Revisited: Genki Sushi

A concept born in 1968, Genki Sushi has grown from a Japanese sushi bar into an international brand. It opened its first store in Manila 3 years ago and it has been expanding ever since. Its success can be attributed to its extensive menu of pocket-friendly sushi and maki and interesting way of having it served. And Genki Sushi beefed up its offerings even more by adding bentos and rice toppings. 

Hello, Genki Sushi. 

It has been a long while since my last visit at this quirky sushi bar. I still recall how much fun I had ordering my favorites and the giddiness I felt whenever my "race car" or "train" arrives with my orders. This time around, I didn't focus much on the novelty of how the food's delivered and focused more on the dishes. And for this visit, I got to try some of Genki Sushi's newest dishes. 

Rice is a staple in every Filipino meal. And great news for those who can't stand rice-free meals as Genki Sushi added bento boxes and new rice toppings to its menu. 

Bento boxes are perfect for guests who want to save time on choosing which ones to get from its long list of dishes. And Genki Sushi launched three bento boxes to choose from -- Shrimp Tempura Supreme Bento (PHP650), Chicken Katsudon Bento (PHP480) and Chicken Black Pepper Bento (PHP480). 

Though I find the bento boxes to be a bit pricey, these come with either sashimi or gunkans, salmon skin or edamame and a bowl of miso soup making it quite bang for the buck. In fact, you can split the Shrimp Tempura Supreme Bento with a friend!

I wasn't able to try all the bento boxes as it was spread out to different tables. Our table got Shrimp Tempura Supreme which got a handful of praises for its perfect ratio of batter and shrimp. Unlike other tempura under the same price range, Genki Sushi's version is not crazily battered and it uses reasonably sized shrimps. Taste-wise, it was your usual classic tempura. Plus points though for not being oily. It also comes with half order of salmon and tuna sashimi, California Maki and a quarter serving of salmon skin. It's definitely one filling bento meal fitting for those who are extra hungry. 

Among the four new rice bowls served, I got to try Tuna and Tofu Rice Bowl (PHP380). I noticed that it had ample tuna and tofu cubes and it also had some asparagus which gave the dish more bite or crunch. Though good, I'd rather spend my money on more sashimi as I could get cooked tuna at a better price and serving size elsewhere. 

Or perhaps I'll give Genki Sushi's Perfect Pairings a try. Available in Black Pepper Chicken Don (PHP310) and Chicken Oyakodon (PHP290), these come with an option of Fried Salmon Skin or Salmon Miso Soup as side dish. And the salmon miso soup's serving size is huge!

There were several new dishes presented to us that night such as Salmon Croquettes (PHP150) which was a tad dry for my liking. It also didn't seem to go well with the other dishes I was enjoying that night. Perhaps this would be better as a snack? Then again, this is just a personal preference. 

The Spicy Double Salmon (PHP160) was pretty good. Topped with a thin slice of salmon and stuffed with more salmon goodness, this would be something salmon lovers would enjoy. It seemed to have been slightly torched based on the color. It was hard for me to tell though as I ate my share after some time which made the maki cold, if ever it was indeed torched. 

I wasn't expecting to like Genki Sushi's Garlic Butter Wings (PHP290) but I did! It was pretty good. Each bite was flavorful and had a bit of crunch. Though quite pricey for its serving size, I wouldn't mind having this again on my next visit. 

And speaking of garlic butter, Genki Sushi's Garlic Butter Corn (PHP150) is good too. But for its price, I'd rather make my own at home as it's a simple and uncomplicated dish.

Other new dishes served that I wasn't able to try were Shrimp Garlic Butter (PHP140), Salmon Taberu Layu (PHP130), Tuna Tataki (PHP120), Tuna Salad Gunkan (PHP110) and Salmon Black Pepper Chicken Don (PHP220) which falls under rice bowls.

Aside from the new dishes, we also feasted on our favorites. Our table ordered Salmon Belly Sashimi (PHP250), Salmon Sashimi (PHP250), Tuna Sashimi (PHP250) Northern Tail Sashimi (PHP250) and Yellow Tail Sashimi (PHP250). 

Among the sashimi plates we've had, our favorite was Yellow Tail with its snappy and firm texture that was so addictive!

Salmon Belly came close second!

For dessert, we had Mille Crepe (PHP180), Strawberry Mille Crepe (PHP200), Matcha Double Fromage (PHP180) and Chocolate Mousse Cake (PHP180). 

I'm not a fan of crepe cakes and sadly, the ones from Genki Sushi did not convert me into a fan. I found it bland and too clean tasting to give me that sweet ending I look forward to with desserts. 

The Matcha Double Fromage cake was not bad at all. With an attractive price tag of PHP180, this is something I'd definitely get whenever I'm craving for a green tea dessert. The green tea taste was pronounced yet was beautifully balanced by its cheesecake-like base. 

But the best dessert award goes to Chocolate Mousse! It was a decadent piece of chocolate heaven. Each bite was smooth and I loved that despite being chocolatey, it was not overwhelming.

And if you're a fan of Meiji desserts, do try Strawberry Gunkan (PHP220)! This adorable dessert which was made to look like a gunkan is made of chocolate mascarpone, strawberry rice crispies and wrapped in a thin slice of black bread (or crepe). It tasted like the cone/diamond like strawberry and chocolate treat from Meiji, sans the crunch. 

Thank you Genki Sushi and looloo for the lovely dinner. I discovered new favorites and I'll definitely be back for more. 

Genki Sushi is located at 2nd Floor, Ayala Malls the 30th, Meralco Avenue, Barangay Ugong, Pasig City.