Hotel Okura tweaks Japanese street food for the Filipino palate
If there’s one restaurant that lives up to the name it calls itself, it must be Yawaragi, Hotel Okura’s Japanese grill. In Japanese, the name means harmony or “to be completely at ease,” and that was exactly how we felt the minute we entered the restaurant.
At the doorway, we were greeted by clusters of pink cherry blossoms and the gentle sound of soft piano music. It was as if we were being transported to a world where something blissful was about to happen.
Bliss, indeed, came immediately at the sight of the sumptuous food we were about to have for dinner: skewers of chicken and pork with smoke swirling from the grill, black tiger prawns stretched into batter-coated batons, slices of buttery, well-marbled beef, steaming hot bowls of ramen, and a terrarium that turned out to be dessert.
It was all part of an eight-course dinner prepared with the expertise of chef Kato, whose specialty is grilling; chef Sato, who specializes in sushi and seafood; and chef Jerrymie Tamayo, who has tweaked Japanese street food to suit the Filipino palate.
Wait—street food? In an elegant place like this?
That’s part of Yawaragi’s appeal. At the dinner, everyday food like yakitori and ramen were elevated to the level of fine dining. Neatly sliced morsels of chicken were seasoned with the highly prized Maldon sea salt. The hamburger steak was enhanced with a demiglace sauce, and the ramen was soused with chef Sato’s signature fish bouillon and sesame oil, then layered with Chinese soba noodles, fermented bamboo shoots, spinach and Japanese-style tenderly simmered pork belly.
All were served with a refinement worthy of royalty: crisp table napkins, well-polished cutlery, crystal stemware, and a solicitous staff that anticipated—and immediately provided—guests’ every request (whether it be an extra pair of chopsticks or a glass of not-too-cold and not-too-hot water). And just to pamper us a little more, the wait staff draped everyone with freshly ironed black aprons in preparation for the tabletop grilling.
It was no ordinary griller, either: on top of the contraption, a volcanic stone was heated to sear the meat evenly while preserving the food’s natural flavor. The stone was kept fiery hot with binchotan, a premium Japanese charcoal that can unleash powerful heat while remaining smokeless and odorless, thus creating a perfect collaboration of fire and stone.
Grilling the four generous slices of Saga beef A5 sirloin was a complete sensory experience. Each morsel sizzled as soon as it was laid on the blistering stone, releasing a rich, heady aroma. Its intricate marbling and delicate texture endowed the beef with an intoxicating buttery flavor and juiciness that alternately teased and indulged the taste buds—so much so that we almost ignored the trio of dipping sauces: steak, peppercorn, and ponzu. On second thought, we tried dipping some morsels into each sauce and discovered how they added interesting dimensions of umami.
Yawaragi’s updated menu also includes familiar classics such as ebi tempura (six pieces of lightly battered black tiger prawns), tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet made from locally sourced Berkshire pig), and a generous selection of donburi, with choices that include hamburger steak, unagi, and Australian Wagyu F1. Most orders come with miso soup, Japanese rice, and three kinds of sauces and condiments—including Maldon salt, matcha salt, and wasabi—to accent the natural sweetness of some dishes.
Perhaps in an effort to be all-encompassing, the à la carte menu also includes spaghetti, sinigang sa miso, adobo, and fish and chips with tartar sauce. Yawaragi proudly declares itself as part of the I Love Earth sustainability program of Newport World Resorts, which aims to make a “bigger, positive impact on the planet.” In line with this, they practice responsible sourcing that prioritizes local products—hence the use of locally grown kurobuta pork, coffee, chocolate, fruits, as well as eggs laid by free-roaming hens.
Though by this time we were, as writer Lian Rodriguez put it, almost induced into a food coma, we couldn’t forego dessert: a terrarium that seemed to live in a world of its own. Inside a glass dome stood a cactus that was actually matcha cake; pebbles and soil that were really chocolate; and moss made of genmaicha (Japanese green tea), all anointed by a light vanilla foam. After uncorking its top, a server sprayed the pretend garden with a floral mist that smelled of freshly picked lavender. It was so dainty and such a novelty that we felt we would rather stare at it than eat it. Nevertheless, we were soon enjoying every delightful spoonful and relishing the ingenious contrasts in textures and flavors.
Fire and stone. Cherry blossoms and soft piano music. Sensory experience and an edible terrarium. It all added up to harmonious dining in a restaurant that fulfills its name.
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Yawaragi Grill is located at Hotel Okura, 2 Portwood St., Newport World Resorts, Newport City, Pasay City. Tel: 5318-2888.
