Haru Sushi Bar and Yoshinoya

When it comes to dining style, my preference is always oriental especially Japanese cuisine, I love the way meals are prepared, simply scrumptious and in small proportions only! I don't like bulk set of meals. I am not fond of buffet or those restaurants offering American or Latin dishes and except for pasta concoction, European dishes also never appeal me.

Here are some of the most interesting Japanese restaurants I recently visited in the metro.

Haru Sushi Bar and Restaurant

21 West Capitol Drive

Kapitolyo, Pasig, Metro Manila

Tel No: (02) 631-0597

I like the quaint location of this Japanese restaurant within Kapitolyo, Pasig, very intimate and yet conducive for dining. The atmosphere is very Japanese, from food staff who wear kimono, to table arrangement, cutlery and restaurant interior and the Sushi bar looks enticing!

Gyoza and Spider roll maki

Chicken Teriyaki with mayonnaise and shredded vegetables

Items in the menu are equally delightful especially Gyoza and the shredded vegetables, Spider roll maki tastes good but not as excellent as I expected it to be. The only downside thing of this restaurant is the parking area, if you will come to this place and you're bringing your car, you will have a hard time looking for a parking space so be prepared for a worst scenario. 

With former university colleagues, Kathy and Rowie, at Cafe Juanita

Haru Sushi Bar and Restaurant opens from 11AM to 10PM. It is located just beside Cafe Juanita, a cafe house that offers finest Filipino dishes with a western twist. We also visited this cafe house taking a dessert (Creme Brulee) after our lunch at Haru. Cafe Juanita has an ultra luxurious interior with glittery embellishments but under a Filipino culture atmosphere, Filipino cultural songs are being played on the background. 

Tofu

When I am in a Japanese restaurant, I always finished 

my meal with a cup of Green Tea!

Here's how I rate Haru at the scale of 5 where 1 is the worst:

1. Convenience (looking for the area): 3 due to its very remote location, which is a bit far from the main thoroughfares of the metropolis

2. Parking Space: 3 the place has a narrow/small parking area

3. Value of your money (meal rates/prices): 4 Affordable compared to other Japanese resto under the casual dining style

4. Ambiance: 5 if you're looking for a quiet place and somewhat cozy and intimate

5. Food: Between 3 and 4 

Yoshinoya

2nd Floor, Glorietta 1

South Drive, Ayala Center

Makati City

Tel No: (02) 625-3662

Yoshinoya's signature recipe is Gyudon or beef bowl but when we dined there last November 16 we opted to choose bento combo meals because the set is more affordable and comes in assorted goodies. I chose the tempura set with rice, tiramisu and vegetable salad. 

Bento set consists of rice, tempura, 

vegetable salad and a slice of tiramisu

All-time favorites: Green Tea juice and California Maki

Unlike most of Japanese restaurants in the metro, Yoshinoya has a fast food ambiance, a type of atmosphere that's so familiar to Filipino diners, not intimidating to budget-conscious people. Sometimes when we think about Japanese restaurant, we easily attach it to "costly" and "expensive" sort of things, but Yoshinoya is not, it is very affordable and the meals are ultra satisfying. 

My rating for Yoshinoya at the scale of 5 where 1 is the worst:

1. Convenience: 5 because it can be found in almost all leading shopping malls in the metro

2. Parking Space: 4 depends on which branch are you visiting

3. Value of your money (meal rates/prices): 5 very affordable

4. Ambiance: 3 because it's a fast food atmosphere and quite noisy 

5. Food: Between 4 and 5

Yoshinoya has ten branches around Metro Manila, check its different locations here