Tempura Japanese Grill - Makati

This deserves a 2.0. We availed of the eat all you can promotion and to be honest it was bad. The food served were not hot. You can tell that it wasn't cooked fresh. It was a bad experience. The iced tastes different. The rice has a different taste as well. Overall the experience wasn't good.

While waiting for my turn to be attended to by the doctor in a nearby hospital, my mother and I decided to have a supposed light snack first. We ended up having a meal. I was ill that time so I was not up to be adventurous with my food so I sticked with the classics. I ordered their Kani Salad, Katsudon, and Cucumber Mint Shake. The Kani Salad's dressing tasted a lot like eggs which was delicious at first but got too overwhelming by the time I finished it. The Katsudon, however, was delicicious. They also serve it in huge portions so I think it's price is worth it. The Cucumber Mint Shake was meh. For the place, the place was clean and conveniently placed near offices. For the service, our waitstaff was very friendly and even offered suggestions when I looked like I could not decide on what to order. Sadly, though, I was not able to document everything I ate there due to lack of phone storage.

Over the past month, I have eaten here about two times due to the convenience of its location for a friend and myself. Before that though, this chain has never actually ever peaked my interest enough to actually want to go in and try it. What I learned is that what you see is what you get - a no-frills Japanese restaurant. Appearance-wise, the booths, tables and chairs are situated in order to optimize the space completely. The air conditioning could be better and I've noticed that they even have a mobile unit for a corner that is probably warmer than the rest of the place. Service-wise, I have to say quite frankly is disappointing. From both times I have dined here, the place has only ever been about one-fourth full at most. From the second time, it was just our table and one other booth occupied yet we had to repetitively ask for utensils or hot tea before getting them. It seemed like none of the staff were eager to give us a good end-to-end dining experience. The music was also quite loud and the staff, even more so. Food-wise, I have ordered the following: Gyudon Bento (P295) From my first dinner here, I had this. It comes with sides of a Kani Salad and Miso Soup. The bento itself has two pieces of California Maki, two slices of Tamago, the Gyudon (beef) and rice. Everything was okay. The meat was tasty, buttery and sweet but the rice was quite mushy despite being Japanese grains. The best part was the maki, which had a nice fresh crunch to it. California Maki (P145) I liked this so much the first time that I ordered it for my second time there. One order is eight pieces of well-portioned maki and again, the nice cool cucumber slices inside gave it a satisfying taste for budget sushi. Salmon Temaki (P99) In a nutshell, a temaki is like a giant hand-rolled sushi that is smaller than an onigiri or rice ball. It had three thin slices of salmon along with a bunch of rice and cucumber strips. The rolling was kind of poorly done but I managed to eat it without making a huge mess. It was generally just okay, but for the price I should have ordered another roll of maki. Over-all, I am giving this establishment a 2.5 for the price and quality of their food, but it is also greatly affected by the very apathetic form of service. I would still come back for a California roll perhaps but am not too keen on coming back to try anything else in the future. This may sound a bit savage but my money would be spent better elsewhere.

Over the past month, I have eaten here about two times due to the convenience of its location for a friend and myself. Before that though, this chain has never actually ever peaked my interest enough to actually want to go in and try it. What I learned is that what you see is what you get - a no-frills Japanese restaurant. Appearance-wise, the booths, tables and chairs are situated in order to optimize the space completely. The air conditioning could be better and I've noticed that they even have a mobile unit for a corner that is probably warmer than the rest of the place. Service-wise, I have to say quite frankly is disappointing. From both times I have dined here, the place has only ever been about one-fourth full at most. From the second time, it was just our table and one other booth occupied yet we had to repetitively ask for utensils or hot tea before getting them. It seemed like none of the staff were eager to give us a good end-to-end dining... read more

For lunch, we decided to go Japanese.  Located in Ayala, Makati, Tempura Japanese Grill is really fighting for its brand as it is located in a busy street of Makati with a lot of famous restaurants beside it.  I could say that they're doing a fair fight.  I love how they cooked Tempura to crisp.  Batter was light and airy.   Tonkatsu with Cabbage Salad - The breaded pork was fried to golden brown. It was tender and the sauce gave it more flavor. I really enjoy this dish. Yakisoba - Generous amount of vegetables, pork and seafood all in one plate. It was delicious but I just find this dish too oily.  Honey Miso Glazed Salmon - The fresh and juicy Salmon with sweetness of honey sauce.  This one is a must try.  All in all, this place offers good Japanese food but unlike any other Japanese restaurants I've tried, they need to improve just a tiny bit. anjcolumna.wordpress.com