Izakaya Kikufuji Japanese Restaurant: Internship Days Flashback

Back in 2008, I decided to push back one summer subject to make room for internship. My course didn't require summer internships but I wanted to experience one anyway. 

It's been two years since I last saw my partner intern so we decided to have a mini reunion in Kikufuji Japanese Restaurant in Little Tokyo, Makati. I have never heard of this place before until I saw Mrs. Martinez's blog entry on the restaurant a few days before the reunion. I'm a big fan of Japanese food and Mrs. Martinez's blog entry made me even more excited about our reunion. 

LIttle Tokyo is an alley of authentic Japanese restaurants in Pasong Tamo, Makati. Kikufuji is located beside it. You can see this in the photo above, the red Little Tokyo arch is just a few inches away from Kikufuji. 

Japanese wines and the owner?

Kikufuji serves authentic Japanese food. They also have Japanese wines! If I'm not mistaken, I think the owner is also Japanese. I saw a Japanese looking guy sitting near the entrance and I assumed he was the owner. I could be wrong though. :P

Walking through the restaurant, I seriously felt I was in Japan. There were fish tanks, glass filled with raw fish, green tea, Japanese paintings and Japanese looking sushi chefs everywhere. It was amazing. We decided to maximize the atmosphere by choosing a low table in order to sit on the floor. 

We tucked our shoes under the foot step and proceeded to lovely wooden table.

Our lovely wooden chairs had seat cushions so they were surprisingly very comfortable. 

Our seats also gave us access to Japanese magazines and books but we didn't get a chance to breeze through one. We were too preoccupied with the menu handed to us the moment we were seated. 

Shake Sashimi or Salmon Sashimi (Php185)

Being a sashimi addict, Pao and I decided to share an order of Salmon Sashimi or Shake Sashimi. This was a good call since their sashimi tasted uniquely fresh. It made my taste buds do a quick victory dance. Their wasabi is not your typical powdered wasabi. It was soft, blended easily with the soy souce and it definitely added that extra omph to the freshness of the salmon. 

House Tea (free!)

We also requested for their House Tea. I think it was yellow tea? I'm not sure what it was but its warmth felt good in my tummy. 

Appetizer 1: Japanese salad

Appetizer 2: ?

I ordered purely raw food - Tuna and Sea Urchin Rice Bowl or Maguro Uni Don. Similar to my previous dinner in Kogi Bulgogi Korean Restaurant, my order has several appetizers. It came with 4 appetizers, 3 of which are similar to Pao's such as the Japanese Salad and the 2nd appetizer. I didn't get to try the 2nd one. The Japanese salad was just okay.

Appetizer 3: Miso Soup

The third appetizer was similar to all of us, Miso Soup. Alfie really praised their Miso soup since it really tasted so fresh and authentic, most especially its seaweed. It was thankfully unlike the usual powdered miso soup from Japanese fastfood restaurants. 

Appetizer 4: Breaded Chicken

I really liked my 4th appetizer since it was the only fried food among my raw food selection. Plus, its meat was tender and moist. Its breading wasn't too oily as well. Now on to my main order:

Maguro Uni Don (Php390)

Yes, after indulging in Salmon Sashimi, I decided to eat more raw food - raw tuna and raw sea urchin with rice. The highlight of this dish really was the sea urchin. I also loved the tuna and its freshness but the sea urchin was just bliss. It was yellow, creamy, richly flavorful, sweet and a bit salty. Its texture was a bit slimy similar to oysters - perfect. I loved every single piece of it. 


All that raw food made me so easily full. :)

Katsu Don (Php265)

Pao ordered the classic Katsu Don or breaded deep fried pork with rice. The word "katsudon" literally means "pork cutlet rice bowl." I wasn't able to taste it but Pao seemed to enjoy his meal. It also looks delectable on the photo. YUMMY! Similar to my dish, Pao's dish also came with 4 appetizers. I think his 4th appetizer included raw tuna cubes, rice and a bit of mayonnaise. 

Makunouchi Bento (Php420)

Alfie had the Mokunouchi Bento and I got so envious at the variety of food he had on his plate. It was definitely a smart choice since it allowed him to sample their different dishes. It had pickled garlic, picked vegetables, egg (tamago), tuna sashimi (maguro) and tempura. I'm not too sure what food is on the left of the egg but it looks like fish. I didn't get to taste his dish but he also seemed to like it. He really praised the pickled garlic. :)


Alfie wasn't a big fan of raw food so we had to force him to try the sea urchin (uni) on my dish. After much prodding, he finally took a small piece and asked not to be forced into it again. But he did say it was delicious. Hahaha. :))

We all had a great lunch in Kikufuji. We loved their casual setting and their authentic Japanese food. This definitely goes to my favorite restaurants list. The waitresses were also very attentive and helpful. They took this group photo for us! :) The place was perfect for our mini internship reunion. I missed you guys! Thanks for this lunch and I'm looking forward to another reunion 2 years from now. Mark your calendars! 


More info on Izakaya Kikufuji Japanese Restaurant:
2277 Pasong Tamo
Makati City, Metro Manila
(02) 893-7319
Open for Lunch & Dinner everyday

~It's the little sweet notes everyday that matter. :)~