YUMI

I love Japanese food. If by some stroke of bad luck my husband and I would be stuck on an island and we were given a chance to choose what type of cuisine we want to eat every single day, we would definitely order Japanese grub.

That is why my husband and I were so excited for our dinner at YUMI last Saturday night. Usually I don't touch my weekend schedule because I strictly reserve it for my date night with the hub where we would always watch a movie after dinner. But the premise of savoring fresh sushi and our other usual favorites at this new restaurant in Greenhills was enough to make us forget the sanctity of our Saturday. Plus, we love our little KTG foodie family so I guess we could just move our Eric Jaz "us" time to a "later" schedule.... Tee hee!

Okay. Moving on to YUMI!

YUMI is located at the mezzanine level of the new Promenade in Greenhills. 

The calm before the storm....

This was empty now but after a few minutes hungry diners came rushing in and packing the place! 

Yup! There's your prima facie evidence right there. Ha ha ha ha ha!

YUMI interiors are sleek, sexy and mysterious. It is a perfect venue for a Japanese night out with friends or for that hush hush lovey dovey date!

But even if this may be a hub to relax with your friends, officemates, or honey bunny, I find that the food at YUMI is so good you should treat the most special person/people here for a taste of great Japanese delicious food.

And that special person of course is ME.

Okay I'm kidding. YUMI is a mucho recommended family restaurant for birthdays, Sunday meals, or even just for "whenever-you-feel-like-having-Japanese-days" with your home group!

I guess you could never go wrong with sushi chefs who are just too happy to start slicin' and dicin'!

YUMI means "beautiful" in Japanese and this new resto in the block opened its doors last December of 2013. And unlike the other popular restaurants which sprouted everywhere, YUMI does not just focus on one dish. They have A LOT to choose from that you'll get dizzy from the mouth watering selection!

According to Mr. Donny Elvina, part owner of YUMI, what sets them apart from other Japanese restaurants out there is that their food is extraordinary, meticulously prepared, but still very affordable.  

I believed Mr. Alvina on this because when the sushi was served, we were so impressed with the plating, attention to detail, and the taste! Then when I checked their menu, I cannot believe my eyes on the numbers since it matched other affordable Japanese restos. You would think you were eating at a 5 star restaurant! 

Time to order!

Wait a minute... Photobomber alert! Dear Yen Dreyfus (TUMMY TRAVELER) is pretty even if you could only see a fraction of her!

Start off your meal with YUMI's refreshing drinks! We got the very fruity calamansi juice (P88.00)... 

... and a very full bodied Iced Tea (P90.00) that is definitely NOT the instant kind.

Next time I'll get this towering YUMI Mt. Fuji (P150.00) just because it looked so glorious and awesome! Eugene (aka HEFTY FOODIE) said it was good and spiked just right.

We knew in an instant that our Japanese dinner is going to be a winner when our first sushi was a plate of YUMI Unagi and Foie Gras sushi (P350.00). They used a very fresh Japanese conger eel topped with oh so buttery foie gras. We cannot stop raving over this one!

Next up is a very colorful plate of YUMI Moriwasa (P275.00) made up of  kani maki, beef teriyaki roll, rainbow maki, and chirashi. 

We can't help but ogle at the colorful way the sushi was presented. Not only was every corner of this dish very delicious, but this IS your definite food porn on a plate!

We also tried the YUMI Seven Sea Moriwase (P320.00) which had an ebi tempura roll, uni and ebiko sushi, dynamite roll, and spider roll!

I owned that Uni sushi and I tell you, it was so silky going down when I swallowed it all in one gulp. Ooh lala!

Do you like Sashimi? Then join the club! Order YUMI's Club Sashimi (P650.00)!

This colorful raw plate of awesomeness will definitely get you on your sashimi high for the week! Indulge in fatty bites of Sake, Maguro, Saba, Ebi, Kani, Ebiko, and Tamago Sashimi.

You could add a spritz of lemon for that extra citrus flavor in your Sashimi bite!  

The YUMI dish which looked so enticing that it was almost attacked by THE MOMMIST  even before we got to take pictures -- the Hamachi Carpaccio. I'm sure you would feel the same if you were graced with each piece of velvety yellow fin tuna with a hint of saltiness that would ride your tongue!

Not to be outdone is this ingenious (yes for me it definitely is!) combination of Oysters and Smoked Salmon (P265.00).

The oysters were definitely fat and fresh as one bite became a burst of its sea insides in me mouth. If I wasn't too full that it is illegal already, I would've gotten the other piece as well!

My eyes were surely delighted at the sight of this playful take on Salmon with YUMI Sake Sushi Balls (P205.00). 

Fresh salmon encased the sweet sushi rice with bits of ginger into a fine round ball. You cannot stop at just one round (pun intended) but it is enough to fill you up, really!

One of my utmost favorites in Japanese restaurants is the Spicy Tuna Sashimi. There is something about the succulent raw fish made extra exciting with the hot sauce then doused with their special mayonnaise. 

YUMI's Spicy Tuna or Maguro Togarashi Sashimi (P275.00) was indeed a winner for me! This was EXTRA, EXTRA deeelicious! Eat bite was a perfect menage a trois of spicy, creamy, and fresh. Add to that the crunch of fried tempura and onion bits. Mmmmm.... I could imagine myself having this with their fried rice. My mouth is watering just by looking at this.... 

