Komorebi Dining Penang @ Ropewalk Piazza, Penang

If you are a fan of Omakase dining and always bored of the same old place you had in Penang, check out this few months old Omakase restaurant in Penang called Komorebi Dining and it is also one of the latest addition to Ropewalk Piazza, a place that almost forgotten by many. 

Komorebi Dining sourced most of their raw ingredients from Japan. With freshly flown seasonal ingredients from Japan twice a week, their menu will feature seasonal dishes available depending on the seasons of Japan. 

All the menu will be crafted based on what are the fresh ingredients available on the day. As what Omakase means - I leave the details up to you, you don't have to worry about what the menu is, just let the chef knows what to avoid or any food allergies you have and then the rest is up to them. However if you are someone who is not comfortable with sashimi then Omakase is definitely not suitable for you. 

Along Ropewalk Piazza you can find this humble restaurant hiding in the center among all other shops. The restaurant was designed by the owner from scratch, a very challenging process as they were away in Singapore for over 10 years and wasn't familiar with local suppliers and vendor, hence taking a lot of time to perfect the renovation. 

When you step into the restaurant, you will be welcomed to your seat arranged for you, and then you will be presented with menu of the day and your name printed to address you personally. Making you feel respected even though it is just a dining. 

向付 Sakizuke

Monaka | Nara Zuke | Myoga | Ankimo | Kinome Leaf

We were welcomed with something unique and nothing I've ever had before. Ankimo, a Japanese dish made with liver of Monkfish. Unlike pate, this one is much smoother and soft, taste not as strong as pate too, even people who don't take intestine also able to accept the taste of it, and the way they served it in Monaka paired with Nara Zuke, Myoga and Kinome Leaf making it much more acceptable and refreshing too. 

前菜 Zensai

 Hotate | Uni | Yaki Nasu | Urui | Irizake Jelly

As one of the closely related with Japan suppliers. The chef is able to import giant sized Hotato directly from Japan so that they are able to satisfy diner's craving for fresh scallops. They are also very generous with the Uni serving on the plate. This dish is an appetiser that features fresh ingredients together with seasonal vegetable that is available, adding Urui that gives us the taste of Spring and Irizake Jelly which made the dish refreshing.

御碗 Owan

Awabi | Takenoko

On the soup dish we were served with Awabi & Takenoko(abalone and bamboo shoot) soup with seaweed. As we all know, Sakura is the symbol of Spring season, however when it comes to taste of spring, it will definitely be Takenoko(freshly harvested bamboo shoot) that is tender and crisp able to represent the season. This soup is thick and flavorful, perfect to warm our stomach before we go for more raw sashimi.

八寸 Seasonal Gift's

Buri | Aori Ika | Yari Ika | Tako & Komochi Kumbu

Perhaps you can consider this dish a mix & match of all greatness. Instead of serving each of them slowly, Komorebi prepared all of them Sashimi course and serve everything in one shot so you don't have to waste time waiting for serving. Also, you will be taught with which one to start first and usually it is the mild flavours and to stronger flavour dishes.

In this case we started with raw Aori Ika(bigfin reef squid) and Uni that is lightly flavoured with soy sauce and wasabi, then to Buri, Tako and Komochi Kumbu. There's a unique dish hiding in there which is the 玉子 Gyoku(Sweet Omelette) that has to slowly cooked for 3 hours to get the perfect soft and fluffy omelette.

煮物 Mountain & Sea

Kegani | Uni | Maitake Mushroom

Next we have a generous bite of Uni served on top of Kegani(Horsehair crab) where they have already removed all the meat to create this special dish. It is a good combination of the land and sea where the flavourful broth complements the dish so well. It is not just the crab that is delicious but the creamy Uni is also the one that perfected this dish.

烧物 Yaki

Unagi | Cauliflower

I'm always a fan for grilled unagi(eel) and what surprised me here is the size of the Unagi they served. The chef told me they supplied directly from Japan and the supplier have a special network with them hence they always get the best and biggest supply of fresh Eel from Japan.

The freshly grilled Unagi was one of the best I've ever had, where they maintain teh soft meat while the outer layer is totally crispy. It was so juicy and thick, paired with Cauliflower puree and baked cauliflower. 

土锅 Donabe

Chirime | Ikura | Nanohana | Sakura Ebi

Every spoonful is a fantasy with the Ikura(salmon roe) and some crispiness from Sakura Ebi. This rice dish served in pot will make sure you are really full from the omakase meal after savouring so many courses. You can enjoy more of it if one bowl is not enough. 
The rice is freshly cooked and the chef will mix all the ingredients infront of diners so you can watch the process of making this dish. The light seasoning made this rice dish more flavourful too.

甘味 Sweet

Warabi Mochi | Seasonal Fruits

For dessert we had some freshly made Warabi Mochi, a softer version of Mochi which melts directly in our mouth and covered in kinako. Kuromitsu syrup was also added to put a little sweet ending to this mochi.

For a sweet ending, we were served with this premium orange called Setoka Orange, which is the Japanese Mandarin known as Mikan. If we know the Japanese culture, we would know that fruits are consider very premium products in Japan. Some could be up to hundreds to thousands. 
This premium orange served was so sweet and unlike any oranges I've ever had, it was totally different from the mandarin oranges we had during Chinese New Year. This one is juicy and really sweet and fragrant. 

Omakase dining is no longer something rare in Penang but it is great to try more options available especially this one that flew premium ingredients from Japan every week. Making only the best cuisine with fresh seasonal ingredients from Japan, Komorebi Dining is one of its kind. The personalised menu is also to make sure they recognise all their customers and also making sure that they can always give you something new to try if you are a repeat customer. 

Nevertheless, Komorebi Dining did surprised me with great food and comfortable dining experience. Will definitely be back.

Komorebi Dining Penang @ Ropewalk Piazza
138, Jalan Pintal Tali, 10100 George Town, Penang.

Contact no: 6012-858 1138

Tuesday - Thursday: 6:30pm - 10:00pm

Friday - Sunday: 12:30pm - 2:30pm | 6:30pm - 10:00pm

(Closed on Monday)

GPS: 5.4155095,100.3324666