Once again YTL brings another iconic dining venue to Starhill Gallery, further enhancing this gallery of rich experiences. Gonbei is an exciting new Japanese restaurant, which offers the most authentic Japanese cuisine in Malaysia. From the design through to the food concept, it is based on time-honoured Japanese customs and traditions, with a contemporary twist. Except for Gonbei in Kuala Lumpur, this dining experience is not seen in any other Asian capital city outside of Tokyo.

The YTL Design Team, in collaboration with designer Mr. Yuhkichi Kawai, who helped to create Starhill Gallery’s Feast Village, has succeeded in producing an outlet with incredible uniqueness and appeal. The name Gonbei is that of a typical farmer from ancient Japan, who has that deep-seated spirit of warm hospitality characteristic of the whole country. The bamboo structured restaurant entrance is based on a traditional farmhouse, symbolising vitality. As you walk into the restaurant, the attention to detail that has been paid to the design in relation to the concept becomes apparent.

Just inside the entrance are three iron pots of rice cooking over the fire, which represent the rice pot you will find in any farmhouse in Japan. Japanese cuisine is not complete without good rice, the basis of Japanese food culture. When cooked in the traditional pot over direct fire, the goodness of the rice and the iron nutrients of the pot blend to create an extraordinary taste.