It may not look big from the outside but you'd be surprised once you go inside.

♥ Aburi Salmon Don with Miso Soup (430 php)

♥ Seafood Tokujo Ramen (470 php)

One of the pride dishes of Washoku is their ramen.  I don't think you can go wrong with any of their ramen options because its their milky tonkotsu base that makes them so good.  

New

♥ Teppan Cheese Hamburg Teishoku (430 php)

♥ Fujisan Katsu Curry (450 php)

I've always loved curry.  It's quite interesting there are a lot of version of curry.  I especially love Japanese curry the most.  This Fujisan Katsu Curry is one of the best Japanese curry in the Metro!

Katsu

Fillet Katsu 3 pcs. ala carte (380 php)

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Washoku Musashi-tei is a well-rounded Japanese restaurant that will surely satisfy you whatever your Japanese dish craving is.  Given the food quality and portion, I find the pricing to be justified.  I believe the quality is as high as prestigious and expensive hotel Japanese restaurants.

One of the older establishments in Arya Plaza, but certainly not forgotten, is Fukudaya.  Since its doors opened last August 2016, Fukudaya has continued to delight diners with Modern-Traditional Japanese dishes. Under the helm of Chief Sushi Chef Koji Oki, Fukudaya has built-up a quiet reputation for serving high-quality seafood on this side of BGC.




Modern and Traditional, two distinct words describing two opposite states. How could something be both Modern and Traditional? For this occasion, Chef Oki-san stepped outside the kitchen and shared how his team is able to deliver Fukudaya’s promise of a Modern-Traditional Japanese dining experience. By Traditional, Fukudaya stays true to the taste of well-loved Japanese dishes by using fresh Japanese ingredients such as but not limited to dashi, sake, dried, bonito, shiitake, and salmon. Modernity is expressed by the use of modern precision cooking methods, in particular, sous-vide cooking. This ensures that meats are cooked just right to maintain tenderness previously unachieved by traditional cooking methods.


Keeping true to the tradition of the simplicity of the Japanese, for our visit, Chef Oki-san and his team prepared a humble 3-dish sampler of Fukudaya’s bestsellers. 

Food

Shrimp Tempura Sushi "Ebiten" Roll (480 php)

Australian Wagyu Steak in Garlic Sauce with Assorted Grilled Vegetables (200g) (1,550 php)

Fukudaya also offers special private tasting menus by request and provides catering services for private events.




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Residing near Malate, I have always been amused by the lively neighborhoods restaurants and cafes.
To my surprise, there's a cool concept that has been under my radar - Rolls Republic.

What brought my attention is Rolls Republic 1st Year Anniversary Speedy Rolls Festival where they offered Eat All You Can rolls buffet.


As soon as I went in, I found out they also offered Party Platters and they also offer delivery.


These are a good idea for potlucks!


I like the bright and casual vibe of the place.  It looks clean and on point.  I'd happily dine here for rolls and go.  Or because they offer Free WiFi, I'd prefer hanging out at this place over the dark and cozy ambiance of famous coffee shops. 


Rolls Republic has a giant map with spheres signifying their rolls conquering the world.  And, their slogan comes in different languages.

Breakfast Rolls with FREE Coffee (6am to 10 am)

Spam Omelette Roll With Free Brewed Sagada Coffee (75 php)

If only I was a student or a bar reviewee again, I would be here for breakfast and longer everyday.  Not only do they offer FREE WiFi, they also offer an unbelievably priced breakfast with FREE Brewed Sagada Coffee.  Another thing that makes them an ideal breakfast place is that they open really early!  And, during that time there are a lot of parking spaces available.  And, did I mention how much I spent for this sossy-looking and very fulfilling breakfast?  Only 75 php!!! 

Spam Omelette Roll With Free Brewed Sagada Coffee (75 php)

I also like their packaging.  I have to admit, I don't usually buy grab to go snacks at convenient stores because the packaging doesn't look appetizing.  Of course, it is also given that we know its been sitting there for days and I had a couple of experiences of buying spoilt food and moldy sandwiches.  That's another great thing with Rolls Republic, the rolls are made fresh upon your order.  They are very professional and prepare them very fast.  They suggest that you consume your order within 24 hours for freshness.  If you're lazy you can just buy this leave them on the freeze and eat them whenever you feel like it without need for reheating.

Spam Omelette Roll With Free Brewed Sagada Coffee (75 php)

This Spam Omelette Roll is just the way I like it... with ketchup to boot.  I am very impressed with how they were able to blend local rice like the malagkit to make the rice really sticky and composed similar to that of a high-quality sushi that makes use of Japanese rice.

Eat All You Can Rolls Buffet 
Before moving on with the eat all you can rolls buffet,  let me just share about the roll variants available at Rolls Republic that distinguishes them from other rolls concept:

1. First, they do not offer Japanese sushi with raw ingredients.  All their ingredients are freshly cooked.  While I also enjoy sushi with raw ingredients, I agree that this is a good idea since I have friends who don't eat raw.  And, some can't eat raw.  I mean they really can't.  In fact, my realization comes with a story.  Before I didn't believe that some people can't eat raw so I used to force my ex to eat sushi and sashimi with me.  And to my surprise, his body would involuntarily reject the raw ingredients as he has to barfs them just a few minutes after intake.  After the third consecutive time, I gave up making him eat raw. =p  
2. Second, their rolls are international cuisine inspired.  Most of their rolls are unique as they are creatively concocted by their very own chef.  Genius!

