Red Kimono
Had dinner a few nights ago with my friends J, K, and L. After considerable discussion (meaning, no one wanted to park in Greenbelt, and the suggestion of Palm Beach at the Fort met with "pwede ba sa iba na lang") we ended up at Red Kimono,
a new Japanese restaurant at The Fort Strip. The menu posted
outside looked interesting and we didn't really want to spend any more
time wandering around, so we just went inside.
The interior was simple black and red, the lighting slightly dim. I remember getting an impression of fuzziness in the room although no one was smoking and the place was very clean. I was only able to get one shot of each dish since I was with people who don't know about this blog and who I don't intend to tell about this blog. :)
Deep fried sushi is really the craze in every Japanese restaurant these days. Red Kimono offers several versions and we ordered the Crunchy Tuna and the California Crunch. Yes, they could be more creative with their names, but at leat this way you know exactly what you're going to get. The first one is Crunchy Tuna, which is a basic tuna roll lightly deep fried with a mound of chopped tuna and sauce on top. The roll was fried perfectly. It was just crunchy enough without tasting deep fried.
The California Crunch is lightly battered before it's fried Again, the crunchiness level was perfect, although it did taste slightly weird with mango. The mango was ripe and sweet, but I guess deep fried mango is not a concept that works.
Two of the more unique dishes we had were the Tofu Steak and the waitress-recommended Mushroom Teppanyaki. The Tofu Steak was a pleasant surprise. None of us could tell what it was. We guessed chicken, fish, etc. The steak was firm, not tofu-textured, and it was layered with spinach (or spinach-like vegetables) and drizzled with a sweet sauce. Yummy!
The Mushroom Teppanyaki consisted of plump and meaty mushrooms, topped with onions and a slightly different sweet sauce. It was a different taste experience and the one dish I kept getting more of.
We also ordered their version of Salmon Cheese Roll, which was the basic roll with salmon and cream cheese with the addition of a slice of salmon outside the roll.
Another small appetizer-sized dish that everyone liked was the Green Beans with Peanut Sauce. The beans were crunchy and the peanut sauce wasn't overpowering. A nice little gem of a dish.
The only disappointing dish of the evening was the Japanese Chicken Curry with Rice. The chicken didn't feel substantial enough although there was a generous amount. Maybe it was overly pounded and tenderized? And the curry sauce lacked a bit of zing. It wasn't a bad dish, but it wasn't up to the standards of the rest of the meal.
I wondered why there was a poster advertising yoga and sitar lessons in the bathroom, but all was made clear when our waitress pointed out the owner -- this indian guy sitting by himself at one of tha tables. Overall, it was a pretty good meal. The total bill for 4 people came to Php1,200, which is Php300 per person.
The Fort Strip
Makati City
(across Cafe Puccini)
The interior was simple black and red, the lighting slightly dim. I remember getting an impression of fuzziness in the room although no one was smoking and the place was very clean. I was only able to get one shot of each dish since I was with people who don't know about this blog and who I don't intend to tell about this blog. :)
Deep fried sushi is really the craze in every Japanese restaurant these days. Red Kimono offers several versions and we ordered the Crunchy Tuna and the California Crunch. Yes, they could be more creative with their names, but at leat this way you know exactly what you're going to get. The first one is Crunchy Tuna, which is a basic tuna roll lightly deep fried with a mound of chopped tuna and sauce on top. The roll was fried perfectly. It was just crunchy enough without tasting deep fried.
The California Crunch is lightly battered before it's fried Again, the crunchiness level was perfect, although it did taste slightly weird with mango. The mango was ripe and sweet, but I guess deep fried mango is not a concept that works.
Two of the more unique dishes we had were the Tofu Steak and the waitress-recommended Mushroom Teppanyaki. The Tofu Steak was a pleasant surprise. None of us could tell what it was. We guessed chicken, fish, etc. The steak was firm, not tofu-textured, and it was layered with spinach (or spinach-like vegetables) and drizzled with a sweet sauce. Yummy!
The Mushroom Teppanyaki consisted of plump and meaty mushrooms, topped with onions and a slightly different sweet sauce. It was a different taste experience and the one dish I kept getting more of.
We also ordered their version of Salmon Cheese Roll, which was the basic roll with salmon and cream cheese with the addition of a slice of salmon outside the roll.
Another small appetizer-sized dish that everyone liked was the Green Beans with Peanut Sauce. The beans were crunchy and the peanut sauce wasn't overpowering. A nice little gem of a dish.
The only disappointing dish of the evening was the Japanese Chicken Curry with Rice. The chicken didn't feel substantial enough although there was a generous amount. Maybe it was overly pounded and tenderized? And the curry sauce lacked a bit of zing. It wasn't a bad dish, but it wasn't up to the standards of the rest of the meal.
I wondered why there was a poster advertising yoga and sitar lessons in the bathroom, but all was made clear when our waitress pointed out the owner -- this indian guy sitting by himself at one of tha tables. Overall, it was a pretty good meal. The total bill for 4 people came to Php1,200, which is Php300 per person.
The Fort Strip
Makati City
(across Cafe Puccini)