Nanbantei of Tokyo: Yakitoriya in Manila

Second to United States of America, Japan is my dream destination. Shopping, sightseeing, culture and food are the things I would love to experience. I'd like to explore yakitoriya in Japan, drink Sake and try their ramen.

Nanbantei in the afternoon

Scene in the evening

While waiting for that to happen, let me share my journey to one of yakitoriya here in Manila. Yakitori is a bit-sized roast meat and vegetables on skewers served hot off the grill. Recently, we were invited to one of the popular yakitoriya in Manila, Nanbantei of Tokyo located in Bonifacio Global City, High Street Central.

complimentary appetizer

Started few weeks ago, Nanbantei of Tokyo offers you the chance to savor various yakitori at a reasonable price. For Php888, you and your family can savor succulent yakitori choose in three (3) Samurai sets that includes generous servings of: three (3) orders of Miso soup and Gohan (cooked rice).

Shitake Mushroom Salad with sesame dressing

We started with complimentary appetizer that comes with tasty soya dip. It actually looks like shrimp paste (bagoong). Their sauce is made of soya mix with herbs.

Shitake Mushroom Salad arrived on a bed of fresh lettuce, robust-flavored Shiitake mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, carrots and radish topped with onion leeks. The sesame dressing  has been a familiar flavor, simple yet so appealing to the mouth.

I had a refreshing mango strawberry smoothie, they say it's one of the most requested in Nanbantei. I like how blended it was I just find the mango overpowering and it was too sweet for me.

My Favorite Yakitori at Nanbantei

The stars of the evening came one by one hot off the grill. Served in small plates with two sticks of yokitori that can be shared. Each skewers has three and four pieces or meat or vegetables. I suggest ordering variety since each plate can be shared.

Leba Maki

Leba Maki, chicken liver wrapped with bacon. The chicken liver has distinctive flavor. It melts in my mouth. 

Shrimps with Bacon

Delectable Shrimps with Bacon was another favorite. 

Deserving a special mention is the garlic-infused Gyutan (ox tongue).  I wasn't expecting it to be so soft, juicy and tasty. I'm not a fan of ox tongue but it was fantastic and I would definitely ask for it on our next visit.

Buta Negi are skewers of onion leeks wrapped with succulent pork sliced.

There's a lot yakitori dishes here in Nanbantei. There's Poteto Maki and Aspa Maki (short for asparagus). For me, Gyutan and Leba Maki are the highlights for me at Nanbantei of Tokyo. Simple, straightforward, tasty and juicy.

• Samurai Set A  - has three orders each of Tebasaki, Poteto Maki, Negima, Aspara Maki, Pork Yakiniku and Ebi Tempura.
• Samurai Set B  - includes three orders each of Leba Maki, Beef Garlic Yaki, Pork Garlic Yaki, Beef Yakiniku, Shake Kushi Yaki and Kani Salad
• Samurai Set C  - comprised of three orders each of Bonjiri, Tebasaki, Sakana Maki, Tsukune, Shiso Maki and Tori Karaage.

Apart from a wide variety of skewers, Nanbantei has an extensive menu offering special items from Yaki Udon, Tori Karaage, Ebi Tempura, Sashimi, Sushi, soup and salad to desserts. Overall, their Yakitori dishes were all fantastic even without sauce, they were tasty and mouth-watering. I like it the way it was served, I can eat it as it is without a sauce. I will come back to try Yakijake (salmon belly with onion leeks), Namajake sumi yaki (grilled salmon w/rolled bacon) and the Yaki Udon.

Skewers are best consumed along with alcoholic beverages so may I present to you the latest cocktail drinks of Nanbantei!

Hibiscus Mojito, a combination of mojito mint, Bacardi White, hibiscus syrup, mint leaves, fresh lime juice, lime wedge garnich and topped with soda water.

Malibu Midori is fruity and citrus, a blend of Midori Melon Liqueur, Malibu Rum, Bacardi White, sweet and sour mix an pineapple juice. Japanese Mojito has Ichiko Sochu, fresh calamansi juice, simple syrup and soda water. Instead of mint, Nanbantei uses ooba leaves. Gin Basil, a fizzy cocktail has Tanqueray Gin, sweet and sour mix, fresh basil, simple syrup and Sprite.

My favorite was the flavors of Fresh Rita made with Cuervo 1800, Agave syrup, fresh lime juice and sweet and sour mix, topped with a lemon wedge garnish.

Green Tea and Avocado Ice Creams

It was a great evening, we ended with a nice and smooth Green Tea and Avocado Ice Cream. What's your favorite Yakitori dish in Nanbantei?

Nanbantei of Tokyo
Greenbelt 3
Bonifacio High Street Central

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