Yakiniku experience at Urameshi-ya!

Jake and I are avid fans of the authentic Japanese restaurants in Little Tokyo. Kikufuji is a particular favorite for the crunchy tuna rolls and Seryna has the best beef teppanyaki around. Thing is, we always eat there at lunch time and have always missed the opening hours of Urameshi-ya.

We finally got to eat there last February for a pre-Valentine's dinner. I've always wanted to try the "real" yakiniku experience where you can grill your food with proper charcoal and none of that smokeless grill crap. I liked the dark and dingy ambiance where you get to take off your shoes and sit in your private nook surrounded by sake bottles, appliances, and Japanese manga.

Since we're not meat connoisseurs, we chose to get the Tarafuku set (Php 2100) which has five kinds of meat with rice, soup, and salad.

It was quite overwhelming when they served all the meat at once. I was still in the process of enjoying my cabbage vinaigrette salad. The waitress was kind enough to demonstrate how to properly grill the meat and how to tell if it's already cooked.

Jake and I took turns at grilling. The meat was fresh and well-marinated. We particularly liked the bacon-ish buta bara meat. I grilled it to crispy perfection.

I panicked when we tried to grill the harumon or intestines. Due to the fatty content, the flame went up and when you're sitting in an enclosed space it can get scary (well, for me). Being the perpetually clueless cook that I am, I called the waitress and she proceeded to put some ice on the grill and offered to grill the rest of the harumon outside. 

On the table: these are the tansio and karubi meat. Tansio is beef tongue marinated in onion, soy sauce, lemon juice, and salt. It was moist and juicy. On the other hand, karubi is short ribs usually served without the bones.

The meat on the white place is the dreaded harumon or offal. We hated it. Techincally, harumon comprises of the parts of the intestines that would be usually thrown out. We did not like the taste nor the texture.

The Rosu on the left side had excellent thinly sliced rib-eye cuts. Our favorite was the buta bara or pork belly. The perks of grilling over charcoal is that you get an amazing smoky flavor which brings out all the meaty goodness.

Overall, we enjoyed our yakiniku experience. It was fun and made us realize that we need to learn how to cook properly. I personally did not feel that full after the meal, as I usually get when I have to prepare or dissect my own food (when shelling crabs or shrimps). The Php 2100 set price was reasonable for quality meat but I'd rather splurge that much on Kikufuji or Seryna.

Urameshi-ya Yakiniku Restaurant
Little Tokyo
Pasong Tamo (beside Makati Cinema Square)
+6328132210 (call for reservations)