Kuretake

This Japanese restaurant has been on my list since I don't know when. Even if I am always in Makati area, this restaurant always slips out of my mind to try. Finally, I was able dine here a few days ago.

Kuretake has nothing of those fancy interiors. I know it is Japanese, and it is supposed to be minimalist-zen type but theirs, I think, lacked a bit of that Japanese sophistication you often find in the Metro. Nonetheless, I like that the environment is conducive for having decent conversations without yelling.

We came there for the food, so here is a bit of a review.

Browsing the menu was overwhelming, there were just too many pages. They offer a really wide array of Japanese dishes. I am not sure if that is a good thing because I read a lot of stuff that I had trouble selecting what I wanted to try. We got into choosing anyway.

Here are what we ordered:

Salmon sashimi (Php 350) - one word, nine letters. DELICIOUS. Those salmon were one of the freshest sashimi(s) I've had. It is clean and neat tasting which I really love.

Sukiyaki (Php 360) - theirs was a version that went with either udon or soba, not with sotanghon which I found to be quite odd. Despite that, all is goo-ood. It didn't taste too sweet and the beef tasted fine. Serving was good for 3-4 people.

Ebi tempura (Php 450)- theirs was not so different from other ordinary Japanese restaurants here in Manila. It was made of shrimps in decent size wrapped in crunchy batter. You can actually skip this because it was very normal.

Mixed fried rice (Php 120) - I didn't like this one. It tasted more like a Chinese restaurant's concoction gone bad. There were herbs and spices that were domineering which made the rice overwhelming in taste. The combinations didn't work well.

Assortment on sticks (Php 335) - all things breaded. Fish, squid, chicken, pork, eggplants, kani, shrimps were all on that platter. It came with their version of barbecue sauce (tonkatsu sauce?!) which went pretty well I think.

Fruits as dessert - this was on the house. They have the sweetest melons I've tasted. The watermelon was sweet as well, too sweet that I wonder if they were dipped in sugar. I hope not though I am not complaining. :-)

House tea - when I am in a restaurant that serves Asian cuisine, I always ask for their house tea. Kuretake's was fine. Easy on the tongue and I loved the fact that it was served in a huge tea(mug)cup.

Overall, the place is recommended especially if you are craving for some sushi(s)/sashimi(s). Theirs I think is one of the best in the Metro.

Kuretake
Power Plant Mall, Ground Level
Rockwell Drive cor. Estrella St., Makati
Telephone # 898-0509