There's a new Jap in town

MANILA, Philippines - Back in the ’70s, one of the most popular Japanese restaurants in the Philippines was the Tempura Misono at the Hyatt Regency along Roxas Blvd. It specialized in tempura , steak and seafood cooked on a Teppanyaki grill. Ably managed then by the bubbly newspaper columnist and darling of society Albert Seeland, who died Dec. 24, 2000 at age 52, it was the “in” place to dine and be seen. I remember queuing for a table every time I came to feast on the restaurant’s “Eat-all-you-can” tempura buffet. Their tempura — crispy, light and full of flavor — is still one of the best I’ve tasted comparable to the gourmet P1,300 a piece Prawn Tempura at Keio Plaza/Intercon Hotel at Shinjuku Tokyo. When Hyatt Manila’s Tempura Misono closed years ago, a wonderful food institution got erased from my list of favorite dining places. I find it strange though that a lot of food and tourism sites on the Internet still list Tempura Misono at the old Hyatt as still in operation.

Joey enjoying the tender Rib-Eye Wagyu Beef

The Hyatt Regency on Roxas closed over five years and the building was purchased from the family of singing idol/sugar magnate Jose Mari Chan and renamed Midas Hotel and Casino. We were all hoping the new owners would consider opening a Japanese restaurant after we tasted the yummy and fresh sushi and sashimi created daily by Midas Hotel’s resident chef Kimito Katagiri for the Midas cafe buffet. Even Madam Imelda Marcos loves it.

Our hope became reality last Valentine’s Day when the Yanagi Japanese Restaurant opened its doors. Sans any opening fanfare, the restaurant became an immediate favorite of gourmands, Nippon cuisine connoisseurs and even senators. 

Fresh Sashimi

I didn’t waste time and booked a table one Friday this month. Joined by my travel buddy and fellow foodie Joey de Leon, we invaded Yanagi together with our better halves, Midas Hotel’s director of marketing Cielo Ortega and AirPhil Express’ top honcho Timmy Tan. Yanagi is neatly tucked on the mezzanine floor of the Midas Hotel. The decor is classy but conservative with an airy feel. As soon as we got comfortable, the attentive staff bombarded us with plate after plate of sushi and sashimi. The sushi flabbergasted our palates. There were so many flavors swimming in our mouths. Tender prawns and soft-shelled crabs with moderately seasoned rice wrapped in nori and garnished with a creamy infusion of Japanese mayo topped with caviar. Even our eyes were impressed with the presentation. I almost downed a whole plate. The sushi was a personal creation of chef Kimito Katagiri whose stints as chef have brought him around the world of haute cuisine. Prior to joining Midas, he was the long-time executive chef of Makati Shangri-La’s Inagiku. We had the pleasure of meeting soft-mannered chef Katagiri in the middle of the dinner. When the chef was introduced to Timmy, who intimated that they also have a new Japanese restaurant at their family-owned Century Park Hotel, the chef smiled and informed him that he was the executive chef at Aoi Restaurant of the same hotel over two decades ago. 

Joey squirmed with delight as he sampled the Gindara Teriyaki. As I tasted it, I chimed in with my squirm of delight. The Gindara (Cod in English and Bacalao in Spanish) slowly melted in my mouth. It had no fishy flavor and the sauce enhanced it without an overpowering caramel taste. We randomly ordered several items from the Yanagi menu hoping to find fault or inconsistency but didn’t find one. The Prawn Tempura was crisp and lightly battered without any mercuric taste. The Kani salad was fresh and delectable, and the “piece de resistance” Rib-Eye Wagyu Beef was divine. There was no tooth in my mouth utilized to chew the cube-sized delight. Every morsel was consumed. The dinner was ended with Mongo Ice Cream. On the way out, we all wanted to hug chef Katagiri for taking us to gourmet heaven.