Saturday, October 25, 2014

Zomato Foodie Meetup at Akira Shangrila

Remember my previous entry about Akira at Alphaland?
You all thought I was kidding when I mentioned I'd definitely go back to Akira, right?

I'm back! This time I'm checking out Akira at Shangrila!


Something I haven't mentioned on my previous blog post was the name of the restaurant and why it is called
Akira: The Art of Sushi and Teppanyaki in the first place.
It's called as such because the restaurant was inspired by the famous Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa, best known for the movie Rashomon.

Akira believes in the art of sushi and teppanyaki by providing an authentic, entertaining and artful way of making teppanyaki with precise procedures. Something that I'll explain later.


 If you are curious as to where it is located, you could easily find this at the 5th floor on the East Wing side.



If you have noticed, the ambiance each branch has it's own unique personality and style.
With the Alphaland branch that's inspired by the fall season of Japan, the motif of this branch is inspired by the modern Japanese architecture that is very minimalistic but still looks sophisticated.

From what I've heard from the brand manager of Akira, the interior design of the Burgos Circle branch was inspired by a waterhole. That's something I'd like to see soon!


 
Drinks

Akira Iced Tea (P98)
It's a refreshing house blend of tea infused with pineapple, calamansi, mango, lemon and orange.

Sapporo (P118)
I love this Japanese beer, I wish they had more beer selections though.
Sapporo is a rice lager so it's just right, not too bitter and no aftertaste.
The perfect drink to pair with Asian dishes since it's light and wouldn't overpower the food.

Soups

Japanese Miso Soup (P109)
It's a little more expensive than your regular Japanese restaurants.
But compared to theirs' this one has more wakame and soft Japanese tofu in the soup.
I remembered having one somewhere and the miso soup had only a few chopped spring onions and they called it a day. Wtf. That place should take cues from Akira.


Sushi Rolls


Akira California Roll (P238)
Compared to my last visit to Akira I think they pretty much mixed it up a little by adding a crunchy texture and a little kick of spicyness to the rolls. You gotta love those fresh tobikos that pops in your mouth. Delightful!


Teppanyaki

Teppanyaki is a style of Japanese cuisine in which dishes are cooked using an iron plate.
The word teppanyaki is derived from teppan which means flat iron and yaki means grilled, broiled or pan-fried.

Now here's what I'm talking about!


  Our talented chef for the night was Chef Borja Japson who undergone 15 years of training to master the art of creating such mouth-watering dishes.



The expensive Wagyu beef cooked to medium rare perfection!



Wagyu Teppanyaki (P900~5000)
Other than the amazing intimate performance by Chef Borja, the Wagyu Teppanyaki is just as terrific. The Wagyu beef is so sinfully indulgent since it's cooked with butter and the texture is similar to something that melts in your mouth since it's cooked medium rare. If you know me, I like my meat raw or not too cooked. I know. I'm weird.

 The price of teppanyaki sets may cost from P900~P5000 depending on the number of servings.
Unlike other Akira branches, this one in particular has 3 teppanyaki tables which we were lucky enough to be seated upon since you need reservations for this.

From L-R: Koju, Honey Mustard and steak sauce for the teppanyaki sets.

The mildly sour Koju sauce is for the chicken, the Honey Mustard sauce is best for the shrimp and the sweet steak sauce is perfect for the beef. To be honest, the beef is good alone even without the sauce. But that's just me.

Desserts

Tempura Banana Split (P178)
It's your regular banana split except the banana is deep fried in tempura batter. When mixed with the strawberry, vanilla and chocolate ice cream, it gives an interesting texture a little bit similar to crepe.

Foodie bloggers along with the Zomato team! Heart and Chiz we're just spotted behind us when this was all happening. I just couldn't take a paparazzi shot though.

Enjoying my meals with the company of lifestyle blogger friends Alice and Jessica

On their 2 years, Akira is still on the list of my favorite Japanese restaurants and I am thankful to be invited by Alice and the Zomato team (Karoline, Lea, Faye, Elaine and Trisha). Will definitely revisit the place sometime!

For more information on their authentic Japanese dishes, follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AkiraAMP

Shameless plug:
If you also have a Zomato account like me, let's follow each other on Zomato!
https://www.zomato.com/kamilacinco

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