GET LUCKY AT THIS NEW EATERY IN TOWN
Sometimes, you need to go the extra mile and look a li le harder to get lucky
FROM THE GOOD people that brought along some of the more notable eateries around Klang Valley, such as Kaiju, Wondermama, Feeka Coffee Roasters, Butter & Beans and Food Foundry, the latest instalment to grace our presence is the modern Japanese diner and bar, Lucky Tora.
Blink and you might just miss it, Lucky Tora is a small-sized establishment, situated just a few doors down from the sister outlet Feeka along Jalan Mesui. The compact diner and bar exudes the homely, warmth and intimacy of a Minka (traditional Japanese house) ‒ but thoroughly modernised through the slight industrial interior design, and of course, the fusion food served.
Having already enjoyed a healthy turnover of patrons ‒ for the lunch, dinner and afterdinner crowds, since its opening towards the tail end of last year, Lucky Tora has recently decided to up its game just a smidge, with its new offerings of Lunch Bowls. From staple Japanese favourites with a modern twist like the Unagi Teriyaki Bowl and Bara Chirashi Bowl, to the Asian-fusion Curry Beef Katsu and Foie Gras Chee Cheong Fun, any working men and women can drop by during lunch hours and enjoy a quick but nonetheless tasty meal, before heading back to the office for round two of back-to-back meetings.
While we have to bid farewell to the super popular Wagyu Beef Don, which has been temporarily taken off the menu until the kitchen can source a consistent supply of good quality wagyu, Lucky Tora’s mainstays that have quickly become the people’s favourites are still here to stay: Tiger
Fried Rice Seto, a fragrant bowl of garlic fried rice cooked with egg, prawn, squid, served alongside mini salad and miso soup; Szechuan-style Gyoza, stuffed with prawn drenched in Chinese-style sour and spicy dressing; and Salmon Bomb, pan-seared salmon seasoned with ponzu and truffle oil ‒ each dish good to share among good company, or have it all to yourself.
After dinner, stick around as the night comes alive in the heart of KL’s famed Changkat street in Bukit Bintang, where in Lucky Tora, premeditated DJs would set up their deck at the corner right next to the bar area, and deliver heartfelt tunes that align with the beat of the nightlife.
Meanwhile, behind the bar, the mixologists start taking orders for Lucky Tora’s Special Highballs: Tora High, a concoction of Suntory whisky, lemon and soda; the Earl Grey infused Tito’s vodka Zen Tea, mixed with lime, pandan and rose; and Me So Lucky of Tito’s vodka, served with pineapple, lemon, falernum and black lemon bitters.
Hold your liquor steady, as you dive into another round of drinks from Lucky Tora’s sake cocktail list, ranging from the assam fruit infused Mr Miyagi, the lychee sweetened Chi Chi, as well as the citrusy yuzu-based Yu-So Lovely, and plum-flavoured Red Ume. Whereas for the lightweights (and designated drivers), there are the non-alcoholic Lucky Tora Cooler (cucumber, lychee, mint and soda) and Ume Soda (assam boi, ice cream soda, lime and mint) ‒ to keep the party going. AM
Lucky Tora is located at 25, Jalan Mesui, Kuala Lumpur
“THE COMPACT DINER AND BAR EXUDES THE HOMELY, WARMTH AND INTIMACY OF A MINKA (TRADITIONAL JAPANESE HOUSE)
– BUT THOROUGHLY MODERNISED THROUGH THE SLIGHT INDUSTRIAL INTERIOR DESIGN“