sashimi – Page 2 – Jellybeans in the City

Japanese seafood dinner at Omakase, Greenhills

In our bid to eat a bit healthier after a bout of errands in Greenhills, Hubby and I opted to have an early sushi dinner at Omakase.

This Japanese resto started out as a takeout counter in Quezon City. The term omakase actually translates to “I leave it up to you.” In Japan, diners can sometimes leave it up to the chef to serve his recommended selection of seasonal specialties instead of ordering their preferences.

While that is not the system set in place in this restaurant, it does boast of an excellent selection of maki and sushi.

Hubby and I dined on a sampling of this selection with our orders:

Sashimi: Salmon (Php300) and Tuna (Php300). Raw fish sliced into thin pieces and served with soy sauce and a little wasabi.

Spicy Maguro Roll (Php310). Deep-fried spicy tuna topped with ebiko and scallions.

Chirashi Don (Php385). Assorted raw seafood over sushi rice served with miso soup.

Ebi Tempura (Php370). Five pieces of lightly battered and deep fried shrimp served with tempura sauce.

These classic seafood dishes (our go-to fare whenever we’re at a Japanese restaurant) were promptly served by the wait staff. The raw fish in the sashimi and chirashi don were fresh and flavorful.

This Omakase branch is located at Ground Floor, Connecticut Carpark Arcade, Greenhills Shopping Center, San Juan, open daily from 11am to 10pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 84709807 or +63 930 2523575.

Other branches are located at:

Pasig: Ayala Malls Feliz
Marikina: ESJ Building Gil Fernando Avenue
Quezon City: Il Terrazzo Mall Tomas Morato, Holy Spirit Drive Isidora Hills Subdivision
Muntinlupa: Molito Commercial Complex Alabang
Makati: Grab Kitchen Glorietta 2

Unli Japanese fusion dishes at Yakikai Buffet Restaurant

Bid adieu to your diets, Quezon City peeps, because here’s another reason to eat all you can!

Hidden away in one of the streets in Quezon City’s Scout area is a newly opened restaurant offering unli servings of Japanese fusion dishes: Yakikai. Its name is a combination of the Japanese words “yaki” (which means “grilled”) and “kai” (which translates to “meeting or gathering”).

Set in a renovated two-story house along Dr. Lazcano Street, Yakikai offers diners comfortable seating options indoors or al fresco.

Here, families and friends can meet up and enjoy each other’s company while indulging themselves in refillable yakiniku and a buffet of Japanese and Korean dishes.

And thanks to Yakikai’s Opening Promo, you and your gang can gorge yourselves on its set meals at discounted rates this December!

Premium Set (Php339 from Php499). Includes chicken teriyaki, spicy chicken yakiniku, samgyupsal, galbi sauce pork, peppered pork shoulder loin, sliced beef, beef tare yakiniku, spicy beef and fresh shrimp.

Emperor Set (Php599 from Php699). Includes chicken teriyaki, spicy chicken yakiniku, samgyupsal, spicy samgyupsal, galbi sauce pork, peppered pork shoulder loin, sliced beef, beef tare yakiniku, spicy beef, fresh shrimp, beef steak (chuck eye roll), jjamppong nobe, salmon sashimi and ebi tempura.

Both already sets include unli refills of cheese as well.

Plus, birthday celebrants can eat for free within their birthday month as long as they’re accompanied by seven full-paying adults and can present a valid ID.

With its comfortable surroundings, wide array of dishes and its accommodating wait staff, Yakikai seems poised to be the new destination of choice for buffet hunters.

So go ahead and schedule the next barkada meet up or family celebration at Yakikai! And be sure to wear something loose (wink! wink!).

Thanks to Bunny of AlwaysTheFunnyGirl for extending the invitation!

Yakikai Buffet Restaurant is located at 122 Dr. Lazcano Street, Barangay Sacred Heart, Quezon City, open daily from 4pm to 2am. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 927 1383980 or +63 929 8235452.

Disclosure: Together with other foodies, I attended a foodie meet-up held in this restaurant. All the food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare to facilitate honest reviews and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Japanese food faves at Hanako, SM Pasig

Japanese restaurant Hanako got its name from a popular female given name in Japan which translates to “flower girl.”

Coincidentally, I recently dined at its SM Pasig branch after an all-girl’s outing with my mom and my daughter #ExhibitA. At this restaurant, we were able to sample tasty and authentic Japanese dishes which are also easy on the pocket (and made even easier by Zomato Gold… more on that later).

This outlet brings the color and vibrancy of Japanese street eateries inside the mall, attracting diners with its boldly colored banners and food posters.

Japanese food remains among my family’s favorite cuisines. We love the simple yet strong flavors and the contrast in textures that make each bite tasty and interesting.

Take our lunch orders for example:

Salmon Tartare (Php224). Small pieces of salmon mixed in mayonnaise, togarashi (Japanese chili pepper), tempura flakes and chopped scallions. A delicious start to the meal!

Ebi Tempura (Php279). Five large prawns battered then deep fried to a beautiful golden brown, then served with tempura dipping sauce. A mainstay in many of the fam’s Japanese meals!

(Trivia: Did you know that the method of preparing tempura was introduced in Japan by Portuguese Jesuits in the mid-16th century?)

Chicken Karaage (Php199). Boneless chicken thigh pieces are marinated in a mixture of ginger and soy sauce, then coated with starch and deep fried before being served with a side of Japanese mayo for its dipping sauce.

(Trivia: Did you know that in the US, chicken karaage is sometimes called JFC, or Japanese Fried Chicken?)

Tonkatsu (Php219). A juicy piece of pork cutlet, seasoned then panko-coated and deep-fried, then served with a salad of shredded cabbage and katsu sauce. How can you go wrong with this dish?

(Trivia: Did you know that ton translates to “pork” and katsu – a shortened form of katsuretsu – is a transliteration of the word “cutlet?”)

Chahan (Php79). Flavorful dish of rice stir-fried in a wok with some minced meat and chopped vegetables.

Our lunch of our favorite Japanese food is a happy cap to an outing of three generations!

This Hanako branch is located at SM Center Pasig, Frontera Drive, Bgy. Ugong, Pasig, open daily from 10am to 11pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 5848708.

Other branches are located at:

Second Floor, Regis Center, Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City
Second Floor, The Rock Lifestyle Hub, Holy Spirit Drive, Bgy. Holy Spirit, Quezon City
131 C. Armstrong Avenue, Moonwalk Village Phase 1, Paranaque
30-C Dona Soledad Avenue, Don Bosco, Paranaque