Asakusa-style dishes by a homegrown Japanese restaurant.

The third branch of the Japanese resto, Asakusa (pronounced as ah-sahk-sah), recently opened at the 3rd level of Ayala Malls Feliz, (Marikina-Infanta Highway), Brgy. Dela Paz, Pasig City,  after successfully establishing itself as a homegrown Japanese restaurant at the Grove by Rockwell, as well as in Ayala Malls Vertis North.

This blog is long overdue because I was supposed to post this last, last week (days after the official opening), but I got caught up in my work. 😀 😀 (Well, better late than never!)

Establishing this restaurant was probably a product of serendipity. It was 2013 when the happy couple Celline Bautista and Jason Bautista were about to head home from their honeymoon, until they realized that they have yet to try TEMPURA during their trip. They ended up in a mom-and-pop store in Asakusa (yup, the inspiration for the Japanese resto’s name) where they ate the best tempura ever.

They fell in love with it, that they just couldn’t pass up the chance to let more people back home to enjoy it, too. Who knew a simple craving for the Japanese dish would lead to them managing a successful restaurant? They were able to convince the owners of that store to teach them the art of creating the perfect tempura. From that moment on, they went back on forth just to practice making it, they even purchased some equipment and kitchenware to be used here, as well as get Japanese art such as hanging scroll paintings to adorn their resto.

Celline really had this positive and energetic aura that just attracts guests, and customers to come try and dine in Asakusa.

I was sold at the coffee shop vibe of the place. It makes for a cozy, and comfortable dining area, which is perfect for lunch dates (I would do that 100%).

So… I didn’t order much, nor did I take many good photos (sorry, I was hungry :P), but here’s what I recommend you try if you plan to visit this resto. You won’t have a hard time ordering because they have a small menu! 🙂

I had the Gyoza (P228) as my appetizer, because who doesn’t like tasty Japanese dumplings???

The Asakusa: Home of Tempura has 5 tempura sets: Geisha Set, Seafood Catch, Samurai Set, Shogun Set, and Emperor Set. I opted for the sought-after 5-star Shogun plate (P608), which only had black tiger prawns. This is their most popular set, although you can also try a little bit of everything (like shiitake mushroom, sweet potato, fish, squid, scallop, etc.) by choosing your own tempura, side dish, and sauce. You can DIY your plate. By the way, this set already comes with plain rice, but you can upgrade it to fried rice (that’s what I did).

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Asakusa’s Gyudon (Php318) was also enjoyable. It was a hefty serving of flavorful thinly sliced beef! It’s sweeter compared to the usual Gyudon, and it’s perfect for when you’re just undecided about what to order, or if you don’t like to eat Tempura. To be honest, I wasn’t able to finish this dish, because I liked the other dishes better. But that’s just me. 

I also tried their California Maki (Php258), before finishing my lunch with their two desserts:  Coffee Jelly (Php118) and Valrhona Chocolate Brownies with Green Tea Ice Cream (Php158).  I preferred the former, because it had just the right amount of sweetness, which I like in classic comfort desserts. The matcha one is extra creamy and just not for me! I did like the Valrhona choco brownies, though!

I surely appreciate the food in this Japanese resto, but… I find the tempura pretty expensive (because I know different places which offer tasty and competitively priced tempura sets), although it was big and delicious! Also, the Gyudon is what someone would order if he or she is undecided about what food to eat, but I wouldn’t try it a second time. It was just too sweet for me.

Overall, that’s just my experience with Asakusa: Home of Tempura. I would still dine here, but just guided with my preferred dishes. 

Sayōnara!