Shinsen

Wempy Astarida

3.0

Shinsen is one of those places I’ve been telling myself to try as I’ve passed it by so many times and that finally came to fruition a few days back.Coming from a workout, I was thirsty and starving. After asking for water at least two times, it finally arrived. We ordered the Tuna Avocado Roll (which was unavailable and we didn’t find out until after 10 minutes or so of placing our order) Dynamite Roll, Yasai Tempura, Salmon Sashimi and Tori Karaage. You would think with the large staff they had working that evening, around 10+ employees, the food would’ve come out in a timely manner. However, after 10-15 minutes of waiting, we followed up and our food was finally served. Yet it was only the salmon sashimi, which was underwhelming. The salmon itself tasted good but with only 6 stringy, scrawny pieces and priced at 418 pesos, we expected more. More time passed and after following up a few more times, another dish was served to us. However, it wasn't something we ordered and was immediately taken away. While waiting for the rest of our order, we noticed some of the staff weren’t doing much and we even caught one of the staff members in the back staring at us, multiple times. We weren’t really mad but we thought it was comical and surprising that he had time to just sit there and stare at customers while we were (and most likely other customers) hungrily waiting for the rest of our order.After about another 10-15 minutes of waiting, more food finally came to our table. The yasai tempura, dynamite roll and after a few minutes more, the tori karaage. The dynamite roll was delicious, the tuna and salmon were marinated well and had a great spicy sesame flavor to it. However, the yasai tempura was a bit of a let down. The breading was so thick and I even had to spit out a full mouthful of breading once. The yori karaage also wasn’t the best, a bit dry and not very flavorful and was cut into bite-size pieces, seemingly just to fill the plate. it also had a weird off taste that made us think the oil they used was rancid.We then tried to end the night off with their Japanese Pannacotta, which was also unavailable, so we just got our bill and left. A bit frustrating since some of the food here is really good but some of it wasn’t good at all and the service, or lack of, really didn’t help the experience at all. After trying Shinsen, it just comes off as your average run of the mill Japanese place in my book.Pros:-Overall, food mostly tastes quite good.Cons:-Expect to wait a while for your food.-Is pricey especially for the rolls and sashimi items.

Srie

4.0

First time trying after putting off visiting this place for a while now. While the staff is a bit disoriented given that it was a full house at that time, the service is nothing but superb. We had their tuna salad and their donburi bowls and they were heavenly. The tuna was fresh, and fatty. Likewise, the donburi bowls didn't disappoint. Overall, it was great and will definitely recommend.

Christachi

4.0

I’ve been passing by Shinsen for almost everyday but this is my first time to try the restaurant.Their interiors are quite something which is good good because we know how important it is for any Japanese restaurant. The place got full minutes after we arrived so I got the impression that their food is really good. For my lunch, I ordered a bowl of Oyakodon. It’s just like katsudon but chicken. I found the chicken a little dry and I think it lacks a little flavor.One thing to note also - their service can still be improved. We had to follow up our dishes. It also took some time before we got the bill and our change, to think that our table is just across the cashier.——Because this restaurant is very near our office, it’s a frequent lunch place for me and my officemates. Tried the dishes below in separate occasions.⬩ Toriju or Chicken Teriyaki Rice Bowl (Php 258)The chicken teriyaki looked super tasty and it didn’t disappoint. The meat was not as tender I expected it to be but the sauce had the salty-sweet taste that was really good. My dish was drowning in teriyaki sauce which made it really hard to eat with chopsticks.⬩ Beef Teriyaki (Php 308)Their beef teriyaki looked delicious and was a little similar to the popular Japanese fast food chain’s beef misono but less salty. For me, the meat was soft but I found it a little dry.——Ever since I tried the yakiniku in Washoku Toyoda, I’ve been ordering it in every Japanese restaurant I go to. So during my latest visit to Shinsen, I decided to splurge a little and order Beef Yakiniku with an extra order of plain rice. Their yakiniku was delicious!! It was good even without the sauce so you know the meat is really tasty.