At the ground floor of Astoria Plaza is a Japanese restaurant that has a reputation bigger than its area thanks to Executive Chef Kimito Katagiri. The former chef of Makati Shangri-La's Inagiku and Midas Hotel's Yanagi is back from an interrupted retirement to once again share his brilliance. I've always liked Chef Katagiri's innovative creations. They're veered from the usual, but never obscure; and I've never had a meal done by him that's unremarkable.
Chef Katagiri gave his input on the interiors as well. Fancy is shunned from the place. It's a modish, uncluttered space filled with natural elements. It's a complete opposite of how the dishes are made. They're vibrant, exciting, and created to fascinate!
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Kaki Papaya Yaki PhP 580 |
Oysters perfectly espoused with papaya and dressed with caramelized miso sauce. It's absolutely delicious! The combination may come off as a little bit odd at first. One taste and you'd realize that it's anything but.
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Aburi Sushi 3 Kinds PhP 530 / 5 Kinds PhP 850 |
The Aburi Sushi is a delicious work of art with delicate fleshes of tuna, salmon, eel, hamachi, and lapu-lapu covering the small beds of rice. The chef coats them all with aburi sauce before giving them a good torch. Complementary flavors comes from the tobiko and fresh fruit slices.
Fortunately, the faultless fishes are thickly sliced here. The mix includes slices of salmon, tuna, mackerel, ika, and lapu-lapu.
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Tempura Maki PhP 550 |
Minami Saki's Tempura Maki slices are huge and beyond just plain decent. This is by far my favorite among their maki choices. Each one is finished with miso sauce before blowtorched to magnificence.
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Maguro Pepper Steak PhP 550 |
The Maguro Pepper Steak is a triumph of a dish just like the ones already mentioned. Cubes of fatty tuna are seared then dabbed with sweet sauce. The presentation is pretty sweet too, but one thing's for sure: the taste tops the presentation.
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Scallop with Tamago Sauce PhP 720 |
Silky scallops were skillfully prepared and amply doused with delicious tamago sauce. The sauce is creamy, but not satiating. We even ordered a second batch because the first one was literary gone in 60 seconds.
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Usuyaki Steak with Mushrooms |
Various kinds of mushroom are wrapped in thinly pounded beef. Each roll is massive and impressive! And just in case the taste is too tame for you, a side of sauce is given along with it.
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U.S. Angus Sirloin Teppanyaki PhP 1,050 |
These bite-sized pieces of Angus sirloin were incredibly tender and rightfully seasoned! It's not big enough for sharing, but if you order the Tempura Maki along with this, it might just well be. That one is really filling.
The desserts are just as admirable as the rest. I love the Wasabi Creme Brûlée the most! It's creamy vanilla laden custard infused with wasabi-glazed caramel sugar. It's just as striking as Chef Katagiri's Wasabi Ice Cream in Yanagi. Don't worry, the wasabi flavor is not overwhelming. It's just enough to give your tongue a gentle bite.
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Coffee Jelly PhP 180 |
Minami Saki's Coffee Jelly will stir your curiosity as soon as it's placed on your table. It looks like it came out straight from a science lab. Pretty cool - literally and aesthetically! It's actually sweetened coffee flavored gelatin served with homemade vanilla ice cream. I enjoyed this one a lot as well.
Note: Parking slots in front of the restaurant are very few. You have to come in early if you want to score a slot.
G/F, Astoria Plaza, 15 J. Escriva Drive,
Ortigas,
Pasig City
Contact No.: (+632) 687.11.11
Operating Hours: 11 AM to 2:30 PM
6 PM to 10:30 PM
Facebook: Minami Saki by Astoria
Instagram: @minamisaki
Onward and Upward!
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