Dohtonbori, SM City North Edsa: Oishii!

Intrigued by the number of people we always see when we pass by Dohtonbori while in search for a new place to eat, we finally agreed to try their authentic Japanese dishes even though we had to wait to be seated. And would you guess how their food fared? I encourage you to read until the end to find out.

Sukiyaki

Their sukiyaki was unlike the typical bowl commonly served in other Japanese restaurants with much stew and noodles. There were no noodles and very little stew! It was just enough to cook all the ingredients found in the ceramic bowl placed on a griddle. A whole egg was then added before it was served. The presentation was unique and it captured my interest!

Yakiniku: pork & kimchi (above)

 and pork (below)

Cooked Pork & Kimchi Yakiniku

Cooked Yakiniku

"Yakiniku" is a Japanese term for grilled meat. Each platter of thinly sliced meat is 200 grams. 

The pork yakiniku was quite salty. If you plan to order this, you can suggest to use lesser sauce and butter. The taste though was neutralized if you eat rice with it.


The pork and kimchi yakiniku tasted better. The flavor was just right for our taste buds. My nephew O had so much fun with their condiments. He added kewpie (Japanese mayo) and chili flakes to the meat. It was wonderful! We also ordered their rice set that comes with miso soup. Next time, we all agreed to try their onigiri.

Mixed okonomiyaki

while being cooked on the griddle...

The final product!

Their mixed okonomiyaki  (or Japanese pancake) was the very reason we dined here. We were curious to find out its taste and we were certainly delighted to witness how it was cooked.

The ingredients were flour, cabbage, octopus, squid, pork, tempura bits, egg, red pickled ginger, spring onion topped with Japanese mayo. Before serving it to us, barbecue sauce was brushed on top, drizzled with Japanese mayo, and sprinkled with fish powder and Nori (seaweed) bits. Eating it right from the griddle was amazing, bursting with so much flavor!

Verdict:

1. If you are famished and impatient, then this is not the place for you. The food enlisted above were cooked right in front of us on a griddle incorporated in every table. A staff will personally assist you and explain the process.

2. Wait time for the food to be cooked may be long but you're sure of the freshest ingredients. Similarly, the excitement of seeing how the food was prepared and cooked while you salivate and hear your tummy growl was something!

3. The staff were extremely polite, a distinct Japanese trait which makes the experience of dining at Dohtonbori also memorable and remarkable.

So, have you guessed if we were pleased with the food and satisfied with the overall experience despite the wait? Yes, but perhaps we'll exclude pork yakiniku from our favorites . And we will surely go back to try their other house specialties and bestsellers soon!

Dohtonbori SM City
Address: Upper Ground Floor, Main Building
Phone numbers: 372457, 3724579