Meet Kobe Jones
I walked into Kobe Jones and felt like I had been there before. Chef and proprietor Tom Hines, an old friend of mine, welcomed me and explained that this was the former Filipino Bistro. I remembered how quaint and cozy that place was and the new, non-Filipino setting looked cozy as well.
Kobe Jones is a new restaurant in Salcedo Village, Makati City, that serves premium steak, sushi, sashimi, handcrafted cocktails, and new- and old-world wines.
I also told him that I used Waze and was directed to Kobe Jones Australia! Apparently, the now-closed namesake restaurant in Sydney was established by the people who started Wasabi Bar in Makati Avenue in the 1990s. Tom was the head western chef of Wasabi Bar then and he liked the name and decided to use it.
I consumed a quick welcome glass of bubbly and started dinner so I could get home by the imposed curfew. An Oscietra caviar-topped blini was my first dish — a sign of a decadent dinner to come. Their Oscietra caviar comes in a 30-gram serving with blinis and traditional condiments.
Two more small bites followed: a delicious pan-fried melt-in-your-mouth foie gras on a sourdough croute with sweet local mango (from Zambales) chutney; and the #1 Special, a sushi dish that I used to order every single time I went to Wasabi Bar in the past! Tom introduced this bestselling sushi, which contains snapper, crab, and caviar. I would best describe this favorite of mine as “Sushi Bake without rice.” Tom tweaked it a bit but it tasted exactly as I remember it back in the 1990s! The sushi and sashimi platter had delicious rolls as well as fresh and firm raw fish that was presented in a dome with smoke and candlelight.
Regular prawn tempura is included in their Mr. Jones Tempura, along with special, delectable pieces of scallop, foie gras, and kingfish yellowtail (amberjack or kampachi in Japanese) tempura. The perfectly grilled Wagyu Rib Eye MB7 was excellent. This is grade 7 on the Australian Beef Marbling score, with MB9 being the highest. I found MB7 to have the perfect beef-to-fat marbling ratio, as I don’t like my beef too full of fat.
In between each dish, we were served their refreshing and original cocktails. Three were memorable for me: the Shiso Martini (made with perilla or Japanese shiso leaf), the Hazelnut Margarita made with tequila and Frangelico, and the Mamba KJ with dark rum, coffee liqueur and bitter chocolate.
Tom worked his magic preparing an unforgettable tableside dessert spread with a fantastic Lemon Cheesecake and a Mochi Fudge Brownie. Mochi is Japanese rice flour, which gives that wonderful-tasting brownie an even chewier texture.
I can see myself frequenting this place more often. Give it a try!
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Kobe Jones is located on the Ground Floor of Le Grand Condominium, 130 Valero Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City. Call (0915) 098-5735 for reservations. Check out @kobejonesph on both Facebook and Instagram.
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