Tempura vs. Teriyaki Boy!!! (not even close!)

[niky]

So... some of my friends have been telling me there's a decent new Japanese restaurant in Alabang. So last night, while taking our daughter out for fresh air (di kami nakakatulog kung hindi... spoiled little baby! :lol: ), we decided to try it out.

Though we were sorely tempted by the familiar and beloved "North Park" signboard on the restaurant beside it, "Tempura" was relatively quiet and seating was easy, so we gave it a shot. The overall signage and color scheme were very familiar... as was the look and design of the menu. If the restaurant weren't so quiet, I would have shouted "rip-off" at my wife. Nevertheless, the menu looked interesting, so we decided to try our regular items as well as one or two new things.

Our appetizer was Uni Sashimi. Generally, it's a hit or miss thing, even at the best of restaurants, because stock of uni isn't always fresh... this one fell on the wet and probably defrosted side... but I was willing to forgive that, as it happens everywhere.

Our other appetizer was some kind of breaded chicken and cheese roll. Okay, but not as good or as memorable as Kyo's Wakadori Cheese Maki (sadly, that restaurant has gone downhill of late).

I had as my dish Hiyashi Ramen, a cold noodle concotion that comes with Japanese scrambled egg, cucumber, pork strips, kani strips, and ramen noodles in a sweet-ish sauce topped with a kind of Japanese mustard.

The pork tasted like ham... the eggs were characterless, and lacked the strips of seaweed I'd come to expect in properly prepared and folded japanese scrambled eggs. The noodles were slightly undercooked and too chewy, and there was no mustard??? Not an encouraging first impression. Edible, but I feel sorry for the person whose first impression of Hiyashi Ramen comes from this!

My wife was busy with her Gomoku Ramen (Ramen in soup, pork, with mushrooms, boiled eggs, veggies and shrimp) while I ate. Halfway through the meal, she remarked "I can't taste my food". I thought she was joking, or had a cold.

When I'd finished, she was dawdling over it, and couldn't finish it. I tried it... wow... I couldn't taste anything. The pork was bland. The soup had no "zing". The shrimp were the cheap kind, (is it dulong or suahe?) they were the size of 25 centavo coins and they had no color, even after cooking. Now I've never been at a Japanese restaurant that used less than full-sized or at least "sugpo" type shrimp in their cooking... and this one even had the temerity to put a smiling shrimp in their logo?

Overall, the dish tasted like it was made with all instant and frozen ingredients, nothing had any flavor left in it... even a dash of miso might have saved it from mediocrity.

So... while "Tempura" may have all the trimmings and the looks to go up against "Teriyaki Boy" from the outside, it falls woefully short once you've sat down and had a bite to eat... even compared to other Japanese restaurants... bar Tokyo Tokyo. I guess it's just about even with Tokyo Tokyo. :lol:

I guess it wasn't surprising then, that the much older "North Park" right beside it had more business on a week night.

[laracroft]

thanks bro for the warning!
the best pa rin for me, when it comes to ramen,
is rai rai ken!

sarap din sa teriyaki boy!

[theveed]

Di pa parehas lang ang mayari ng TB at Temp? Parehas sobra eh, both of them sucked actually...

I find it strange din that the Teriyaki in Teriyaki boy really sucked...

Sa mga murang Jap resto, Sushiya padin ako...

[BlueGirl]

Di pa parehas lang ang mayari ng TB at Temp? Parehas sobra eh, both of them sucked actually...

I find it strange din that the Teriyaki in Teriyaki boy really sucked...

Sa mga murang Jap resto, Sushiya padin ako...

the best parin sushiya!!!sakin naman ok lang tempura grill kung talagang biglaang craving ng Japanese food lalo na im near ATC...

[bigbundle]

Guys try nyo Kikufuji along Pasong Tamo near Makati Cinema Square. Katabi din ng Shinjuku Ramen. Authentic na lasa reasonable pa presyo, IMO po.

