First Bite: Izakaya Sensu

I have been waiting for Izakaya Sensu to open for months! Ever since I saw its board up last May, I counted the days, weeks and months that passed. It was no exaggeration at all as I was confident that this restaurant will deliver given that it is under the Raintree group of restaurants. And finally, after confirming that Izakaya Sensu will open on July 9, I cleared my weekend plans just to visit this place. Sadly, the place was not open to the public just yet. July 9 and 10 were exclusive to media and friends of the owners. With a broken heart, I had dinner elsewhere and messaged one of the owners (who used to be a former colleague of mine) how sad I was for not getting my uni sashimi fix. She sure knows how to mend broken hearts though as she asked me to head back if I was still around and that it'll be their treat! Unfortunately, I already had a huge bento for dinner and told her I'll drop by Monday instead. And I did yesterday.

Hello, Izakaya Sensu! 

We were greeted by a well-lit Japanese restaurant with high ceiling adorned with wooden lighting fixtures. 

We sat at the brightest spot best for food shots and ordered the following: SENSU Kawari Kusi 5 (PHP195), Butabara Aspara (PHP60), Butabara Enoki (PHP70), Uni Isobe Age (PHP495), Dragon Roll, Soft Shell Crab Roll and Ebi Tempura Roll (I was so giddy to be finally here that I forgot to take note of the prices but these are within the PHP250-300 price range). 

While waiting, we had a wait snack made of salmon with tuna and veggies. It had a light flavor and was great to whet one's appetite. 

I also managed to have a quick chat with one of the owners, Andrej. He said that originally, the Japanese chef wanted to get all the ingredients abroad and most of the seafood from Tsukiji Market. But that would entail high costs and they would have to charge so much. Luckily, they found some local (and quality) suppliers for some ingredients like uni. But for others like salmon and hamachi, they have to get it elsewhere to ensure top quality dishes . He also told me that they are still testing the waters so Izakaya will be open just for dinner this week and will start to serve lunch meals next week. (Note: They close after lunch service and will resume operations for dinner service. So no Japanese afternoon breaks for now.)

First served was the huge plate with all the rolls. 

I sure had a hard time taking photo of this one so I used magic instead!

First Bite: Sen-Ryo

Having Chinese food for dinner for 3 nights straight made me crave for Japanese food in a whole new level. And I was so glad when C offered to meet us for dinner in Sen-Ryo, a Japanese sushi restaurant which is a notch higher than Genki Sushi.

Hello, Sen-Ryo!

The place was packed when we arrived. We had to wait for a few minutes before getting seats. 

And since I am a sucker for sushi conveyor belts, we got bar seats.

Sen-Ryo has a lot of sushi, sashimi and maki dishes to choose from and it was a challenge for me not to over order.

After a while, we decided to go with Prime Salmon (HK$22), Seared Salmon (HK$22), Fried Prawn Roll (HK$28), Dragon Roll (HK$22), Deep-Fried Soft Shell Crab (HK$48), and Spicy Salmon (HK$18). (We ordered two of some of the dishes.)

The first dishes to arrive (or pass by) were the delightful salmon sushi plates. The Prime Salmon was prime indeed with its quality cuts. It was fresh and the smooth and melts in your mouth type.

The seared salmon was divine too. Served slightly warm, it was a feast in my mouth. The smooth and silky texture of salmon and the delightful pop of salmon roe made this dish quite addicting. 

We ended up ordering two plates of this.