Shinjiro @ Tropicana City Mall - Yakitori And Dried Shrimp!

I love skewers - coming from a self-confessed bum, who don't like eating food that requires too much effort. Maybe that's why I enjoy munching on junk food so much and oddly don't favor crabs and prawns as much.

On a more educational front, the distorted-looking vase at the side - that's, the used stick bin. That's right, you stick your eaten yakitori sticks in there. I don't even want to think about the teriyaki grime hidden beneath.

Shinjiro Japanese Restaurant

That Saturday afternoon, I brought my friends to Shinjiro, a newly opened Izakaya and Yakitori Japanese Restaurant in Tropicana City Mall. I absolutely adore the casual yet attractive interior, which somehow reminds me of Dolly Dim Sum in Avenue K.

Expectations: Japanese skewers (Yakitori) served at a Japanese Bar & Restaurant (Izakaya) would typically lean towards the saltier side, considering it's meant to be eaten together with beer.

Complimentary Edamame.

Thankfully, it was on the house. I felt that the soybeans weren't drained properly, the bottom ones felt damp.

Chilled Tofu. Miso Soup & Side Salad.

Our Skewer Set (Rm44.90) came with a serving of chilled tofu, miso and salad, a sashimi platter, 5 yakitori skewers, and a pasta or rice bowl of choice. We chose the teriyaki chicken pasta.

Sashimi.

The sashimi platter came with three fillets of thickly cut, fresh sashimi.

Sweet Corn (Rm5.90). Mackeral (Rm12.90). Chicken Nuggets (Rm5.90). Quail Egg (Rm4.90). Beefball (Rm6.90). 

I think I can eat loads-and-loads of these. For the Skewers Set, sadly, you don't get to pick your own selection of yakitori, but surprise-surprise, we enjoyed every single one of it.

Sirloin (Rm8.90). Fillet & Asparagus (Rm6.90).

You'd get to pick from 7 sauces and we had ours slathered with teriyaki sauce - obvious choice. I didn't get to sample the sirloin - it was snagged and finished in seconds. I did, however, enjoyed the Fillet & Asparagus skewer, it was juicy and full of flavors.

Teriyaki Chicken Pasta Set.

The noodles were pleasant; the teriyaki chicken was delicious. Having said that, it was very salty, especially towards the bottom of the dish. Less soy sauce maybe?

Mixed Seaweed & Baby Shrimp Salad. Rm15.90.

Like the edamame, the salad felt damp, but the choice of toppings cured all disappointment. A medley of lettuce, seaweed (the purple bits), fried lotus and dried shrimp - how can I say no dried shrimp!

Overall Rating: 7/10. The dishes we had today were surprisingly delicious, especially the yakitori and the seaweed and dried shrimp salad. However, I felt that the use of soy sauce can be toned down a little bit more. The Skewers Set is definitely value for money if you're aiming to try out a bit of everything, provided you're not picky on the selection of skewers.

Shinjiro is located at:

Address: Lot G-06, Tropicana City Mall, 47300 Petaling Jaya.

Phone: 03-7732 2986

Opening Hours: 11am - 10pm Daily.

Located at the concourse level, next to Guardian and right in front of Famous Amos.