[KL] Okonomi, Publika

The DIY craze started with burgers, moved on to the healthier option of salads and now we can customise sushi, too!

It’s only natural that in a day and age where we thrive on instant-gratification and freedom of choice that this culture would carry on into food too. Sushi as it is, is already awesome. But to get to customise it? That’s some next level YAAASSS right there!

Okonomi in Publika is where you can go to satisfy your DIY sushi cravings. Make your own sushi and choose from a really expansive range of ingredients and sauces.

You can even choose the wrap of the sushi – whether you’d like it in its classic seaweed goodness or a more diet-conscious option of beancurd.

But you know, since we’re all about instant gratification here, we totally ignored the beancurd option. In fact, we went straight for the drinks menu and indulged in some of the more sinful choices.

Pick from an array of matcha or red bean drinks that are smooth and creamy. Try the matcha latte float (RM12.90) for some over-the-top matcha goodness.

If you love red bean, then this red bean drink is a must-try. It is an azuki latte with whipped cream and caramel syrup (RM10.90).

Personally, I went with a healthier option (but still, rather indulgent) – the avocado smoothie (RM12.90).

But if you like matcha and ice cream, they have something for you here too! The matcha latte with soft serve ice cream (RM14.90) is a really yummy choice.

On top of ordering our own customised sushi, we got to sample some of Okonomi’s new dishes. A little exclusive sneak peek!

One of them was the sweet and spicy prawn sushi. It was fairly reminiscent of sambal prawns… except in sushi form!

One of us decided to go full glutton and went for a lobster, scallop, prawn and salmon sushi wrapped in seaweed, coated with tempura batter and DEEP FRIED, then topped off with spicy mentai sauce and roe. DEEP FRIED SUSHI? OMG. YES, PLEASE. It was amazing.. Unlike any sushi we’ve ever had before. A normal version without all of these premium ingredients would cost you from RM15.90 to RM18.90 but each premium ingredient added on is RM5.

Some of us decided to go for a little more of a minimalist sushi – tamago softshell crab with mentai sauce and black sesame.

While others tried a deep fried minimalist option of duck breast and tamago maki with spring onions.

And the more health-conscious of us lot… decided that she would go with a brown rice option. This was our least favourite of the ones we custom-made. After all that deep fried goodness, we couldn’t help but the find the brown rice one less appealing. However, if we had just ordered the healthy options from the start, this would have been hella delicious.

We also got to try their new dish – a tempura battered calamari with roasted garlic sauce. Which was super delish.

The katsu chicken rice burger is also a must-try from their new menu which will be available from mid November onwards.

For desserts, try the matcha/chocolate lava cake (RM18.90), which is one of the best lava cakes I have ever tried. Unbelievably, this place is not as crowded as it should be. The food is beyond expectations on every count. I would also recommend ordering the chicken gratin pasta – you won’t regret it!