A new Japanese restaurant has just opened here in San Pablo within the last couple of months, the Tomoe Japanese Restaurant, Tepanyaki, Sushi, Ramen House. It's on the second floor of the Shell gas station almost across Shakey's restaurant along Maharlika Highway.
Since it's new, of course me and Ilyn just had to check it out. Well, me mostly. I'm the one most excited about Japanese restaurants anyway. This place is far easier for me to access than the other new Japanese place at San Benito near the San Pablo City/Alaminos boundary. It's far easier to commute to and from the place because it's nearer the city proper.
And of course, this may well be the first Teppanyaki restaurant in San Pablo. I had to look up what that means. It means the chef cooks your food in front of you using a large steel plate. The last time I ate at this kind of joint was in Greenhills back in 1995.
There is an inside section with two huge tables which include the cooking plates and an outside section for non-Teppanyaki fare. We prefer to sit outside because it was cooler, specially with the Christmas cool air already coming in. It was a bit hot inside with all the cooking going on. Outside I had a full view of the Teppanyaki chef doing his thing. He's the only one with the full chef get up and he's the only one in red. He's so fascinating to watch. He's quite a showman. Very entertaining. He's sort of a cross between a samurai, a chef and a juggler.
Well, what about the food? Whenever I try a new Japanese restaurant, my order is always pretty standard: The Miso Soup (pictured above) and some kind of Sushi or Sashimi Platter. There wasn't a Sashimi Platter so I ordered the Nigiri Sushi Platter.
It's a nice selection of standard Sushi stuff: Salmon, Tamago, Tuna, Crab, Shrimp, some kind of roe, which I haven't seen on any Sushi platter before.
The Miso Soup was better than most I've tried. It captured the perfect balance of flavors that I prefer in Miso soups. The serving was also quite ample. It was actually enough for two people.
All in all I enjoyed the meal. The waiters were very attentive. I've really got nothing to complain about.
However, I did eat my sushi the way I wanted it, and not the way some Sushi etiquette police may want me to eat it. Yeah, so I made a thick soup of my soy sauce and wasabe dib. Yeah, so I dipped my sushi RICE SIDE DOWN. I dipped the sushi in there so long the rice was DRENCHED in it. I then ate it whole, pulled my head back and enjoyed the amazing wasabe jolt that streaks through my nostrils. An amazingly intense experience! Do I offend your delicate culinary sensibilities? Well, what do YOU care? Why does ANYONE care? This is my private space, my private time. Stop getting in my face please! I'll eat my sushi the way I want to!
So there!
So yeah! Tomoe Japanese Restaurant! I'm definitely coming back and try the Teppanyaki!
