Kitaro Sushi Japanese Restaurant
Next to Italian food, Japanese cuisine would be the next best thing for me.
Years ago, the only Japanese I let myself get close to were the fastfood-type… deep fried with tons of sticky rice. I stayed away from the cold, raw and slimy fare of sushi and sashimi. Not that I had ever tasted it but back then, I could not imagine myself subjecting my stomach to anything uncooked.
My time in the States changed all that and I was converted to a Japanese food addict. I realized that there was really nothing scary about those pink squares we call tuna and those orange ones that scream salmon sashimi. All you needed was to ensure that what you are eating is fresh and you can sit back and enjoy truly Japanese dishes. One downside to it is that most establishments that serve high quality Japanese dishes also tend to charge you a hefty price for it.
Thanks a lot to the likes of Kitaro and Tokyo Tokyo, anyone who frequents the mall can now enjoy the taste of Tonkatsu, Tempura or Sukiyaki. Although they offer dishes less sophisticated than let’s say Saisaki, they still offer something that I personally feel can satisfy my humungous appetite for it.
It was my first time to eat at a Kitaro restaurant. It was not as if I was looking to eat there. I got a whiff of the aroma of hot japanese rice as I passed it at the Robinson’s Pioneer mall that my stomach suddenly jolted me in that direction.
Kitaro is not fastfood (although I thought it was). There are no lines to the counter and you have to wait to be served at your table. The menu is laminated white paper decorated in red and inked in black, nothing fancy though.
I ordered their 5-piece tempura and one serving of plain japanese rice. The other stuff like katsudon and california maki were similarly inviting but I was lusting after shrimp at that time. The food came hot and steamy and I couldn’t wait to dig in.
I was halfway through the meal before I became conscious enough to taste it (I was THAT hungry). Not surprisingly, the tempura was more flour than shrimp and the oil had not totally dried out when they served it so I swallowed most of it. Also, I was not sure if it was the flour, or the oil or the heaviness of the sticky rice but after wolfing down about three fourths of the meal, my head started to spin. Or maybe I just chewed and swallowed too fast. I really couldn’t say.
Despite that, the one thing I really appreciated is how piping hot and newly cooked the food was when they served it. I have had just about enough of prepared food served as is without consideration of the expectations of the customer. That alone made Kitaro memorable for me. Will I go back? Maybe.
Watch the steam rise.
Kitaro Japanese Restaurant
Robinsons Place Pioneer
Mandaluyong City
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NAKAKAGUTOM ANG SITE MO PANAY PAGKAIN . . . PWEDE BA PADALHAN MO KO? NICE FOODS.
royluga – Salamat sa compliment.
Kaso di ko kaya padalhan ka ng food. Come back to visit na lang. 
i never liked the food here, ate here once or twice, orderrd the Katsudon and it was tough… never rreturned again…. for a quick fix i prefer rai rai ken who is also mushrooming in different parts of the metro
Hiro – I have seen Rai Rai Ken around the metro. Is it also casual or fastfood? I haven’t tried it there yet.
You have a very nice blog, good post…keep up the good job
Sorina – Thanks for the compliment. Come back soon!
hiro and applesh.
rairaiken is casual restaurant; and ur ryt they are mushrooming everywhere; ive seen them in many malls even in vizayas and mindanao; food was great! compare to other japresto; i think they specialized in ramen! its absolutely good! padalhan sana nila ako ng gift certificate! hehe!
buknoy – Thanks for the info!
I love Sushi! but I’d really say that rairaiken have better sushi than kitaro. I like to go out and eat! So I do a lot of reading on blogs and sites. Guys have try to look at the listing of rstos at 88DB.com? I get my first impressions there.
Joe sablay – I have heard a lot about rairaiken already. I better try it out soon. I went to 88DB but I found it too cluttered – like classified ads – similar to clickthecity but clickthecity is way better.
[...] re-packaged and marketed to appeal more to the supposedly weight-conscious people of today. I am a fan of Pepsi Max which is a softdrink that is has no sugar but maximum in taste so I was sure coke zero was a must [...]
Hi,
Please feel free to visit the website of Kitaro Sushi Philippines for more information.
http://www.kitaro-sushi.com.ph
Thanks
Gene
Hi Gene! Thanks for the info on the site. Great site and great info. Im sure your customers will appreciate it. Cheers!
i love you kitaro!!!!!!!!
[...] hungry kids, families and barkadas (a.k.a the gang) ready to devour heaps of buttered shrimp and bowls of steamed rice. Back then it would only cost you about 20-30 pesos per dish you had them cooked. Of course, a big [...]
hi! is it okay if i posted your review on our site? my brother and i along with some friends are franchise holders of Kitaro, and i’m trying to market our branch in SM Hypermarket, in front of Tiendesitas along C-5. we’re looking for reviews and comments so we know what to improve on.
like what gene said, please feel free to visit our site (although we only have a multply site XD )
http://kitarosmpasig.multiply.com
many thanks!
steph
steph – Sure you can post the review but please add a link to the original post. Cheers!
[...] re-packaged and marketed to appeal more to the supposedly weight-conscious people of today. I am a fan of Pepsi Max which is a softdrink that is has no sugar but maximum in taste so I was sure coke zero was a must [...]
“In my recent trip to Clark Freeport, I chanced upon an amazing restaurant inside Mimosa. It’s just past the Holiday Inn. It was better than the high-end restaurants in 5-star hotels in Manila! I think the name is YATS Restaurant. It is not that expensive but the food is great and they have an incredible wine cellar too.”
“I have to share this with you – the lamb rack at YATS Restaurant is out of this world. Aside from the fact the lamb is cooked to perfection, the sidings are even more exciting. This is real fine-dining stuff, best I have seen in this country, and second to none that I have seen in other cities including Singapore and Tokyo.”
kerby – Thanks for the info. Will watch out for that.
[...] re-packaged and marketed to appeal more to the supposedly weight-conscious people of today. I am a fan of Pepsi Max which is a softdrink that is has no sugar but maximum in taste so I was sure coke zero was a must [...]