Sushi Ori, Menara Keck Seng
Exactly six springs ago, we encountered chef Hideaki Oritsuki for the first time at KL's Sushi Hinata in March 2013; much has changed in many of our lives since then - chef Ori-san himself left Sushi Hinata a long time ago, moving on to launch Oribe in December 2014. While Sushi Hinata and Oribe both endure, their founding father has once again decamped to a new venue - Sushi Ori, bringing back classical Japanese cuisine to Bukit Bintang's Menara Keck Seng. With scarcely a dozen seats here, the sushi counter is often packed, even on weeknights. Although there are private rooms within the restaurant, the counter is the place to be - chef Ori remains a charmingly genial presence whose graciousness lights up the room; after serving thousands of Malaysians, the native Nagoyan has become increasingly confident in his interactions, chatting with customers about everything from his sleeping habits (he wakes very early, thanks to his longtime custom in Japan of visiting the morning fis...