Izakaya Kenta

Panji Haskoro Radityo

3.0

After having a massage at qi spa along d. Tuason we decided to have dinner its already 5pm and almost all the street are flooded or traffic every where its been a rainy day today 8/11/18. When we arrived we are the only customer we ordered gyudon, gyoza, yakisoba, ebi tempura, california maki and tonkatsu ramen. All the food are ok but nothing special compare to a japanese resto at sto. Domingo. And the gyudon tasted sweet and the egg is separated from the gyudon itself. Usually only the yolk is put in the gyudon but here they give u the yolk and the white part. Service is ok and fast. The place is small i think it can only accomodate 30pax.

Manda Julia

3.0

Izakaya Kenta is a tiny restaurant located in Maria Clara Street, just near Banawe. I didn't notice it at first because it was surrounded by other gigantic restaurants, but I did try it out one Sunday afternoon, thanks to an invite from Whattoeatph.———🚘 ACCESSIBILITY: Izakaya Kenta has enough parking for about 4 cars (only because the commercial space next to it was empty)———🏢 CAPACITY: The restaurant can hold about 30 people total. Their Banawe branch is definitely smaller than their other branches. Malate is the bigger branch that can accommodate more people.———💸 PRICE: Izakaya Kenta serves affordable Japanese food, with a price range of about 100 to 300 pesos on average. The outlier would have to be their Sashimi, which can go for up to 400 pesos and above. They do have a bento option that has more value for money though, given its price and generous servings. For example, their regular-size ramen is already big enough for two. Pretty sure their large ramen can feed about 3 people.———👯‍♀️ STAFF: They're pretty accommodating, and would give what I need right away. When I asked for water, it came as soon as possible. Empty plates were taken away immediately so there would be more space on the table.———🍴MENU: Their selection may not be authentic Japanese dishes prepared by a Japanese chef, but don't worry! The food tastes great given its price, and their portions are pretty generous, so you really do get your money's worth here.Their menu features a wide range of dishes that you'd expect in any Japanese restaurant— from sushi to ramen, bento boxes, rice bowls (donburi), tempura, and the like. The options vary depending on which branch you go to, so try them all out to get a good picture on what they have to offer.———🍽️ FOOD: We tried out their bestsellers. Here are the notable ones that we had.🍡 Tako Potato: this dish is a creative twist to the usual Japanese octopus balls (Takoyaki). It makes use of potato as the base with generous portions of octopus mixed in. The deep-fried balls are then topped with a creamy sauce, fishy Bonito flakes and shredded seaweed. Chewy, warm and springy— these are words I'd use to describe the consistency. Appearance-wise, it's a feast for the eyes.🐮 Gyudon Bento Set: I'm not a beef eater, so I can't comment on the taste. But I do have to say that their portions are very generous. The star here is the beef, which is cooked with some onions in a soy sauce mixture that allows rich beef flavors to infuse through. Their set meal includes numerous side dishes to accent the meat— a steaming bowl of rice, potato salad, Agedashi Tofu with soy sauce for a hint of umami to accent the creaminess of the tofu, warm Miso Soup and some pickled radish to cleanse the palette. And let's not forget dessert! A slice of pineapple that is sweet and juicy.🍜 Geki Kara Ramen: out of the two ramen options served to us, I have to say I enjoyed this the most. Like all their other ramen offerings, they use thick egg noodles here, along with a spicy pork broth as the base. A mix of colorful vegetables adorn the top, along with sliced chasu pork. The broth was thin— not too rich and heavy, and it didn't dry out quickly, unlike the ramen shop near it. Overall, the ramen had a good amount of spiciness, and a nice blend of saltiness that wasn't overpowering. Portions were really big. I doubt I could finish this whole order by myself, and to think that this is just their regular size. Imagine how big their large option is! It could probably feed 4 people!🦐 Ebi Fry Curry Rice: Japanese curry is generally spicier than the yellow Indian curry that I am accustomed to, but thankfully they tone it down here. Deep-fried tempura shrimp soaks in the brown curry sauce that take over half the plate. The other half is a bed of rice with some spicy pickled ginger on the side for more palette cleansing. I enjoyed this dish in terms of taste— though I do hope they serve the sauce on the side so the shrimp stays crunchy when you're about to eat it.🍣 Spicy Tuna Maki: I'm a fan of spicy Tuna so I was excited to hear that they were serving this to us. Their version includes sushi topped with a combination of diced Tuna Sashimi and Crispy bits of tempura, blended together with spicy Japanese mayonnaise. While the sushi rice wasn't as sticky as I'd hope, their spicy Tuna had the right amount of spiciness I was looking for. I enjoyed their version very much, and I would definitely reorder this should I go over again.🍜 Shiyo Ramen: their ramen is made up of springy egg noodles, a pork soup base and a good mix of veggies, egg and thin pork slices. Unlike the other ramen I've tried, their broth had undernotes of pickled ginger in it. To cut through the richness of the pork perhaps? Either way, it was different. Not a fan of egg, so I skipped that one out. Enjoyed the taste overall, but still preferred the spicy one over this.