You could also get this in Salmon for the same price!

If you like Spicy Tuna Sashimi, you would definitely go for this one. It may almost look like a red bomb but it is a jampacked ball of Shredded Kani, Fish Roe, Spicy Tuna, Onions, and Fried Sushi rice. 

The YUMI Symphony (P380.00)! According to Mr. Elvina, their regular customers would always go back and order this spicy baby.

Don't let its size fool you... This is actually good for 2 to 3 people!

Another unforgettable YUMI dish for me was the Hiyashi Chuka Ramen (P275.00) which was cold soba noodles swimming in nutty sesame dressing. 

Give this a real good mix so that you would get a ginormous "chopstickfull" of everything. 

I think I was the one who wiped this bowl clean as I got 2 servings of it. Really a great find for me! I'll definitely order THIS when we eat here with my fambam!

What? You think we're done with all that food? That was just the appetizer dearie! Now onto the main entrees!

My husband loved Chicken so he immediately stretched himself to get the YUMI Tori Chisu Maki (P240.00) at the other side of the table.

He was pleasantly surprised that the very tender chicken had a savory cheese filling inside. Nummy nummy in his tummy!

Mr. Elvina was very proud of YUMI's Ushi Ebi Tempura (375.00) and strongly recommended us to try this Japanese restaurant staple. 

My husband definitely did not stop at munching just one of the YUMI tempuras. He kept on getting big, scary, bites of it while continuously letting out groans of happiness!

You see, my husband does not eat anything raw (cough loser!) so while we were all feasting on the Sashimi and Sushi early on, he was watching us with wolf-like hungriness. 

So you could just imagine that when this beautiful Tempura was served, he almost pounced on it and joyfully ate away. And yes, I won't blame him if he DOES "gluttonize" himself on these fried ones because each piece had big juicy prawns in light but crispy breading! You would really get a loud crunch when you bite into one!  

Another must try in YUMI's fried goodies is their Soft Shell Crab Tempura (P395.00)!

WOW! It had me at just one bite! Upon taking in a whole crunch of its gloriousness I was able to get the crunchy breading, soft crab meat, and A LOT of crabfat flavors. 

This one is a definitely winner! I wanted to shove the whole plate of it into my bag but sharing is caring. Plus, they have a CCTV camera there somewhere so I just stopped myself.

Now we all know we don't want to get caught swiping "foods" with THAT! He he he he!

If you fancy Chicken then don't forget to order YUMI's Chicken Teriyaki (P235.00)! You will definitely get bites of juicy and tender chicken with a perfect teriyaki glaze! My husband's Chinese eyes almost popped out after popping one of these crispy chunks into his mouth!

When you're at YUMI, THOU SHALT NOT forget to order their Teppan Grilled US Tenderloin with Foie Gras (P775.00)! The grilled flavorful meat just melted in my mouth and did not need a dip in the sauce. Believe me, you don't need to be a beef lover to enjoy this dish... It was just pure heaven and you'll surely be in cloud 9 after a bite!

Of course the extra highlight for me was the fried premium duck liver resting quietly on top. I thought at first it was a potato chip or some other garnish. But after a taste of its creamy and buttery goodness, I was hooked. I wanted to just open my mouth and let little cherubs line up to pop more slivers of these. To me, that would be HEAVEN! 

Me and my husband agree on our love for Japanese Fried Rice and we were able to taste one of the BEST in the Metro with YUMI! Their Angus Prime Chahan (P199.00) was LOADED with tasty meat and vegetables that it is already a complete meal. My dear Yub kept refilling his plate with this even if he would give a momentary groan of being full. Give it a taste and you'll be able to understand how our Chahan gluttony could be justified. It is THAT good and next time we won't be sharing just one bowl!

As if we weren't full to our brains already, but I was able to taste YUMI's recommended dessert -- their Green Tea Tempura Ice Cream (P165.00)! Now this is the only dish which I did not like in the restaurant only because I am not fond of Green Tea. 

But the others who got a taste of it gave the creamy dessert a thumbs up. So I guess it tasted alright for them. 

Time to eat!!

My first of many plates in YUMI!

Now THIS is one Japanese pig out session that I would never be guilty of! I may be 5 pounds or 10 heavier... but what the heck, it was all so good that IT WAS WORTH IT!

Of course, the night was made extra delicious with my favorite foodie fam in the whole Universe!

l-r Mr. Donny Elvina and his cutie son, Chuckie Dreyfus (ALL CHUCKED UP), Eugene Constantino (HEFTY FOODIE), dear Spanky Enriquez (THE DAILY SPANKS), Richard Co (TALES FROM THE TUMMY), his wife Irene (INDULGENCE BY IRENE), Len de Guzman (THE MOMMIST), MR. AND MRS. BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH, and Vlad Bunoan (ABS CBN).

Thank you so much to Mr. Donny Elvina for having ERICJAZ FOODIES!!!

Of course, super kaduper to the highest heavens thanks to dear Spanky for inviting us. Oh yeah we're sure you're rejoicing upon seeing us Mr. Cupid! Tee hee!

LET'S EAT!

YUMI JAPANESE RESTAURANT

Mezzanine Level, Promenade Greenhills

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