yanagi - midas hotel & casino

yanagi is love! we celebrated mother’s day here and my family loved it. despite the limited spread, they have most of my favorites.

i skipped the salads and went straight to the appetizers. failed to take a photo because i was overjoyed to have unlimited edamame! after that, i went to the sashimi and sushi bar. i liked the tempura-like sushi and had my favorite tuna sashimi.

on to the next station, i had some sukiyaki. i’m never a fan of sweet dishes, but theirs had good beefy broth and nicely cooked thin beef slices. you can have it customized as you wish.

the highlight - teppanyaki station! i went back 5 or 6 times because of the beef and squid teppan. the chefs din a great job in making sure they don’t overcook it. each bite was super delicious.

it was surely a gastro party in my tummy as our servers continuously brought shrimp tempura and beef teppanyaki in our table. best service, i tell you! they are attentive and polite. also very quick to attend to our needs.

before i forget, dessert of course! their ice cream is definitely a must try. i had black sesame and green tea. the sweet beans with mochi on top was pretty good too.

i’ll definitely go back here :) make sure to check metrodeal because they offer discounts up to 50% off.

after my buffet breakfast with my lovely friends two weeks ago, i had another great opportunity, to dine in at yanagi japanese restaurant in midas hotel and casino. it was mixed emotions because, i missed my friends (as we usually go and review together) but nostalgic at the same time. the building itself is a home for me. i practically lived there during my younger years when my mum was still working for hyatt regency hotel. but i guess my mum knew i am missing the hotel and one evening, an email surprised me. – it was an invitation for me to try yanagi japanese restaurant. it was an ecstatic feeling because, one, i will be seeing one of my mum’s angels, tita cecile, and second, i will be at home once again. the address 2702 roxas blvd, was my mum’s second home for 25 years.

okay, wait, before i lose my train of thought, let’s get back to my experience with yanagi. i don’t like to eat raw food, but who am i to say no, so daddy mike and i went to midas hotel and casino last friday to experience authentic japanese food. i must say, was i so ever wrong? my taste buds were rattled!

the hotel’s tagline is ” what surprises you?”, well for me, raw and exotic food so, i told myself, i won’t be adventurous and will just try the ones that i’m familiar with, like maki and tempura. but i was blown away and indeed surprised when they showcased their menu! let me share with you my fair share of reasons why you should try something new today:

1. great service
- when i say great service, it means, they look at you in the eye, address your concerns properly and not just greet you, just for the sake of doing it. yanagi’s crew were amazing! they took care of us like we are vips!

kid-friendly atmosphere
- one thing i noticed, the ambiance is kid-friendly. i mean usually, it is hard to bring kids in a fine-dining restaurant because they might get cranky and plus not all establishments have high chairs! it is not one of those japanese hard-core looking restaurants, that you will be scared to enter as they might greet you with samurai sword he he etc.. but it was indeed a comfy restaurant. also, the smell doesn’t stick in your clothes… so nobody will know what you ate! he he he

remarkably creative
i promise you, you won’t get bored with their food and you will really appreciate it because of how it was presented.

i must say, yanagi restaurant really surprised me! without further a do, presenting to you their mouth-watering food:

aburi sushi five kinds
- this yanagi’s best-seller and signature dish is composed of slightly burnt hamachi, eel, salmon, tuna and lapu-lapu. i have romanticized with this food as it is full of creativity and tastes amazingly delicious! my taste buds were jumping for joy that time. note that i don’t eat raw food, but this is one raw food i will be eating from now on!

fried tempura maki:
- another one of a kind dish of deep-fried filled rice and whopping tempura rolls is something to look forward to!

kaki papaya
- i hate papaya! i only eat it if need be, but when i tasted kaki papaya, with boiled japanese oyster topped with caramelized miso mayo sauce, i was speechless. i didn’t know a papaya can be mixed with oysters and tastes delicious! my taste buds were confused as i really couldn’t determine whether if it was salty or sweet. i think i have to taste it again.. (wink wink)

and that is why yanagi was cited by the philippine tattler as one of the best restaurants of 2013.

yanagi japanese restaurant offers “misono days” weekend lunch buffet for php 1,088 net per person. the taste and the quality of food speaks for itself, but don’t take my word for it, experience it to believe it!

lastly, i’d like to thank erwin, associate pr and brand director of midas hotel and casino and their creative and humble chef chester, for helping me reminisce about my memories of the hotel, especially our lip-smacking (as what erwin said) food for the day.

yanagi japanese restaurant is located at the mezzanine floor of midas hotel and casino, and delight yourself at these times: serving lunch from 11:30 to 2:30 pm and 6:00 to 10:30pm for dinner.

yanagi - japanese buffet available on weekends. eventhough they dont have an array of food choices but you can be certain that they served quality japanese food. the sukiyaki is a must. very tender beef with savory broth. chicken teppan and salmon/ squid teppan are very sumptuous. tempura was served ala cart. order the red bean ice cream to conclude your meal.

it was our first time to visit yanagi and try their dishes on a friday dinner buffet..😊 we enjoyed everything especially the teppanyaki, our shots of sake and most especially the ice creams! 👏 we loved the green tea and black sesame flavors ( we haven't asked if those are homemade, yet we enjoyed it!)... we hope that you could add some kani salad, tonkatsu, karaage on your buffet line as well... 🙏😊 we would also like to commend our server "faye" for being so attentive and accommodating with all our requests tonight... she was courteous enough to assist us... 😉👏👍 we would also to acknowledge chef chester lucas for the warmth welcome !!! overall experience was a bliss !!! arigatou gozaimasu yanagi team!!! kudos to all of you... until our next visit! ❣️

i liked the buffet here, because they will serve you freshly cooked beef or pork. i liked the tepanyaki beef, tempura and the sukiyaki here. the food selection was just enough, not so many and not so few. the ambiance and the servers there was also nice.

the buffet offered limited variety of japanese food but they do offer really good quality dishes.

