KIDDING AROUND WITH SUSHI ‘Kawaii!’ or cute best describes Sakae Sushi’s latest Kids Menu. Its IOI Mall outlet is also the first and only restaurant in and Southeast Asia that boasts a child- height kaiten (conveyor belt) giving children first-hand picks of their favourite sushi. 25 April 2009

If there is a Kids’ Choice Award for Favourite Football-mad tykes will definitely get a real kick Restaurant, Sakae Sushi would probably win it. out of the Soccer Ball creation which has tuna That’s because this quick service sushi mayo and vitamin E-enriched sushi rice balls restaurant is the only one in Malaysia and dotted with tiny pieces of nori (dried laver). In Southeast Asia that boasts a custom-fitted, comparison, the bite-size Teriyaki Chicken child-height kaiten (conveyor belt) so that the Burger seems almost an oddity in the unusual chain’s young customers can help themselves line-up due to its predictable wholesomeness. to a wide selection of cute and colourful sushi that are specially created to their taste. Other distinctive items that should appeal to your kid and possibly even you include Hot Dog According to Apex-Pal director, Caren Poon, Cheese Maki, Sushi Cupcake Sprinkles, Cheezy the idea for the outlet’s kiddie sushi and Sushi Pizza, Candy Sushi, Lollipop Floss, Donut child-friendly menu came from her own Sushi and Twinkle Twinkle Tamago. observation that today’s children are given the freedom to choose where and what the family SAKAE SUSHI should eat during outings. (Pork-free) Lot EG002, Ground Floor “Based on our survey, most restaurants IOI Mall Puchong generally don’t care too much about kids. But Sakae Sushi has always been popular with Tel: (03) 8075 9311 families so I think it’s important for us to ensure both parents and kids have a more enjoyable dining experience whenever they OTHER BRANCHES patronize our outlets,” she said. “That’s when (Old Wing), . we decide to incorporate a special child-height Tel: (03) 7726 6428 conveyor belt into our newest outlet and AEON Bukit Tinggi, , Selangor. expand our Kids Menu by getting our chefs to Sakae Sushi’s latest Kiddy Sets which feature Tel: (03) 3326 2835 create about 30 different sushi items and four special custom-made meal boxes in the shape Bangsar Village II, Kuala Lumpur. special Kiddy Sets. of an aeroplane, a hamster, fire engine and mini Tel: (03) 2287 1535 bus filled with a variety of tempting bite-size . “From our food-tasting sessions, we discovered morsels are bound to be surefire hits as well. Tel: (03) 2142 8402 that children simply adored those sushi Suria KLCC. creations that we adults deemed as weird “Besides table mats printed with fun activities Tel: (03) 2166 6220 tasting while those that the adults liked didn’t and puzzles, our staff can even conjure up , Selangor. go down well at all with kids! So I daresay the balloon sculptures to keep our young diners Tel: (03) 5631 2949 offerings in our Kids Menu are literally tried, amused” said Poon. “If response is good, our , Selangor. tested and approved by kids for kids.” future outlets will probably incorporate all Tel: (03) 5622 1445 these child-friendly features.” The Curve , Selangor. Young diners can either pick their choice of Tel: (03) 7725 1172 kiddy dishes straight off the lower tier For a leading quick service restaurant chain like , . conveyor belt or click on the frog-shaped Sakae Sushi, the constant need to stay ahead of Tel: (04) 229 5930 mouse to place their food orders via the their game is certainly no child’s play. , Penang. outlet’s computerized menu. Tel: (04) 643 0015 , Penang. Most of the new-fangled sushi creations come Tel: (04) 380 3368 in cute animal shapes and dainty portion sizes; incorporating typical ingredients favoured by kids such as cheese, rainbow sprinkles and CITIBANK CARDMEMBERS OFFER sausages resulting in some truly peculiar Buy 1 FREE 1 handroll flavour combinations that only kids would 15% off 2nd set with any 2 kiddy enjoy. sets purchased Valid until 30 Sept 2009. Dine in only. The cute Sushi Cupcake with Sprinkles – tiny Offer based on the lower set value. sushi rice balls that come with assorted toppings such as baby octopus and sweet omelette, ebikko (shrimp roe) and Japanese mayonnaise, sweet fish floss and rainbow sprinkles are guaranteed to garner rapturous responses from little ‘princesses’. Reviewed by: Alice Yong-Ching