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Was at Mid Valley with WL during lunch time on a Sunday. We usually have difficulty deciding what to eat there. Food there is either fast food or super overpriced. But nevertheless, one has to eat, and neither WL nor I fancy eating bread for every meal. Come to think of it, even bread is expensive at places like La Boheme (Jusco), Bread Talk, or Bread Story. After scratching our heads for a bit and walking the entire complex, we finally arrived at Shokudo - Little Treassures of Fusion at Mid Valley’s Centre Court on the lower ground floor.

As we passed by, one of their staff handed us a flier. On it were two promotions. Buy 1 Free 1, where you purchase any large Bento Set (with chawanmushi and drink) and you get a Rice Bowl or Noodle Bowl for free. The second offer was titled Hot Deals where you get a Teppan Set (with soup and drink) for RM9.90.

Purchase Any Large Set (with chawanmushi & drink)
Valid Daily: 10.00am - 10.00pm
- Buy 1 Free 1 promotion -

For Only RM9.90 Teppan Set (with soup & drink)
Valid Daily: 1.30pm - 6.30pm
- Hot Deals -

Note: Promotion ends 31 March 2006

We looked at the menu for a bit and decided that we would stay for lunch. We went with the first offer and quite frankly, we were conned. The wording on the brochure is very misleading, so read it carefully. The first promotion is only valid when you purchase a Bento Set (RM15.90 - RM21.90), a chawanmushi (RM2.90), AND a drink (RM2.90). The chawanmushi (Japanese steamed egg) and drink does NOT come free with the set. You have to purchase them in order to get the free Rice/Noodle Bowl. On the other hand, RM9.90 for the Teppan Set (ala carte Teppan sets go for between RM7.90 - RM14.90) comes with free soup and drink.

Anyway, since we were already decided on the food, we paid the extra for the chawanmushi and drink. For the Bento Set, we chose the Green Curry set (Thai - RM16.90) and took the Seafood Tom Yam (Thai - RM10.90) as our free Noodle Bowl. Including the chawanmushi, drinks, and taxes, the meal came out to an even RM25.00.

The Green Curry (Chicken) Bento set comes with rice, vegetable salad, three pieces of crispy fried dumplings, miso soup, and a nata de coco desert. The green curry chicken was good, albeit a little on the mild side. The best part about the set were the three fried wantan which were fresh from the frier. The combination of salads, rice, and curry tasted good. Just watch out for large pieces of unedible curry leaves and daun limau purut.

In contrast, the Seafood Tom Yum wasn’t quite as kind to the tastebuds. While the seafood was abundant (2 large prawns, 2 large clams, lots of tiny mussels) and the soup was good and spicy (spicy enough to numb your tongue), I was quite frustrated by the fact that every mouthful I took was peppered with shredded lemon grass and unedible bits of roots and stuff. I understand that these are part and parcel of ‘authentic’ tomyam but I never understood the need for all that rubbish in a bowl of soup. Its as though you can’t eat the noodles or drink the soup without chewing on rough old bark (and its impossible to pick them out!). The fact that I’ve never been a great fan of Tomyam does not help the situation. Why don’t they cook the soup with the bits of bark and roots wrapped up in a bag (like they do for Bak Kut Teh) and filtered away so it doesn’t get in the way of people trying to savour the food?! But that’s just me. If you’re a true tomyam fan, you might just find it enjoyable.

Overall, the food at Shokudo isn’t too bad. Their ala carte menu consists of a selection of Bento, Light Bento, Rice Bowls, Noodle Bowls, and Teppan Sets in Japanese, Thai, and Fusion flavours. Drinks are free flow so, the RM2.90 price tag is justified. You get the standard selection of soft drinks and hot/cold ocha (green tea). The sets are a little bit on the pricey side, but with the promotions, its still bearable.

Its a self service place, where you place your order at the cashier counter. The food is served pretty quickly. However, they did try to clear my table before I was finished with my meal and they hovered around after I was finished as though trying to chase me off when I was enjoying my free flow of drinks and reading the newspaper (there were empty tables around), so I’ll deduct some points from their service. If you’re not willing to let your customers stick around and drink a few cups of 100plus, then don’t offer free refills of drinks as it reflects badly.

Aside from the slightly bad service, the place isn’t too shabby. I recommend the place if you’re stuck on what to eat and if they have some promotion running. However, stay away from the tomyam unless you’re a diehard fan and your stomach is lined with asbastos.

Edit:
Just so we’re clear on this, I don’t recommend eating there if there aren’t any promotions. I personally feel that it isn’t worth the cost if that’s the case, except perhaps the free flow of drinks. But then again, you can get that at Burger King and they don’t chase you out! So yeah, use your better judgement and weigh the value for dollar on your own scale.

Shokudo
Little Treassures of Fusion
Lot LG 083, Centre Court, Mid Valley Megamall
Lot LG 29, Lower Ground Floor, Plaza Low Yat

Sukothai (Sister restaurant)
Little Treassures of Siam
Lot 17, 2nd Floor, Food Court Suria KLCC, KLCC

Business Hours: 10.00am - 10.00pm daily

CEO contact (wow)
HP: +6012-232 7849
Tel: +603-7880 9115
Fax: +603-7803 2115
Email: shokudoceo@yahoo.com