Dinner at Omakase

Last November 2 of my college friends who shared the same birthday treated us for their birthday. Sorry guys it was an all girls night out.

It’s funny but I pass by Omakase in Greenhills every single day on the way to work but it was my first time to eat there.

Tes and I passed by the ground floor entrance.

The main dining area was upstairs. Cute wall panels.

I was surprised how big and nice the place looked.

Birthday celebrants Tes and Len Len did all the ordering. I didn’t really know what was in the sushi but when I ate it I was blown away by the taste and texture. I later found out the sushi was made with ebi (shrimp) tempura, kani, ebiko (tobiko/fish roe), crispy salmon skin and topped with unagi (eel). It was crazy good. I want to go back and eat a whole order by myself.

jurassic maki P285

I wish my friends ordered something less boring than this.

California maki P160

I don’t eat raw fish but I tried this raw tuna salad with a spicy dressing. It was actually very good and addicting. I really like the crunchy tenkatsu (fried tempura better) topping. It added a nice texture to the soft tuna.

spicy tuna salad P180

The seared layer of the tuna was very hard while the raw layer was very soft. It was quite spicy too.

tuna tataki P180

The tofu steak was a piece of soft tofu wrapped with a thin slice of beef and served with a light soy based sauce. I couldn’t understand how they managed to transform a really, really thin slice of beef into a tough and leathery object. What a waste of beef! The tofu tasted better naked.

tofu steak

The bento box had your average Japanese casual fare of chicken teriyaki, fried seafood, fried rice and California rolls. Really ordinary.

chicken teriyaki bento box

I’m not really a big fan of shrimp tempura. I prefer fish and veggies tempura. I tried a piece and found it crisp but with a bit of oily after taste.

ebi tempura 8 pieces P405

Unlike other Japanese restaurants their version of kakiage had finer strips of sweet potatoes, carrots and other veggies. This made it crunchier and lighter.

kakiage P140

While my three friends seemed perfectly fine without any beef on the table I wasn’t. They asked me if I wanted to order something else and I chose the unique Omakase Fries.

Basically it was their take on beef nachos. Instead of tortilla chips they used oily, soggy fries. But if your pour cheese sauce on anything it will taste great. It was a pretty tasty treat. The beef cubes were  tender and the mango salsa added a nice sweet and spicy kick to the salty, yummy cheese sauce.

Omakase fries P240

birthday girls Tes and Len Len, Rizette and me

Right next to our table was Chris who just treated me the night before at Borough. That night she treated her high school buddies Luga and Chinggay who happened to be my cousin. Chris had better friends since they gave her a birthday cake.

They gave us a big slice which we gave to our own birthday girls. Happy birthday my friends! Sorry for the delay of this post. Better late than never, right?

Addendum: 4/26/12
Since I posted this I’ve eaten at Omakase many, many times again. I’ve discovered my most favorite dish, their spicy seafood crepe made with raw tuna, squid, kani with a spicy mayo dressing. I’ve also ordered this for take-out even more times. It has served as my lunch with a big serving of lettuce. I’ve even taken it to a potluck party.  I love, love, love this dish.

seafood crepe

Omakase
Connecticut Arcade, Greenhills Shopping Complex
San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines
telephone: 470-9807