Among the various Japanese restaurants in Johor Bahru (JB) that I’ve visited so far, Sushi Zento @ Mount Austin is currently my favorite Japanese restaurant. To be fair, I’ve only ate at Sushi Zento, Nijyumaru Japanese Restaurant, Kinsahi, Warakuya Japanese Garden, and Jyunzen Japanese Restaurant. Definitely looking forward to discovering more delicious Japanese restaurants!
Originally Jyunzen Japanese Restaurant ranks highly. Perhaps even comparable to Sushi Zento. However, the salty dishes at our 2nd and last visit to Jyunzen was a huge put off. We could literally taste the salt crystals in its Yaki Oyster’s sauce! It’s been a while since. Will we give it another chance? Maybe…but we’ll definitely emphasize “Less salt please!”
Anyway, back to Sushi Zento. Their food is generally good. Though we do run into the occasional not-so-nice dishes here and there. And just maybe 1 grouse. Which is, they always seem to run out of Uni (sea urchin)!
And because they always run out of Uni, we’ll usually fall back to Shake No Konbi A14 (Salmon Sushi, Salmon Roe, Salmon Belly & Salmon Sashimi Combination) @ RM47 👍
Still on Sashimi, Sushi Zento has a running promotion. Which is, diners can choose to order 1 dish (from a selected menu) at just RM1 with a minimum spend of RM250. Here’s Shake Toro Sashimi A06 (Salmon Belly) @ RM42 which was savored at just RM1 👍
Another dish we enjoyed at RM1 was Salmon Mentai Island Roll MF06 👍 It’s not in the main menu though, so not sure what’s its original retail price. By the way, the RM1 offer is for Sushi Zento members. Non members pay RM10 if I recall correctly.
Soft Shell Crab. Soft Shell Crab. Soft Shell Crab! Sushi Zento has the best Soft Shell Crab Karaage K04 (Deep-fried Soft Shell Crab) @ RM38 among the various mentioned Japanese restaurants which serve this crowd favorite.
On to the dishes we always order at Sushi Zento. 1st up is Tatami Iwashi I04 (Grilled Dried Anchovies) たたみいわし @ RM12. It’s super thin and crispy. Great for kids! 👍
Next’s Kaki Sanmi Yaki P14 (Grilled Oyster with Cod Roe Mayonnaise, Garlic Mayonnaise, Cheese) @ RM36. I love every flavor and they are consistently good 👍
The final regular is Shake Toro Teriyaki T03 (Pan-fried Salmon Belly with Teriyaki Sauce) @ RM32. It tastes good on its own or with a dash of Teriyaki sauce. Crispy on the outside, moist and juicy on the inside 👍
I am a sucker for cold noodles. I used to ALWAYS order Hiyashi Chuka (Cold Ramen) whenever I’m at a Japanese restaurant that sells it. While I have moved pass that phase, I have got to try Sushi Zento’s Cha Soba U10 (Cold Green Tea Noodles) @ RM20. Yummy yummy! 👍 It’s the best Cha Soba among those I tried at Sushi Zento itself, Warakuya Japanese Garden, and Nijyumaru Japanese Restaurant.
Because there’re so many things to try at Sushi Zento, it’s great that their Ninniku Yaki Meshi Y03 (Garlic Fried Rice) @ RM10 is nicely portioned (1 Chinese Bowl) so that you’ll have space for other dishes 👍
Sushi Zento’s Salmon Skin No Age I06 (Deep Fried Salmon Skin) @ RM10 is average, and on the thick side. To be fair, I ordered it with Hai Di Lao’s version in mind. Hai Di Lao’s Deep Fried Salmon Skin wins hands down 🤭
I have mixed feelings about Hotate Teppanyaki Q05 (Pan-Fried Scallop, Vegetables with Garlic Butter Sauce) @ RM56 but it’s well received by others. Could it be because I’m already very full at this point in time? 🤷♀️
In the spirit of trying something new, we ordered Kai Mori Nabe S10 (Assorted Shellfish & Vegetables in Hot Pot with Choice of White Soup or Spicy Soup) @ RM72. While the ingredients are fresh, the white soup is too thick, leaning towards salty 🤷♀️
I love my Chicken Karaage. Naturally it was 1 of the dishes I’m keen to try at Sushi Zento. Unfortunately, that’s a huge mistake. Sushi Zento’s Wakadori Karaage K05 (Deep-fried Marinated Chicken) @ RM19 were too big and not crispy. The latter is a big no-no for me. Chicken Karaage needs to be crispy! 👎
I stepped on another mine at the last visit to Sushi Zento. Their Cheese Katsu Curry (Pork/Chicken) X01 (Rice Served with Deep Fried Pork/Chicken Chop & Japanese Curry, Cheese) @ RM32 was👎👎👎 The pork cutlet was over cooked, hard, dry and too oily. The oil literally squirted out on each bite. I am not a food waster. But I really couldn’t bear it…
Luckily there were more hits than misses, and Sushi Zento secured its top spot. Here’re some Japanese Restaurant staples to round things up. It’s really quite hard to go wrong with Chawan Mushi Y14 (Steamed Egg Custard) @ RM9. Though I was pleasantly surprised with Warakuya Japanese Garden’s version.
Sushi anyone?
Inari Chuka Hotate Sushi F27 (Sweet Beancurd Stuffed with Seasoned Scallop) 稲荷中华帆立寿司 @ RM5.5
Ebi Sushi F13 (Sushi Prawn) 海老寿司 @ RM3
Shake Mentai Aburi Yaki F16 (Salmon Topped with Seared Cod Roe Mayo) 鲑明太炙り烧を @ RM4
Last but not least, free ice cream for members! 1 scoop per RM50 spend!
Sushi Zento 膳户 Japanese Restaurant (Mount Austin)
No. 1, 3 & 5 Jalan Austin Height 8/4
Taman Mount Austin
81100 Johor Bahru, Malaysia
Tel: +60 07-363 0061
Mon to Thu 11:30AM – 2:15PM & 6PM – 9:45PM
Fri to Sun 11:30AM – 10PM
