Now, it's was a bit confusing when I turned up with KA to meet an old friend, JT and she suggested that we do lunch at Xenri. When we walked up to the restaurant, we found that they were doing some renovation work and thought that we had to find another lunch venue. Before we could even turn around, we were ushered towards another direction about 2 lots away to another entrance which was also Xenri! Xenri at two places with different deco within the same block? Hmmm....that reminds me that I didn't find out the reason why there were two Xenri/s. Stepping in with confusion, our minds were quickly cleared as we were were wowed by the "Zen-ness" of the restaurant.
Private rooms and more secluded areas were linked by a small path with a gentle stream of water running through beneath.
Inside one of the private rooms
Arriving there for an early lunch, we had the place to ourselves for the first half hour or so and I proceeded to take photos of the interior. Actually this is probably the first time I'm highlighting more of the interior of the restaurant rather than the food.
The secluded dining area
And what about the food? I was really hungry by the time we got down to ordering after the photo taking and initial amazement, I decided to order a dinner set for lunch! Hahaha...the Beef Suziyaki Zen set also came with tempura and at RM36, it was indeed a substantial meal and reasonably priced.
However, tastewise I felt that it couldn't live up to its surroundings; a winter shade of pale amidst the warm interior. Well, almost such a shade. It wasn't bad but neither was it good. I had a taste of my friends' food and came to the same conclusion...ordinary. I must say that JT said her bento set (RM25) was nice, (goes to show that when it comes to food, it is quite subjective) whereas KA said her Gyu Don (RM18) was okay.
Come here for the ambiance and enjoy the company of friends. The "Zen-ness" will put you in non-complaining mood for sure and all will be good at the end of the day ;o).
Restoran Xenri
20, Wisma Elken
Jalan 1/147C, Batu 5
Jalan Kelang Lama
58200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel : 03- 7783 8118
The obstacle is the path. ~ Zen Proverb
The prices are pretty reasonable too!:)
ReplyDeleteI really like the environment~
yup, I read bout this place from Sugar Bean blog as well.
ReplyDeletethe place exudes a sense of warmth, and coolness at the same time. the food's mediocre only? pity.
Very nice interior! The Bento really value for money. Maybe should try the ala carte to see if it taste better.
ReplyDeleteoo.. we like this place .. been around yoinks.. but still good. sooooo near ye old PRIME college, my old school.. haha.. nostalgic. makes me feel old. Is that river by Xenri still there?! romantic walk by the river.. lol..(ok la, maybe a lil dilapidated)..
ReplyDeletemust pay a visit oredi since so many ppl highlight this place suddenly. plus need to pop by elken hahaha
ReplyDeletechristy : Yes, I like the ambiance too :o)
ReplyDeletej2kfm : Well, taste is subjective. Why don't you give it a try?
Precious P : Maybe...wanna go? :o)
Cumi&Ciki : Would you know why there is two Xenri/s? I didn't see any river :o)
babe_kl : Ah, Elken member? :o)
wmw,
ReplyDeletewonderful interior! With such an interior, I don't mind to pay a little bit more for the food!:P
woah, i like this line lar:
ReplyDelete"The obstacle is the path."
maybe that's why we need to see through the cracks...woah, deep! hehehe...
this places seems to be very popular recently eh? saw a few post on this..looks very calming and cozy
ReplyDeleteMacam makan malam pulak! :P (referring to the ambiance)
ReplyDeleteMy friend said it's good... maybe the ala carte will fare better?
Xenri become so "hot" recently... just read about it in The Sun just now~~
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing the Elken building but never knew there's zen-ness within. & seems like I may be the only one. =(
ReplyDeleteperfecto~
ReplyDeletei had my meal here once.
gonna blog about it soon! love the pics u captured~
I really like the private rooms- or at least the look of it. It makes me feel that the group of customers dining there are more special or have more privacy.
ReplyDeletekok : Yes, I love the setup of this place too.
ReplyDeleteNic : Yes, deep huh? Hahaha...
sc : Yes, I would come back and dine here because of the Zen-ness "o)
jason : Yes, maybe...you tell me?
mimid3vils : I didn't know it was that "hot" actually. Only know about SugarBean's post.
tummythoz : Now that you know, you know where you can seek the Zen.
ai wei : Hope to read it soon :o)
daphne : Most Jap restaurants have private rooms but the rooms here have that extra bit of warmth.
I seem to have less Japanese food ever since I came from Taiwan back to S'pore!
ReplyDeleteWell, if not for the makan, it'd be a great place to chill out and do loads of camwhoring! Hehe. :D
ReplyDeletewhat a cool place!! The deco look so comtemprory and new!..look at the food,now make me drooling
ReplyDeleteTigerfish:You're in Singapore now? For good?
ReplyDeleteLFB : Ahhh..Yes, yes! :o)
beachlover : For me the ambiance fared better than the food though.
I have quite a few restaurants to try in Jalan Kelang Lama area but I just couldn't really make my way there :(
ReplyDeleteI seem to be always stuck in Kepong/Serdang/KL area only sigh
Nice pics, kinda hard to believe they taste ordinary despite looking so good
vkeong : Haven't seen you around for awhile. Been busy like me too? :o) There's also PJ area for you to cover.
ReplyDeleteDo you have to remove your shoes before entering the restaurants? If so, are there any lockers for them? The tatami mat arrangements kinda look strange in the private room. Usually, these mats are joined together and not separated. Or was it my poor vision? Price wise, it's reasonable.
ReplyDeleteWonda : Sorry for the late reply. We still wear our shoes when we enter the restaurants. We are only required to remove them when we go onto the platform that connects to the private area. No lockers. I don't think the mats are joined, not your eyes :o)
ReplyDeleteI think the Japanese restaurant at Sogo 5/6F behind Secret Recipe is nice lor. But don't know why not many ppl go there. Price is reasonably, the place spacious, fr outside it looks high-class and intimidating a bit, but actually no lor. Go try. Take it fr me, u know.
ReplyDeletei have been to xenri quite few times and eating here is nothing to loss.. the environment, the interior design(after the renovation), the food, the service are superb..!! u'll fell like wana come again...
ReplyDelete