Personal Encounters: Ogetsu Hime Japanese Restaurant (SM Megamall Branch)

Asia, being the largest and most populous continent in the world is one gigantic gastronomic destination to explore! While the culture in each region/country is ultra diverse, there is an undeniable degree of homogeneity to Asian Cuisine that makes it distinguishable and globally popular. Food is indubitably the real universal and unifying language of the world!

The Filipino Cuisine is among the 100 Best Cuisines in the World for 2023, at 33rd place with an impressive rating of 4.35 out of 5 stars on Taste Atlas' annual list of the best-rated cuisines and dishes in the world! While it is obviously my strong Asian Cuisine bias, my next favorite is the Japanese Cuisine which deservingly earned the Top 2 rank, with a rating of 4.65 out of 5 stars!

When craving for Japanese food, the best way to go is choose a restaurant that offers a wide-range variety of traditional Japanese dishes using high quality, fresh ingredients, prepared meticulously and served like a masterpiece! Even better if you could find one that offers unlimited, eat-all-you-can authentic Japanese food for a single fixed price! Japanese Cuisine could be a bit pricey due to the cost of the premium ingredients used and the preparation techniques mastered by skilled chefs that underwent years of training and apprenticeship.

The Ogetsu Hime Japanese Restaurant offers 'eat-all-you-can' for only P 1,288 for walk-in diners and provides a discounted price to those who made early reservations. It's best to reserve a table in advance because the restaurant is mostly on full capacity even during weekdays. It goes without saying that the place is a bit crowded and noisy especially when there are large groups of diners celebrating an occasion. Another downside of this restaurant is their service, starting with a blurry, printed out menu order form where you're supposed to tick the boxes for your orders, except that it's hard to choose when you can barely read it because aside from it being blurred and the letters so small, the Japanese dishes do not have English descriptions. So, if you are not Nihongo proficient, you will need to compare it to the main menu for reference. Otherwise, make sure to bring your reading glasses and prepare to Google your favorites for the English translation so you'll know what's in your sushi. It's also advisable to order everything that you want on your first round and indicate the quantity (2 or 4 servings/orders) as well, because the service, aside from being slow, is also not accurate. Your orders will not come at the same time and some of it will never be served despite repeated follow-ups, including drink refills.

Nevertheless, the Ogetsu Hime Japanese Restaurant is still a recommendable place to satisfy your Japanese food cravings because they have a wide assortment of delicious and authentic Japanese dishes for a fixed and fair price.

Itadakimasu!

The traditional Ebi Tempura is one of the best they offer. They use fresh prawns coated with batter, deep-fried to a light 'blonde' brown achieve the correct fluffines, flakiness and crispiness expected of a good tempura! The combination of the sweet, meaty prawn and the crunchy coating dipped in the tempura sauce, create an exciting texture and flavor that will make you want to ask for more. Okawari kudasai!

Ebi Tempura

More Ebi Tempura!

The US Angus Tenderloin Teppanyaki is a must-try! The meat is tender, savory and juicy! Request for your preferred doneness because they usually serve it medium-rare, with visible traces of the red meat juice. Their US Angus Ribeye Teppanyaki is also good but a bit tough.

The Shake Sashimi (Norwegian Pink Salmon) is of course, a favorite! Served fresh and chilled, sliced hira-zukuri style with just the right thickness to fully enjoy the salmon's soft texture, juiciness and natural umami flavor; dipped in Japanese soy sauce with lemon, it definitely hits the sweet spot!

Their Sukiyaki is also great! They serve the sweet soy-based soup, hot in a bowl or you have an option to cook your own Nabemono! They will provide you with a portable propane stove and a cute little pot, as well as the ingredients and the broth to complete the9 experience of creating your own hot pot. Their authentic Miso Soup is also a good choice to start the meal!

Miso

Sukiyaki

For appetizers, you may try their beancurd/tofu selection. The Agadashi Tofu's (Deep fried beancurd) crispy coating somewhat resembles the taste of radish cake. On the otherhand, the Chawan Uni (Steamed sea urchin) is like a salty taho topped with sea urchin and served steaming hot. The smooth, silky texture of the soft tofu absorbs the natural sea salt umami flavor of the sea urchin. Weird, if you're used to the sweet taho but really quite delicious once you acquired the taste!

Chawan Uni

Agadashi Tofu

They have an impressive array of delectable aburi (flame-seared; torched) sushi and rolls to choose from! They all look nice and delicious, so just order those that really catch your fancy because you can't try them all in one visit, which gives you a reason to come back! Enjoy your meal!