Nama Sakana Japanese Restaurant Archives - Between Bites - Bites of Food, Travel and Lifestyle

Nama Sakana Japanese Restaurant and Ramen House

July 22, 2009 by Janey

The restaurant is tastefully decorated in a modern Japanese minimalist style with passive lighting and cream-colored walls. Sporting a handsome wood sushi bar at the far end of the restaurant, the comfortable setting begins your journey at this Japanese restaurant that’s building quite a name in the Greenhills area. A modern Japanese bistro, Nama Sakana, puts the emphasis on fusion and new-style Japanese cuisine at its finest.

Master Chef and co-owner Rolly Ongcoy prides himself in training under Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, the owner of the world famous chain of Nobu Japanese Restaurants in the key cities of the world. Chef Nobu is the pioneer of modern and new style Japanese fusion since 1994 and his Nobu restaurant in London has been consistently awarded as the top ten best restaurants in the world.

Nama Sakana recently launched the newest addition to their offerings, the Nama Grill, where aromatic chicken yakiniku are grilled. While the mood on the 1^st floor is lively and upbeat with a warm casual yet sophisticated atmosphere, the restaurant also boasts of their stylish bar with subdued lighting and club music at the second floor of the restaurant. Part-owner Lovely Rivera-Nocom graciously welcomed us at the Nama Bar after the dinner.

On the Table

Green Salad with Seared Tuna PHP 230

Thinly sliced seared Tuna neatly arranged around fresh green salad leaves, topped with shredded radish and carrots drizzled with Onion dressing. The greens were fresh and had a crunch to it ideal match to the soft velvety texture of the seared tuna. The semi-sweet-semi sour onion dressing brings the dish together.

Beef Tobanyaki PHP 800

Grilled beef tenderloin that is thinly sliced with assorted mushrooms, broccoli and asparagus with special sauce cooked and served on a hot plate. Much to the delight, Enoki mushrooms are used in this dish. Also known as golden needle mushrooms, these are small white mushrooms with silky texture and mild almost fruity flavor. The tender beef cooked medium rare sits well with the light broth while the vegetables provides varying textures.

Sukiyaki

Premium A Beef PHP 720

Premium B Beef PHP 480

Standard Beef PHP 350

One of my favorite Japanese dishes to order particularly in rainy season like this is a bowl of sukiyaki. Sukiyaki is the traditional Japanese dish of tender beef slices with mushrooms, tofu, vegetables, and glass noodles in sweet broth. In Nama, there are three kinds of beef to choose from. It was a passable dish with scrimpy serving of glass noodles but nothing remarkable, leaving a desire for the usual clash of beefy and semi-sweet broth.

New Style Salmon Sashimi PHP 320

The sashimi was placed in a white plate with special dressing, a single breaded tomato and green stalks as garnish on top. The salmon was slightly cooked with a hint of olive oil, tasted very fresh but without the rawness sting to it. The accompanying sauce was mild soy sauce with a trace of vinaigrette. Fitz really enjoyed this dish along with the unanimous ayes of the rest on the table.

Katsudon PHP 175

Breaded pork fillet with sautéed vegetables in egg served on steaming hot Japanese plain rice. Katsudon is something that both Bubba and Fran love to order every time they dine Japanese. Nama’s Katsudon dish passed with flying colors to both Katsudon authorities.

Black Cod Gindara with Sweet Miso PHP 680

Gratinated Gindara fillet served with Nama’s special miso sauce. The black cod gindara is another favorite as it was both savory and semi-sweet. The fish was tender and had the desirable flaky flesh. Not overly cooked making the fish meat mushy, it had the right bite to it. The fish was fresh and very tasty that every mouthful is savored. The sweet brown miso sauce on the side heightens the flavor making the experience simply a celebration in every bite. Personally, the black cod Gindara took the spotlight on the table

Uni Sushi PHP 80

2 pieces of sushi with uni (sea urchin) on top, one of my favorite sushi

California Maki

Japanese Cheesecake PHP 130

A citrus-y melt in your mouth cheesecake topped with cherry and mango slices and drizzled with dulce de leche sauce

Deep Dish Chocolate Cookie PHP 130

Chocolate chip cookie baked in chewy goodness topped with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream. The soft chocolate chip cookie was crusty to the bite but soft and chewy on the inside. The vanilla ice cream adds the sweet milky taste that further softens the dough. Looking very appetizing, it was sinfully delicious!

The restaurant also offers lunch exclusives available from 11:30 am – 4:30 pm that includes single layer bento boxes with three variations to choose from. Service was friendly and efficient.