Sand Under My Feet: Going Japanese at Big Jap Makati

Of all the international cuisines that I love, Mediterranean and Japanese are on top of my list. I have tried Filipinized and authentic versions of both and I still dig them, No problem. So whenever someone invites me to eat out and we're eating Japanese or Mediterranean, it will be a miracle if my response is that "I'm not going".

I love everything Japanese food, name it and I'll probably eat it. Though my favorites would be the katsus, tempuras, shashimis and sushis. So what would someone who loves them would feel if she's/he's brought to a place where she/he can eat unlimited tempura and tonkatsu? That would be like heaven right? Right!!!

So there's this new Japanese restaurant in Makati named Big Jap that offers unlimited tempura and katsu at a very affordable price! Rejoice co-Japanese food lovers! I have discovered (well, somehow, ok, I was invited to try this new resto out... lol!) our happy place.

For PHP 448, eat all the tempura, katsudon, rice and desserts that you can stuff in your mouth. And if you want to drink beer with that add PHP 148 and chug down all the beer that you want. (I still suggest you guys eat and drink in moderation though *peace*)

The shrimp tempura was pretty nice and not greasy; love the tempura sauce that goes with it. The tonkatsu was quite thin but huge and came with 2 dips: wasabi mayo and teriyaki sauce. The rice was ok, I didn’t eat much of that though because I was too engrossed on the tempura. And the desserts, oh, we will get to that later!

Big Jap also offers other Japanese dishes like the following:

Chicken Teriyaki (pan grilled chicken breast fillets)

Sukiyakidon (beef with veggies, tofu and noodles)

Gyudon (beef with Shiitake mushrooms and egg)

Butanikudon (pork with onion)

Oyakudon (chicken, onion leeks and egg)

Shoyu Ramen

I love all the rice toppings, they're my go to dishes whenever I want to eat a filling Japanese meal. My favorite among what we got to try was the Sukiyakidon. I was never into Sukiyaki before, but it's now one of my faves. It makes me crave just thinking and writing about it now. I love the just right sweetness of Big Jap's of the Sukiyaki. Everything else was good and the meats were all tender. The Shoyu Ramen was ok, to be honest, I'm not a big fan of ramen, so this was just ok for me. I like the consistency of the noodles though, they were a bit firm and chewy.

Big Jap also offers the Team Sumo Meal which is good for 4 person (well, depends on the appetite of that 4 pax). You can mix-match the sumo platter by choosing 1 dish each for pork, chicken and seafood. The Team Sumo Meal already comes with Yakisoba, Nikuyasai Itame, Gohan and red iced tea.

As for the drinks, I only got to try the Green tea and the Lychee shake:

Now... let'stalk about desserts. Sweets are my weakness so bare with me when I get O.A. when I talk about them. Big Jap offers desserts included in their Eat-All-You-Can Tempura/Tonkatsu. Oh yes! You read that right! So go ahead and make a glutton out of yourself! You can order them ala carte too, btw.

Buco Supreme - It's not Japanese at all, but what the heck, it's heaven in a glass! Believe me when I tell you that you need to order this one if you happen to find yourself at Big Jap. It's made of shredded young coconut with a sweet coconut cream milk with a crust that's so good I-had-an-amnesia-and-forgot-to-ask-what-it-is-made-of. Definitely my favorite!

Coffee Jelly with Ice Cream - this is your usual coffee jelly but with an added twist. Instead of using whipped cream, they used vanilla ice cream as a topping which made it more enjoyable. Another must-try!

Banana Surprise - yes, it's your childhood fave late afternoon snack "maruya" on steroids! It's topped with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle and not greasy at all. You'll never look at your banana fritter the same way like before.

Big Jap also has a karaoke room that can be rented, if you want to extend your night after pigging out on Japanese food. Rates include use of room, karaoke machine and food. Outside of the karaoke room is a function hall and billiard table that are also for rent. Thus, you and your friends/family/relatives don't need to go to another place to cap off a fun night.

I can honestly say that dining at Big Jap is worth your buck. Servings are big enough, the unlimited tempura, tonkatsu and desserts set is a winner and the taste of the dishes is incredibly good too. So even if I hate going to Makati because of the heavy traffic, I know for sure my feet will find it's way back to Big Jap.