Huhu who doesn't know good thing about japanese food is delicious and bad thing is expensive?

Btw i like the Sakura Fuji at shah alam masalam center. I've seen many japanese expatriates dining there.

Food is halal but they serve sake separately.

I think you got all the points right. Maybe they hire skilled chef with high paid salary compared to sushi mentai where most crews are foreigners. Skilled chefs know how to cut the fillet out of a whole imported frozen fish to prepare better tasting sashimi. Normal crews are trained to do their repetitive tasks but skilled chefs learned every aspect of japanese food.

Sushi mentai price is reasonable but tastewise still can not compare to japanese fine dining where every menu is specially catered. Other factors maybe rental, decor, special utensil, real ingredients etc.