Miraku simply means a great place for customers to enjoy great food. Well, dining in a place like this, of course we would expect it to be a great place for PenangTuaPui to enjoy, right?



But before we talked about the food, there was something peculiar that we thought should highlight. Once inside the G Hotel, if you see the sign heading to Miraku restaurant, you can see an all-time familiar icon below the sign.



Not that we want to give bad feedback or comment but why the heck do they put “Miraku” and toilet signs together?? You know, the next thought that came immediately, the restaurant is next to toilet??? Phew… luckily it was not.



The Miraku restaurant setting was pretty much like Japanese, with those wooden doors, tables and chairs as well as sushi bar. We did notice they had tatami dining only for their private rooms.



This restaurant set up was expected since Miraku is under the same management as Sushi King. In other words, their exposure to Japanese culture should be well equipped.



Every patron will get a hot towel which you can use to cleanse your face and hand. Some restaurants provided cold towels instead. Nevertheless, this is a kind gesture worth mentioning as you can feel much fresher after wiping your oily face or cleaning your hands.



The appetizer given was some preserved nuts that you can chew while waiting for your food to arrive.



The cod fish steak was the first to arrive and the smell of grilled cod fish was quite fragrant. We realized the cod fish was slightly shiny than others we had tried, not sure if it was due to the lighting or the chef had done some magic onto it.



Perhaps, Miraku had used a much better quality cod fish as well?



Sashimi Don came next and we were quite pleased with the set. It was the first time that we encountered sashimi being put on top of the rice and we felt it was quite creative too.

In way, it might look like sushi but it was not. The sashimi was laid on top of the rice and you get a few choices like salmon, tuna, fish roe, prawns etc and it was quite an appetizing presentation.



Grilled eel set was next and this was not much difference compared to others. The aroma was delectable and looked tasty. Maybe it was because our stomach already making noise too.. hehehe. The unagi portion was big though we did hope it was a bit bigger. 



But they decided not to give too much of good things. Instead, the unagi set actually came with a small plate of assorted sashimi so that you can try different dishes in a set.



Sushi and Noodle Zen came at the same time as grilled eel as well. This set had got to be the most fulfilling set of all.



You get a bowl of hot noodle soup with seven pieces of assorted sushi.



The noodle bowl is smaller than regular one but still have enough punch to make you feel full, though there are limited ingredients inside. The focus had got to be on the sushi  The combination of rice, noodles and soup will definitely make you go full and bloated. This is the set if you intend to “ciak pah pah” (eat till feeling full)



The dining experience at Miraku did not let us down and in fact we enjoyed the food served here. Also, since this is more towards high end restaurant, the environment here can be a little quiet except for the sound of chef’s cooking. Another place to come again if wallet is not a concern.. heeheehee 



Miraku Japanese Restaurant
168A Persiaran Gurney - 1st Floor
10250 Penang
For reservations or enquiries, please call +604 229 8702.

Operating hours
Daily Lunch 12.00pm to 2.30pm
Daily Dinner 6.00pm to 10.30pm

The exterior of Tsuruya does not look anything like Japanese but the image projected was this has got to be a posh Japanese restaurant but do not let the appearance fool you. Once you look at the menu, they are in fact quite affordable.





The internal meanwhile is completely different story. The atmosphere and ambience very much Japanese like as almost every dining area is tatami style and some tables available as well.



There is no wall separating one tatami dining area from one but merely some loosely hanged blinds. We like the environment as a whole but only one thing that made us a little bit baffled; there was a “bunga manggar” like decoration in the Japanese restaurant. Hmmm, spirit of muhibbah? 





Chawanmushi was the first dish to arrive and we were kind of surprised the RM5.00 chawanmushi just barely filled up half the cup. The chawanmushi did taste good but only if the portion was more. Luckily, for the rest of our set meals, it was good to give us a fairly thumb’s up perception.



Sashimi set was the first to arrive and the presentation as a whole was quite appetizing. It came in 4 different types of raw fish: salmon, maguro, amaebi and tako. Each slice was quite thick despite only 2-3 slices each and the sashimi was quite fresh as well.





Next came the Buta Kimuchi Sutamina Yaki set which is basically pork and kimuchi fried with special sauce. The special sauce was a bit like sweet and sour which more towards being sweet. The pork was lightly fried and it was really full of flavour. It was also quite tender and easy to chew.





Unagi set came in 3rd. Nothing different on this unagi compared to other restaurant we went to. Basically, the unagi was cooked in almost similar manner everywhere. The sauce was somewhat sweeter than we expected but still tasted good in general.





The next dish was quite a crowd puller among us. The BBQ Jumbo Squid (Nama Ika Teriyaki Set) really looked delicious and tempting. Huat Koay was so scared that we might “tax” the squid that he warned us repeatedly “Don’t touch!!”



Eventually, he let us tax it a slice or two after Fei Fei and Tam Ciak kept staring innocently at the squid. :p The jumbo squid was elastic but easy to bite, we did not felt as if we were chewing rubber at all. The BBQ was also nicely done with the juiciness of the squid still wrapped inside.



Chiki Chiki Ban Ban Set was deep fried chicken in Japanese sauce and tartar sauce. The name of this dish somehow reminded us of Ian Fleming’s “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”…. Sounds alike, right?



An interesting thing about this dish is that it is covered with egg white which had earlier been put across a strainer, briefly fried and sprinkled on top of the chicken. The eggs melts easily the moment we put it into our mouth can cause light tingling sensation. The deep fried chicken was crunchy and tender which we have no complain at all.



Fei Fei was anxiously waiting for this dish that he started to tax the food around him. That basically means all the 5 sets mentioned just now. Then when the Ginmutsu Teppanyaki Set or Cod fish with special sauce in hot plate arrived, it was our turn to tax him instead.



He was stunned seeing us taking bits and pieces of the cod fish the moment it was put in front of him. The cod fish was lightly buttered and fried prior to serving on the hot plate.



Each of the sets above came with rice, miso soup, salad and fruits. The price of the set lunch we ordered ranged between RM16++ for the deep fried to RM30++ for the sashimi and the cod fish, which we think are quite reasonable.



In addition, the green tea is always refillable and if you were employees of certain  MNC in Bayan Baru area, you will be entitled for 5% discount. That is a nice little gesture they have

Ja ne~!

1-1-38/39, MDN, Kampung Relau 1,
i-Avenue, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang
Tel: 04-641 0828

Opening Hours:
11.30am till 2.30pm
6.00pm till 10.00pm

Map (click to get the dynamic map)