Considered the Japanese fixture of Rock Road, Kuching lang are no strangers to the distinctive signboard that bears Oishi’s name. Located about 50m before the traffic intersection of Rock Road-Laksamana Cheng Ho-3rd mile, I’ve ventured many a time into its dining hall. Today, we were in the mood for some salmon and katsu.

Crispy Salmon Skin

They had a special offer on crispy salmon skin. This was really good. Light and just the right level of savoury with a beautiful crisp to it that just crunched the right way in the mouth. The salmon flavour was fresh, subtle and not at all overpowering. I could take a few more of these dainty little plates all by myself.

Salmon Bento

This is a lousy photo of the salmon bento because I was in a hurry to dig in. There a piece of salmon fillet, wakame, tofu, rice and orange slices. Salmon done nicely with teriyaki and sesame. Tofu was so-so. Could do with a little bit more flavour. I would’ve like a larger piece of salmon but overall, a very decent bento.

Chicken Katsu Bento

Chicken was crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. Tasty too. Just the right portion. It was the star of the bento set, as it should be. Overall, we were happy.

Side note: we did not order the gelato this time, but trust me. It is of very good quality.

Service was good. The food came very quickly even though the restaurant was busy. I especially appreciated the personal touch when I made the reservation via text and then followed up with a call. They took a while to reply the text and made sure they explained why, with apologies and emojis. Extra points for that.

This is Kuching. Food is affordable, abundant and everywhere. What would make any eatery stand out is good service, personalised service, thinking service. This particular experience was positive. They must sustain it. I hope I get similar good service the next time I go back.

This is a restaurant who’s earned its chops in the local food scene.