A-UN Japanese Restaurant

Heart

4.0

website led me to hotaru when i keyed-in japanese el grande BF. I didn't use the map since most of the restaurants on that road were all conspicuous enough not to be seen. But i got lost. I made a double-check but there ain't a hotaru name displayed. It had "a-un" and some japanese characters which (of course) i couldn't read. Anyway.... I entered.It was a warm welcome. The japanese owner was busy drinking his beer while chatting with his comrade when he greeted me. I just gave a grin. 😁 The place was decent and clean; with separate smoking and non-smoking areas which was a plus point. (I love smoking while eating, though others might find it absurd). They have a non-pretentious interiors (very minimalist) which is a japanese trademark. Everything displayed was japanese including sake bottles, samuraii figurine to mention few. A big flat screen tv was the main attraction with japanese program running. Good thing the theme wasn't jeopardized by abs-cbn or gma7.Im very excited to taste their ramen albeit quite worried of a cheaper price (hoping that the price will not compromise the quality). I ordered for my favourite miso ramen at p200 and 5 pieces gyouza for p100. Wow! Combined price (no service charge) was even cheaper than a single order ramen of other fancier restaurants.The owner personally handed me a japanese rice cracker which maybe was his 'pulutan' that time. Im baffled if it was a protocol to give complimentary appetizer or i just really looked starving (patay-gutom) that moment. Lol. Anyway, though I'm quite disappointed with the taste of the ramen, i still managed to devour everything. Here's my ramen concern. I wonder if they used white miso which is less salty but i cannot taste it vividly. They could have added more. Personally, i hate carrots and cabbages on ramen (specially miso) which made it less authentic. I presume that they used local carrots and cabbages (again, i presume) to save costs. Who would import carrots and cabbages from japan just for that in the first place? They could have used dried or fresh spinach instead. The mongo sprouts and green onions were perfectly fine. The soup was too empowered with the taste of minced pork and cabbages that i could imagine it was a local sopas sans the milk. The noodles were fine but i could have it harder instead. But let me emphasize that the bowl was big and i ended up with some breathing problems out of fulness. Still a good meal.The gyouzas were fine; in fact the cheapest of all i encountered. Good blend of pork and minced cabbage.I will try the other ramens next time and will definitely come back.

Janelane

4.0

Thanks to website, I discovered this Japanese restaurant. The place really has an authentic Japanese feel. While the food at Tatsuko is cheaper, here the servings are bigger. I would always order sake sashimi and the cut is bigger and serving is almost double size. The katsudon is really good, extra rice will be it. Their bbq s are really good but you will always be asked to order minimum 3 sticks. Rice is to die for but one cup is p60.00.

Paterno Oracion

3.0

They actually changed their name from Hotaru to A Un but everything else is the same. The look of it, table placements, etc...They have a wide variety of japanese menu to choose from. Love their sushi menu for a reasonable price (1 order for 2pcs at 100-120php and everything seemed fresh!). Will be back for other sushi plates.

Meyh Ng

5.0

I'm not entirely sure what it is about this place, but as soon as I walked in, I felt like I was in the Japanese restaurant in Kill Bill. I absolutely loved the energy in there. It was put together very simply in a no nonsense fashion. As soon as you walk in, there's a smoking area to the left. Sliding glass doors segregate the smokers and non-smokers. This was something I really appreciated about the place.The owners stood in the back of the restaurant but warmly welcomed us with the kindest smiles ever. It felt really good walking in there.I brought my nephew with me and he really wanted to watch Nickolodeon. I was happily surprised when the waitress voluntarily changed the channel for him (and she knew the channel by heart).Every dish that we ordered was spot on. I'm not a fan of cold soup or cold noodles but they did a great job with the flavor.The uni was fresh and all in all, the food was served promptly.What made my day though (and sealed this great restaurant's rating at a 5), was when the owner rushed from his seat to graciously open the door as our family was leaving. He had the most genuine smile on his face, and the most graceful bow I had ever seen.

Albardo Gayanarbi

5.0

Back when this place was still Hotaru, we had been a literal daily diners. Yes, it was that good! It wasn't only good, because you can't do that if the price is too steep, so yes, it was so affordable!!! Like this is a Japanese place in BF that beats them all, price wise and quality wise. The first time we were here, we were so impressed with what we had eaten that we promised to go through the whole menu from first page to last page, sadly the place closed down. The original owners went their separate ways. Then one day we passed by the same place, the signage says: A-Un Japanese Restaurant! It made us wonder what they have to offer. So we decided to satisfy our curiosity, and weren't we so glad we did?! For reasons that : They still have the same taste that made us so addicted to going back here again and again. They have the same server, Rina, who is so accommodating and friendly, who told us that yes the chef is still the original one, which explains the way the food is prepared! The place is brighter and cleaner (before it was kind of gloomy and dark). Go and check out the place, I can assure you, their futomaki is worth the visit ( better than Hanakazu or any jap restos here in BF) or their Gyoza alone which is 100 pesos for a yummilicious 5 pieces! The ramen is very tasty, I like the noodles they are using because it is not so thick. Then there is a smoking and non smoking area, the wifi is fast too :) on top of those, gracious Mr. Toshi and his wife, are always there to welcome you and bid you sayonara! Their presence ensure a good service;)PS: they used to have Wednesdays as day off but now the shop is open and only some of the staff go on day off . ---We overdid the bingeing last night, and just to blunt the effect of over indulging, I wish Mr. Toshi would give a scoop of dirty ice cream, preferably vanilla as freebie or coffee like ISSHIN in Makati :)---05/26/17Went back this evening after a long time of being in the backwoods, and came in to a deserted shop with just Mr. & Mrs. Toshi and the new waitress, who went to turn on the AC. Rina, our favourite waitress is no longer employed here and apparently so was the chef who prepared the food that we used to be raving about from our previous earlier visits. We knew that the shop has a new chef with the way the food was prepared because everything was just bland and off. It greatly saddened us... this visit would merit a 3/5 much to our disappointment. Even their wifi is no longer available. Really sad... it will be a long time before I'll ask my friend to go back again... so for now, sayonara A-Un...