Okonomi at Solaris Dutamas, Outside Publika: Restaurant Review

What’s your roll? Okonomi’s tagline is a simple three-word phrase for a fun restaurant that serves ‘sushi as you like it’ – customers can mix & match 40 choices of fillings, 16 types of toppings & 20 sauces to create their own ‘maki’ sushi rolls.

Mix and Match Sushi

Choose a base of white or brown rice with seaweed or soy wrap, then select the size of your roll – a six-piece ‘small’ (RM13.90++) comprises three regular fillings (a premium filling results in a RM5++ surcharge), one topping & one sauce, while ‘medium’ (RM16.90++) features four fillings & ‘large’ (RM19.90++) boasts five. Then go wild – how about a freak-of-nature maki stuffed with marinated lobster, jellyfish, mango, strawberries & onions, topped with cili padi & cheddar cheese sauce?

Execute and Enjoy

Brown rice in soy wrap with unagi, soft-shell crab, smoked duck, boiled egg, avocado, garlic sauce & garlic chips (RM36.90++). Reasonably well-executed & enjoyable; it’s tricky to ensure everything complements each other in these rolls, so Okonomi keeps its flavours mild & not too punchy. No component overpowers each ensemble or throws things off-balance.

Hokkaido crab meat, seasoned scallops & tamago omelette with white sesame & kiwi mayo on the side (RM18.90++ – a RM13.90++ small with one ‘premium’ ingredient for a RM5++ surcharge ). We’d probably recommend the ‘large’ portions, since those seem to be more fully stuffed; customers can also pay an extra RM1++ to have each roll coated in tempura batter.

House Recipes

Prefer to let the restaurant determine the fillings? Okonomi also has a variety of house recipes for every taste bud, from the ‘Health Nut’ to the ‘Seafood Supreme,’ the ‘Firecracker’ to ‘Katsu Curry Roll,’ each priced between RM15.90++ to RM20.90++.

Japanese Curry Pasta

The menu also promises other temptations, from the Japanese curry pasta with chicken, potatoes & carrots (RM16.90++) to battered onigiri rice balls stuffed with salmon, egg & cheddar cheese (RM9.90++).

Dessert

There’s one unique green tea dessert to spotlight: Matcha white chocolate lava cake with matcha chocolate sticks, powdered sugar, vanilla ice cream & strawberry (RM16.90++). Okonomi only opened this week, but expect to see this pop up a fair bit on your social media feeds in the near future.

Red Bean Blended Latte

Beverages like red bean blended lattes made with low-fat milk (RM7.90++) fit the theme for a contemporary Japanese cafe. Okonomi has thought out the ingredients for a successful run – a distinctive concept, strategic location, sufficiently good food, prices that’ll cater for Publika’s crowds, a cheerful ambiance & friendly service team.