Sometimes you want a restaurant that’s simply straightforward, a place that serves food you always want to eat. Nanka in Mother Ignacia Avenue, Paligsahan, Quezon City is one of them. It brings a “feel good” factor with its great ambiance and seriously delicious food that fuses together Japanese and Latin American cuisines. We discovered Nanka from a recent Poptalk episode which made us instantly fall in love with its dishes.
In our case, it was truly love at first sight! My family and I tried their creative food for lunch last Saturday, and we were so delighted. If something new and exciting is what you’re looking for and “Japanese food with a twist” is what you’re craving for, consider adding Nanka Japanese Latin Restaurant to your go-to and must-visit restaurant list. 😉
Review of Nanka Japanese Latin Restaurant (Paligsahan, Quezon City)
Ambiance:
Nanka’s stylish interior design definitely makes up for the comfortable and posh ambiance. With large space, this restaurant can accommodate up to 150 people, making it an ideal venue to celebrate special occasions such as birthdays, weddings, etc. Anywhere in the dining room is a cozy spot to relax and dine, but I think the best part is in the middle in front of the “stage” area.
Food:
We started with Shrimp Inari (PhP 335) which basically is a plate of sunshine. It’s a very nice crowd-pleaser, a sweet bean bag-looking morsel with a pocket of sweet deep-fried marinated tofu, filled with sushi rice and topped with shrimp and ikura.
Another appetizer we tried was the Crispy Eggplant Salad (PhP 195), made with smokey roasted eggplant, Tozasu sauce, edamame, garlic chips, cilantro, and cherry tomatoes. Overall, it’s a great dish with interesting textures. The crispy eggplants soaked up the flavor of the spices like sponge. Vegetarians will love this salad served with a side of Japanese rice, while meatier folks might want to eat it with steak or pork chops for a hearty meal.
We also ordered Tofu (220), which looked simple at first glance, but do not let the look fool you. These pieces of tofu may look plain but they’re as moreish as they come. The sweet and savory crispy tofu delivered in spades in flavor, cooked with teriyaki sauce and aromatic spices such as grated ginger scallions and garlic chips.
Pollo a la Brasa (PhP 385) is one of the house specialties. Served with cilantro mayo and French fries, the charred Peruvian roast chicken was fragrant and well-marinated. It had slightly crispy, golden skin on the outside, while leaving the meat delicately tender and juicy. It deserves a two-thumbs-up rating, the type of food that you put in your mouth, and the clouds open up before your eyes and you see god.
Tossed with lots of shiitake, shimejii, and king oyster mushrooms sauteed in garlic, butter and soy sauce, the Shiitake Pasta (PhP 295) gave us joy. I’m not usually a big fan of pasta but this one is an exception. It was love at first bite! It’s a filling pasta dish packed with earthy and delicate flavors and a soul-satisfying warmth. The secret must all be in the mushrooms.
Price for Value:
Nanka works well for a variety of situations—a classy date, catching up with friends, celebrating a birthday, or when you just need to want food to excite your senses. This can be your next big group extravaganza spot. Tastes and quality of food definitely didn’t disappoint. Prices considering value are decent and won’t light your wallet on fire, especially if you’re sharing the bill with friends. Prepare setting back a little over P500 per person for a full meal.
About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco
Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.
I love the decor and ambience of this restaurant. The food looks really yummy too.
All of the food looks so good, I can’t decide which dish I would like to try first! The restaurant is so pretty and I love that it can accommodate up to 150 people!
This place looks so welcoming and the food appears to be delicious. I would definitely visit this restaurant.
wow, i love everything you chose. And it is beautifully designed restaurant to dine in!
Nice looking restaurant and the food looked yummy.
I sure wish I lived closer. Wow this food looks so good. We love Japanese food and we love Latin but the two combined…Mind blown! For real I think this place would be amazing.
What a gorgeous restaurant! I really like the decor.The food looks fabulous too. I wish I lived closer so I could try it.
The decor was so great and inviting. I love the idea to fuse these two cuisines and the dishes did look especially good
What a beautiful restaurant. The food looks delicious, especially the Shiitake Pasta. I have never had that before.
Japanese and Latino? You KNOW Babushka now has to try this. The decor is delightful and the food looks delicioso, no doubt you’ll be visiting them again soon.
That eggplant salad is totally something I would order! The whole look and vibe of that place is something I would really love to check out.
I was expecting some sushi and other Japanese yummies but all these looks delicious. I’ll keep this in mind when we visit.
I would never have thought to fuse Japanese and Latin, but it looks like the combo is sooo good! Place looks great and food looks delicious!
What an interesting combination! Everything looks really delicious. I would definitely head there sometime!
This restaurant looks like it would be so incredible. I love the way that it is laid out.
All of this food looks like it is so amazing. Looks like you had such a great time!
Oh man all of this food looks amazing! I just ate and now I’m hungry again, LOL!!
This restaurant looks so wonderful. And that food looks so delicious, my mouth is watering!