Nagasaki at Desa Sri Hartamas: Review

Desa Sri Hartamas’ newest Japanese restaurant is one of our best bets for soul food that nourishes both the stomach & the spirit, served by a friendly team that more than capably coped with a full house of Japanese patrons on a recent week-night.

Champon

This outlet’s name is a nod to the home city of its owner; specialities include ‘champon’ (RM39), a recipe regarded as part of Nagasaki prefecture’s regional cuisine. Boiled noodles in a soup made with chicken & pig bones, topped with fried seafood, pork & vegetables – sweetly mellow & satisfyingly understated, the antidote to the emotional toll of a long, tough day at work.

Sara-udon

Also a restorative dish: ‘Sara-udon,’ translated as ‘plate noodles’ (RM39), with a base of thin, crispy fried noodles crowned with prawns, pork, squid & beautifully tender cabbage. Both the chanpon & sara-udon evoke Chinese cooking in a positive fashion.

Curry Rice

We love Nagasaki’s curry rice, tremendously thick & triumphantly tasty, served with a crispy-juicy pork cutlet (RM29). Order it.

Unagi-don

But skip the unagi-don (RM42), a let-down due to sub-par eel. Try the katsu-don with deep-fried pork & egg (RM29) instead.

Skewers

Nagasaki serves pretty good skewers – everything from chicken heart, liver, gizzard, wasabi-laced breast, wings, thigh & tail (RM4-RM6 each) to pork loin with perrilla leaves & bacon with quail eggs (RM6-RM7 each). Not the cheapest, but worthwhile.

The remainder of the menu is extensive – deep-fried garlic to grilled pork spare-ribs, korokke to yaki-onigiri, as well as ‘nikujaga’ meat-&-potato stew. Wash down with plenty of sake, & plot your return here; this place could be a keeper.