Oishinbo - Makati

Oishinbou is an unassuming Japanese restaurant in Little Tokyo. Quite pricey, but food quantity is satisfactory. Their donburi lineup is okay; they could have been more generous on the meat serving. Their sashimi (as shown in the photo) is also satisfactory; I was expecting a sweeter, fresher salmon and tuna taste, though. Their tempura basket was a bit greasy. The overall Japanese vibe was okay; however, the food would need some leveling up to make it more authentic, if not at par with other Japanese restaurants.

We had a quick side trip to Little Tokyo after my class which is just a few minutes away from my school. We were initially planning to eat at Izakaya however, they were closed passed 1 pm. So we went inside the mini town for Japanese eats. almost all were closed, except for Oishinbo. Since we were hungry, we ended up trying it out. The place is almost worn out and its small. The ambience felt like an authentic Japanese eatery. We ordered Curry Katsu, Katsudon and California Maki. Everything had a decent and satisfying taste in it, nothing too special but i definitely enjoyed it. I appreciate that it didn't taste like your typical "trying-hard-Japanese-food" Prolly not gonna opt for this next time, everything was alright. Although, service was fast, servers were accommodating and attentive however were a bit clueless with the menu and the serving size is pretty decent. If you're around the area and looking for an affordable Jap food during lunch time. Try this out.

Had lunch here last Friday with two of my former team members. I'm loving the salmon sashimi. 6 pieces, very thick, very fresh, juicy and well presented atop a bowl of ice. Gujab, guys. Though its hefty price tag at P390 makes it a bit of an ouch on the pocket, I think it was more or less worth it. Not a bargain certainly. Ordered also their Yaki Soba lunch set, which comes with rice and two fat pieces of Gyoza, P330. Also a pretty solid, if unspectacular, choice. I also ordered one pork yakitori (otherwise known as their butabara), and I liked that too. Well seasoned with salt, big pieces. P80 a stick. It'll be cheaper at San Juan's Tori Tori, but this one's good. Also got to try their Unagi Rice. Solid stuff. Like the ones I ate in Tokyo last July. Service was good. Ambience was okay. Feels like those Japanese restos in Tokyo side streets, but less well maintained. A bit pricey but they have lunch bento sets for about P300 to P390. Not bad. Good quality. Seems to be the norm in Little Tokyo. I like the idea, it's right at home with the nooks and crannies in Tokyo, where locals would eat the drink their sake or beer right after. Malakas pa ads ng Asahi Super Dry dito. Haha.

Had lunch here last Friday with two of my former team members. I'm loving the salmon sashimi. 6 pieces, very thick, very fresh, juicy and well presented atop a bowl of ice. Gujab, guys. Though its hefty price tag at P390 makes it a bit of an ouch on the pocket, I think it was more or less worth it. Not a bargain certainly. Ordered also their Yaki Soba lunch set, which comes with rice and two fat pieces of Gyoza, P330. Also a pretty solid, if unspectacular, choice. I also ordered one pork yakitori (otherwise known as their butabara), and I liked that too. Well seasoned with salt, big pieces. P80 a stick. It'll be cheaper at San Juan's Tori Tori, but this one's good. Also got to try their Unagi Rice. Solid stuff. Like the ones I ate in Tokyo last July. Service was good. Ambience was okay. Feels like those Japanese restos in Tokyo side streets, but less well maintained. A bit pricey but they have lunch bento sets for about P300 to P390. Not bad. Good... read more

We were in the area of Little Tokyo and were craving for Japanese food and saw Oishinbo. We ordered the Ebi Tempura, which had large prawns, chahan, which was full of flavor and had a large serving, and a chicken teriyaki donburi which was good but the meat was a bit tough. The downside of the place is that it has very bad ventilation(the aircon was nit working well) and that the area was a bit crowded