And like a true neighborhood favorite, it gained patronage through word of mouth. Sushi lovers who've been there raved about the variety of sushi offerings--beyond your usual California maki and tuna/salmon sushi. Fellow sushi fiends were quick to try it and, impressed not only by the selection of sushi and but also by the good quality of food, reasonable prices, and ambiance, were quick to recommend it to even more people. Omakase became so popular that if you showed up at peak hours (especially weekend dinner), there would already be a wait list, and it would be maybe 20 or 30 minutes before you could be seated. But it was also so good that people were willing to wait.
Fast forward to the present. Omakase has since moved to a larger, two-floor location at the Molito Lifestyle Center, just across the street from its old location. Now much more visible and accessible, it has opened itself up to a larger market, no longer limited to the social circles of the South--although a large portion of its regular clientele is still made up of Southerners.
Last week, we had dinner there to celebrate my brother's birthday. 8:30 pm on a Wednesday night, and the place was bustling. We were pleasantly greeted at the door, seated promptly, and given menus. Since Omakase is a regular haunt for us, it didn't take us long to decide what to order: our usual Spicy Tuna Salad, SAR Platter, and JSC platter; a Deep Blue Sea; and a Momoiro Udon, since it was a birthday and we needed a noodle dish. Later on, my brother took advantage of his being the birthday celebrant and requested an additional order: a Dynamite Roll.
Our orders arrived within a reasonable amount of time. The Spicy Tuna Salad (PhP 220 [~USD 5]) was, as always, the perfect way to whet our appetites, with fresh raw tuna cubes, a nicely spicy salad dressing, and crunchy bits of tempura batter atop a bed of lettuce, sprinkled with chopped scallions and either tobiko (flying fish roe) or ebiko (shrimp roe).
Spicy Tuna Salad |
Deep Blue Sea |
SAR Platter: Salmon Skin maki (top right/bottom left), American Dream (middle), Rock n Roll (top left/bottom right) |
The JSC Platter (PhP 695 [~USD 17]) is a combination of the Jurassic (ebi [shrimp] tempura, kani, ebiko, salmon skin, and cucumber inside with unagi [eel] on top, individual order PhP 280); Seabreeze (ebi tempura and spicy salmon inside, slices of tuna outside, individual order PhP 250); and Crazy Maki (spicy tuna and salmon inside, scallion, salmon skin, and ebiko outside, individual order PhP 185). Ordered individually, these three makis amount to PhP 715--the difference between this and the price of the platter is surprisingly small. However, if you're ordering all three makis anyway--and there's no reason not to, because they're all very good (no duds/fillers here)--might as well get the platter and save yourself 20 bucks.
JSC Platter: Jurassic (top right/bottom left), Seabreeze (center), Crazy Maki (top left/bottom right) |
I'm glad my brother went for the additional order of the Dynamite Roll (unagi tempura inside with spicy salmon or tuna on top, PhP 240 [~USD 6]). With a nice creamy crunch inside and my favorite spicy tuna/salmon salad on top, what's not to like? If I were dining alone or with just one or two other people and we were doing individual orders, this would be one of my top choices.
Dynamite Roll |
Soy sauce container (left) and Omakase's signature dipping sauce (right) |
Momoiro Udon |
My plate; clockwise from bottom left: 2 Rock n Rolls, Crazy Maki, Seabreeze, Jurassic, American Dream, Deep Blue Sea, Momoiro Udon. Happiness on a plate :) |
We usually go to Omakase for the makis, not so much the normal dishes. We've tried some of the usual Japanese fare (donburi [rice topped with meat], sukiyaki (clear savory-sweet broth with glass noodles, thinly sliced beef, egg, tofu, and veggies)], and it wasn't bad, but nothing to rave about either. What really sets Omakase apart is the sushi/maki, so go for those.
Note that the service, at least at the Alabang branch, can be a bit inconsistent. Sometimes it's excellent--it's good more often than not--but other times it's frustratingly slow, and you have to ask for things (water, chopsticks, sauce) repeatedly before you finally get them. Our last visit alone was a mixed bag: The staff were courteous and quick to seat us and take our orders. They gave us everything we needed without our having to ask: individual sauce containers, tea cups for everybody, napkins. We secretly brought in a cake for my brother, and the staff were very accommodating about keeping the cake in their kitchen and bringing it out, candle lit and all, on our signal. However, once we were done with our meal, and we signaled for the cake, one of the waitstaff inexplicably brought out the cake, still in its box, and simply placed it on the table next to us. Surprise ruined. Good thing my brother was a sport and just pretended not to see it. After a few more mishaps, with the server asking us whether he should light the candle and then taking a really long time to find a way to light it, he finally brought the cake to our table, out of the box, candle lit. It was really frustrating that a well-planned surprise, which we'd discussed in detail with their staff beforehand, was pretty much ruined, but we just laughed it off. The server also made up for his blunder by bringing out a knife, clean plates, and forks without us asking.
Despite the somewhat inconsistent service, we'll definitely keep coming back to Omakase. The lapses in service are never so terrible so as to be a dealbreaker, and it's too small a thing to deter us from enjoying a good selection of delicious, good-quality makis at reasonable prices.
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Omakase, Alabang Branch (facebook.com/weloveomakase)
Molito Lifestyle Complex, Madrigal Avenue, Alabang, Muntinlupa
+63 2 771 1443
Open from 11:30 am - 2:30 pm; 5:30 - 10 pm
Other branches:
Intepid Plaza Building, E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave., Libis (+63 2 637-6013)
Il Terrazzo, Tomas Morato, Quezon City (+63 2 332-4115)
Connecticut Arcade, Greenhills Shopping Center, San Juan (+63 2 470-9807)
Ayala Triangle, Makati (+63 2 467-3150)
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