Restaurant Love: Tsumura Sushi Bar & Restaurant

Rainy days call for warm and comforting dishes. I'd often find myself stuck and married to my bed on days the sun is shy but the idea of indulging in good food is always very tempting. And so, I headed to Makati with R and his family for lunch on one gloomy Sunday. 

Hello, Tsumura Sushi Bar & Restaurant.

This underrated Japanese restaurant in Salcedo Village is one of the restaurants R brought me when we were still dating. I was so glad that he brought me here and made me discover salmon aburi. 

We usually grab Salmon Aburi (PHP80/piece) and Salmon Sashimi (PHP450) as we're so in love with this marvelous fish. But when we're with R's parents and nieces, we add Hokke Hiraki (PHP330), Hamachi Jaw Shioyaki (PHP450/100g), Hire Katsu (PHP330),  Ebi Tempura (PHP240, 2 pcs. | PHP540, 5 pcs.). 

One particular dish stood out from the menu on our last visit was U.S. Beef Sukiyaki (PHP2,050), a fitting dish on a gloomy day. And since one pot is good for sharing, I had to ask R and his parents if they want some too. Luckily, they were up for it!

There were not a lot of tables occupied when we arrived so our orders arrived after a very short wait. 

The salmon aburi, as always, was fantastic. I'd prefer though that they don't put wasabi in between the torched salmon and sushi rice as they tend to get too generous with it. 

The plate of salmon sashimi was devoured by the nieces in minutes! 

Hire Katsu and Ebi Tempura were good too and perfect for those who are not into raw food and wanted something more familiar.

The Hokke Hiraki (mackerel) and Hamachi Jaw Shioyaki  were very fresh. Light and briny, it's great to be enjoyed as is or sprinkle it with a bit of lemon juice for extra taste. 

We also had Uni Temaki which had that divine delectable sweet taste I love with sea urchin. Again, this had wasabi stuffed inside and might be a bit too much for those with low spice tolerance. 

The star of our meal was the big pot of sukiyaki. We requested for it to be cooked in front of us and R's niece gamely helped the staff in serving the sukiyaki. 

And it was a great decision to order this dish for it was delicious! It had that scrumptious sweet broth which complements all the ingredients in the pot. 

The thin slices of beef were tender and had that nice beefy taste and there was a generous serving of mushroom and greens. I just hoped that they added more glass noodles.

Overall, it was again a pleasant experience. I couldn't wait to go back for more!

Tsumura Sushi Bar & Restaurant is located at 2nd Floor, 88 Corporate Plaza, Sedeno Corner Valero Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City. It is open from 11:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily.