Based in Manila, Philippines, Dessert Comes First is a chronicle of the food-obsessed food writer, Lori Baltazar. This website is all about desserts, restaurants, coffee, and the pleasures of homebaking. Read more about me Omakase
Mon, July 18th of 2005
11:35 am
There is no dearth of Japanese restaurants in Manila. I’ve met several restaurant owners who put up a Japanese restaurant simply because ‘they love Japanese food.’ Thus arises a cookie-cutter Japanese restaurant of sorts where you have the requisite sushi, donburi, and teppanyaki.
Yawn.
It’s a tried and true formula, yes, and it works for less adventurous eaters, but for those with more intrepid palates (ahem), head on over to Omakase.
In Japanese, omakase literally means “entrusting.” In a restaurant context, the word means “putting your trust in the chef,” eating whatever the chef feels like cooking for you. An order of omakase arguably puts more pressure on the chef to create an excellent meal out of the freshest foods he has, to reward and retain a valued customer’s trust in him.
It all sounds very noble and a bit scary, admittedly. But at the Omakase restaurant in Alabang (another branch along Libis), you can trust that an excellent meal is what you’ll get. Leave your taste inhibitions at the door, and you will be rewarded.
Once you have the menu, ignore ‘the usual’ and concentrate on the chef’s specialties. I for one, adore uni, (sea urchin) because of its tantalizingly smooth texture. It’s the first thing I look for when I go to a Japanese restaurant, so I was delighted to find that the restaurant offered uni tempura (P165); and an order of uni sushi, made me uni-happy.
Omakase’s sushi offerings remind me of Wasabi’s, particularly their quasi-fusion sushi rolls. 
Everyone wants the American Dream (P140), and I’m not talking about migration. Its edible counterpart is a sushi that’s deep-fried and stuffed with salmon, kani, and cream cheese. It’s a tad bland, but a few dips in wasabi and soy sauce give it kick. We also ordered the Jurassic Maki (P185), though why it’s so named, I have not a clue. This one’s a roll with ebi (shrimp) tempura, kani, ebiko, and salmon skin.
Whatever you do, you must try a piece of heaven called seafood dumpling (P105). It’s assorted seafood wrapped in nori that’s been deep-fried and then slathered in an exquisite sauce with sweet and sour interplays. The occasional crunch and then smoosh as your teeth bite into the crunchy skin and then sink into seafood is thisclose to divine.
I mention quite a few deep-fried foods here, but as any cook who knows her way in the kitchen will tell you, fried food will not be greasy if it’s cooked in oil that’s kept at a steady temperature.
Omakase serves a Japanese mayo sauce drizzled with their special brown sauce and sesame seeds. Just looking at it in all its glorious unctuousness is enough to send shivers down my spine. It’s that good. Use it to dip your sushi rolls in or whatever you feel like.
Other exceptional dishes here are the tofu steak – fat hunks of semi-firm tofu rolled in tenderized beef and the chicken teriyaki, positively glistening in its sauce, and enough of it to smear over hot white rice.
The only thing I wasn’t too happy with was the yaki udon, that ubiquitous of Japanese noodle dishes. The dish itself was off-putting in its pallor, (Sauce, sauce! Where’s the sauce?) and the initial taste of butter (huh?) is startling. It’s a dish that’s certainly not true to the authenticity and innovativeness of this fabulous Japanese restaurant find.
Omakase
Lower level,
Casa Susana Arcade
Madrigal Ave., Ayala Alabang
8503964
Unit 207
Intrepid Plaza
E. Rodriguez Ave.,Libis
4370075 / 6376013
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Goody! There’s a branch in Libis. I will definitely check it out.
[Reply]
Comment by Eric — July 18, 2005 @ 2:11 pm
I haven’t been to Omakase in a while but your post reminded me of how much I enjoyed it. I really liked their Spicy Tuna Salad and the Jurassic Roll pictured on your post looks right up my alley. I love all thing sushi and, although I enjoy the traditional stuff, I also really like the new fusion-twists chefs are doing today. Yes, very much like the yummy creations of Wasabi (which I also enjoy). Anyhoo, thanks for reminding me of Omakase (I used to go to the one at Libis) and suffice to say I’ll be paying them a visit soon!
BTW, I really enjoy your blog! Great pictures and writing (and recipes I have yet to try). And I love reading Manila-based blogs because I can go and check out all the yummy places suggested
[Reply]
Comment by ChichaJo — July 18, 2005 @ 2:54 pm
I’m an Omakase fan, too! Considering its obscure location in Libis, it’s got a lot of following. The Jurassic Maki is a meal in itself. A friend from the US was surprised to find her favorite Spider Maki there as well. The prices are pretty reasonable too!
[Reply]
Comment by c — July 19, 2005 @ 10:53 pm
I really love your blog! This bit about Omakase was a great review. Seeing how I work so close by the Libis branch and live a short drive away from the Alabang branch, I can always get a major league Japanese cuisine fix.
Plus, it’s great to know that there’s someone else in the Philippines who likes uni – very few people do, actually. ^_^
[Reply]
Comment by Midge — July 20, 2005 @ 9:32 am
Midge, my dad, boyfriend, and ex-boss adore uni, so you are not alone, don’t worry. What’s more, I seem to be developing a taste for it as well (you have to understand, this is from a girl who never used to touch the stuff!). I think the taste really grows on you…
Gotta try that uni tempura!
[Reply]
Comment by joey — July 20, 2005 @ 3:00 pm
i just ate at omakase last night–the third time this month. thank you
[Reply]
Comment by bakya — August 19, 2005 @ 12:33 pm
crazy maki is good. and the omakase roll
oddly though, my favorite at omakase is their salmon sashimi. I have not been to a japanese restaurant in Manila that serves better salmon sashimi. thick cuts, very fresh. very good.
[Reply]
Comment by fatkatz — June 23, 2006 @ 9:57 pm
the spider maki is excellent. soft shelled crab lightly fried and tucked neatly into a maki roll, with the claws and legs extending to look like a spider. delightful!
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Comment by missy — July 24, 2006 @ 10:05 am
[...] was unique to the South, but then I discovered (mainly from reading various blogs (Lori’s got a review on Dessert Comes First, and there’s another on Rants and Raves) that there are branches in Libis and Morato as [...]
Pingback by southbound.ph » Blog Archive » Omakase - Great food, great value — April 20, 2007 @ 11:03 am
Last Friday greeted us with rain that was too strong to allow us to go to our usual spot for lunch. Thank the food gods that Omakase in Libis delivers (maybe it helped that our building was right beside them, but I digress). As I went down to the lobby to get our orders from the drenched waiter who delivered them, envious eyes followed me back to the elevator, coveting the 3 bowls of tonkatsu, tempura w/ Japanese fried rice, spider maki (so-called because of the soft-shelled crab appendeges protruding… is divine with that special dip with a bit of wasabi) and dynamite maki (which is my absolute fave) that I had with me…. >sigh
[Reply]
Comment by AJ — August 20, 2007 @ 11:41 pm
Nice restaurant review and quality food photos. Thanks for the inspiration.
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Comment by spots to eat — August 4, 2008 @ 4:21 pm
Looks yummy! Though I’m just a little puzzled by the name of the restaurant because serving food a la carte is NOT Omakase. Omakase means you leave it up to the chef to serve you whatever he wants. Usually serving the richest, freshest, and highest quality ingredients available. I’m sure this restaurant is delicious but it could be deceiving for people who really know the true meaning of Omakase. Unless, they do actually serve Omakase style…lets hope so.
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Comment by PL — May 31, 2009 @ 7:14 am