We are all so spoiled in Manila. We don’t even have to leave our crowded city to get good food. Several restaurants from abroad have opened in Manila. The latest is Yayoi Japanese Teishoku Restaurant straight from Japan.
Teishoku means set-menu dining and it’s perfect for Filipinos whose meals usually include rice, meat or fish, rice and soup. At Yayoi their sets include miso soup, a bowl of Japanese white rice, and a couple of sides consisting of vegetables and tsukemono or Japanese pickles. Yayoi was established in Japan 130 years ago and they now have over 300 outlets all over Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, the United States, Australia and now the Philippine. Their first branch is at SM Megamall building B.
What sets this restaurant apart are the tablets installed in each seat and table where you order from. Just go through the pictures and select whatever you want and wait for your food to be delivered.
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My friends and I tried 5 kinds of teishoku. They were all very good! All the dinnerware, serveware and a majority of the ingredients come from Japan. The first one we tried was breaded chicken steak which was very, very moist and juicy for chicken. It had a sweet and sour sauce and a topping of special Yayoi tartar sauce. I’m sure kids will love this. The rice was so yummy. All the entrees can be ordered a la carte and the price is only P1oo less than the set so I suggest going with the set unless you want to order extra dishes to share.
For the person who can’t decide what to order I highly recommend the mix toji teishoku which includes breaded pork loin, fried shrimp and sukiyaki beef simmered in special sauce and egg. It’s surprising that you get all that for only P425 which I think is an amazing deal.
Hitsumaboshi is Nagoya style grilled eel on rice. It’s served with dashi broth and you can eat it 3 ways. The first is to eat the eel and rice as is. Next you can sprinkle the condiments, spring onion and wasabi on it. Lastly you can pour the dashi broth on your rice and eel. I suggest you try all the ways.
Look at that gorgeous eel. Super delicious!!!
The one that stood out for me was the salted mackerel. I’ve had this in numerous Japanese restaurants but I’ve never had one this big. It was big enough to share. The fish was quite tender and flaky and very flavorful.
My favorite next to the fish was the sukiyaki which arrived on the table bubbling. This one I will order a la carte next time because there was udon and shirataki noodles in it so I don’t need the rice. Plus there’s also the broth which thankfully wasn’t overly sweet. The best part was the generous amount of beef. After I shared some with my friends I still had several slices left. I finally found a good place whenever I crave for sukiyaki.
I don’t know what kind of pickles this was but it’s so umami that I suggest you pour the whole thing on your rice and enjoy. The spinach was my favorite since tasted like it was drenched in sesame paste. I ate two servings of the spinach.
I was most excited for the matcha warabi mochi which I discovered and loved in Osaka. It’s supposed to be soft, wobbly and a bit like jelly. Unfortunately this one was hard and nowhere near all the warabi mochi I’ve ever eaten in Japan and Hong Kong. I think an adjustment in the recipe is needed.
Ohagi is like our own suman but with red bean paste inside and azuki red beans outside.
Right now they have one branch in SM Megamall but will be opening more outlets around the city soon. I highly recommend you try their food right away. I hope they maintain the same high quality food I ate before they opened to the public. If they do I’m sure they will be a huge success.
Check out Yayoi’s full menu below. (click the arrows)
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Yayoi Japanese Teishoku Restaurant
3rd Floor SM Megamall Building B
Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City
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Instagram: Yayoiph
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