Eastern Eats
Kikusui Japanese Restaurant 2324 offers affordable and authentic Japanese food and more.
Expect to be wowed when you drop into Kikusui Japanese Restaurant 2324. It’s a pleasantly unexpected find, being one of the few authentic Japanese restaurants on the island. When you step inside it’s just like being in Osaka or Tokyo. Kikusui is located on the beach road in Lamai, just next to Pavilion Samui Villas & Resort.
The owner, Khun Virach Pongchababnapa, has created an ‘izakaya’, which is a typical Japanese eatery and bar. The name comes from his favourite sake, Kikusui, which is distilled in Niigata and imbued with the essence of local rice. The restaurant naturally serves different varieties of sake, and there will surely be one to your taste. You may however prefer a Japanese beer, such as Asahi, or one of the European wines – nothing is out of reach of the average budget, though, and this is one place where you’re guaranteed to enjoy yourself. The accent is on conviviality and relaxation. Staff are welcoming, and tend to be dressed in kimono, but there’s no formality.
Everything’s unpretentious here. You'll find plain tables in an air-con dining room, though in the evenings, you can eat outside on the little terrace here that overlooks the beach road. (Parking by the way is also directly outside the restaurant.)
The décor is both chic and uncluttered, too, with a few souvenirs from Kikusui town itself such as Japanese beckoning cats, and, of course, bottles of sake. (Either makes a great gift and can be purchased at very reasonable price.)
The menu starts with many side dishes such as sake-steamed clams or ankimo liver. These are items that you might not be familiar with unless you’ve been going to Japanese restaurants, but be assured they’re delicious; light on the stomach, perfectly cooked and presented. Try the Kikusui Soup Pot, a heart-warming broth that showcases how good soup can be. If it’s really hot, you might want to consider one of the salads. The Kikusui Salad is a delight, with fresh salmon as a main ingredient, and there’s also a western Greek-style salad with cheese, tomatoes and greens.
The theme of literally cool food continues with sashimi served on a bed of ice, with a focus on Bluefin tuna, scallops, mackerel, octopus and salmon. You can also try sashimi sets, notably Sashimi Sakuraso, which is a medley of no less than ten ingredients from the sea. There’s plenty of sushi too, and here you can choose between either four, six or eight pieces. Naturally, you can also order sushi individually. If you sit at the bar, you can watch the chef preparing your order – deft hands make light work of complex Japanese cuisine, and in minutes you’ll be able to tuck into your order.
When it comes to freshness, Kikusui ranks high on people’s lists. The owner, along with his chef, may at times be out at sea looking for fish. Though most of it comes from the local markets, it doesn’t stop them from actually going out on a boat and throwing out a line. Lucky diners will benefit from their catch. It’ll arrive off the boat, and once the chef has changed his clothes, he’ll be cooking it as soon as he receives an order … which won’t be very long in coming!
Japan is home to Wagyu beef, and here at Kikusui you can indulge in some of the best imported meat around. Beef Steak or Grilled Beef is available as Wagyu Saka Beef A5, and you can eat from 50 gm to 200 gm. It’s served with various sauces, a side dish and pineapple. Saka beef is almost legendary, with cows being fed on beer and listening to music! Expect lots of marbling in the fat and an unusually tender kind of beef. Also highly recommended is the tonkatsu, or breaded pork. Try it either with ramen or as a curry.
There’s also a children’s menu – it’s an extensive one and runs to no less than three pages. Photos depict the food (as they do throughout the entire menu) so it’s easier for children to recognize the foods they like.
And there are desserts too. The Japanese are formidable masters of French patisserie and you’ll enjoy delights such as the Hokkaido Gateau Au, a frozen chocolate cake, or Hokkaido Brûlée Cheesecake. Aside from cakes, on a hot day, nothing is better than Matcha Ice-Cream, a homemade variant on the popular green tea. If your tastes are more European, then opt for the Hot Chocolate Soufflé, which comes with coconut ice-cream.
Come for lunch, served daily from 11:30 am until 2:00 pm, or for dinner, from 5:00 pm until 10:30 pm. Last but not least, staff will help dress you in traditional Japanese clothing, should you wish to make your time here even more fun.
For Japanese food in a professionally-run restaurant, step into the world of Kikusui. If you’ve never had Japanese food before, you’ll be in for a real treat. And if you’re an old hand, then you’ll instantly recognize that you’re in one of the best locations when it comes to authentic-to-the-core tastes.
Dimitri Waring