The Foodinista: Yakiniku

Tajimaya Yakiniku Grill: Eat All You Can Mall of Asia

Friday, April 01, 2016

Yakiniku has always been my favorite Japanese meal and since I was craving for it, my boyfriend and I went to Tajimaya for a lunch date in their Mall of Asia branch. This is the only branch which offers eat-all-you-can service. We were able to avail it for P599 per head.

They actually offer two kinds of buffet which can be availed:

P499 - You get unlimited serving of their pork, beef, chicken, sausages and fishballs

P599 - You get unlimited serving of their pork, beef, chicken, sausages and fishballs + Unlimited Rice, Drinks (Iced Tea) and Salad

We went here on a weekday so there were few people eating out. I heard it can be jam-packed during weekends so if you plan to eat on Saturdays & Sundays better get a reservation beforehand.

Here's how the interior looks like - most seats can be occupied by 6 to 8 people. This is a good place for friendly reunions and birthdays!

One of the things I noticed right away upon entrance would be the savory aroma of inside Tajimaya. The aroma of beef will make you hungry. It's really appetizing!

grill

We were approached by the staff and was asked about the number of people who will be dining and then we were handed out sauce cups, chopsticks and utensils for grilling. What I just did not like about this place is the bad ventilation. I know it should feel hot because of the charcoal grill, but they should improve their air conditioning cause it can really get uncomfortable.

What makes Tajimaya stand out among the rest for me would be their charcoal grill. Everything but this tastes the same but because of the added hint of charcoal flavor, the burnt taste it gives to the meat adds excitement to my taste buds!

Charlcoal Grill

Kimchi & Bean Sprout

salad

Make sure you can fully consume your order. It takes a short amount of time to cook one piece of meat so you do not really have to stack up on the beef. You can just order again any time.
Besides, they serve really fast so no need to worry about waiting.
The servers were friendly so no need to worry about making them go back and forth to serve your meats. TIP if you can!

grillin

Shrimp

Cooked Beef

YUM! The beef tastes like bacon. It was so savory and meaty, it's just the perfect pair with plain rice. I can still remember how we cooked it crispy and juicy! I definitely needed a detox after.

You can make your own sauce and customize it according to your liking. I wanted mine a little sweet and salty and I was really satisfied with it!

Bacon

iced Tea

Overall I'm giving this restaurant a 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Everything was so tasty but they just have to improve more on their amenities. I will try their solo menus next time, but for now all I can think about is the Unli-Yakiniku Goodness! Yum!

Beef

Urameshi-Ya Yakiniku Restaurant: UNLI WAGYU BEEF CUBES!

Monday, February 22, 2016

Urameshi-Ya

Little Tokyo is a haven for Japanese Food lovers. I can't believe I just recently found out about this place and believe me, you will keep coming back once you've tried eating in the many authentic Japanese restaurants within the small compound. Make sure to add Urameshi-Ya Yakiniku Restaurant on your first stop. Urameshi-Ya can be a little intimidating due to the heavily curated Japanese interior and the individual price per meal on their menu. But worry no more cause they offer UNLI WAGYU CUBES every Monday to Thursday for only P499!!!

My friends and I decided to eat at Urameshi-Ya on a Monday night, they don't accept reservations so I suggest you go here early or send someone to line up for the group because the waiting list can be a pain in the ass. The staff were not so friendly at first and most of them seemed irritated, masungit na sila so to avoid confusion just send someone to have your names signed on the list.
We lined up at around 7pm and we were only able to start eating at around 9pm already. This is just a Monday night and the queue was horrible already. We're around 8 in the group that time and I recommend you to keep your group less than 6 or 6 at max when dining here so you can maximize the space per table.

The 45 minute buffet is priced at P500 per person which I find worth it because of the quality of food they serve - SUPERB & AUTHENTIC.

NOTE: You literally have 45 minutes to order everything you want starting from the time you order your first set of ingredients but staying here isn't strictly limited to 45 minutes. This is where the number of people sitting in one table comes in handy. The griller is just small and if you guys are 7 or 8 in one table, how will it be possible for you guys to make the most out of the Yakiniku? I say the bets number would be 4. The problem with their staff is they tend to maximize the people sharing in one griller at a time to lessen the number of people waiting.

