My family loves tempura too so one night we were craving for one and we recalled that Booky (Aileen) recommends Asakusa: Home of Tempura so we drove all the way there.   This is the second purely tempura joint that I've tried. 

It's actually funny because we've been to The Grove By Rockwell several times but we had no idea it had more establishments inside.  We had to ask the guard where it was.  We're told it was located beside a hotel called Aruga by the Grove.  And, indeed it was.

For such a hidden place, it had noticeably a lot more diners than it's neighboring establishments.

Appetizers

♥ Spicy Salmon Salad (218 php)

Before we go on with the Tempura, let me highly recommend that you order the Salmon Salad.  You can have it Regular or Spicy.  If you can stand a bit of spiciness go for the Spicy!  It's the bomb!  We loved it so much!

Tempura Sets (Comes with Free Iced Tea or Lemonade)
All their tempura has a nice crunchy texture and it wasn't oily.   As you can see from the photos, the quality is consistent.  Compared to Tenya which is an a franchise from Asakusa Tokyo, I found the tempura butter to be crunchier and heavier and the color is slightly darker.  Thus, it offers a different but just as pleasurable experience. 

They have 2 kinds of sauces: the traditional and Asakusa Sauce.  I still like the traditional because the Asakusa Sauce with a thick consistency has an overpowering sweetness.
 

Samurai Set (358 php)

One of my shobes ordered the Samurai Set which had black tiger prawn, fish, squid, eggplant, squash and french beans tempura.  Shobe upgraded her plain rice to Fried Rice (38 php).

Shogun Set 3 pcs. (358 php)

The Shogun Set is the classic with three black tiger prawn.  I bet this is often ordered.  Shobe upgraded her plain rice to Udon (60 php). 

Emperor Set (598 php)

My big brother ordered the most expensive item on the menu which is the Emperor Set.  It had 2 Black Tiger Prawns, Scallop, Shiitake Mushroom, Kani, Fish, Zucchini and French Beans.  He also upgraded his plain rice to Fried Rice (38 php).  I found the price of this to be unjustified especially since for the price (with upgrades), you could already go for an eat all you can and have more tempura right?

Make Your Own Tempura Set

♥ Black Tiger Prawn (110 php) and ♥ Squid (60 php)

I wasn't feeling well that Sunday... so this is a very rare occasion where I didn't have an appetite.  I tried the Make Your Own Tempura Set by ordered  a piece of the Black Tiger Prawn and Squid.  I loved them both.  But surprisingly, I wanted more of the Squid because it is so soft. 

Other Dishes 

Tempura Udon (298 php)

My mom ordered the Tempura Udon.  The black tiger prawn is still partially crunchy.  The sweet broth compliments the tempura as well as their 2 kinds of tempura sauces.  It also comes with some tempura flakes which adds a twist of texture to the al dente udon.


 Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
For a local concept, I'm impressed with the food quality of Asakusa: Home of Tempura.  However, I do find their pricing to be a bit steep.

I still can't get over last night's grand opening party as Roku Sushi Ramen Donburi opens in Level 1 TriNoma.  

Mika Romero Inviting You to Try Roku!

Roku is a family-oriented and student-friendly Japanese restaurant concept formulated by Mika Romero.  Mika has been yearning for a good quality Japanese casual restaurant near the University where she studied.  Since she can't find any, she decided to put up one herself with the guidance of her mother Sheila Romero.  

Roku means 6 because they are 6 in the family.  And, they want Roku to embody their family-oriented passion in everything they do.  


As a shy wallflower type of foodie, I was really overwhelmed by the awesomeness of the party.

The event was graced by the Ayala Top Management, celebrities and politicians.
 

There were also media, fellow bloggers (spotted on the photo above are: Arcee of TheBagInvestigator.Com, Jonel Uy and Marjorie Uy of SeatForTwo.Com, Aldous of AldousAteTheWorld.blogspot.com) and Instagramers (spotted on the photo above are: @sheroseontimare, @thehungrychef , @maxieissuper, @thebaldbakerph and @manilaeatup).  Though I was to shy to approach them as their follower, I was glad to see these people who I look up to.


Music performances of Curtismith and  St.Vincent & The Grenadines rocked the party.  
 
And, of course there were tons of food!
 

Pork Gyoza (169 php)

The Pork Gyoza is pretty good.  Thin and soft shelled with succulent juicy ground pork.

Dream Roll (259 php)

 Our favorite with tempura-battered salmon, kani and cream cheese.

Firecracker Roll (249 php)

 Too bad I was the only one on our table who can tolerate spiciness so I had to finish the Firecracker Roll all by myself ~ with pleasure. =p

Sailboat Roll (259 php)

 The Sailboat Roll has spicy tuna with crunchy wantons.  Loved the appearance and the experience it delivers too.

S.S. Roll (249 php)

The S.S. Roll  is tasty salmon teriyaki on top and filled ith salmon skin, cream cheese and cucumber.  Yum!

Gyudon (sample portions)

The Gyudon is so good because it has shitake mushrooms to enhance the flavor.

 

Chashu Shoyu Tonkotssu (sample portions)

Roku's Tonkotsu broth (boiled for 12 hours) was specially created by Japanese Ramen Master, Kenji Dobashi of famous ramen house Kagari in Ginza, Japan.  Their chashu slices are  slow-cooked and marinated for 8 hours.  So you could really taste so much of the rich goodness in every sip of the Chashu Shoyu Tonkotssu.

Kampai to Roku

I really enjoyed the night!  And, I will definitely try more of their dishes (and review them) with the family next time. 
 
P.S. In case you've wonder how I ended up in such a party...  I was invited by one of my longtime instagram followers to attend Roku.   When I first heard this, I was really surprised and quickly turned red.  Up until my recent acquisition of the Zenphone 2, I swear my instagram photos were horrible.  My family and relatives were literally begging me not to post anymore because my photos were not recognizable or if they were, they looked disgusting.  Even now, none of my siblings follow me on instagram because of that.  So, whoever has been my follower ever since deserves my utmost gratitude and I would certainly like to thank them in person haha.  My photos are now recognizable so hope you can follow me @tsinoyfoodies