Then again, time proves that what I think is an ordinary day isn't and a little session may be of much more significance that I think...

It was Valentines Day and my friend D organised a single dating event so I came to support him by taking photos.  At a young age, D is a successful band manager and moderator of a big facebook group.  Yet, he is a humble son of a pastor which makes him super cool  

After the event, Korean friends were teasing D to invite his female "friend" (according to him) to join us.  We were really hungry but the girl was too shy and took too long to confirm!  While, waiting... J was busy fixing something that looked like a toy grenade.  Pretty soon, he said it was ready.  

I asked what it was and they told me it was a bomb.  Since all of them had been to the Mandatory Korean military training, I really thought it was true... We proceeded to Jun Izakaya with it.

Oden Nabe (500 php)

The Oden Nabe is a Japanese version of hot pot.  The twist in Jun Izakaya's version is that it has rice cakes as influences by the Korean cuisine.  Hmm.. this was more than enough for the five of us.  

Ttok Bokgi (250 php)

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
I have always loved surprises.  Thanks to Jun Izakaya, I had a double surprise that night.  Who would have thought, I'd find this hidden gem for great food, drinks and comforting ambiance.  It also made me know about Korean culture and get to know how how Korean youth's aspire and dream.

The family has had thousands of dinner celebrations.  But, except for our own homes, none of them are as special as Asunaro that gets to be our chosen dining venue for more than once.  

Whether it's for a casual after-spa dinner, mother's day and birthday, Asunaro has always been a recurring option for the family.  We've been dining here since its former Miyabi days.  Thus, I could safely conclude that its the extended family's most loved Japanese Restaurant. 


Like our family, the place has undergone a lot of changes.  But, I think their interior right now is the best.  Hence, only sharing about them just now. (Good excuse for my delinquency right?)


I find it to be very in tuned with nature.


Food

Ala Carte

Sake (Salmon) (150 php)

♥ Harasu (Fatty Flesh of Salmon Belly) (350 php)

A must order at Asunaro is their fresh salmon sashimi.  Whether its Sake (Salmon) or the Harasu (Fatty Flesh of Salmon Belly), you can always count on its freshness.  

♥ Uni (Sea Urchin) (250 php)

Iradori Maki (380 php)

The Iradori Maki  is a tuna and salmon california maki with  mango and crabsticks.

Kani Ebi Tempura Maki (280 php)

Special Menu

♥ Maguro Cube Spicy Sashimi (280 php)

Robotayaki

♥ Chicken Teriyaki (260 php)

Agemono

Ebi Tempura (Prawn Tempura) (430 php)

You can already tell by its visual appeal that the Ebi Tempura (Prawn Tempura)  is top-notch.


Family Menu

Family Kaki Nabe (1,850 php)

♥ Family Yakiniku (1,200 php)

Dinner Set Menu




Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Asunaro Japanese Restaurant is our family's most loved Japanese restaurant and no doubt it will always be. 

The family was supposed to try Tsukada Nojo a few weeks ago but they felt guilty that I was not with them so they opted to try something else instead. (Yes, I'm so grateful to have a sweet and thoughtful family...)  Just a few days later, my cousin group messaged us that our aunt is inviting us there for her birthday celebration.

I'm not sure about the boys but we ladies were quite intrigued.

It was a Tuesday night and the place was almost unoccupied for a table of two when we arrived.

Food

Bijin Nabe (750 php/portion) *Min of 2 person pero 1 portion

Aunt already ordered the Bijin Nabe for each table so this was already waiting for us.  


According to the menu "Bijin Nabe is a combination of the freshest vegetable, seafood, chicken cooked in their golden Jidori chicken stock".

This is the beautiful silky collagen that requires the chicken to be stewed for 8 hours until bones are dissolved.  And, yes this is the  beautifying component of our Bijin Nabe.  Upon being seated, our server turned on the stove and the collagen began to melt before us.

It didn't take long before it boiled.

While waiting, we were given a small glass of pure collagen and a piece of chicken each.  They also gave a set of their basic spices: Homemade Chili Oil, Leek Oil, Yuzu Pepper and Soy Sauce.

The server then added all the toppings to the broth and left it to us to consume it whenever we feel its ready.

As soon as the toppings began sinking, we figured we could already start devouring on the Bijin Nabe.


After finishing the big hot pot, we thought we were finished.  But, then our server comes back and asks us what noodle to we want.  We chose the Thick Mochi-mochi Noodle (80 php) which is cooked together with the prawns.  Like the first batch, we finished this clean because it's so good!  This is truly a heavenly experience for the taste buds and the body.

Smoked Salmon Spring Roll (210 php)

This is the first time we've encountered a fresh spring roll in a Japanese restaurant.  To our surprise, we loved the Smoked Salmon Spring Roll as compared to the Vietnamese versions we've tried.
 

Chicken Nanban Original (295 php)

The Chicken Nanban is deep fried and breaded chicken.  It actually reminded me of the chicken karaage but the menu state that the cooking style is from Miyazaki City.

♥ Shitake Tsukane Nanban Original (335 php)

The Shitake Tsukane Nanban is just like the Chicken Nanban but with a shitake mushroom on the bottom.  The serving also doesn't have sliced lettuce salad on the side.  This made us regret ordering the Chicken Nanban because between the two, this is better.

 

♥ Shitake Tsukane Nanban Spicy Hot (355 php)

I ordered the Shitake Tsukane Nanban Spicy Hot.  It was really spicy!  Good thing the boys raided this as soon as I took one cause I couldn't finish this on my own.  They really loved this!  In fact, they wanted more of it.  So if you're looking for spiciness, I challenge you with this!

Nikumaki Original (105 php) and ♥ Nikumaki Yuzu-Mayo (115 php)

Tsukada Nojo offers 4 kinds of Nikumaki.   I ordered the Nikumaki Original and Nikumaki Spicy but instead got the Nikumaki Yuzu-Mayo.

♥ Nikumaki Yuzu-Mayo (115 php)

It's okay that they gave the wrong order because I enjoyed the Nikumaki Yuzu-Mayo.  I don't even mind that it's extra rice.

For dessert, we had the Homemade Egg Pudding (150 php).  I personally prefer it to be without the caramelized top which was too sweet for me.  We also wanted to try the Yuzu Sorbet with Jello but it was not available.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
The entire family (all 20 plus of us) loved Tsukada Nojo Bijin Nabe.  We enjoyed everything we ordered.  Perhaps, our only concern is the service.  Considering that we were the only diners, there were times were no servers were on site.  My siblings who ordered Unlimited Tea was disappointed that they could not have it refilled as often as they wanted.