[kyle618]

Just ate at teriyaki boy kaninang lunch... ate my favorite teriyaki boy chicken don with extra teriyaki sauce! masarap pa rin but its not that nakakabusog anymore... i felt the rice was less than before na

[BlueBimmer]

a bowl of sukiyaki is all i need :D Saisaki, Rai rai ken or Tsuru in davao solve na solve!

[kimpOy]

yup ok ang sushiya...
katabi na nga niya yung gerry's grill dito sa pampanga matatag pa rin...

[1D4LV]

lem'me guess. atc right? near the theaters? hehehehe.

[cutedoc]

1.T boy- is the best mid range jap resto for me, ok chix teriyaki nila, ok din yun wagyu beef

2.sugi- medyo high end price yet ok taste good=)

3.jap resto at mabini, forgot the name of the place, ok dito =) sarao gyoza nila

4.nanbantei- all dish are on skewers ok din for a change

havent tried tempura, baka indi na siguro...

[karl88]

i found it surprising that a japanese friend of mine told me that he doesn't want the taste of the food served at Teriyaki Boy.... pero he likes the japanese food sa isang stall sa food court namin.

[niky]

As for whether or not T-Boy sucks... it depends on the branch siguro... the best T-Boy branch is still the one in Morato.

As for Alabangers, at least T-Boy uses real ingredients. It's strange nga, that "Teriyaki" is in their name, but it's not the best thing on their menu. I find their other rice bowls to be very well done, and their ramen, at least, is authentic. Their special menu items are very very VERY good. Try the enoki daki bacon maki, the chawan mushi (it uses REAL shrimp), and the new Lapu Lapu Tempura (melts in your mouth... literally). And the beef... the gindara... ooooooo...

In other words, don't eat the Teriyaki Boy Chicken (I really don't like it either), try the other stuff... it's so good that we held our last board meeting there. :lol:

Sushiya for me was so-so the last time I tried it, but that was the now defunct outlet at Libis. Having no other experience of it, I can't comment.

Rai Rai Ken definitely has some of the best ramen amongst the mid-pricers.

Kyo used to be a nice place to go to. Their weird and wild menu had stuff like Scorpion rolls, Wakadori Cheese Maki and Stuffed Asohos. Now they're just another buffet table at the stupid beerhouse lane in Eastwood that used to house real restaurants. (Sayang yung Sukiyaki style Gindara bowl nila... )

Kamerori will always hold a special place in my heart. It's cheaper than the others, and more basic, but it was a cool hangout and my wife declares their ramen to be top notch. I hope they rebuild soon... *sob*

Foodcourt? Samurai Foods ba? Best takoyaki anywhere! I wish I could find out where the former owners live, so I can buy the franchise off of them!

[theveed]

Sagwa talaga kasi teriyaki ng TBoy eh, try nyo chix teriyaki sa Sushiya, mas mura pa.

[Mguy]

Anybody tried Wasabi at Makati Ave, in the middle of Makati Peninsula and Atrium? Anong feedback ba dyan? Taste? Prices?

[niky]

I've heard it's supposed to be good. This is from my cousins who regularly eat out and eat expensive. Have yet to try it, though.

[ILuvDetailing]

Tempura or Kimpura in Makati is good, but its pricey.

Ok din sa Kimono Ken at Macapagal.

[theveed]

Wasabi is more like an expensive bar that "models" and other sosy crowds hang out... Been there twice, daming eye candy but grabe ang hangin sa loob hehe.

[niky]

Ah... so it's good for a solo flight but not for a date with the missus, eh? Schedule ko nga ang next meeting dun? :lol:

[falken]

Furosato serves great Japanese food, but it's on the expensive side.

[mrpink]

wasabi is westernized japanese .. for the price, mag-sugi ka nalang .. or if you want the fusion type of japanese like what wasabi offers, mag-kai ka nalang ..

as for teriyaki boy .. for the price, it's not bad ..