ippon yari

this restaurant is abithard to discover as it's entrance is abithidden and it's location is not really somewhere you normally would go to when sightseeing in sta rosa / nuvali. however, this is a good find and serves authentic japanese cuisine! the number of japanese people eating here is a testament to that.

we have eaten here several times and we really like the quality of their food, particularly their sushi and maki rolls which taste fresh. we also recently ordered a chanko nabe hotpot, and it had a really large serving size and fresh ingredients too! it was abitexpensive though it is easily good for 4 people. their price are on the fair side, bordering abiton expensive for some dishes.

the place is big and they have the special rooms which give more japanese vibe. however, some of the chairs and decor seem old, as there are sometimes bad smell coming from them. hopefully they can take better care of it in the future. servers are efficient but do seem like they are always in a rush.

overall, i recommend this place for quality japanese food!

authentic japanese resto which may need abitof structural touch up. japanese curry lover, go visit here.

since it was getting dark, me and my friends decided to get dinner in this place and decided to make this our last stop. heard that this is one of the go-to restos of japanese people in santa rosa so we decided to check this place out.

the resto is situated in the second floor and it was abitdifficult to find. when we got inside it felt very old, perhaps because of the dim lighting. the space was huge though and the tiny details really scream japan.

we got a few items in their menu but below are my highlights.
> ebi tempura - not bad but wasn’t good either. i guess i wanted bigger shrimps in there. but the dip was good though.
> tori karaage - cooked just right. crispy and light. loved this one.
> katsu curry - dry pork but really great cripy coating. the curry? really good! i feel like i could eat it over and over again.
> mochi ice cream - man, super duper good. it’s ice matcha ice cream wrapped in glutinous rice sonit become mochi. i can seriouly eat this over and over again.

[2018-11-20] ippon yari is the sixth restaurant of a six restaurant food crawl of tagaytay and sta. rosa. by this time, we have gone and eaten at 5 other restaurants so ippon yari is abitdisadvantaged. it is normally more difficult to please people who are not hungry compared to those who are. food served – i hope serving food on succeeding food crawls/meetups be done similar to this. there is a set of food/drinks used for photos and there is a ‘sampler set’ served to each participant that includes all food (and drinks if multiple types/variants) in small size enough to have a good taste. this enables all participants to have a taste of all food/drinks served and eat it while still hot/peak of goodness/freshness

japanese food is my favorite, and i have high standards for it. ambience for me was not too modern. it was abitdim. inside the function room was abittoo tight for long tables. 

their food was just ok. not the best compared to the other japanese restaurants that i would normally go to. what i liked was the katsu curry. it would be better tho if the katsu was thicker, softer and juicier.

service was ok. nothing too special.

overall, everything was just average in terms of my dining experience.

nice quiet place. service was good as the attendants were always quick to respond. we ordered shio ramen, appropriate for the rainy weather outside. the taste was ok but abittoo oily for my taste. the spicy salmon sashimi was the winner, with a well balanced mix of crunchiness and the wonderful texture of the salmon. will definitely come back again if i’m near the area.

another japanese restaurant that caught my eye while browsing something good to eat in my zomato app.

after a long, fun day at enchanted kingdom with the family, we had our dinner at ippon yari before going back to manila.

everything was good! except for the miso soup that they served, it wasn't hot enoygh for my liking so, i asked it to be reheated but for everything else, it was a feast!

prices are also affordable and some dishes was also good for sharing. the ambiance was homey and comfy. servers tho, was abitspaced out and hard to catch their attention since the room was divided into two: smoking and non-smoking and unfortunately, the non-smoking area was abitfurther from where the servers standby

but overall, it was a good dinner! would love to go back again if we happen to be around the area

a month seems incomplete without a trip to tagaytay. it is our little sweet haven from the chaotic manila life. after all, lazing around r’s rest house always sounds like the perfect weekend getaway plan. a few weeks back, r suggested that we check some outlets on our way back and have lunch around the area. i quickly checked looloo for suggestions and ippon yari caught my attention with its high rating. plus, it is said to be the “place to be” for japanese expatriates who work around the area.
 
hello, ippon yari.
 
the place is easy to spot as it is located on the second floor of the piazza building right across the outlet compound near adidas. there were only a few diners when we got there as it was already abitpast 1 pm then.  
 
we were quickly assisted to our table and handed menu. the place has an extensive menu ranging from sushi and sashimi, rice bowls, and tempura to sukiyaki, ramen and teppanyaki dishes. r and i opted to get salmon sashimi (php220), unadon (php520), ebitempura and salmon sushi. (sorry, i failed to take note of the prices of the last two dishes.)
 
we asked the server if the chef could have our salmon sushi torched so that we could enjoy salmon aburi. but when the server’s face turned blank and confused, i already knew that we won’t have salmon aburi. and true enough, upon checking with the chef, they can’t serve it. *sad*
 
first served were our salmon dishes and… the color looked weird. and true enough, texture was also off. it was slightly chewy and not exactly the texture you get from fresh cuts. r regretted not cancelling the salmon sushi.
 
unadon, which came with a bowl of miso soup, was served next and it was quite good. soft eel and delightful teriyaki sauce on top of japanese rice, what’s not to love? well, perhaps the small serving of eel for php520.
 
last served was ebi tempura and it was pretty good. it’s not very oily and it was served crunchy. shrimp used though was very thin and rather small.
 
overall, it was a so-so lunch. i was confused how it managed to get high ratings so i decided to read through some reviews. apparently, the place is known for its ramen and not the dishes we ordered. no wonder. but given that there are so many other options around the area, i don’t think i’ll visit this place anytime soon.

one of the best japanese restaurants in laguna. at lunch time earlier, i ordered the following: vegetable gyoza, salmon and squid sashimi, ebi tempura, and miso soup. they give compliments in the house which include japanese salad and iced tea. the only downside was the miso soup. it was abitsalty for my taste buds that's why i wasn't able to finish it. nevertheless, this restaurant is a must try! 😊👍🏻 it was my 6th time to have lunch there.

craved for some japanese food earlier and decided to try out this restaurant across paseo de sta. rosa. it gives out a japanese vibe. the resto is divided into two parts: the smoking and non-smoking section of the restaurant. waitresses were not really friendly. the waitress seemed irritated when i asked her something about the menu. i ordered this ramen and a mixed fry tempura. it was not what i expected from a japanese restaurant. i didn't really like the taste of their tempura. something's weird with the taste of the batter. the ramen was okay. abittoo salty for my taste. i wouldn't really want to go back here again.