Kazunori - Niles

Oh, Kazunori the first meal I’ve had in a while where I actually felt grateful to be alive. It’s unassuming, in a place I don’t normally frequent, but you must expect great things when it’s from the same guys as Mendokoro Ramenba and Ramen Yushoken. And how truly great my first bite of their chawanmushi is akin to a revelation. I don’t think I’ve ever fully tasted the goodness of egg until that day. After much debate, contemplation over their lean menu, I tried the karai zaru soba, mostly because its Mendokoro counterpart is among my holy grail of noodle dishes. Absolutely no regrets the refreshing soba pairs stunningly with the spicy dipping sauce. Every bite, even more so when there’s a bit of the beef in it, transports you into a world far, far away from the clunky streets of Magallanes. You can add a bit of chili or temper it with some of the dashi served on the side but don’t. It is perfect the way it is. Instead, have your chili complement the umami creaminess of their crab croquettes. It makes for the kind of bite that makes you close your eyes.. surprisingly the star of the meal for me. Then wash it down with their matcha, which, similar to the experience of the chawanmushi, makes you question that you’ve known the true essence of green tea until that day. I don’t want to return anytime soon to Kazunori, if only to preserve that celestial experience. I’ll save it for the days where I need to find greatness, when you desperately need to be thankful again. It’s that good.

Had lunch with my wife at Kazunori. First impressions: the good- great bright and open spaces. Good selection of different seating spaces. The bad- table settings were a little stained and the overall modern design of the space was not coherent. More importantly, the food: we liked very much the soba noodles, the quality of the otoro, Buta kushi miso and the unagi. We thought, however, that the tempura batter was too thick. The staff was of average efficiency and customer-orientation. Overall, we enjoyed our meal and would rank this as one of the top Japanese restaurants in Manila and worth coming back to.

I’m very happy with this Japanese restaurant. They quality of their ingredients is top notch, and they have interesting items on their menu. My must order: buta kushi miso. The inari sushi is simple but surprisingly good too.

Few Japanese restaurants in Manila wow me nowadays, but Kazunori absolutely nailed it for me. Classic, authentic taste, and they offer dishes rarely offered in Manila that I've sorely missed while I lived in Japan (e.g. mentaiko pasta . A little pricy, but don't let the simple interiors disappoint you as they have a more upscale dining area further back into the restaurant. This is hands-down one of the best Japanese restaurants in Metro Manila for me :

Very good, fancy place, staff was attentive...a little too attentive hahaha jk, the price is reasonable. Everything I ordered was good, the cotton maki was a bit rough though, but that aside, everything was tasted good hahaha.