Eat-all-you-can tempura today for P330 at Saisaki

MANILA, Philippines - Today is tempura day! For only P330, indulge in the crunchiest, lightly battered premium prawns cooked to perfection at all Saisaki outlets from morning ‘til night, for one day only.

Filipinos so love ebi tempura that it flies off the buffet table in the blink of an eye. Foodies have to patiently line up in front of the tempura counter to be sure they’ll get their lion’s share of the Japanese fare. Well, that won’t be the case today, Aug. 26. Indulge in as many ebi tempura as you want as the wait staff brings the freshly popped prawns right to your table with a round of soup, rice and a glass of iced tea.

This eat-all-you-can tempura treat is Kamayan, Saisaki and Dads group of restaurants’ way of thanking its loyal clients for making them the number-one buffet resto for 33 years.

“Ebi tempura is probably the most popular Japanese dish in the country next only to tuna sashimi. On a regular day, we consume about 16 kilos of prawns. That’s a lot of tempura to munch on,” enthuses Anna Narvaza, executive vice president, Kamayan, Saisaki, Dads group of restaurants.

Last year, a male customer downed 110 pieces of ebi tempura. Can you beat that?

Dish is it

Now in its 33rd year, Kamayan, Saisaki and Dads have added 50 new dishes to the buffet table that are guaranteed to whet the appetite. These dishes are divided between Kamayan, Saisaki and Dads.

“We don’t want our customers to suffer from taste fatigue so we’ve introduced 15 to 20 new dishes per resto. Actually, I think there’s more because in Saisaki alone, we’ve added a lot of new items in the sushi bar. The all-time favorites are still there,” explains Narvaza.

According to Narvaza, the bulk of their guests go for Japanese dishes.

“Around 30 percent of our customers go for the Kamayan buffet, while five percent opts for Saisaki. But those who take the Kamayan, Saisaki, Dads Ultimate Buffet consume Japanese dishes more because they get value for their money. Only in Saisaki can you indulge in high-quality Japanese dishes at a reasonable price,” she notes.

One of Saisaki’s newest offerings is Buta Vegetable Furai, which looks and tastes like tonkatsu. The only difference is that the breaded pork loin is stuffed with veggies for that added crunch. Another interesting and savory treat is the Ika Nori Rainbow, which is a complete meal in itself. Rolled in dried seaweed, the breaded squid is stuffed with plantain banana, cheese and egg omelet. Be sure to leave room for dessert.

Menu planning for a buffet restaurant can be tricky. Balance is key. With the wide array of food selections that Kamayan, Saisaki and Dads have, it’s important to have balance and variety.

“There has to be a good mix of appetizers, viands and desserts. Now, guests have more choices when it comes not only to viands but appetizers and desserts as well. In fact, we now have a crepe station, which is well received by diners,” adds Narvaza.

Loaded with classic Pinoy favorites and native dishes with a twist, the Kamayan buffet introduces pinatubong manok (marinated chicken legs skewered onto sugarcane sticks, deep-fried and glazed with sugarcane sauce), and the barbecued laing (pork meat, flaked shrimps and fish, shrimp paste wrapped in yam leaves and simmered in coconut milk and broiled over charcoal), among others.

“Pinoys love to celebrate and they always find a reason to dine out. Our lechon de leche remains a crowd drawer. Would you believe that we consume 10 piglets a day per branch on weekends and during special occasions?” says Narvaza.

‘Dads’ knows best

Did you know that Dads was the Kamayan, Saisaki and Dads resto group’s first buffet restaurant? Saisaki and Kamayan followed soon after.

In the early ‘80s, Narvaza went to Guam to explore the possibilities of expanding their resto business on foreign shores. At that time, buffet was the “in” thing in Guam so they opened Island’s Fishermen there. Inspired by the resto’s success, Anna adopted the eat-all-you-can concept with the opening of Dads, but added some restrictions to it.

“I observed how the Chamorros eat. They would pile food on their plates then leave what they couldn’t finish. What a waste! I took note of that so when we finally put up Dads, we also introduced the ‘no leftover’ concept,” Narvaza explains.

Dads’ no-leftover buffet discouraged food wastage by offering a 50 percent discount on a clean plate. If there are leftovers, customers have to pay the buffet amount in full.

For their part, Dads’ chefs avoid wastage by cooking what’s enough to serve. They normally prepare food for a total of 100 persons for all three restaurants.

Whipping up dishes for so many diners presents a logistical challenge. The restaurants attract the most diners on weekends. That’s when their clients consume 150 to 500 kilos of buntot ng baka (oxtail for kare-kare), 10 whole lechon de leche, and four to six pieces four-kilo salmon per day.

“No single supplier can meet our needs. Currently, we have four to five suppliers,” she adds.

At Dads, the smoked ham, turkey and roast beef remain the best-sellers, but they’ve added equally tempting treats. Don’t miss the barbecued beef ribs marinated in herbs, wine and honey; and the Asian buffalo wings spiced up with beer and Asian spices.

All these exciting new dishes are added to your all-time buffet selections. Whichever buffet you partake in, you’ll surely come out with a satisfied tummy and a desire to come back and have some more.

*     *     *

Kamayan, Saisaki and Dads have branches at SM Megamall (636-3785), Glorietta 3 (892-8898), EDSA (722-8125), Padre Faura (528-1724), and West Avenue, QC (413-6359).