Sushi Zanmai

Came here at the recommendation of a local friend, though we were suggested to head to Sunway Pyramid’s branch, opted to come to Paradigm for convenience. The service team at this branch seems to be filled with lots of new trainees, and the management doesn’t seem to be too worried about their knowledge of the food they are serving. Our waitress seemed to be confused by the request of hot water, and our other waiter didn’t know what the salad dressings were made of (how am I supposed to guess what the sushi zanmai dressing is?) However, I felt a little bad for suggesting that he didn’t know what the dressings were and overall, the quality of food is pretty good and the cost of a comparable meal at sushi king or sakae sushi is pretty much the same, with zanmai at the top, then king, and sakae taking the bottom.
Ordered the cha soba with tempura and also the a salmon don at our table. The Salmon Don is a pretty bad deal because the cuts of salmon are so measly its not worth it. The cha soba was good, except it was much more on the cold side than it was the cool side. There is a definite difference! Overall pretty good and would definitely come back.

My all time favorite Japanese restaurant. Discovered a delicious toufu salad that tastes really good with sesame salad sauce !

Service here in this particular branch is not that good. The staff here don’t greet us. And the food was served very slow and the crowd is not that big yet. I love sushi zanmai, but this branch need to improve in their service.

Sushi Zanmai have always been my all time favorite sushi place. One day, my sisters and I went on a shopping trip. After a long day of shopping, we were looking for some comfort food ease our hunger.
We decided to come here to this particular branch for sushi because we were nearby. The reason I always go to Sushi Zanmai and not other sushi place was because I like their made to order sushi. Their sushi are often made to order and the rice in the sushi is still warm when it is served.
However, not this one here. After placing our orders, we were served with cold sushi. From the look of the sushi, you know that it has been there for a while most probably taken from the conveyor belt. It was cold and not fresh. Well, the reason we don’t sit by the conveyor belt is because want freshly made sushi but in the end we were served cold ones. Sigh.
It was my first time having sushi here at this branch. My usual place was Sunway Pyramid and One Utama branch. I guess it is due to lack of customers during weekdays. Low turnover of their sushis. So, this experience taught me a lesson. Which is not to step into quiet sushi place.

I honestly think that sushi zanmai is one of the best sushi shops you can find in malls. Why? Because I think the prices here are fairly reasonable and the quality of the food is not bad at all.
During peak hours, the queue line in this outlet gets pretty long but the waiting isn’t really much of a problem to me, the most I’ve waited for is 15 minutes but some other people would be ticked off by waiting that long. So if you don’t want to wait for long, give a call to the restaurant and book a seat earlier. There are a same amount of seats each for the regular seats and the seats by the sushi bar so there are plenty of space in this restaurant.
The staff here can be very efficient and friendly at times and they will never forget to greet or bid farewell to the customers.

Unlike many other Japanese restaurants that will rob your savings, Zanmai’s menu comes with reasonably affordable prices that will satisfy your cravings for japanese cuisine. I am extremely guilty for having to always drag my friends here whenever we go out but they never seem to mind as the food never seems to disappoint our hungry tummies. As you enter, you will be typically greeted with a bow as their staffs holler «Irasshaimase!» your way as they direct you to your seat while passing by rows and rows of table that always seem to be full whatever time it is. I love sitting next to the sushi bar because they serve an equal variety of all their colored plates as opposed to other restaurants that I’ve been to that will serve a lot of their pricier plates. The variety served on their belt will sure to make you drool and tempt you to pull in everything that passes your eyes even before you sit down. (These sushi plates go as low as RM 1.80 to RM 6.90 according to the color you choose.) In any case, sitting next to the sushi belt in any japanese restaurant for anybody can either be a pro or a con depending on your monthly income. :-)
I particularly really love their RM 8-​ish Ebidon which is white rice topped with sauteed onions and 3 pieces of tempura prawns cooked in a fried egg (this is also a cheat instead of ordering their RM10 prawn tempura on its own!) and their sashimi which can cost up to only RM6.80 for 3 pieces of salmon. Not to simply sound like an obvious fangirl of this place, but I have to say I have been here enough times to say that their service is not always consistent. Sometimes it’s particularly good, other times they forget my orders or take a very long time to serve it or/​and even when they do, they seem have that unenthusiastic look on their faces like they just hate working there. But if you can lean back, keep stacking those colored plates from the belt while waiting patiently and forgive that bit (not always forgivable though…), their meals will be sure to satisfy at the price you pay.

I am a big fan of this place! Before I discovered this it seemed like there were either the really cheap places (Sushi King) or the really upmarket ones which were super pricey. This place combines reasonable prices with good quality food. At one point I came here once a week.
It’s very popular especially during lunch and dinner so you need to make a reservation or come early to avoid a long wait. I have personally witnessed the line with at least 10 groups waiting. That particular day my dejected heart had to settle for Sakae Sushi as I was too hungry to wait so long.
The waiters used to be really good but as is the case with people in F&B, the turnover rate is very high and lately the waiters seem a bit more ‘blur’ than usual. Before all our food would come within 15 – 20 minutes but the last time I went with my sister it took almost 40 minutes for our food to arrive and they weren’t even that busy.
I really love their maki rolls as they taste super fresh. Their miso soup is flavourful and not overly salty and their Salmon Teriyaki is delicious.