It was a Sunday. I was with Jon and supposedly also with Berg for the Free Photography Workshop conducted by the Cebu Photographer’s Club in SM Cebu Conference Hall. After the workshop, we were off to have lunch.
I have been craving for Japanese food for quite sometime now. I haven’t been to a Japanese restaurant in Cebu since my Tokyo trip. Tempura Japanese Grill in SM Cebu Northwing was just the perfect place to eat. Accomodating staff, nice ambiance, nice interiors, nice smell… and… and… kaboomm!!! All of that turned into a nightmare when their store supervisor or manager advised us not to take photographs. I was confused and at the same time about to explode and leave the restaurant right there and then. Luckily my craving for Japanese food and thoughts of a sumptuous Yakiniku meal a few minutes from now was reason enough for me to stay.
I really don’t understand their policy regarding taking food photos. We can understand if they disallow us to take pics sa ilang interiors but not allowed to take pics sa food nga among gebayaran? Haler? Ok lng mo? Anyway this is not the venue to rant about our bad experience from Tempura Japanese Grill restaurant in Cebu (sa ilang manager/supervisor rasad ha, to be fair with). So moving on to our great selection from their menu.
—————————————————————————————————————————————-
CITRUS GREEN TEA
Since my last experience in Japan of their Green Tea, I prepared myself for something bitter and more of the tea rather than the Citrus or Lemon. Tempura’s Citrus Green Tea is the typical Philippine version of the Ice Tea. I was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t more of the tea but at the same time happy nalang din kasi I needed a little refreshing sweet drink after that incident. I give this an OK vote. Did I mention that this is refillable? So enjoy it as much as you can on your visit to Tempura.
—————————————————————————————————————————————-
MIX SASHIMI
FROM WIKIPEDIA: Sashimi is a Japanese delicacy primarily consisting of very fresh raw seafood, sliced into thin pieces with varying dimensions depending on the type of item and chef, and served with only a dipping sauce (soy sauce with wasabi paste and thinly-sliced ginger root or ponzu), and a simple garnish such as shiso and shredded daikon radish.
Tempura’s mix sashimi is composed of 3pcs Maguro (tuna), 3pcs Ika (squid), 2pcs Kani (crabstick), 2pcs Ebi (shrimp), 4pcs Tamago (sweetened egg).
Okey raman cla tanan. Everything was fresh, juicy, and taste just the way it should be. There was nothing out of the ordinary from this sashimi. Aw except diay nga, sa ako napud ge-clarify ni Berg nga “Mix” ra gyud na ug wala ko nagkulang ug tuplok sa letters. Shortage lang gyud cguro ug “E” and “D” sa Tempura!
—————————————————————————————————————————————-
BUTA (PORK) & IKA (SQUID) YAKINIKU
FROM WIKIPEDIA: Yakiniku, meaning “grilled meat”, is a Japanese term which, in its broadest sense, refers to grilled meat dishes.
I was soooo happy to see that their serving is big. If I’m not mistaken it was about 4-5 pcs of meat. So no complaints from me there. The pork meat was so thinly sliced and it was oh-so-tender-loving-caring-fingerlickingly good! It was subtly marinated with i-don’t-know-what and came with a special dipping sauce. Whatever it is, it’s delish! Although I must say na at first wala ko ganahi sa sauce niya kay murag ordinary ra kaayo ang iyahang lasa then it was way below par from what I tasted in Japan. But after a while it kinda grew on my taste buds. I love it na! Nalingaw ko ug luto-luto sa akong food. Labi na ug mag baga-baga og mag kayo-kayo nya mag pisik-pisik na cya infront of me hehehe. I like this Yakiniku experience. Y’all should try it too! This comes highly recommended! Hmmm Onaka ga suita na nuon while nagsulat dah. Mangaon na ta nah?! hehehe
The following day, I was with a friend for lunch. OMG!! Sa Tempura pa gyud mi nangaon! Dili sad ko makareklemo ug sulti niya kung unsay experience naku yesterday kay dili mi close. Hay naku magkita nasad mi balik adtong tawhana?! Hmmpphhh… Nakaremember pa gud ang waiters and waitresses nga nag serve namo yesterday. Pero weird lang, wala gyud naku makit-i ang store supervisor/manager. Asa kaha to cya noh? Day-off? Got fired? Hmmm the plot thickens… Grabe raba tong yaw-yaw among gesulat sa ilang customer satisfaction form! On my next visit pangitaon gyud to naku cya bah!
