First Bite: Ebi 10

Poblacion was starting to wake up from its slumber when we headed to our next stop. With the sun almost down and traffic starting to build up, we scurry our way to Tambai Alley and headed straight to the last store which is Ebi 10. 

Hello, Ebi 10.

You might have seen a bunch of posts of Ebi 10's ginormous tempura on social media. Its name alone is a play of ebi tempura. (Well, I just assumed that so don't take my word for it.) But this Japanese store has a lot more to offer. 

Specializing in tempura, Ebi 10 offers a wide range of battered Japanese staples which includes shrimp, scallop, crab sticks, mushroom and a lot more. But it also carries sashimi, rolls, salad, soba, rice toppings, desserts and even craft beer!

H took the lead in ordering for the group and got Small Shrimp (PHP60 per piece), Jumbo Shrimp (PHP155 per piece), Scallop Popcorn (PHP140, 10 pieces), Bird's Nest with Egg (PHP120 per piece), Stuffed Mushroom (PHP70 per piece), Eggplant (PHP50 per piece), Senju Roll (PHP395), Rocky Mountain (PHP360), Crazy Maki (PHP280), Tori Chahan (PHP200), Uni Shiso Nori (PHP195 per piece), Salmon Sashimi (PHP320) and Uni Sashimi (PHP390). For dessert, we tried Banana Nutella Bites (PHP135, 3 pieces).

Since we were the only guests when we dropped by around 5 p.m., service was quick! We got our plates of sashimi in 5 minutes or less. 

I was not really expecting much from Ebi 10's sashimi as I hardly get fresh ones from small Japanese stores. But Ebi 10's plates of fresh catch were great! Both had this delightful sweet taste that would make you want more. Price may be a bit steep but it both are worth your money for you get top notch sashimi quality!

The two rolls, Senju Roll and Rocky Mountain are bang for the buck! Both come in big serving sizes that one order will fill you up. These are good for sharing. 

The different kinds of tempura H ordered were served in one bowl. 

Though I was not impressed with ebi tempura as they seem to use the small kind and just put them together to create long and impressive looking ones, I enjoyed its stuffed mushroom which had so much bite to it. Juicy too! 

I wasn't too keen with Uni Shiso Nori. It tasted a bit off and it seemed that they used spinach instead of nori giving it a weird combination of flavors. 

Bird's Nest with Egg was quite interesting. I actually didn't get much of the nest (sweet potatoes, I think) which was supposed to be the highlight but the soft egg was spot on!

The rest were your usual battered veggies and seafood. 

Best to enjoy this basket of fried goodies with Ebi 10's chahan topped with raw egg so that the whole meal won't be cloying.

H got excited when the Banana Nutella Bites was served. And true enough, its sweet taste would make anyone giddy. The banana stuffing was a bit mushy but it gave the dish an even sweeter flavor. Though Nutella is also sweet, it complements the crispy banana instead  of making each mouthful overwhelmingly sweet.

Surprisingly, I was more impressed with Ebi 10's non-tempura/battered dishes and I wouldn't mind grabbing a few more next time I'm in the area. 

Ebi 10 is located at Tambai Alley, 5779 Felipe Street, Poblacion, Makati City.