I finally got the chance to return to my favorite Japanese restaurant in the Philippines, and even though some of the menu items' prices will give you sticker shock, don't let that stop you from coming to this fine establishment...

Delicious and not so pricey we always eat here whenever my mom is here in town. And will continue to come here as long as they keep up the good service and delicious food!

I have been here multiple times before since this is one of my brother's go-to Japanese restaurant. I can definitely understand why with the quality food, good service and good price. This time the visit was with my parents, my brother, my husband and me. We were served with delicious complimentary tofu with a great-tasting sauce. My brother ordered the aji tataki for us to start off and it's been a while since I've had this. Beautifully done and very tasty! My brother got the chirashi bowl. My husband and I shared the Gindara kaku bento - grilled cod fish, salad, salmon and tuna sashimi, tempura, miso soup with clams and mango ice cream. For dessert, fruits was the other option. My brother also ordered several chawanmushi for us to share. My parents shared the Nigiri kaku bento. There was so much food. The one down side was the fish in my parents' bento box was a bit tough, unlike the gindara that we had. I would probably recommend the Gindara kaku bento between the 2 bento boxes. We also had this soup that came in a small teapot. I had missed jotting down the name but you drink the soup from a miniature teacup. Glad we didn't order more food because there was already lots of food! Highly recommend!

Very good food and respectful prompt service combine for a pleasant dining experience. But the high prices and bland flavours dragged this rating down to 3.5 stars rounded up. We ordered the steak teppanyaki, squid stir-fry and shrimp siomai. All were good with drawbacks: * although the sauce too mild, the steak for the most part was tender rib-eye or strip loin, and only a small pile of fat remained. * the squid was not overwhelming in flavour, but a little piquant dipping sauce enhanced it (not necessarily a good thing). * the siomai was creamy and smooth, and yet didn't reflect the taste of shrimp very well at all. * the miso soup was chock full with small chunks of tofu and tender wholesome sea-leaves. No serious downsides, but could be much more flavourful. The aircons made it too cold for a rainy cool day outdoors: the hostess needs to be aware of not cooling off the rooms too much at the same time as countering the humidity of the season? I've eaten at Tanabe several times over the years, but, compared to the best restos in Asia and America, the food's not great. Fairly good but no bonus: for example, flavour that was missing in the smooth siomai = perplexity and perhaps some hidden fillers? So I've only gone there as a kind of last resort when preferred options are closed or over-frequented. As well, except for great tep, I'm just not a fan of Japanese deep-fried and raw food. Customers comprised a very high percentage of Japanese! Now that's always a good sign all around the world: always look for Chinese at spicy beef noodle soup or hot-pot establishments; Koreans at full-spectrum menu restos ordering bimbimbop and gamjatung (not just pork belly); Indians for Punjabi, Goan or Tamil vindaloo, curries, biryani or tikka; Vietnamese for great pho and seared catfish; Greeks for super ribs or lamb chops. From cultures that cook at home and tend to be thrifty, locals from these cultures are telling a big story about the place! But if too many filipinos are seated, be aware that their food culture and tastebuds have largely been sabotaged by 400 years of marginal Spanish, American and Chinese somewhat-blended blek. I'd humbly suggest the food will likely suck? As well, we didn't get to know our server as the whole crew serve as needed. In terms of customer relations, this could be improved. But with confidence go there and see for yourself?

After over three years, I finally got the chance to return to my favorite Japanese restaurant in the Philippines, and even though some of the menu items' prices will give you sticker shock, don't let that stop you from coming to this fine establishment... which is, by far, the best Japanese restaurant that I have ever been to in Metro Manila! I say this not only because of its great service or its nice, authentic environment, but also primarily because of its food -- IT'S TO DIE FOR! Regarding this restaurant's nigiri, the ikura (salmon roe) is heavenly as it sends my taste buds and my blood pressure soaring sky high, and the uni (sea urchin) is fresh and just melts in your mouth like butter (not that I'm in the habit of eating sticks of butter). Additionally, if you see a lot of Japanese people eating in a Japanese restaurant, then it must be THAT GOOD! It also must be THAT GOOD when Japanese staff members from the Japanese Embassy recommend that you go here. My two centavos.

Whenever I enter a Japanese restaurant, one of the first things I do is figure out the ratio of Japanese to Filipinos dining. After all, Japanese people should know what tastes Japanese, right? I'm pretty sure this is about as good an objective measure for food quality as one can find. One of the restaurants that passes this test is Tanabe in Malate. It's an area popular with Japanese businessmen and tourists, and I can't help but feel good about eating here whenever I overhear Japanese being spoken at the bar. Of course, their food does agree with their good J:F ratio. For the lazy, their teishoku sets offer variety and completeness: rice, pickles, soup, chawan mushi, and your choice of tempura, sashimi or steak. They also serve the breadth of Japanese cuisine, from nabemono to to teriyaki, and even ochazuke. I guess it's no wonder why Japanese people eat here, then.