Here’s a quick review on what I ate that day. No pictures lng kay maulaw ko sa akong kuyog hehe.
—————————————————————————————————————————————-
EBI TEMPURA - deep fried tiger prawn in crispy batter fortified with Omega 3
Even without the claimed health benefit, I can eat 5pcs of this (that is if I can pay for it hehehe). This is one of my favorite non-pork food of all time! I like the crispy and generous amount of crumbs and the tenderness of the shrimp. I like this better than in RRK. Highly Recommended!
—————————————————————————————————————————————-
CALIFORNIA MAKI - kani, mango, ebiko with Japanese mayo
Nothing special. Just your typical california maki. But still a classic choice.
—————————————————————————————————————————————-
EBI SALAD MAKI - inside-out roll maki with mango and asparagus topped with shrimp salad and lightly rolled in ebiko, nori flakes and sesame seeds.
Another must try! I don’t exactly remember the taste but daghan akong nahurot ani. Dili man gud cya ordinary for me. Then there’s a lot going on sa presentation.
—————————————————————————————————————————————-
GYUDON - Japanese beef bowl
Love it! Love it! Love it! There is really something special about this mildly sweet soy sauce, and the raw egg and the i-dont-know-what-type of mushroom (I’m guessing shitake mushrooms to) on top of the rice. Another must try and highly recommended Japanese food.
—————————————————————————————————————————————-
REVIEW WRAP-UP
Tempura Japanese Grill restaurant in Cebu offers a wide selection of Japanese food. From sashimi, sushi, maki, teriyaki, teppanyaki, to rice bowls, ramen, and most importantly yakiniku. Generally I love Japanese food and I love everything I have tasted in Tempura. Even with their so-called “no picture taking” policy, ganahan ra gihapon ko mobalik because their food is so delicious and so nicely presented. Magtago-tago lang gud gihapon ko ug picture kung badlongon ko. I would highly recommend this place because of their food. I will surely be back (hopefully) soon. This should belong in my top 10 list of Cebu restaurants. Hala! Maghimo kaha ta Shel & Berg ug atong favorite Cebu restaurants? Whatchathink?
Arigatou and Sayonara!
Shel: Fedge, gipakita gyud nimo nga unsa ka kabadlungon, aw ka determined diay 
Go Pakalistas!
First time here in DiningCebu.com?
You might wanna 
subscribe to the RSS Feed or subscribe by Email so you won’t miss out any of the cool updates!
October 29th, 2008 at 5:03 am
@shel: lain sad kaayo mag blog ta oi nga walay picture! pictures are a must gyd… bahalag masuko cla noh… pero discreet as possible lng hehehe
October 29th, 2008 at 5:41 am
CPC member diay ka fedge? nice photos ga laway kog tan-aw.
October 29th, 2008 at 7:32 am
@eyean: haha sa imong tan-aw makapasar ni akong photos sa CPC? hehehe… dli ko member yan, naka-apil lng ko adtong ilang free seminar for the p&s cams
unya naku pa member kung nana koy slr hehehe… aw ug nindot na diay ko mo take ug pics…sos kanang mga pics tinago-tago intawn na 
October 29th, 2008 at 8:03 am
@Fedge: Pasar kaau nindot! ahh kay sir michol sanchez na workshop?
October 29th, 2008 at 8:21 am
@Eyean: Natimingan cguro ni hehehe… murag c Jay Alonzo man to ang ni conduct sa amoa…
October 29th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Hahaha. naana pud akong nawng ha. no permission again!
Yeah, it wud’ve been 5 spoons for me if not for that retarded manager! No Picture Taking???? Seriously? Unsa ni concert?
Anyhoo, i enjoyed the Yakiniku, but i have a feeling i overcooked my Ika.
