*This establishment is now CLOSED.*
Nama Sakana Japanese Restaurant & Ramen House is the latest Japanese restaurant I've sampled. It recently unveiled its new menu and bar area called the Nama Grill & Bar, which is located at the second floor of the venue.
For starters, we were served Edamame (P100, pictured above left), which are boiled green beans seasoned with salt. I was pretty surprised since most local Japanese restaurants don't start you off with Edamame, in fact only a few offer it on the menu at all. The last time I had Edamame was way back in 2008 at Bistro Ka in California. Anyhow, you're supposed to extract and eat only the beans from inside the pods. I like Edamame, for me it's a lot better than munching on peanuts in Chinese restaurants. Green Salad with Seared Tuna (P230, pictured above right), which is Nama Sakana's best-selling salad, followed our Edamame. It consisted of mixed fresh vegetables and lightly seared tuna slices drizzled with Nama Sakana's zesty onion dressing.
The House Special Sushi (P280, pictured above left) and New Style Salmon Sashimi (P320, pictured above right) were both very exceptional appetizers. The House Special Sushi had a wide variety of fillings -- hamachi, avocado, tuna, and shrimp among others. New Style Salmon Sashimi, as the name suggests, is raw salmon. What makes it different is the fact that it is served with a zesty onion dressing (similar to what was used in the Green Salad with Seared Tuna) and a tomato tempura in the center. Very tasty indeed! It certainly succeeded in whetting our appetites for more Nama Sakana dishes.
For the main courses, we had Beef Tobanyaki (P800, pictured above left) and Black Cod Gindara with Sweet Miso (P680, pictured above right). The Beef Tobanyaki consisted of grilled beef, three different kinds of mushrooms, broccoli, and asparagus. It was served on a hot plate, again in their special sauce which tasted a lot like the Green Salad and Salmon Sashimi dressing. I wasn't too impressed with this dish. The beef's doneness bordered on rare, it actually reminded me of carpaccio except that the slices were thicker. I don't mind carpaccio because it is very thinly sliced and easy to eat. This wasn't so for Beef Tobanyaki. I just don't fancy eating chunks of bloody raw beef that's kind of hard to chew. The serving is kind of small for a P800 dish too. Meanwhile, the Black Cod Gindara with Sweet Miso was absolutely perfect. The fish was melt-in-your-mouth soft, juicy, and flavorful.
For dessert, we had Japanese Cheesecake (P130, pictured above left) and Deep-Dish Chocolate Chip Cookies (P130, pictured above right). The Japanese Cheesecake had a light chiffon-like texture and a mild citrusy taste. It was okay, but it won't really leave you hankering for more. The Deep-Dish Chocolate Chip is another story. This gigantic freshly baked chewy chocolate chip cookie topped with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and a cherry is easily one of the best desserts to hit the restaurant scene. Albeit it's not very Japanese, it's nothing short of heavenly and satisfying. Given the size, it's worth every cent of P130 and it's good for sharing.If you want to try something other than the usual Japanese fare at the usual Japanese restaurants like Kimpura or Sugi, you may want to pay Nama Sakana a visit.
Special thanks to Mr. Nacy Nocom for inviting us.
Nama Sakana Japanese Restaurant & Ramen House
Fox Square Bldg.
53 Connecticutt St., Northeast Greenhills, San Juan City
726-7266
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