Mitsuyado Seimen

Special thanks to Mitsuyado Seimen for extending this food review invitation.

The Starling is a new lifestyle mall in Damansara Utama. Opened about a year ago, this mall is located within a short driving distance from Tropicana City Mall. Carrying a nature-inspired theme, The Starling features a landscaped park at the ground level as well as another one on the rooftop. Meanwhile, the indoor section is illuminated by natural sunlight from the ceiling.

Mitsuyado Seimen (三ツ矢堂製麺) is one of the many restaurants in The Starling. With nearly 20 outlets in Tokyo and nearby prefectures, this chain of full service ramen restaurants made its debut in Malaysia several months ago.

The dining area is designed by a renowned interior designer from Japan. Reflecting elements of the Land of the Rising Sun, the restaurant features vertical lightings from the ceiling that resemble a bamboo forest. Meanwhile, the wall motifs are inspired by the rugged mountains of Japan.

Mitsuyado Seimen's specialty is tsukemen (つけ麺). Noodle is made from scratch in the kitchen, and is only cooked upon ordering. Compared to regular ramen (ラーメン), tsukemen is substantially thicker and springier. The Malaysian outlet employs some degree of localization to suit the local palate. For instance, the noodle is made softer than the original recipe.

Tsukemen can be served either hot or chilled. I feel that the chilled version has more pronounced springiness. Tsukemen literally means "dipping noodle". This is because the noodle is meant to be dipped briefly into a special soup, and then slurped into the mouth.

For this bowl of Original Yuzu Tsukemen With Cheese (ゆず和風つけ麺と濃厚チーズソース, RM29.90), the dipping soup uses a rich broth with a hint of yuzu oil (ゆず油) for aromatic appeal. Optionally, one can also add cheddar cheese to the noodle beforehand. After finishing the noodle, it is common practice to add dashi (出汁) to any leftover soup. Dashi dilutes the soup to make it more palatable.

Meanwhile for hot ramen dishes, a recommended choice is Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen With Half-Boiled Egg (辛し豚骨ラーメンと半熟煮玉子, RM27.90). This appetizing soup is prepared by simmering pork bones for several hours. The soup also carries a reasonable degree of spiciness, but I think this is hardly spicy by Malaysian standards. I would go so far as to say that the soup is tasty to the last drop.

The bowl of ramen includes a slice of roasted pork (チャーシュー), which is also freshly roasted in the kitchen. The succulent pork loin is juicy and tender. Meanwhile, the half-boiled egg has runny yolk that is very similar to onsen tamago (温泉玉子). Also included are narutomaki (鳴門巻き), fermented bamboo shoots (メンマ), seaweed (海苔) and Japanese scallion (ラッキョウ).

As for side dishes, Chicken Karaage (から揚げ, RM11.90) is well-received by most people especially among children. Coated with a layer of scrumptious crisp, the bite-size pieces of fried chicken still maintain much of the chicken's natural juiciness. There are also rice dishes (どんぶり) on the menu, but I have yet to try them this round.

Mitsuyado Seimen uses premium ingredients that are mostly imported from Japan whenever practical. Imported ingredients include wheat flour for noodles, Japanese short-grain rice and various seasonings. Although this drives up the cost of food, the restaurant insists on doing so in order to maintain the same food quality as its counterparts in Japan. As for table service, the waiting staff is impeccable when it comes to courtesy and attention to detail.

Name: Mitsuyado Seimen (三ツ矢堂製麺)
Address: S-229, The Starling Mall, 6, Jalan SS 21/37, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Contact: 03-7662-5929
Business hours: 11:30am-2:30pm, 6:00pm-9:30pm (Monday-Friday), 11:30am-9:30pm (Saturday-Sunday)
Website: http://www.mitsuyado.my
Coordinates: 3.13538 N, 101.62292 E
Directions: The Starling is located near the intersection of Sprint Expressway (Lebuhraya SPRINT) and Damansara-Puchong Expressway (Lebuhraya Damansara-Puchong). Mitsuyado Seimen is located on Level 2 of the mall. The mall has basement and multistorey parking lots. Street parking is also available outside the mall.