Quality sushi at reasonable prices, but be prepared to wait for a taste.
Uo Shin Hartamas is an offshoot of the popular Shin Zushi chain in KL. When it comes to sushi, there are many questionable fast food options or break-the-bank omakase restaurants. Uo Shin Hartamas aims to be a happy middle ground, serving high-quality hand-made sushi at reasonable prices accessible to all. Who doesn’t love cheap, tasty sushi?
Ambience & Amenities
Uo Shin is an intimate little restaurant. There are about six tables and booths, with another dozen seats at the counter. Although the inside looks very concrete, the chairs were quite comfortable.
The washrooms are at the back of the restaurant on the right side. Inside, there were two stalls with sitting toilets and paper. There’s one communal sink with soap and paper towels.
Menu at Uo Shin Hartamas
The Uo Shin Hartamas menu is slightly pared down and has some omissions from the Shin Zushi menu. Hand rolls and basic thin sushi rolls are some examples of the items missing from Uo Shin.
There are menus on tablets at every table including the counter. Anyone willing to wait in line to get in will get the chance to browse and select their food before sitting down to expedite the process. We could easily see our entire order and bill from the options in the upper right corner of the tablet.
Green tea is a decent accompaniment for sushi, but if you need something harder, Uo Shin has beer and sake. They also offer water, but it’s not very economical. When I tried to order filtered water, the server suggested getting green tea since water is charged by the glass. Tea, however, comes with unlimited refills for only RM2 per person.
Full Shin Zushi menu below. Prices are the same, but note that some items are not on the Uo Shin Hartamas menu.
Food at Uo Shin Hartamas
We ordered a ton of different sushi and rolls. Every plate came with a knob of sweet ginger, alfalfa and radish disc. I’m no sushi connoisseur so I won’t describe each piece, but I will talk about the standouts.
The best item we ordered was the Unagi Truffle Butter Nigiri (RM3.50 each). It was such an explosion of flavours with the naturally succulent eel, a hint of truffle, plus some wasabi and sauce. We will definitely be ordering this item every time we visit. The Saba Nigiri (RM2.50 each) was a surprising hit for such a cheap option. The fish melted in our mouths and had a rich taste like butterfish, which I love. Even the boring tamago sushi (that I usually make Mark eat) was not bad, according to him.
Bottom (L to R): Saba x 2, Shime Kohada (gizzard shad) x 2, Salmon, Unagi
We had to look up what Aburi Engawa Maki (RM19) was. Google says it’s flounder or halibut. It’s some sort of white fish. This maki was the most forgettable of the three rolls we ordered. For RM19, it isn’t worth the price. We could’ve got 6 or 7 pieces of great sushi instead.
Uo Shin seems to use different rice than we’re used to at sushi restaurants. It looks like brown rice. The only negative was that it was noticeably more delicate than the regular white sushi rice. Often, the rice would fall apart when we were dipping or eating.
Saturday Worthy?
Before this, our usual sushi joint was Sushi Zanmai at 1 Mont Kiara. Uo Shin blows that place out of the water. The taste is leagues ahead, and it’s not even much more expensive. For comparison, we would usually spend about RM100 for two at Sushi Zanmai, but we’d mostly get a bunch of the cheap rolls and only 2-3 pieces of nigiri sushi to keep costs down. It’s true we went a little overboard for our first visit, but we had an entire feast of sushi at Uo Shin Hartamas and nothing we ordered was “filler.” Uo Shin is at the level where it’s affordable enough for regular nights out but high quality enough for special occasions.
Price for 2 Pax: RM133.40
U15 Maki Zushi Zen: RM32.00
M31 Aburi Engawa Maki: RM19.00
M18 Ikura Salmon Maki: RM12.00
S43 Unagi Truffle Butter Nigiri x 2: RM7.00
S08 Kanpachi Nigiri x2: RM9.00
S18 Shime Kohada Nigiri x 2: RM5.00
S16 Saba Nigiri x 2: RM5.00
S20 Katsuo Nigiri x 2: RM9.00
S01 Salmon Nigiri: RM3.00
S03 Tuna Nigiri: RM3.50
S12 Unagi Nigiri: RM3.50
S62 Negitoro Gunkan: RM3.00
DB01 Green Tea (hot) x 2: RM4.00
10% Service: RM11.50
6% SST: RM6.90
Uo Shin Hartamas
Address: 14, Jalan 24/70a, Desa Sri Hartamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 9:30pm Daily
Alcohol Served: Yes
