sensei

cali roll. yeyyyy! that everytime i come over sensei i make sure i have this on my table. oh they serve a huge ebi tempura
the ramen is okayyy. the spicy tuna is yum! the dynamite maki is reallllyyyy goood.

tried their pork gyoza, crispy philly and pork ramen and we loved it. love that there's so many sushi to choose from and they even have a special menu. the place could be bigger and we enjoyed watching them make the sushi. sushi craving, satisfied.

very creative japanese fusion dishes that add depth and an extra something to the food instead of something being taken away, which is the tricky part of having fusionized food. i recommend their specials written on the board of their restaurant (changes quite frequently) and most of their appetizers and sushi dishes.

the grilled steak was a bit tough but aside from that, the sauce was spot on and i highly recommend it. the seared salmon belly sushi is highly sophisticated and recommended. seared tuna sashimi was just so-so, the ginger garlic sauce overwhelmed the tuna on this one.

jan 13 2020 - there new restaurant is more pricy but the food quality is much better. i would say, expect to pay about 30% more but it’s worth the price.

jan 5 2015
had dinner with my wife. it's been a long time i have not eaten here since bruce ricket open a new resto at bcg.

sushi was good but i find it heavy for a sushi.

the dessert that we had was good also. this the fried banana. highly recommend that dessert.

my wife likes the uni pasta. i was not to happy with it. the flavor and texture of the dish was not balance.

there ala cart was a 7.5 to 8 for me.

but there omekase is a 9.5. unfortunately they don't serve it anymore in this location.

over all rating for me is 7.8/10

small restaurant that was a little difficult to spot from the road. service was attentive and we were pleased with the sushi quality. some interesting takes on traditional sushi rolls. prices were quite reasonable.

one of the better japanese (fusion) restaurants in bf homes. my highly-recommended dishes here would include the torched salmon maki, fried oysters and the fish tacos. the other stuff we ordered were just so-so and nothing to rave about. one other thing that i would like try next time is their uni tempura.

interesting creations with good quality ingredients at reasonable prices. the menu is not just japanese, or moves into japanese-mexican fusion. worth the trip.

#late post

bruce ricketts showed his take on cuisine & this guy is world class.odd combinations that work & the spontaneity is impressive.i am looking forward to his new place inbgc,mecha uma to have another zen like experience of his cuisine.

this was what he served us when we reserved for the kaiseki menu:

1.watermelon salad:squid,compressed 3 kinds of melon w diff marinades,ikura,tapioca,avocado puree & coconut milk,blanched ama ebi in a vibrant vinaigrette
2. oyster:warmed in kimchi water dashi butter then breadcrumbs tossed in wagyu fat & seaweed
3. torched hamachi:torched to bring out the fat,aged to develop umami.put umami bombs to bring out all the flavors,bulalo broth w onions cooked for 3 days,shimeji mushrooms,dtied ang fried mushrooms
4.monkfish liver prepped w sweetish soy brined steamed and marinated,campachi ,hirame cured w seaweed,yamaudo mountain root vegetable,kohlrabi that's charred and cooked in foil,sake eggs,homard lobster eggs they salted it
5.warm n cold crab:hokkaido uni,fresh soy milk set w kuzu(jap arrowroot),juice of the crab w sea urchin
6.scallop cauli brussel sprouts,cooked in butter w emulsion w oyster oyster juice champagne vinegar & butter,fried cabbage
7.stew of seafood:warmed in butter homard,cube of corn,jap bamboo shoots,abalone,octopus,edamame
8.cochinillo w apple vinegar made here w pork jus and phil soy & beet juice,dill juniper cooked w lardo & cooked w pumpkin puree
9.saga wagyu :eggplant w diff vinegar, w cakabrese cheese,crispy spring onions
10.cooked carrots in butter for an hour,crumble made w ginger and cardamom smoked and frozen grated foie gras,chartreuse ,guava w glucose
11.dessert:curd w mamgo seasoned w yuzu and fish sauce,sesame blended w agar agar,black sesame flatbread,torched meringue n macha powder
12.pannacotta yoghurt w lime n calamansi,thyme sweet potato ice cream cucumber dill granita

samurai showdown

japanese food with pops of modern at sensei sushi 

chef bruce ricketts aims his knife at the flesh of the kampachi; his swift yet careful movements are characterized with precision, which is evident in the lack of creases in his forehead that may be seen in someone second-guessing himself. “this arrived from japan today! and i will start your omakase dinner with this,” he announces while he begins to plate the pieces in a manner you would see on tv. “compared to salmon, kampachi’s flesh is more delicate and its consistency is comparable to that of butter,” he continues. he then presented us with the kampachi dish he made with green apple slices, ginger and pink peppercorn.

the silky texture of the kampachi glides in the palate and its cool, creamy flesh provides an effective medium for the various flavors of the spices to come together with every chew. in minutes, the kampachi plate turned from picture perfect to a part of the distant past, but it left memories of cheers and feelings of excitement.

