The restaurant and bar is located on Jalan Telawi 3. Finding a parking space around this area is notoriously difficult, but fret not. You can always park at the basement carpark of Bangsar Village 2 nearby.

The first thing you'll notice about Kouzu is the massive painting depicting ferocious dragons, carps, florals and a Japanese maiden covering the length of an entire wall by famous Malaysian artist Katun. The stunning piece of artwork gives off a mystical Japanese ambience to the restaurant.

The menu at Kouzu offers a good mix of contemporary Japanese cuisine, unlike other bars which are lacking in food options. If you're having a sake or beer at Kouzu and feeling a bit peckish, you could order from a good selection of hot and cold tapas. There's also more substantial fare like donburis, yakitoris, roll sushis and even Japanese pizzas. The menu is set by Chef Kaito, who has honed his culinary skills in Japanese cuisine for over 17 years.

The first thing we ordered - after our beers, that is - was the Yasai Heritage Salad (RM17). It is a vibrant mix of point pennywort, cosmos candatus, point selom, sakura ebi, orange, yuzu, grated coconut and ponzu vinaigrette. The point pennywort (also known as pegaga) has a fresh, slightly peppery taste. It blended well with the cosmos candatus (ulam raja) and point selom (Chinese celery). The oranges added tanginess, and the grated coconut a taste of summer. This healthy salad was infused with sunshine and brimming with freshness. We loved it!

Next we ordered a couple of hot tapas (or shall we say, Japas?) - Blue Fin Tuna & Foie Gras (RM29) and Kouzu Sliders (2pcs) (RM25).

The maguro (blue fin tuna) is paired with foie gras, to give this dish a burst of amazingly luxurious flavours. The maguro was seared lightly with herbs so that it's still raw on the inside and each bite of it, accompanied by the apple chutney and unagi sauce, is perfectly savoury and sublime. The foie gras is heavenly and just melts in your mouth. We were floored by how good this dish tasted and with the 2 premium ingredients it has, it comes at a VERY reasonable price!

The Kouzu Sliders look like cute mini-burgers; only made with scones, juicy homemade wagyu patty, spinach, caramelized shallot and gyusugi. These are aptly named because you can just slide them into your mouth! Of course you can use a fork and knife, but where's the fun in that? Let's get messy and lick your fingers clean! The wagyu patty was tender and delicious, perfect to wash down with a cold beer.

Finally, we had the Salmon Kabuki Roll (RM18). It was a beautiful sushi roll made with sliced salmon, ebiko, foie gras, cucumber, caviar, chives, avocado pulp, wasabi mayo and teriyaki. This dish was bursting with flavours of exquisite ingredients combined together harmoniously; a tantalizing treat even for more finicky palates.

Aside from tapas and roll sushis, Kouzu's selection of yakitori is also quite popular. We also recommend Kouzu's version of pizza for a truly fusion dish. Instead of dough, the pizzas here are made with a rice base combined with exotic ingredients like wasabi, yuzo miso and escargot. Yes, Japanese Escargot Pizza exists! Go try it and tell us what you think. Also, check out Kouzu's lunch menu which includes Bento Sets and Donburi Sets all priced at an affordable RM19, served with free green tea.