Nanbantei of Tokyo

Thank you to my sister in law for suggesting this hidden gem in Greenbelt 3.  Nanbantei of Tokyo is a Japanese restaurant that specializes in Yakitori - grilled skewered bite size pieces of chicken, pork, beef, seafood and vegetables.

The Best Sellers Platter at P875 was the obvious choice for us.  We shared 21 sticks of assorted Yakitori which included Aspara Maki, Tebasaki, Pork Garlic Yaki, Shiso Maki, Negima, Corn and Poteto Maki.

The food was served as they were cooked.  The first plate that landed on our table had the Poteto Maki and the Aspara Maki.  The Poteto Maki were thick potato slices wrapped in bacon.  Some parts of the bacon were crisp.  I love fries and bacon but I loved the Aspara Maki even more.  Melt in your mouth pork covered the asparagus.  I actually forgot that I was eating vegetables.

Poteto Maki - potato wrapped with bacon
Aspara Maki - asparagus wrapped with pork

We asked them to shred the grilled corn on the cob which was sweet and had a few charred pieces.  

Corn - sweet corn on the cob

The Tebasaki was so so and chicken wings are my least favorite chicken parts.

Tebasaki - chicken wings

These round sausage like pieces were so flavorful that hubby asked for my piece of Shiso Maki.

Shiso Maki - pork with shiso leaf

The chicken of the Negima was so soft and juicy.

Negima - combination of chicken meat and leeks 

The Pork Garlic Yaki melted in my mouth and I ended up eating the fat as well.

Pork Garlic Yaki - pork with garlic flavor

Even though the Best Sellers Platter was not served with any sauce, all of them were seasoned well.

The P1,200 Seafood Platter which consisted of 3 sticks each of Shake Kushi Yaki, Ika Maki, Shishamo, Ebi Kushi Yaki and Unagi had hits and misses.

The star of this dish was the Unagi which tasted like fish meat and it was super good.  The Ika Maki had an odd taste thus being my least favorite item for the night and the last thing that was wiped out.  The Shishamo had a crunch to it but the inside was squishy.  I couldn't eat the whole thing unlike my husband who even went for seconds.  The Ebi Kushi Yaki were sweet.  The downside was that I used my hands to peel them and they tingled and itched after a few pieces.  I had to run to the bathroom and wash them.

Unagi - eel
Ika Maki - cuttlefish with shiso leaf
Shishamo - capelin fish with roe
Ebi Kushi Yaki - skewered shrimps

The Shake Kushi Yaki were pretty good too and went well with the teriyaki sauce.

Shake Kushi Yaki - grilled salmon balls with teriyaki sauce

We also ordered Yaki Meshi and Yaki Onigiri to go with our grilled goodies.  I was disappointed with the Yaki Meshi.  I had to mix in some soy sauce to make up for its lack of seasoning.  

Yaki Meshi - japanese fried rice P100

I was amazed by how the Yaki Onigiri was able to maintain its form.  You can pick it up with your hands and bite it like a burger.  I wasn't able to try this but they said it was good.

Yaki Onigiri - grilled riceballs P160/2pcs

I can't remember how the California Maki tasted.  I must have been really hungry and just gobbled it down while waiting for the platters.  My spice loving family said that the wasabi lacked that extra kick.

California Maki P180

While waiting we were also served with complimentary vegetable sticks with their secret sauce.  The vegetables were crisp and fresh.  My sister in law pointed out that the sauce reminded her of bagoong.  The brown pasty sauce was tasty but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was made of.

Overall, this Nanbantei Yakitori experience was very much worth braving the Saturday night traffic to Makati.  I shall include this in my list of restaurants to revisit.  

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Nanbantei of Tokyo

3rd Floor Greenbelt 3

Esperanza St.

Ayala Center

Makati City

menu displayed outside Nanbantei of Tokyo