They offer 4 kinds of Eat All You Can Sets so you can choose according to your preference or budget.  The slices of their Eat All You Can is small than their usual roll (1 normal roll  = 5 Eat All You Can piece) so you get to try more than variants in your 90 minute time limit.  The size is actually the same as their Sushi Cake (the one with the carrot flower in the picture) which they sell by order for only 3,000 php and serves 30 people and their Party Platters.

1. Set A: Vegetarian/Vegan 150 php/pax

• ♥Tortang Talong
• Ampalaya with Egg 
• Vegan California
• Korean Egg Omelette
• Salted Egg with Green Mango 
• Vegetarian Summerlicious 

 
      2. Set B: Chicken/Pork 200 php/pax

• Chicken Inasal
• Chicken Adobo
• ♥ Cantonese Salted Egg Chicken
• ♥ Chicken Teriyaki
• ♥ Macau Pork Chop
• Longganisa
• ♥ Spam Omellete
• Tocino

      3. Set C: Beef 250 php/pax

• ♥ Beef Tapa
• ♥ Beef Bulgogi
• Spicy Sichuan Beef

      4. Set D: Seafood, Specialty Rolls and Best Sellers 300 php/pax

• Salt & Pepper Salmon
• ♥ Roasted Salmon
• Spicy Tempura
• Battered Cajun Shrimp
• Elle's Gourmet Tuyo
  
• Pho Burrito
• Summerlicious
• ♥Pork Cheetohkatsu

I bet many of you are wondering how many rolls did I handle in our 90 minute seating?  I went there very hungry and only handled 20 rolls.  Think you can beat that?  The rolls were heavier than I thought.  But, the best thing about the experience is we didn't feel overwhelmed or "Umay" even though our bellies were very stretched because the variants are really appetizing.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Rolls Republic is offers great a dine-in, cafe, breakfast place and grab and go concept.  The pricing is very reasonable so much that it can be an everyday pleasure and convenient food.  This is indeed one of the underrated hidden places in Malate that deserves more glamour than it currently has.

Whenever we would be in the Kapitolyo area, my cousins would recommend dining in Haru Susi Bar & Restaurant.  For some reason, we were not able to dine there but it sparked my mom's epicuriosity once again and we tried it one night when they had an available parking space.

The place is always full so we were quite delighted for the chance.

Upon reaching the entrance, we were told to wait a few minutes as they are still preparing our table.

We intended to have sushi by the sushi bar but it was still occupied so we decided to try that next time instead.

The atmosphere is different from all other Japanese Restaurants we've tried.  If only we weren't such a shy family, I bet it would have been fun to take our photo ops by their decors.

There were Japanese memorabilia that really give it a traditional Japanese vibe.  

From the parking area is a path way towards their extended area.

We passed by this room after our dinner. 

There were Japanese toys which reminded us of our childhood.


Brother had some of those when we were little.  But, unfortunately, they got lost when we moved to our new home. 

Food
Now, on with the food...

Dynamite Roll (269 php)

They say, you can't dine at Haru and not have sushi so we ordered the Dynamite Roll.  True enough, this is by far one of the best Dynamite Rolls we've tried!  This is their version of the sushi roll with spicy tuna, salmon, Japanese cucumber with a coat of tobikko.  We loved this so much that we ordered 2 more of this!

Crazy Roll (198 php)

The Crazy Roll which is a sushi roll with kani, ripe mango, cucumber with haikara flakes and topped with kani tossed with Japanese mayonnaise.  We loved the crunch factor brought by the haikara flakes but this was outshun by the Dynamite Roll.

Nabemono

Sukiyaki Large (605 php)

We ordered the Sukiyaki Large which exactly serves six bowls.  Mom was amused by the little quail eggs they added on each bowlful finding them to be quite cute.  We were impressed by their Sukiyaki which was served piping hot and not too sweet.   We also enjoyed the tenderness of the meat and the silky smooth tofu.


Yakimono/Robata-Yaki

Tori Shitake Hasayamaki (315 php)

The Tori Shitake Hasayamaki was just okay.  It didn't give us an impression of ordering it again anytime soon.

Ika Teppanyaki (375 php)

One of mom's strict consideration when ordering a Ika Teppanyaki is that it should be easy for her to mince.  This passed!

Oyster Teppanyaki (248 php)

What we all loved the most among our cooked dishes is the Oyster Teppanyaki.  We could tell that it was fresh and cooked with precision to keep it delicious sea flavors locked in.

Gohan

Fried Rice (80 php)

For staple, we ordered the Fried Rice.  I normally have no say when it comes to staples but this one stands out because of the crunchy vegetables.  We all had extra rice!
 
Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Haru Sushi Bar popularity has already preceded this post and I can totally understand why.  Perhaps, the only set back is its steep price compared to other restaurants in the Kapitolyo area.  But, one should also consider that its premium food quality and its Japanese cuisine justifies their pricing.  I really do hope we could go back soonest to try their sushi bar.