Tamaruya

Wrapping up our four-part exploration of KLCC's Isetan FoodMarket.

Earlier entries: Caffe Gino (Sept. 16). Sen-Ya (Sept. 17). Petit Sucre & Bites Quickie (Sept. 18).

Our favorite stall here is Tamaruya, which offers yakitori, grilled to order. Customers can choose from a vast variety of chicken parts & sauces. We opted for thigh with ponzu & breast with basil. Irresistibly juicy & flavor-packed, costing RM4.50 apiece (RM3.50 without toppings).

Offal rules! Teriyaki chicken liver & heart skewers with mustard dip.

Also well worth a stop: Fugetsu, which dishes out Osaka-style okonomiyaki. RM18 each, with an option of chicken, beef or seafood filling.

This okonomiyaki ranks among the best we've ever had. Thick, warm & creamy but not too oily, melding together beef, cabbage, onions, flour & tempura batter, eggs, bonito flakes & mayo for a luscious pancake, built for sharing.

Also check out the Aoi-Tei kiosk for meat & seafood cutlets. Its Wagyu Katsusando is like the prince of sandwiches _ three slices cost RM35, which could buy multiple Big Macs, but this is more satisfying, thanks to succulent breaded beef that puts processed patties to shame.

Chicken & prawn cutlets. Between KLCC's Isetan FoodMarket & Pavilion's Tokyo Street, there's a full-scale Japanese invasion this year at our malls. Resistance is futile.

Next up: Getsurin, which specializes in traditional "donburi" rice bowls. Wholesome, earthy comfort food, with simmered salmon, eel omelet slices & chicken with carrots, mushrooms & potatoes ladled out with gravy on a big bowl of fresh, steaming-hot rice. For RM25, this is pricier than Chinese "chap fan" mixed rice, but it's incredibly satisfying.

Prefer a bento box? No problem; that's available at another booth, Uohei, which mainly serves grilled seafood. This RM28 ready-to-go set is a real whopper, with clam-laden rice, yellow tail, chicken, scallop, fish cakes, jellyfish, pickles & salad leaves.

Tamaruya, Fugetsu, Aoi-Tei, Getsurin & Uohei,

Isetan Food Market, Concourse Level, Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur.

Petit Sucre

Slaves to sugar should be set free to frolic in KLCC's Isetan FoodMarket, where independent stalls have started selling Japanese & French-themed desserts.

The highlight could be Petit Sucre, an offshoot of Levain Boulangerie. The piece de resistance here is the Ouef Brulee, one of the most gorgeously packaged desserts we've seen this year. Essentially soft, smooth creme brulee in an "egg shell" made of thick glass.

Another worthwhile kiosk: Bites Quickie by Bites Factory, specializing in tiny treats for folks who want to avoid over-indulging. Its unique creations include the Twisted Mille Crepe (rolled crepe with raspberry jam & creme patisserie) & Mont Midori (pureed sweet potato & whipped cream set on a sponge cake).

Kids might be drawn to Milkkan's booth for a freshly made Japanese crepe, filled with kiwifruit & chocolate cream and served in a cardboard cone for convenient snacking.

Also from Milkkan: green tea & passion fruit soft-serve ice cream. Both seemed rather healthy, reminiscent of frozen yogurt, with natural-tasting flavors & not much sugar.

Petit Sucre, Bites Quickie & Milkkan,

Isetan Food Market, Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur.

Sen-Ya

Boasting a menu created by Harunobu Inukai (the former executive chef of the Sydney Observatory Hotel's award-winning Galileo Restaurant), this Japanese bistro is one of the main attractions at KLCC's Isetan FoodMarket.

Cold, creamy soba salad. Chef Inukai holds impressive credentials, having trained at Osaka's Tsuji Cooking School and worked under Joel Robuchon at Tokyo's Taillevent Robuchon Chateau before embarking for Australia, where he now resides.

Teriyaki chicken with rice. Sen-Ya's offerings are available for both dine-in & takeaway, but it's best to eat everything fresh here. However, seats won't be easy to secure at peak hours, since this outlet fits barely 30 customers.

Spider Maki, comprising lots of soft-shell crab paired with crab sticks (more stuffing than rice!). Topped with Japanese chili powder for a mild but unexpected kick.

Chicken katsu with curry sauce. It's all familiar fare, well-executed though not mind-blowing, since the focus is on casual shoppers instead of serious diners.

Sen-Ya,

Isetan Food Market, Concourse Level, Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur.

Caffe Gino @ Isetan

Shoppers navigating through KLCC's Isetan Foodmarket might want to seek a caffeine buzz at this gourmet coffee specialist, opened by Japanese master roaster Kiyohisa Fugino.

Caffe latte, an elegant blend with a soft, clean finish. Fugino, nicknamed the "artist of aroma," claims to use top-tier coffee beans acquired at international auctions for his concoctions.

Matcha cappuccino, milky & smooth, with a deep-bodied flavor that is supposed to characterize green tea from the town of Uji in Kyoto.

And after that pick-me-up, stroll through the rest of this sprawling supermarket for groceries & takeaway snacks, including sushi, donburi, yakitori & okonomiyaki.

Caffe Gino,

Isetan Food Market, Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur.