address: 53G, Jalan Indah 10/1, Taman Bukit Indah, 81200 Johor Bahru, Johor.
Email: info@sushi-mentai.com
Opening hours: Mon - Fri: 12pm - 9.30pm, Sat - Sun: 11.30am - 9.30pm

Disclaimer: I was invited to review Sushi Mentai and all content posted are based on my honest personal thoughts, experiences and preference after trying out the food and services. 

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