Yakitori the Nabantei way
MANILA, Philippines - The proof of how good a restaurant is is the number of repeat customers it gets, and rave reviews online from diners and bloggers alike.
Nanbantei of Tokyo, with branches in Greenbelt 3 in Makati and Bonifacio High Street in Taguig, fits both bills.
Blogger Millie Morales (milliemorales.blogspot.com) notices the number of Japanese expats who frequent Nanbantei, which to her, signals the authenticity of the food being served. She calls Nanbantei “the closest thing you’ll get to a Kanto-style Japanese barbecue place in Manila” and has made it her “pre-movie and post-shopping favorite.” Her favorites are the Tsukune (chicken meatballs) and Shishitou Maki (Japanese pepper with pork).
For the past two years, Run Around Girl (runroundgirl.wordpress.com) has eaten at Nanbantei with her husband at least once a week. They especially like the Yaki Niku (grilled thin slices of beef), Nanban Yaki (beef with nanban sauce) and confess to being “addicted” to Grilled Tofu and Yaki Onigiri (grilled rice balls).
Writer Trix Deseo of ClickTheCity.com has also made Nanbantei her “default date place” for what she calls “yakitori nights” because the restaurant is “quick and consistent.”
On the travel website Trip Advisor, @happyroadtripper gave Nanbantei 4 out of 5 stars for serving “the best yakitori in Manila” and for “value for money.” The standout is the Bestsellers Platter consisting of Aspara Maki (asparagus wrapped in pork), Tebasaki (chicken wings),Pork Garlic Yaki, Shiso Maki (pork with shiso leaf), Negima (chicken and leeks), Corn, and Poteto Maki.
Nanbantei is at Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati, 757-4130 and Upper ground level Bonifacio High Street, Taguig, 621-3224 to 25.
