Tonchaya Japanese Kitchen & Bar

Carissa Orence

3.0

Been searching places to get a hot bowl of ramen and this is where website lead me. I am a fan of Ramen, well Shio ramen that is. Well, Tonchaya has a range of Ramen flavor but they dont have Shoyu (as far as I remember), that's why I go with their Shoyu ramen. I enjoyed my Shoyu Ramen, the chashu is good and I also loved the firm value of the noodles, I think its their own. For me it's 3.5/5. :)

Merve Duyar

2.0

You know a Japanese restaurant is authentic when the servers actually know what they serve. Actually, any restaurant would be authentic if they do know what's on their menu. Sadly, my Japanese experience in Tonchaya was not the authentic one I hoped to experience. I saw the banner ad of this restaurant on website's website, and that got me enticed to try this out when I had the chance. Low and behold, on this Rainy Holiday evening, my girlfriend and I decided to try it out for a change. It was around a few minutes past 9pm when we entered the restaurant, the door still said "welcome" and when my GF asked the waiter if they were still open, they said yes. Then, after a few minutes, just when we were about to take our order, the waiter told us a lot were not available on the menu and they just accepted us inside, forgetting that they were supposed to close by 9pm.FAUX JAPANESE (-)- they boasted on their walls that they have daily promos. For Monday, it was their Buy 1, Take 1 for Mixed Tempura, they didn't have anymore because they ran out already. And they only told me, 5 minutes after we took the order. #paasa #SMH #strike1- my girlfriend ordered the Spicy Tuna Salad. When asked if she wanted it sashimi style or grilled, she said sashimi. 5 minutes after the order was taken, the waitress said they ran out of Tuna Sashimi and as substitute, just offered to use Salmon (Shake). #strike2- we decided to try one of the Japanese cocktails, and we practically went over the whole list before the waitress confirmed what was only available on the menu. Frustrating. #strike3- They have tuna sisig and pork sisig on the menu. SMH.- the mother TV of their CCTV camera can be seen on top of the aircon near the entrance. Now I get the point for that, it's an eye sore for the whole vibe of the place. - I admire the goal the designers of this place wanted to achieve, but they just had a lot of stuff going on. Everything felt so stuffed inside. The seat I was in even had a big electric fan beside it, very uncomfortable to move.- their menu has a lot of marked out items in it with a black pentel pen. Gives me the assumption they either removed a lot of food items or they ran out of supply for those. If you will do this, revamp your menu, it can be an eyesore. (+)- some redeeming qualities of this restaurant will be what it offers. Though I commented on their lack of certain food items, at least on days they're good with ingredients, I'm sure they can provide the good dining experience. Plus considering this is a bar also, it being an "Izakaya" tries to live up to its name of bringing good times with food and drinks.YAKUZA's Verdict:They can be better, if they instruct their servers more, improve the menu, and ensure their food items are available. Cheers.

Luthfi F. Rahman

1.0

When I ordered a Miso soup, I wasn't informed that my dinner was supposed to come with a miso soup. I was given one on a slightly bigger bowl than the one I should be getting. I ordered Green Tea for my drink, I was given a regular brown tea, most likely their house tea. When I complained, they brought me Lipton green tea.Preparing our bill took a long time. I won't be going back to this restaurant again.

Kevin You

4.0

We were so busy talking in the car that we forgot to tell the driver where to drop us off. When we realized our mistake, we opted instead to drive on than make a U-turn. That brought us to Fort Strip and a new find Tonchaya.Because it was a business meeting, I ditched the camera telling my partner that I'd just take pictures and post a review on my next visit. But it's been a week and I haven't shaken off the feeling of satisfaction over a most pleasant meal or the desire to return to Tonchaya, a gem of a restaurant.For starters, we were served shredded cabbage topped with dressing in small servings. A companion asked and was served a second.Our host ordered the ramen, finished it all off and gave it a thumbs up.Three of us opted to order for sharing. The Special Crunchy Salmon was impressive. Beautifully laid out salmon and crispy wanton strips were drizzled with wasabi-based dressing. The differing textures of the ingredients added to the dish's wow factor.I've never tried Soft Shell Crab Tempura before and was definitely won over by Tonchaya's version. I might just order this on my next visit.What impressed me the most though was the Grilled Rib Eye in Butter-Miso compound served with seasonal vegetables and Shiitake mushrooms. The meat was perfectly done as it was very tender and juicy. It was hard to resist the little strips of fat. The mushrooms and vegetables were perfect companions. Serving size is big enough for two. I'd definitely order this again when I'm with a friend.Japanese Fried Rice or Chahan completed my meal. It was of the sticky sort and flavorful. Serving size was generous.Writing this review has made me crave Tonchaya more. Make no mistake about it, I'd most definitely be back.

