CIMB credit card and Nijyumaru

I received my CIMB credit card in the mail sometime when I was in Cairns (along with the new Standchart Platinum Mastercard AND a Standchart Preferred World Mastercard which I most certainly didn't even apply for - but I'm not complaining because of the vouchers that came with the cards, and the 25000 free stdchart pts for the Preferred card which I can redeem S$100 worth of Tangs vouchers with).

Anyway, the CIMB credit card came with a book on all the benefits/privileges attached to the card. There was a seperate section on discounts at restaurants in JB and I've decided that we should try out the different restaurants listed there. If my food companion, my CEB, had the final say in this matter (where we eat), I'll be eating and writing about the same places over&over again, like at his favourite Japanese restaurant in JB, Nijyumaru. I like the place very much too, don't get me wrong (see my first review of the place here (this entry has the address of both outlets)). However, variety is the spice of life, and all the more so when it comes to food :D

So, since CEB specifically requested that I blog about how good the food is here, esp the "red-wine beef cubes" which he claims is even better than the horrendously expensive double rib eye premium steak in Saigon which we had on my birthday (another post for that),I've decided to take the photos from our most recent dining experience at Nijyumaru (4 Sept 2010) and write about the experience.

My CEB loves tuna sashimi (not salmon) and it was no surprise that he ordered this:

Given the speed he finished the contents of the bowl (which wasn't too large), I guessed it must have been pretty good. To confirm, I asked him specifically how the food was and he said "Good".

I had my favourite Jap noodles - cha soba. The Slog Reviews: 8/10. I would say this dish is excellent value for money at just RM11. That's lesser than the cost of a cha soba packed lunch at the supermarket near my work place! This dish even came with a raw egg (which I wasn't too sure what to do with and left untouched). The only grouse I have is that there was a tad too little tea to soak the noodles in.

I also ordered 2 grilled scallops to go with the cha soba. The Slog Reviews: 5.5/10. I wouldn't recommend this dish at all. At RM[cant remember need to check the receipt], it wasn't worth the money because firstly, it was badly cooked and the meat stuck to the flesh and secondly, it was badly cooked (I just have to say that again hah) and the meat tasted gritty and sandy.

And of course, we ordered my CEB's favourite red wine beef. The Slog Reviews: 8/10. The beef is certainly well-marinated and tasty, and no, you can't go too far wrong ordering this dish (RM21) but I guess my CEB and I have quite different views when it comes to this dish. I found the beef too mushy to my liking, it lacks the texture of the beef at Aston Prime where one's teeth can literally sink in slowly to the meat.

Oh, and one thing about Nijyumaru, they always ask if one has made reservations, even if the party is small (like 2-3 pp). I've never made reservations and never had to wait for a table but then again, I've always made sure to go to the restaurant either slightly later (8+) or earlier (6+) instead of dinner time. However the fact that they ask (for reservations) is telling and those with a bigger party should make reservations.