One of the best yakitori joints in town, Torii has opened a new outlet in the revamped Jalan Batai strip. The restaurant sits on the ground floor while a bar occupies the first floor. This new upgraded space at Batai is a showcase of their newfound confidence. The bar looks very masculine, much like an upmarket gentlemen’s club, what with the handsome leather sofas, wooden flooring and an impressive walk-in whisky ‘closet’.
The bar has its own menu of snacks and skewers, and they range from the common (deep fried cheese with homemade strawberry dip) to the bizarre (air-dried sting ray) to the seriously addictive (the fried chicken wings with sea salt are simple but outstanding). However, we suggest you order from the restaurant menu, where Torii’s claim-to-fame – yakitori – is made using premium ingredients. Then, finish off with either the Whiskey-NRaisin or Yuzu Umeshu ice cream.
Torii is also a bar for serious whisky connoisseurs. The list is one of the most extensive we’ve seen in KL, focusing mainly on premium Japanese and Scotch single malt; the latter is further categorised according to region. Go for the Islay whiskies if you like them peaty, or the Highlands if you prefer something more floral. While the priciest bottle on the list, the Macallan 25 years, sells for an eye-watering RM9,150, you can also order your whisky by the glass for most labels, with prices starting at an affordable RM24.
There’s a limited selection of wines, sakes and sochus, but we’d skip that for the inventive Asian-inspired cocktails. We almost always order the namesake cocktail Torii. A concoction of whisky, soda, yuzu juice and gomme syrup, the sweet fruity drink is so easy to drink it’s deceiving. The Fat Baby is good too if you prefer something sweet and creamy; it has spiced rum, Baileys, salted caramel, milk and green tea, and it’s served in a mini sake carafe.