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Toriyoshi stands out among the Klang Valley's kushiyaki bars by serving up specialities with Malaysian influences: Try the nasi lemak yakitori don, unmistakably aromatic, accompanied by all the familiar anchovies, peanuts, cucumber and sambal, plus a runny egg and slices of smoky chicken meat, skin, heart and gizzard (a fair RM15 with radish soup, pickles and ocha). Several chicken skewers also channel local inflections, such as sambal-slathered chicken breast (RM6) and buttermilk-bathed thigh (RM7). Other unconventional grilled offerings span freshwater lobster (RM15; skip this, since there's not much flesh beneath its exterior) and textured otak-otak (RM8), washed down with green tea (RM6) or a Japanese whisky highball (RM20). Toriyoshi Yakitori 23G, Jalan SS21/37, Damansara Utama,  Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Open Mon-Fri, 12pm-3pm, 6pm-12am; Sat, 6pm-12am. This post first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com

From the first slurp of the spoon to the final swoop of the chopsticks, a ramen meal at Okinii seeks to soothe and satiate.  The effort poured into the Chicken Miso Ramen is exemplary, with eight hours of boiling for the chicken broth, laced with red miso and loaded with no lack of noodles, plus a kitchen-roasted chicken thigh roll (a substitute for porcine chashu, since Okinii shuns the swine), marinated kampung egg, scallions and a nori sheet. At RM18, it's ramen worth relishing, though it's more of a Malaysian Chinese interpretation, with broth that's poultry-sweet rather than umami-resonant. Other ramen varieties include seafood (with prawns and mussels) and even a vegan one (with carrots, bok choi and deep-fried ginger in a sesame broth). Rice bowls are also offered, with oyakodon and gyudon beckoning from the menu, as well as tofu or torched salmon salads; sashimi is also expected to eventually be available. And after supping up the ramen, customers can sip on coffee ...

Platters of sashimi and sushi, freshly prepared to order; kushiyaki-style skewers, grilled before your eyes; oysters, mussels, black cod, squid and prawns, served hot from the kitchen: Still Waters run deep indeed at Hotel Maya Kuala Lumpur's flagship Japanese restaurant, which has launched an all-you-can-eat a la carte buffet that promises substantial value, with more than 78 dishes for RM78 nett per person (or RM40 for children between five to 12 years old). It's a weekly exclusive at Still Waters, currently every Saturday afternoon, 12pm-3pm, at least until the end of June, offering a strong reason to return to a restaurant that has endured for over a decade in the city centre. Many of the buffet's specialities are assembled or cooked immediately after you order them, curtailing the wastage of typical buffets and ensuring your food reaches your table straight from the kitchen brigade's hands.  Naturally, sashimi and sushi rank among the highlights of a meal like this...