A Good Book and Good Food

I have been hunting for a copy of Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi ever since I saw it on A Cup of Jo. I couldn't find it stocked in bookstores anywhere and was tempted to purchase it online when I finally struck gold at Borders. It's my first time in quite a while reading a graphic novel and I was swept away by the stark monochromatic and simple lines. Persepolis (my copy covers both Persepolis I and Persepolis II) is an autobiography of Marjane Satrapi growing up during the Iranian cultural revolution and her story is, at times, utterly raw and gripping. I confess, I'd tears in my eyes at the end of Persepolis I.

 

We finally got to try Rakuzen at Gurney Paragon after a month or so or trying to get a spot. There's always a long line of people outside so we were daunted. We were confused by the 3 restaurants grouped together: Sushi Zanmai, Rakuzen and Pasta Zanmai. I know that we've tried all 3 in KL before but I couldn't remember which was was the one that we tried and really liked. Since there wasn't a line for Rakuzen, we went with that one and ...... ta-daaaaa ... it WAS the one that we fell head over heels with at KL. The view offered inside Rakuzen is really nice, we got a beautiful view of the sea all the way to Straits Quay though I found the ventilation inside the room to be a tad stuffy.

I don't know why Hubs and I even bothered to look at the menu, we were there for one thing only: the sake oyako don. It is by far the best salmon sashimi and vinegar rice we've ever had. The salmon belly is soft, fresh and delectable. I asked Hubs if I did enough good deeds in life, would I find bowlfuls of this waiting for me in Heaven?

Hubs couldn't resist ordering a place of sushi rolls so we settled on this ... sorry, I can't quite remember the name but it's pressed salmon-something, it reminded me of a sandwich with rice but although it was pleasant, it didn't wow us. I think the next time we're there, we would skip the sushi rolls and have an extra plate of salmon to go with our salmon don.

I was really keen for Hokkaido ice cream and crepes like the one at Gardens, Mid Valley but Rakuzen Gurney Paragon had a smaller dessert range so we settled on green tea ice-cream with red bean and cheesecake. Again, it was yummy but I thought it was a little overpriced for the tiny slices of cheesecake (though very rich and decadent) and the green tea ice-cream was dense in flavour.

Prices are on the high side though I'd say, the quality of the food makes up for it. I love that Rakuzen is now available in Penang so that's one less reason to go down to KL. Now if only Ikea and Zara can open branches here ...

Rakuzen
163D-6-37, Level 6, Gurney Paragon Mall,
Tel: 04-218 9900
Business Hours: 11:30am - 3:00pm & 6:00pm - 11:00pm