Friday is probably my favorite day of the week. It is a sweet escape after a grueling work week, a chance to catch up with family & friends, and a time to unwind. But Fridays are not always fun, especially here in Manila. Friday traffic is the worst. I remember getting stuck in EDSA for 2 hours from Ayala to Guadalupe. Whew.
Since it was Payday Friday last week, my boyfriend & I decided to try this quaint little restaurant along Rada St. in Legazpi Village, Makati City, to avoid the payday traffic. Nikkei has been a constant fixture in my social media feeds for their visually appetizing food which is a mix of Peruvian and Japanese cuisine. Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted with friendly smiles from the staff. As it was only around 3 in the afternoon, we were the only customers. The restaurant itself is really small and probably can accommodate around 25-35 customers, at the maximum, but the interiors made up for it.
For starters, we ordered Nikkei tiraditos, Salmon sashimi, Foie gras nigiri sushi, and Ebi furai sushi roll. We asked the lovely waitress what tiraditos is and it is sashimi but sliced differently, the Peruvian way. Nikkei tiraditos is one of their bestsellers and you can choose from white fish, tuna, salmon or octopus. We decided to have tuna instead as we also ordered salmon sashimi.
The Nikkei tiraditos and Salmon sashimi were brought first. The Nikkei tiraditos was made of uniformly thin slices of fresh tuna with flavorful sauce. It was a perfect blend of Peruvian & Japanese flavors in one dish.
The salmon sashimi, on the other hand, were perfectly thick cuts of mouthwatering, fresh salmon which is definitely worth the price.
Next came, the foie gras nigiri sushi. The nigiri sushi as well did not disappoint. It perfectly balances the ingredients in one delectable piece. The only thing I did not like with this dish is the quantity. I hope Nikkei offers more of this dish, four pieces anyone? Me!
And the last one and probably my favorite Nikkei dish is the ebi furai sushi roll. It was crunchy, flavor-packed, and well-balanced! The sauce itself is already a knock-out but once you taste the sushi roll it transforms into a culinary masterpiece. It makes the previous dishes forgettable with its distinct taste.
Overall, it was a great experience. Nikkei was able to surprise us with something new despite having almost the same food items with most Japanese restaurants. We will definitely come back for more, especially for that sushi roll!
With so much love for food,
Mara
