Japanese Lunch at Kawa Mount Austin

Written by We Ting

In Malaysia, every shopping mall has at least one of its lots occupied by a Japanese restaurant (Tey et al. 2018).
A reason for this popularity is that people often have the impression that Japanese food is healthy. For instance, the vinegar-coated rice used in sushi promotes digestion (Tey et al. 2018).

When we have a long free period before afternoon classes begin, one of the Japanese restaurants we love to visit is Kawa.

It's a little far, walking from college all the way to the shop. We pass by probably two dozens other shops just to get there, but the set lunch promotions they offer are just simply too good. 

What do I mean by "good"? Allow me to show you.

For a fried rice set at RM9.90, you'll get all this:

Here's the list, clockwise from top left:

 Chawanmushi, Japanese steamed egg.

The plate of fried rice.

Mashed potato salad.

A plate of sushi.

(Note: It was originally fried chicken, but I told them I'm a vegetarian and that it'd be alright if they didn't serve the chicken. It's a waste of food since I don't eat it. It was so nice of them to offer to change the side dish instead!)

A bowl of miso soup, with tofu and seaweed.

Fruit for dessert.

A cup of hot green tea.

Eight items in total! 

For a Kimchi ramen set at RM13.90,  you'll get all this:

Side note: This is Wei Ling's favourite. 

She can't help but order the Kimchi ramen every - single - time.

The side dishes for each set are more or less the same. 

The key is that they serve a lot of side dishes, and that's why we love visiting the shop!

Kawa Japanese Restaurant

No 73, Jalan Austin Heights 3,

Taman Mount Austin,

Johor Bahru, Johor.  

Contact: 07-361 2165

Opening hours: 11.30am - 10.00pm

Reference:

Tey, YS, Arsil, P, Brindal, M, Liew, SY, Teoh, CT & Terano, R 2018, ‘Personal values underlying ethnic food choice: means-end evidence for Japanese food’, Journal of Ethnic Foods, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 33–39.