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Showing posts with label hotel in pasay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hotel in pasay. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
YANAGI in MIDAS HOTEL: Fine Japanese Cuisine

 Just over the weekend, my friends and I had the pleasure of trying out one amazing Japanese restaurant in the Pasay Area. Meet YANAGI. This particular Japanese word means willow or a tree or shrub that grows near water but in this instance, it equates to creative and delicious.
 As you enter, you are greeted with welcoming smiles and courteous bows. The buffet spread is right in front. It might seem not a lot compared to other restaurants but the quality and the flavors are all present. There are different salads, noodles, sushi, and cooked items ready for you. You could even ask for different seafood and meat to be cooked teppanyaki style. Clearly, you would be tempted to over order and even go for a bowl of sukiyaki.
 Aside from the buffet (which is available during lunch and dinner from Thursday-Sundays), the ala carte is where MIDAS HOTEL'S YANAGI excels.
 The chef's creativity and adherence to the Japanese standards make it a definite dining destination when you're near the area of Midas Hotel. He showed off his skills by letting us try the different must try dishes YANAGI has to offer.
 The SAKE NANBAN ZUKE is your marinated deep fried salmon with leeks. The fish has absorb the vinegary flavor from being soaked for some time. It gives you the feeling that you'll start the meal in a fantastic way.
 A crowd favorite, the KAKI PAPAYA YAKI is definitely to die for. It's grilled Japanese Oyster in papaya with miso sauce. One would think that this creamy dish would be filled with cheese. It gives you that comforting warmth but surprisingly, it doesn't have any. Apparently, the mixture of the miso and the papaya gave off that kind of texture and flavoring.
 To tone down and make the meal a little bit more healthy, the YANAGI SALAD was served. Different fresh vegetables was tossed with miso dressing. The freshness in each bite was evident.
 Sushi lovers would enjoy the ABURI SUSHI and the TEMPURA MAKI. The ABURI is your slightly burned sushi with their secret sauce. Lightly torched, you get to have a taste of different cuts of seafood. Special mention has to go to the uni. Buttery as one could get.
 The tempura maki would be for the shrimp lovers out there. Here, YANAGI uses only the freshest and biggest shrimps. According to the chef, they don't take shortcuts and use the entire shrimp just for one roll. The challenge here would be on how to have it in one bite. Crispy as it was deep fried to perfection, the shrimp really stands out.
 Another creative and impressive dish would be the KAMINABE. Boiled seafood and vegetables were cooked in a sweet broth. What's amazing with this is that they kept it warm by serving it in a paper dish with a burner underneath. Surprisingly even after some time, the paper didn't even change color. Incredible.
 Of course, the favorite shall always be present when it comes to Japanese cuisine. The EBI TEMPURA are huge and fresh. It seems that these shrimps were just alive a few hours before.You could definitely taste the saltiness of the sea.
 US SIRLOIN STEAK is always a must when at YANAGI. The meat is very tender and has none of that extra unwanted parts. It's best to get the small, crispy, burnt parts as they are lovely both in terms of flavor and texture. Special mention has to be given to their ONION SAUCE as well. Rather than offering the usual steak sauce, their onion sauce compliments this dish really well. Actually, you could even have the sauce on top of rice. That good!
 Dessert was pretty good as well. One could go for their coffee jelly or their in house ice cream.
 Their version of the WASABI ICE CREAM was unexpected. The wasabi was definitely there but it wasn't as hot and spicy as you would expect. It had a touch of sweetness to it. Other best sellers would be the black sesame, matcha, and the red bean flavor.
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YANAGI is but one of the different dining outlets in MIDAS HOTEL in PASAY. Wait for my next post on my recent stay in this hotel.

YANAGI
2nd floor of Midas Hotel
2702 Roxas Blvd, Pasay City,
Metro Manila
http://www.midashotelandcasino.com/
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Monday, March 13, 2017
LEAVE BORING BEHIND: HOTEL JEN'S INNOVATIVE PUSH

 It's always like that. The same old boring routine. Over and over again, same old same old. It tends to get the best of us. When we've been doing something for a long time, it seems that we can't escape it. It becomes our norm. With HOTEL JEN, they want you to LEAVE BORING BEHIND. Start a new and go for something different.
Just recently, HOTEL JEN worldwide held a launch to their LEAVE BORING BEHIND CAMPAIGN. Here in Manila, HOTEL JEN went above and beyond and brought some delicious dishes for different influencers to try out.
 Drinks were brought out first. While waiting for everyone to calm down and relax, different cocktail creations were served. Some were fruity while others were chocolatey.
 One standout would be a mandarin orange based mixture. Whipped cream is added on top and it has a sweet and tangy taste. A perfect creation of their mixologist. Just look for Ric and you'll be in fine hands.
 To celebrate this new endeavor, different dishes were created by HOTEL JENS from all over. The first one would be the CHILLI CRAB FONDUE. Created by HOTEL JEN TANGLIN in SINGAPORE, this one is a twist to the normal chilli crab. Fresh ingredients were used to create a spicy yet tasty dip. The crab fondue is presented inside a bread bowl. Personally, I like taking a piece of bread and dipping it in the chilli crab.
 From HOTEL JEN PUTERI HARBOUR, JOHOR, the LAKSA JOHOR SLIDER is different. A fish patty is placed in the middle of spaghetti buns. There is a curry flavor that lingers with each bite.
A favorite would be the SMOKED PULLED LAMB PONGTEH. Hotel Jen Penang created this dish as inspired by hearty barbecues in Southern America. The lamb absorbed the smokey flavor. A nyonya-style soya bean paste was spread evenly on the focaccia bread. Making it a full head on experience.
 Hotel Jen Orchard Gateway Singapore made laksa into something different. The LAKSA LEMAK SINGAPURA is not your ordinary laksa fried rice. This alternative take on peranakan dish has infused a bit of spicy aromatic flavor into the rice. A surprise of chilli sambal is also present to even out the taste.
 Proudly FILIPINO MADE, the GINATAANG TURON or plaintain, coconut and glutinous rice balls is mixed into a fritter. HOTEL JEN MANILA mastered a Filipino delicacy and made it into something more. By mixing the rice balls into the turon, a delicious dessert is born.
 
More than anything, the night would not have been amazing if it wasn't for the talent and hard work of the people in the kitchen. Thank you very much Chef Sonny Almandres and your team for having us and serving these regional creations.

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With the bustling lights and sounds after dark, HOTEL JEN offers something more. Situated in a strategic location, HOTEL JEN MANILA can offer the perfect night life. AFTER HOURS as one would say. Guests could visit MALATE to experience an old school night time vibe. Different clubs and late night restaurants are perfect rendezvous spots for a night cap. Nearby, huge malls like the MALL of ASIA would also be the perfect venue to watch a late night movie. Others may also try to ICE SKATE and even play Bowling and Billiards. One could check out HOTEL JEN'S WEBSITE and see where night activities occur. Do check out the night life map. (website click here.)

RELATED LINKS:
Happy 1st Anniversary HOTEL JEN MANILA

THE HOTEL JEN EXPERIENCE: Don't Judge a Book By Its Cover

HOTEL JEN MANILA
Under Shangri-la Group
3001 Roxas Boulevard., Pasay City
Metro Manila, Philippines
Facebook
(632) 795 8888
They also offer free shuttle rides on a first come first serve basis to the MALL OF ASIA.
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