Kinme Sashimi & Grill Bar @ Bukit Damansara

This sparkling specialist in raw seafood & grilled meat recently debuted at a relatively inconspicuous section of Plaza Damansara, but strong word-of-mouth should swiftly seduce swarms of sashimi-worshipers.

Our top tip here: Chef Voons Nigiri Special, an ever-evolving selection of showstopping sushi.

Patrons might receive the luscious likes of tuna belly anointed with fermented mushroom puree, or perhaps a kings ransom of scallops crowned with sea urchin.

Or maybe Kinmes signature golden-eye snapper complemented by citrus onion jam, or shrimp coated with mentaiko or red snapper with seaweed paste. The list is inventive & illustriously long.

Each piece clocks in north of RM10, with what seems like a minimum order of six. Chef Voon (formerly of Hiltons Iketeru) creates a tour de force of sushi; the fish & rice would be fulfilling on their own, but the toppings prove masterful matches. Greater than the sum of its parts.

But what prevents Kinme from soaring to the heights of, say, Sushi Hinata (our top 2013 Japanese discovery so far) might be a couple of mediocrities on the menu. The mini bara chirashi is nicely priced at RM23 nett, but its nuances teeter toward blandness.

Thankfully though, the grilled fare here is great; well save the skewered chicken parts for a future blog entry, but the juicy-hot whole quail (RM6) deserves an immediate showcase.

Quail eggs? Count us in. Kinme focuses on its specialties, so the menus kept suitably small, with no trace of tempura, teppanyaki & other distractions.