1) teppanyaki beef - buttery, tender, and juicy beef cubes. not wagyu but it's really, really good.

2) shrimp with creamy sauce (forgot the real name but it's beside the teppanyaki near the dessert area) - one of my favorites. the creamy cheesy sauce is paired well with the shrimp. i promise you'll always get back on it

3) sashimi - really yummy tuna and salmon. ♥ no uni though

4) tempura 🍤 - this is by order basis (no additional payment). just ask the waiter to serve you as it is not displayed in the buffet.

5) soba - good :) boyfriend mistakenly used its sauce as soy sauce 😂😂😂 laughed a lot.

6) fried rice - it was dry :( but flavorful.

7) salads - i enjoyed the seaweed salad. a different option of the usual kani salad in restaurants.

8) miso soup - ♥ ♥ ♥ hearty.

9) black sesame ice cream - their ice creams are also "hidden" and it's by order basis (no additional payment, just ask the waiter). they offer red bean, wasabi, black sesame, and green tea. i've tried the red bean and green tea as well, but my fave was the black sesame. its flavor is strong (might not be for everyone) but i loved it!

10) coffee jelly - oh man. i ate a lot of this. 😂 it's really my favorite!

11) sukiyaki beef - very delicious 😋 sweet and flavorful! the thinly sliced beef was tender as well. i really enjoyed this.

12) sautéed squid /teppanyaki squid(?) - sweet and good!

wish they could replace the standard normal cakes they have to tiramisu instead. it's weird that they offered these in a japanese buffet :))

service was really good. especially the manager! really accommodating and humble!

this is my first review but it has to be said, by far the best japanese buffet in the phils. i've been to them all and this is as authentic japanese can taste in a buffet. the selection is limited compared to other hotel buffets or buffet chains but what your getting here is quality not quantity.  yes it's pricey so its probably not meant for people that dine in places like vikings and think that's authentic japanese. i would list which food were my favourite but i enjoyed every single thing i ate from there even the weird tasting wasabe ice cream.

bought a voucher in metrodeal for 997 per person.
original price of buffet is 2088 per person.

honestly, they have very few food choices but , overall they are good. but in my opinion, it's not worth it if you paid for the original price.

ebi tempura will be served per order, also they have other food na per order basis. but the servers won't tell you na they have hot tea pala, miso soup, ice cream. you have to ask!

service was good but i hope they'd tell customers that they offer such items pa.

i love yanagi's contemporary interior design. the dining halls are big and dim-lit. it has that inviting, modern restaurant vibe with a good view of the hotel lobby down below.

yanagi japanese restaurant's modest buffet spread offer an assortment of hot and cold dishes that made my seafoods and meat enjoyment even better.  they have maki sushi rolls,  nigiri zush, sashimi, tepanyaki, udon and sukiyaki.  

sushi lovers will love the authentic aburi rolls that yanagi provides.  ebi tempura  are prepared and served per table request.

their salad station shines the spotlight on traditional salad greens, seaweed, potato and jelly fish salad. 

they offer kaki papaya yaki, which is a whole new way to enjoy oysters!  yanagi takes the japanese oysters  one notch higher by fusing  the contrasting flavors of the sweet papaya and salty notes of the oysters  together under torch! its special  aburi sauce makes this fusion-inspired creation even more delectable!

on top of fresh fruits and creme brulee, you get to choose from wasabi, black sesame, red bean and green tea ice cream for desert.

we went here on a sunday. there were only less than 15 people who dine in on that day. staffs were all attentive, they were very courteous. the manager on duty helps in assisting customers in the dining area.

must try: beef teppanyaki, sashimi and you must ask them for the ice cream. wasabi ice cream is great! tempura will be served on your table.

yanagi is definitely one of the most underrated japanese buffet restaurants out there. i think i’ve been here 3 times and have never been disappointed. not once! they have a good selection of sushi, sashimi, teppanyaki, and even tempura. even their ice cream flavors are delightful! my family loves eating here for birthdays, anniversaries, and special occasions. their staff is very kind and attentive and food is delicious. 10/10!

they have only few choices of food but the quality was really good. i love their steak and squid! they will cook it on the spot. well, they also have their ice cream (not displayed) but you have to ask it from the waiter.

i felt nostalgic because growing up this place has the best japanese resto in manila and my family is always here. got the rate at 50% which was just enough. staff was really courteous and friendly you know those well trained hotel service.. what i liked was the ebi tempura sushi and the ice creams. the rest were just the regular thing.

place is mezzanie floor of midas hotel. limited tables as compared to other 5 star japanese restaurants so highly recommend make reservation they not kidding turn away guest as early as 6:30pm. service impeccable professional efficient. ambience quiet & cozy due to small dining area. songs are japanese mellow musical. chef cook food as you order so freshness is awesome unlike other buffets get too over dried from spot light all night. no complimentary barley tea or hot green tea and no brewed coffee like other 5 star. salad bar is dull nothing special. sushi are unique and salmon carpaccio are delicious. sukiyaki too sweet. teppanyaki salmon head, squid & steaks are to die for. cha soba is authentic. takoyako for kids is available. dessert were simple except for coffee jelly and house ice cream green tea & black sesamin & red bean is awesome. wonderful overall rating. oh yeah tempura moriawase is served automatically.

visited january 20, 2018

went there at 5:45 pm for their 6pm dinner opening. me and my family are the first customers. the place was nice, clean. the food was superb. the staff are very friendly. not a fan of japanese food but i'll make an exception. around 7pm people started comin in. foreigners and locals. the place is kinda pricey but it's worth it. will defintely come back fosho.