Seats Outside Urameshi-Ya

There are seats outside the restaurant for those who want to have a feel of the Japan Street Vibe ambiance. It's also a good hang out place and inuman place, eating wagyu cubes pairing it with soju or beer.

First, they served us a Hot Charcoal Grill where we will cook the ingredients we ordered. It took about 5 to 7 minutes to fully be able to cook on the griller.

Urameshi-Ya Bar

The interior of Urameshi-Ya had an old-fashion vintage vibe. They even have old books stored on the shelves and other knick-knacks that adds more to the authenticity of the place. The lighting is yellow and dim, it will really immerse you to the authentic feel of dining in Japan.

They have all the different kinds of soju and alcoholic drinks displayed on the vintage shelves. I really like how it was presented cause it added a dreamy vibe to the overall feel of the restaurant.

Here is the sample of how the seating arrangement looks like. Removing the shoes is a strict policy.

We ordered their Oysters, Crabs, Chicken, Scallops, Shrimps, Sausages, and Wagyu Beef. They are all freshly served. However, I was a little disappointed that on a Monday Night the Oysters were already out of stock. So we were given very little serving of these precious Oysters which we had to play Rock, Paper, Scissors with just to be able to share it equally. It was that good, I would really come back for it.

Make sure to ask for the Miso Soup and Complementary Salad. It's free and unlimited too plus the white rice!!!

Wagyu Cubes, Shrimp, Sausages, Sate, Pork, Chicken, Beef

Can I just say that the WAGYU BEEF CUBES are AMAZING. It's so tender it tastes like heaven. It's so juicy and it's very easy to cook compared to other dishes. We had around 10 rounds of this and I wish I can have more of it. I even remember having to close my eyes when I started putting it in my mouth. Trying to savour every flavour of the Wagyu Beef.

Urameshi-Ya Wagyu Beef

We occupied three tables. All of us were super hungry that time cause we waited for 2 hours. We can't just cancel it and give up cause we already wasted hours of our lives lining up for this! Good thing we were able to use that time to chit-chat and catch up we forgot we're all HANGRY!

We just had to post a Cheesy Photo caused we missed each other a lot!

One dish took around less than 5 minutes to be cooked. The grilling pot is too little for the number people eating so we had to wait for our turn.

They also provided fans for easier burning of the coal.

TA-DA! The Wagyu Beef tastes better as it looks. Savory & sinful! I swear it melts in the mouth.

Sauces

I can't actually remember what sauces they've provided but it included Sesame Oil, Spicy Powder, and their special Sauce which I wanted to take home :( It's a mixture of sweet and salty taste, like a fish sauce and a sweet sauce combined, just perfect to contrast the salty taste of the food we're grilling.

Grillin and Grillin.
Don't go here if you are on a strict diet cause you'll definitely forget it! I enjoyed grilling! Nag-amoy beef lang yung hair ko, but it's all good!

Japanese Rice!
Their rice are cooked well. Most of my friends don't really eat Rice but they ordered 2 to 3 cups more because it was so good. It was chunky and filling, high quality Japanese rice.

My Friends

I forgot to include that the customer service is great. It was a bit slow but the waiters were very attentive to our needs. It just takes time for them to deliver what we're requesting for due to the number of customers dined-in. We gave them a tip after!

Who won't take the chance to have a mini photo shoot in this setting?

Ang lamig sa Japan!

I really enjoyed having dinner at Urameshi-Ya despite the waiting time. I would recommend this to people who just love to have spontaneous dinner with friends or even casual dates! If you are craving for something UNLIMITED but won't create a big hole in your pocket, this is the restaurant you have to visit! It's worth every penny!

Ps. They are not active in social media because I think they don't really have to. People go here because of the quality of their food so when you are in Little Tokyo, visit Urameshi-Ya!

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

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The Foodinista

Tajimaya Yakiniku Grill: Eat All You Can Mall of Asia

Urameshi-Ya Yakiniku Restaurant: UNLI WAGYU BEEF CUBES!