but wait, the ten-course omakase style dinner has just begun.

omakase is a japanese term used in sushi restaurants that means guests allow the chef to come up with the selection of dishes to be served, and in this restaurant—sensei sushi— that is located along the main street of bf homes in paranaque city, guests are treated to an affair with good food using only the best and freshest ingredients sourced from different places in the world. the place may be small and can only accommodate no more than 20 people at a time, but guests willingly queue outside for a taste of modern japanese.

the interiors evoke a sense of an artful take on dining. the main wall acts as the focal point painted with a mural of a shogun. the prep area is sectioned-off with a dining counter dotted with bar stools of just the right height to witness the preparation of the food. a shelf filled with cookbooks—from main courses to desserts, and one from the world-famous restaurant french laundry where chef bruce interned—adorns one corner.

“the next dish i will serve is a very simple one,” says chef bruce. “these are prawns from san diego which will be soaked in sweet wine and then served raw while the heads will be deep fried,” he continues, while still displaying the confidence of someone who knows exactly what he’s doing. and why wouldn’t he? he has been to different places and seen various cultures that taught him his secrets in preparing these dishes. after all, a chef who prepares omakase style dinners uses not only knowledge but relies heavily on experiences.

the dishes that followed were equally as tasteful and carefully prepared as the first ones. there was the soft shell crab with watermelon salsa and aligue aoili in soft taco shell and the corn and oyster kakiage with reduced soy that both employed an intelligent play on textures and flavors. the night wasn’t all about the bounty of the seas as there were dishes that used high-grade meat like the plate of seared scallops with pork belly, strawberry and kaffir lime leaves, the kobe ribeye with potato chips and mushroom and the wagyu beef topped with foie gras.

the hearty feast was rounded off with two desserts. the first one was the simple bananas with chocolate sauce and the other one was a more complex dessert—frozen tofu with mangoes and passion fruit sauce, which he seasoned with fish sauce. when asked how he came up with the idea of putting fish sauce in the dessert, chef bruce replies, “you’ve got to love what you do to make it happen!” 

true, technical expertise in food preparation and cooking, and experience are vital to come up with a memorable omakase style dinner, and chef bruce has all that and more. his is a soul fired-up with dedication to his craft and the passion to make people appreciate this type of artful dining through unconventional dishes that are oishii.

must try: 
kani salad
tuna tataki
harami tataki (wagyu beef + foie gras + uni + truffle (!!!))
salmon belly aburi
sensei seafood pasta
tuna and crispy scallop dynamite

perfect for:
dates! loved the ambiance of sensei - their restaurant looked like an authentic japanese restaurant. not...

finally got to check this well-raved sushi bar, though i was left with a bad first impression when i called to make a reservation and the guy who picked up sounded too stoned to care. had i not called the following day to confirm, i never would've found out that he really didn't put my name in! hmph!

so here's just some of the stuff i ordered tonight to celebrate my mom's birthday:

softshell crab maki: the servings of crab were uneven and small for the most part, but the mayo sauce was good.

paella rolls: loved the crispy battered squid on top. paella rice itself was so-so. sauce was pretty good as well. 

chicken popcorn: loved the soy ginger glaze.

uni seafood pasta: perhaps at this point i was having too much mayo in the rest of the dishes that the uni cream sauce tasted a little bland for me. not that it was bad; at least there wasn't an umay factor.

for dessert we ordered their half-baked choco cake, which is basically a lava cake a la mode. surprisingly it was better than i expected, though i would've wanted a little more chocolate in the center.

perhaps it was just the dishes i ordered, but i didn't really feel much of the japanese in the fusion. i'll have to return to try their other stuff to see if the mesh of cuisines really work out. for everything costing just a little over 1k, it's not a bad place!

i would give this a 6 out of 5 haha...super creative food and excellent value...we did the omakase menu which was mind blowing...even ordering a la carte was impressive....always stay at the bar so you can see the chef at work.

truly underestimated. this cozy and 'silent' japanese resto is a no-nonsense when it comes to its dishes from the basic sashimi to its unique array of maki rolls and ramen. if you're tired of the usual japanese staple dishes, try sensei. service is fast and the place is clean too. my only complain: time to expand and add more seats.

price? not so reasonable considering the followings: menu list is boring (plastic laminate) no effort at all.. facade: signage, not even working, ambience? definetely not japanese, and a/c water dripping right on ur door step, service? ok, but i think their not pros..."beginners" not against though... ordered ask suggestion in which d waiter did.. in the end paid the bills in cash "no credit"... then called d attention of waitress complained the seafood ramen is quite salty n i am not asking for replacement or anything coz i already paid " in which me & my wife shared" the waitress said "thats the way it is" wrong answer!
would i or my family return? i ask them, answer is unanimous sorry but no.