October 29th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
@jon: cge sa sunod paa ug tiil napud para complete
lagi noh! as in na depressed bya ko adto… lipay bya ko adto ha kay mag yakiniku ko then suddenly, an allergic reaction happened tungod ato niya… grrr… hoi we have to investigate pa raba if he got fired naba or buhi pa 
October 29th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Ngega manoy ahh!!! published man iya pic. hehehehe. If mangita ko ug ka-anan kaw ako pangutan-on kay xport man ka parti sa kaon. NOH!!!!
October 29th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
@yang2x: haha salamat sa pagbisita manoy! kuyawan ka nga dili na tika tagdon ugma sah??!! hehehe… yezz visit lng diri sa diningcebu.com in case you’ll be looking for a new cebu restaurant to try… hmmm pero murag naa pa gyud mi wala ma try manoy kanang “Koreen’s”. Ingna to daan c Uncle Chito nga 4 mi kabuok pakalista, ika-lima ka for sure mo apil kag hab-hab! ingna cya fair mn mi mo review…
October 30th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
@Yang - oi tiyo gikalimtan nalang ko nimo ug greet! hmpf! sumbong tika ni Un-un
November 1st, 2008 at 3:05 am
to berg and iya friends.. nindot kaayo inyo website.. mau pud inyo reviews/comment/rant.. post pa mo daghan. CONGRATULATIONS!!!
November 1st, 2008 at 8:31 am
@jkoy: Hi! thanks for visiting our site… yes we will (try to) post regularly for you guys… balik-balik nya!
November 3rd, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Shel ,Kanus.a man ka magdespidida party? Kinahanglan e-post gyud nato ang pic during your despidida party.(hehee)mamiya na gyud d i ka? regards lang ko sa imo bag-o officemate nga c darrel(jun2x d i na cya). Mas kalug pa na nako. HAHAHAHAHA. Manoy ikaw ang mangita ug venue para sa despidida ni richelle. ur the export on this. Go green!!!!!! HAHAHAHHAHA
November 3rd, 2008 at 3:02 pm
@yang: hoi nayabag na ai! well nagsabot nami ni Shel noh…sa Koreen’s daw hahaaha.. dili oi ambot yang i dont know where.. pero im guessing sounds lyk “Koreen’s”… Go green ka dyan! mao unta ug mokaon kag dahon-dahon nga parehas raba tang ignorante ug gulay!
@shel: hala nag cge balik2x ang Koreen’s basin ma pick up ni ron atong blog sa Koreen’s! hala balik nasad!
November 3rd, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Hi Yang, ngano diri naman tawn ka nagkalat tiyo, wa ka nakabasa sa signage nga Bawal and Umihi Dito?
Btaw Jeff, try nato sa Koreens courtesy of Yang!
November 3rd, 2008 at 10:03 pm
@yang: hala manoy kaluoy nimo manoy… sos tawn ohh nagpacute-cute tawn ang iro haha… sit!
@shel: hmmm ambot murag ka 20 na cguro ko balik2x ug padungog2x ni yang ana wala man ni kagat! ill borrow a line from guenevere ha “Gi imbitar ka? or You invited yourself?” Good Luck!
November 5th, 2008 at 3:27 am
lingaw au kog binasa jeff.. then everytime mu.visit ko sa inyong site.. mag.salivate jud ko.. then ending ani.. mu.try jud daun:) hihi
naa mo commission ani? murag managhan ila customers tungod ninyo:) hihi
November 5th, 2008 at 4:47 am
@haidee: chirate! thanks for visiting! what did you try sa Tempura lately? tell me sad nya if we had the same experience or unsa sad imo na try nga lami
sus chirate wala mi commission ani woi… as in charity works… pero hopefully manlibre cla namo ug dinner sunod inig makakita sa among dagway! hahaha…
March 19th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
I thought that you would have a bit more feedback posted but anyway, great blog.
April 2nd, 2009 at 12:00 pm
I really liked your blog! I have to say it is hard to come by blogs with great information like yours. It is definitely bookmark worthy! Thanks for putting it together. Peace!