FUKUDAYA: Japanese Dining in BGC to open tonight

 Japanese cuisine needs to be prepared well and served fresh. Ingredients and proper techniques are essential to produce delicious dishes. For FUKUDAYA in BGC, this is what they are aiming for.  Japanese cuisine done right with a hint of innovation.

 Located in Arya Towers BGC, FUKUDAYA seems to be one of the first restaurant to open. In a special sneak peak preview, certain dishes were laid out to be tasted. During this time, the dishes didn't have names yet but were already oozing out with different flavors and dimensions. What a thrill it is to try out something new and refreshing.

お弁当/Obento/ 1、鶏肉と隠元の胡麻和え Toriniku to ingen no goma-ae Chicken Meat and Green Beans with Sesame Sauce 2、ポテトサラダ Poteto sarada Potato Salad 3、コーン豆腐/corn tofu/ 4、カニクリームコロッケKani Kurimu Korokke Crab Cream Croquette 5、刺身3品盛り合わせ/Sashimi 3ten Mori/ 3kinds of sashimi.

A bento of appetizers were served to start on. Most notable dishes would be the Chicken Meat with green beans and the Corn tofu. The chicken had some sesame sauce making it light and enjoyable. Almost having a peanuty taste. The Corn tofu was gelatin like in texture. It reminded me of this Filipino dessert made with corn but healthier.

 刺身/sashimi マグロ/Maguro/Tuna サモン/Salmon

A platter of sashimi was then served. Here, the guests would appreciate the freshness of the seafood. The salmon was spot on. To accompany it, an omakase platter of different sushis were also served. Here you could see the masterful techniques of the sushi chef as he mixed traditional techniques with modern ones.

おまかせ6貫 Omakase rok-kan
 (マ グロ、炙りサーモン、ボイル海老、ボイル鳥胸肉、炙りローストビーフ、ローストポーク/Tuna, Torched salmon,Boiled shrimp, Boiled chicken breast, Torched Roast Beef, Roast pork

After having a bit of introduction, the kitchen became a little more serious. Special mention needs to be said about the use of their dashi. This cooking stock is made in house by the kitchen. Unlike those that use powdered and instant versions, you could be sure that their dashi is made carefully for each dish. This was evident with their Shrimps and Eggplant starter. The dashi made the flavors come out and complimented the ingredients well.

野菜のお浸し/ Yasai no Ohidashi/ vegetable simmered in Dashi broth

Something similar to the local ceviche, the Marinated White Fish was a nice approach to being different yet familiar. It tasted a little acidic and there was a hint of citrus in the the flavor profile. Interesting.

白身魚の南蛮漬け オレンジ風味/Shiromi sakana no nanbanzuke orenji fumi Marinated White Fish Meat with Orange

  Some would be hesitant to try the Chinese Cabbage since it had 7 different kinds of chili powder. Fortunately, it wasn't spicy and the homemade mayo sauce helped temper down the heat it would have produced. This was pretty light and delicious as well.

七味マヨネーズの白菜サラダ/Shichimi mayonezu no hakusai sarada/ Chinese Cabbage with 7kinds of chili powder and home made mayonaise 

Similar but unexpected would be this Shrimp and Mango dish. At first sight, you would think it was drenched with mayonnaise. Incredibly, it wasn't. This was mixed in a special tofu paste that went well with the shrimps. It was simple, light and healthy.

 海老とマンゴの白和え/Ebi to Mango no Shira-ae Boiled Shrimp and Mango with Sweet Tofu Paste

Seafood lovers would enjoy the SALMON BELLY. This was grilled and had a bit of sweet touch to it.

 サーモンはらす焼き Salmon harasuyaki Grilled Salmon Belly

The Simmered Pork Belly must be eaten as soon as they serve it. It might dry up if it is left on the table for a long period of time. On the other hand, the radish was well seasoned and almost tasted like sweet potatoes. Yummy.

豚バラ肉と大根の煮物 Buta baraniku to daikon no nimono Simmered Pork Belly with Radish

 Another familiar dish would be this Mix Seafood and Vegatable Tempura.

 海鮮かき揚げ Kaisen kakiage/ Mix Seafood and Vegetable Tempura

 When you slice it open, you get to see the different ingredients that the kitchen used to make it. It's like having everything you want in one bite.

 One thing that Japanese Cuisine focuses on would be the rice. FUKUDAYA'S GARLIC RICE is definitely a must try. The balance of the garlic with the flavoring made it a hit with the those present. If that is a little bit too simple for you, you could go for their Beef Sukiyaki Rice (鉄鍋牛すき 釜めし/Tetsunabe Gyusuki Kamameshi/ Beef Sukiyaki Rice serve in Hot Iron Pot) . BUT, I definitely urge you to try their GARLIC RICE FIRST!

  鉄鍋ガーリックライス/Tetsunabe garikku Rice /Garlic Rice Serve in Hot Iron Pot

Suprisingly, this is a Japanese Restaurant that does their dessert extremely well.

The MATCHA CREAM PUFF with Red bean cream can disappear within a minute. That good. The COFFEE JELLY and the accompanying chocolate covered dried mangoes has a little bit of twist. It has HAKUSHU WHISKEY in it. The blend of the coffee mixed extremely well with the whiskey. You must get this. YES! ORDER IT!
For something a little lighter, you may want to try the RAIN DROP dessert. It has a sweet sauce and toasted soy powder to even out everything.

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FUKUDAYA in BGC will start operations later tonight August 1, 2016. They would be serving tasting menus for a couple of weeks but would eventually be open for both lunch and dinner with their entire menu at hand.

FUKUDAYA: Japanese Dining
Ground Floor
Arya Residences Tower 1
McKinley Parkway,
Bonifacio Global City,
Taguig City, Metro Manila
P.S. Parking is available in the Basement.

Set A Priced at 900Php // Set B at 1,400Php

Disclaimer: was invited to this restaurant. wrote this based on my experience.