From its imposingly elegant marble-clad doorway to the cosy simplistic interior, Calia at Pavilion KL is immediately welcoming. Thanks to its spacious décor with natural brightness streaming in through the high windows, we felt very comfortable and this was enhanced by the polite friendly service of the crew.
Known for its creative modern Japanese menu, we were so tempted by the range of appealing selections. We kicked off our lunch with 2 of their salads. We thoroughly enjoyed the salads with the very umami condiments of crispy softshell crabs and cubes of fresh fish in the platters.
Softshell Crab Salad with Avocado (RM41)
Kale Salad with Bara Bara (RM44)
Ko Ebi (RM18) – we munched on these crispy shrimps while waiting for the rest of our food!
At Calia, it’s a visual feast before the food is actually consumed. Nothing proves this better than their bowls of dons. Looking incredibly enticing on the menu, our bowls of dons did not disappoint at all. What is there not to like when you have heartwarming sushi rice topped with the freshest salmon, engawa and my favourite mentaiko? The premium kizami wasabi served with the Salmon Tataki Engawa Don is a treat – the soy-savouriness and bitey texture was just so good.
Salmon Tataki Engawa Don (RM88) – marinated engawa and salmon served on warm sushi rice topped with pickles and kizami wasabi
Salmon Mentaiko Don (RM46) – grilled salmon with mentaiko on warm sushi rice with ikura and pickles
Salmon & Avocado Don (RM48) – fresh salmon cubes marinated with special sauce and creamy avocado, onsen egg and pickles
The thick-cuts Maki at Calia are immensely satisfying with generous toppings of quality ingredients. You definitely can’t go wrong with choices of engawa, unagi and softshell crabs in the beautifully-executed rice rolls.
Engawa Maki (RM48)
Softshell Crab Maki (RM33)
Unagi Maki (RM43)
We could not pass their Calia Bear Garden Shabu Shabu, one of their signature items. Indeed, the cute bear (frozen collagen broth) proved to be irresistible and we really enjoyed every spoonful of the tasty broth. There are options to add in extra orders of chicken/tiger prawns/wagyu beef but we preferred to savour the sweet broth with just vegetables and Japanese meatballs.
Calia Bear Garden Shabu Shabu (RM68)
For noodles lovers, there’s a good selection of ramen and udon in the menu. We opted to try 2 soupy ramen – the Charcoal Truffle Collagen Ramen and Ebi Ramen. The broths for these 2 bowls of ramen had been simmered for hours resulting in thick rich flavours – so comforting with every slurp.
Charcoal Truffle Collagen Ramen (RM38) – silky charcoal ramen served with sous-vide truffle chicken in their inhouse special chicken collagen broth
Ebi Ramen (RM56) – smooth ramen in a bowl of special shrimp broth made umami with succulent freshwater prawns
We also had the Uni Truffle Inaniwa Udon – gorgeous hand-stretched thin udon infused with fragrant truffle oil topped with uni and ikura. We love the sweet clean flavours of the fresh uni and ikura paired splendidly with the fragrant thin silky udon infused with truffle oil.
Uni Truffle Inaniwa Udon (RM126)
Gyusuji Nikomi is an interesting take on beef stew. Tender chunks of beef tripe, tendons and daikon had been slow-cooked for hours to a rich hearty savoury broth. It’s lipsmackingly good and comforting in every sense.
Gyusuji Nikomi (RM38)
The Australian Full Blood Wagyu Sirloin was truly a decadently indulgent piece of air-flown Australian full-blood wagyu MB 8-9 sirloin. Tender and juicy, it’s served with yuzu potato salad, garden crisps and nuts.
Australian Full Blood Wagyu Sirloin (RM288)
We couldn’t leave without indulging in some of their delightful desserts. From cheesecakes to tiramisu to some traditional Japanese desserts, we settled for Yokan Anmitsu, Warabi Mochi, Matcha Lava and Black Sesame Burnt Cheesecake.
Yokan Anmitsu (RM28) – A traditional Japanese dessert of silky cubes of yokan (sweet red beans jelly) served with clear agar jelly, assorted fruits, sweet red beans and matcha ice cream.
Warabi Mochi (RM28) – Soft jelly-like mochi dusted with roasted soybean flour and served with a sweet black sugar syrup.
Matcha Lava (RM33) – Rich enticing chocolate lava cake oozing warm matcha ganache
Black Sesame Burnt Cheesecake (RM21)
Easy Summer and Blueberry & Sweet Potato Milkshake – so different in looks and taste and yet these were our favourite drinks at Calia!
Besides offering lovely Instagrammable food (and décor), Calia’s culinary and service team does a great job in pampering diners with a satisfying experience. Whether it’s for a romantic meal or a group gathering, Calia’s cosy and casually chic ambience is just nice.
Online Reservations: https://inline.app/booking/calia
CALIA PAVILION KL | Lot 6.11 Level 6 | Pavilion Kuala Lumpur | Jalan Bukit Bintang | 55100 Kuala Lumpur
Open 12.00pm-10.00pm daily
PORK-FREE
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @caliamalaysia