Ohmi goodness at Tsukiji
Tsukiji Restaurant was named after the Tokyo fish market. Since its opening in 1989, it has been known to directly purchase and import fresh seafood from the Tsukiji market in Japan and was even the first restaurant in Manila to do so. Currently, fresh ingredients are air-flown at least thrice weekly, direct from Tokyo’s new fish market, Toyosu.
We started off with a classic, the Tsukiji Sushi and Sashimi Boat with bluefin tuna, sea urchin, yellowtail, amberjack, salmon and sweet prawns. This was prepared by Tsukiji’s Japanese chef, chef Takashi Harima. Our table demolished it in minutes. It was a slow start at first, perhaps because not everyone knew each other yet and were shy to reach out for the pieces they actually wanted. Eventually, we worked through the entire boat with literally nothing left.
I must give props to the service team and their training team. I asked a couple of servers to take us through the sushi and sashimi boat. We were expertly guided and all questions were answered with such confidence and grace. Being in the food industry, I understand the level of training required to pull this off and was greatly impressed. One answered by their English names and the others by the Japanese names giving us bits and pieces of trivia along the way.
We were next served the Kaiso seaweed salad tossed in a refreshing vinegar based sesame dressing. It was served with red or pink-ish colored seaweed called tosaka, which added the crunch texture into the salad. So simple but a dish I really enjoyed and wouldn’t mind ordering again next time. It was the perfect accompaniment to yukke, the Japanese beef tartare using wagyu beef, made fresh and demonstrated by master butcher Takeshi Suzuki. He starts by cutting raw wagyu into thin strips and adding a rich, sweet and savory sauce using soy sauce, sesame oil garlic and raw egg yolks flown in from Japan.
Though I enjoyed the sushi and sashimi immensely, we were actually there to try the Ohmi Wagyu beef specifically from Daikichi Black Wagyu Farm. Ohmi is from the Shiga prefecture and dates back to 400 years. It is one of the top three wagyu brands because of the environment it is in. At the Daikichi Farm, the cattle is subject to a slow fattening process of up to 30 months, a specialized diet to ensure great marbling and provides the cattle with a low stress environment and natural growth, without the use of steroids or hormones.
Three cuts of A5 Ohmi Wagyu Beef were highlighted for the yakiniku lunch—sirloin or rosu, tan tongue or tan and the Ohmi Beef Karubi—A5 Wagyu Ribeye. According to chef J Gamboa, he prefers the sirloin since it’s a bit sweeter. I personally find the ribeye a fatty cut so A5 Wagyu ribeye would be too much. I might get a couple of bites in but would quickly chase it with a pickled vegetable or kimchi to cut through and refresh my palate.
Lastly, the tongue, a not so popular cut but equally as tasty. I would have thought that the tongue would be a popular choice because of our Spanish influence of eating lengua. Though thinly sliced, it had a slight chew to it which was a good contrast to the melt-in-your-mouth ribeye and sirloin cuts. Whichever you decide, all cuts pair well with the yakiniku sauce and the spicy version provided. These were enjoyed with Korean favorites on the side such as hot stone bibimbap, chapchae and chijimi. Ending the mains was a clean and comforting Karubi soup using US Beef Short Ribs.
Tsukiji Japanese Restaurant houses two dining rooms, one side as a traditional Japanese restaurant with private tatami rooms and regular yakiniku tables and the other side, a sushi bar. Private function rooms are available for groups of five to 30 persons with al fresco dining as an option as well.
Tsukiji Japanese Restaurant is located at the third floor of the Milky Way Building at 900 A. Arnaiz Ave (formerly known as Pasay Rd.) corner Paseo de Roxas Makati City. For inquiries and reservations call 8843-4285, 8812-2913 or 0915-617-9209. Send email to quichethecook.ph@gmail.com or follow me on Instagram @quichethecookph.