Review of Yanagi Japanese Restaurant (Midas Hotel, Pasay)

Months ago, I bought three coupons through MetroDeal that got us dining into this cosmopolitan Japanese restaurant inside Midas Hotel at the heart of Pasay along Roxas Boulevard. Mom, my sister and I met at SM Mall of Asia, then we took one quick jeep ride and arrived on time at 8PM. Mom was actually the one who saw the online deal. Very fond of buffets and Japanese food, she wanted us to try Yanagi Japanese Restaurant to satisfy all her extraordinary cravings in one swoop. Had the buffet hunter in her found a good catch? Let’s find out in this review.

Pictures of the interiors of the newly renovated Midas Hotel:

Review of Yanagi Japanese Restaurant (Midas Hotel, Pasay)

Ambiance: ★★★☆☆

Located at the Mezzanine floor of the hotel, Yanagi has a conservative vibe with its dim lights, soothing wall colors and ornaments, organized plate set designs, etc. One thing that turned me off though was the loudness of the volume and bass of the live bands’ performing onstage in the lower ground. Moreover, it was as if we were in a speaking contest as everybody could hear everybody’s rambled words. Hence, I got a furrowed brow and had to repeat what I said with a louder voice for the sake of my sister and mom’s reduced hearing capacity. The place was confined with many people (both waiters and customers) walking around.

Service: ★★★★★

We got most of the food on our own from the buffet table, but we had to order tempura, tea and miso soup from the waiters and the waitresses. Their responses were fast in action. Everything was just orderly. Enough said.

Food: ★★★☆☆

It was not gourmet heaven and there was also not a lot of choices. We were LIMITED to the following: kurage (jellyfish) salad, sushi, prawn tempura, potato and sweet potato tempura, miso soup, beef sukiyaki, wakame tofu and assorted fruits for desserts. Simply, they were common Japanese food with common taste. Still, Mom’s love for Japanese food hasn’t left her off.

Price for Value: ★★★☆☆

We were drowned in fullness as we stayed there for two hours. I paid PHp 399 per person instead of the normal price, PHp 999. The experience can fairly be worth the price, considering that we were dining in a five-star hotel-restaurant, but the food certainly couldn’t convince me any further to come back for a second round.

About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco

Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.