Restaurant Love: Asakusa Home of Tempura

Jumping around is tiring. R and I could not even last five straight minutes jumping on trampolines. Oh how I miss being a kid. After an hour (well, more of 30 to 35 minutes) of playing with trampolines and questionably clean foam cubes, R and I built a huge appetite for heavy dinner. Since R fell in love with Asakusa and that we are just across The Grove, we decided to head there after Jump Yard.

Hello, Asakusa Home of Tempura!

The place was packed on a Saturday night. We had no choice but to eat outside. At least we were beside the fan and mosquito repellant machine.

R wanted us to stick with our usual Salmon Salad (PHP208) and Emperor Tempura Set (PHP578) but since I want to try something new, we also ordered Salmon Maki (PHP318) and Cold Soba (PHP98).

First served was salmon maki. We opted to make it mildly spiced as I have low tolerance for spicy food.

It was... not spicy at all. And the salmon bits were too few for us to get a taste of it. All we got a taste of were the Japanese rice and tempura crumbs. R gave me an I-told-you-so face after he saw my disappointed face. 

The salmon salad was served next. To make things a bit interesting, we got it with spicy sauce. But we played it safe by asking for the spicy sauce or dressing to be put on the side.

Love at First Bite: Asakusa Home of Tempura

I have been dying to visit this tempura place at The Grove for months but it gets cancelled every single time. I blame the lazy weekend bug! There was one time though when we finally braved the Saturday traffic and we were greeted by… a closed sign. I heard my heart break and my tummy whine the moment I saw the glass door signage. But the Year of the Monkey seems to be my year as when R and I visited The Grove during Chinese New Year for dinner, the place I have been eying for months was open. OPEN! *insert creepy mega giant smile here*

Hello, Asakusa! 

The foodie in me found it so surreal that I finally managed to get inside the “home of tempura”. It was a long wait and I hope that it won’t disappoint.

Famished, we ordered Salmon Salad (PHP208), Emperor Tempura Set (PHP578) and Gyudon (PHP288). For beverage, we settled with the complimentary house tea.    

Service was quick as it was not even past the 5 minute mark when the salmon salad was served.

I loved it! The fresh salmon cuts drizzled with what seemed to be teriyaki sauce went really well with the crisp veggies and tempura flakes. The contrast between the soft and crunchy textures was delightful as well. Though flavor was a tad strong as appetizer, it was still a great starter!

Gyudon was served next and we were perplexed with its appearance. It did not look like the gyudon we know. The meat looked a bit too dark. Tastewise, the flavor was overpowering. It was too sweet for gyudon. 

Love at First Bite: Alley

I think the Year of the Monkey is my foodie year. Just last weekend alone, I managed to visit 5 restaurants in my must visit list. Among the restaurants I have been eying and finally visited is Alley, one of the new players at The Grove.

Hello, Alley!

This adorably designed restaurant serves several light snacks. Or so I thought.

It opened its doors just a few days ago but I am already familiar with its offerings thanks to my stalking skills. (Okay fine, it was because of Chef Angelo Comsti’s mouthwatering photos of Alley’s dishes.)

I went here after finally visiting Asakusa since I wanted some sweets to cap the night. I was a bit disappointed though that they only have two desserts to choose from, Financier (PHP229) and Caramelized Banana Bread (PHP249). I went with the latter because “house-churned cashew ice cream” sounds so delectable. (I was warned by the server that the banana bread is huge. It made me wonder if it’s because I smelled like tempura or if the phrase YOU-MUST-DIET is plastered all over my face.) I also ordered a cup of Cappuccino (PHP139) to balance the sweetness of my dessert.

First served was my cup of cappuccino and it was lovely. I got regular instead of decaf and it was still not that strong making it “night-friendly” if there is such a term. I didn’t get to appreciate the aroma though as I was about to get sick that night. Also, serving size is a tad too small for the price.

My dessert was served right after and the server was right. It was HUGE and definitely good for at least 3 hungry fellows.

First Bite: Burger Pub

The Grove by Rockwell has evolved from a mere events area for birthdays or bazaars to a foodie haven. Indeed, it does not offer a lot of choices yet but it has a pretty good variety from Filipino dishes to Japanese, Indian to American staples. I have been eying the tempura place there for quite some time but every time I plan to visit, it gets cancelled. I blame traffic (and lazy bug) for it. And when I finally decided to visit The Grove, the tempura place was closed! *ugly cry* But a new burger joint made me smile. 

Hello, Burger Pub.

The place is quite small and could perhaps sit at most 25 diners.

Positioning itself as a no-frills burger place, its interiors have an industrial, semi-finished look. Even the menu was very simple. (Though not sure if they'll make it more extensive since they seem to be still testing out their menu.)

I ordered the Pub Original (PHP345) while my mom went with the server's recommended off the menu Ragu Bolognese (PHP335). We also ordered iced tea (PHP120) for beverage.

First served was the iced tea and I noticed its very dark color. It somehow reminded me of milk tea. And it... doesn't taste like one. It had a very strong tea taste to the point of it being too bitter for iced tea. It wasn't that refreshing too because of the after taste that stays in your mouth. It was not worth my PHP120. (And we ordered two glasses of it so that makes it PHP240!!!) 

My mom's pasta was served next and serving size was quite generous and good for two. 

It was also delightfully meaty. Each bite was guaranteed to be packed with meat. I also liked the firm pasta complementing the soft and juicy meat sauce. The parmesan added a tinge of tart and further enhanced the dish's taste.