Ammar Mannaf

3.0

The place is a bit small but it has a modern twist to a Japanese restaurant. Waiters are also nice. I love Japanese food so I think I can give a bit of justice in my review. Sadly, no Maguro sashimi available. Ordered salmon sashimi instead, the cut is different from the usual small and thick slice, its thin and a bit big yet it still has that sweet flavor.I also didn't ordered my usual Ebi tempura and tried ramen instead. Chili Pork Ramen, I had it "light" of the spice but still has a goo kick in it. The saltiness is just right and the size - Large, is just right for the price (350).My GF ordered Tonkatsu meal, it has miso soup and some side dish. For the price, 350 its ok but we didn't like that its a bit small and oily. You can really taste the oil.I can still try and visit to try my usual favorites.

Irmak Ağcaoğlu

3.0

Tried the Seafood Curry, Kani Salad, California Maki, Salmon Teriyaki. The curry was great, not too spicy and the serving was good for two people. The salmon melts in your mouth. The maki and kani salad were ok.

Mervin Clear

3.0

I love Spicy Tuna Salad and I like their version because of the crispy kani that gives it texture. Salmon belly yakimono and crunchy crab maki was good too. It's a place to satisfy your Japanese craving but it's just quite average.

Foodbitesph

3.0

After living in Japan for 10 enjoyable years and understanding the food and enjoying it even more, I get a craving for the food. We stumbled in this quaint small place that is decorated to resemble an Izakaya and the decor is not too bad. The menu is typical Japanese here in the Philippines, they lump everything Japanese on the menu and then when you order it? "Sorry sir not available".! Ton hay did not disappoint in this area of Pinoy restaurants. First thing I wanted to order (Okonomiyaki), was not available. Why? Tuesday at lunch and 3 tables with customers and you are out of stock? Wrong answer, other than poor kitchen management. When we finally were able to place our order with the ladies who were the servers , I knew it was going to a long lunch. Presentation of the same ingredients is important when you can see the table next to you having the same dish, only presented with different ingredients and presentation? Presentation on the dishes was good with the exception of the Gyoza, poor prep and nearly cold. Yakisoba was great taste and presentation California Roll ok. Server appeared unfamiliar with the food. Price was ok for what we got. Just need some fine tuning. Get rid of those big black Chinese chopsticks, not designed for eating Japanese food.

Rosesoomi

3.0

Luvin' the decos on the resto's walls; playfully descriptive of that rich and colorful Japanese culture. As for the Beef Yakiniku set meal, it tastes basically ok. Nice location and ambiance.

Annep0tx

4.0

I initially thought that Tonchaya is a Japanese word. I was knocking my head in shame when I realized that it’s not. Haha. Our host told us that “chaya” means kitchen in Japanese, and that Ton is one of the owner’s son. So literally, Tonchaya means Ton’s kitchen. Tonchaya was initially a fastfood outlet in Ortigas which started operations in 2012. On the same year, Tonchaya opened two more outlets at Mercato Centrale and at the parking lot of Makati Medical Center. Because of its successful first year of operation, the owner decided to put up Tonchaya Japanese Kitchen & Bar in April 2013.Our lunch feast started with Okonomiyaki. Known as the Japanese pancake, this savory appetizer was indeed the perfect way to jumpstart our meal. The batter is simply tasty, and the filling is packed with so much flavor. I think I ate at least three slices of this! :pI felt my eyes widened, and I could swear that I almost drooled when the Crunchy Salmon Salad was served to us. Lying on a bed of fresh lettuce are slices of salmon sitting on crisp toasts. I used to be really scared in eating raw food, but my younger brother introduced me to the art of eating sashimi. And since then, I could not stop the addiction! The freshness of the salmon was very evident. It instantly melts as it hits my mouth. The melts-in-your-mouth salmon goes perfectly well with the crispiness of the fried wanton wrapper (Sorry, I’m not sure about it, but it does sure look like it.) which was generously scattered in the salad. The contrast of texture created an unstoppable party in my mouth!