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)

The szechuan zar jiang noodles （炸酱面）was the first to arrive. The portion of minced pork served on this dish was a lot relative to the noodles. The noodles they used were mostly wan tan mee type. The sauce was a bit sweet and you can add the chili to make it spicy. Oh the chili was very spicy till it could make Tam Ciak’s lips swelling like two piece hotdogs after taking them…. Arrrgggh..



The second dish that arrived was fish ball and wanton hor fun （云吞鱼丸粉） which is koay teow th’ng in Penang. This hor fun is one of the specialty dishes sold here. The portion of the koay teow could make three bowls of koay teow th’ng sold in Penang. Wow, first complete meal over here was a big challenge already because we did not know the portion could be that much. The fish ball was home made and much larger in size, bigger than our 50 cents coin.



Next came the pork knuckles with dry noodles （猪手捞面）that look like wan tan mee.



If you ever like pork knuckles, you will be happy to see the portion they give to you and the smell of pork knuckles teasing your taste buds, just like what happened to Tam Ciak’s friend. She was sooooo excited upon when the dish was served~!



The final dish was hor fun with pork in light soy sauce （卤肉捞粉）. Tam Ciak had only one comment for this dish, the pork slices were big and juicy!!



They were so thick and much bigger in size that once you put them into your mouth, there was a satisfying feeling of eating pork…Hahaha



The price of each dish over here is typically around HKD20-30 depending on the type.



But, every day, they would have a special offer for certain dish at discounted price for about HKD15 per dish. When we were there, it was the zar jiang noodles being sold as promo item. Also, another specialty dish here is fried fish skin but we did not order it because we were already too full~!!


Cook in action


Stall front


Menu on wall

As for the curry fish head, you can opt for fish meat as well if you want. The servings typically come in one big bowl for 3 persons and more. You will get ingredients like fish meat (obviously), lady’s fingers, tomatoes, onions, mint leaves etc.



I do notice somehow the portions of lady’s fingers are quite generous in the servings. The soup is not that thick compared to Lekker Claypot House but it is equally good. You can also order eiu chai as side order.



The curry fish head costs on average RM8 per persons and the stall operates from 10am till 9pm. Maybe we can call it Leng Looi Curry Fish Head? :P

Map (click to get the dynamic map)