Kimpura Japanese Restaurant Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary
Kimpura Japanese Restaurant celebrated its Golden Anniversary last month with its loyal customers back in full force as the well-loved restaurant re-opened its doors for dine-in services last August. The restaurant industry has been one of the most badly-affected sectors during this global pandemic, with numerous stores and outlets closing left and right. It truly takes a strong restaurant to thrive in this cutthroat industry for more than fifty years, and Kimpura has really come back strong, offering its teppanyaki specialties that old and newer generations of diners know and love.
I visited the Greenhills branch of Kimpura a few weeks ago during their anniversary month. This was the first time for me to dine at this relatively new branch at the ground floor of O Square 2 in Greenhills. They had to move from their previous location near the old Unimart building in 2018 just a few blocks away, but reopened a year later at this newer and brighter area.
Safety and health protocols are strictly enforced at the entrance, with temperatures being checked and contract tracing measures properly taken. Disinfectants and alcohol are also easily available. Kimpura makes sure that all their guests have a safe dining experience whenever they visit any of their branches.
Kimpura is a name coined from combining the Japanese words for gold – “KIM” and tempura. Taken together, it translates to “golden tempura” which also means that I will be having a delicious time here. The story of Kimpura goes as far back as October 10, 1970 when it first opened at the Makati Commercial Center which is now known as the Ayala Center.
From its intricately designed entrance to its lavishly styled interiors, Kimpura welcomes Japanese food lovers to an exquisite dining experience. Each teppanyaki table comes with its own cooking station where Kimpura’s expert chefs will prepare your teppanyaki orders for you. For fifty years, Kimpura has been a part of many family celebrations, even before the popularity of five-star hotel restaurants and buffets. That is why it also brings a bit of Nostalgia to its loyal fans who keep coming back to relive their fond and memorable experiences here.
Kimpura also has several private dining rooms and this is where my friends and I gathered for a socially-distant lunch get-together. Each teppanyaki table seats only three to four guests. It has been a long time since I met some of my friends so this is a way to keep in touch while still adhering to health and safety standards.
We started with the Kani Mango Salad with its fresh garden greens, mango cubes, tomato, and crabsticks combined with piquant dressing. Miso soup was also served on our tables.
The Aburi Salmon Maki (P395) was a refreshing sight. Its mat-rolled sushi rice is elegantly combined with tobiko, crabstick, tempura crunch, and Japanese mayonnaise, topped with lightly broiled slices of fresh salmon and dressed with orange mayonnaise sauce.
I do love unagi so the Unagi California Maki (P495) was my preferred appetizer. This special sushi comes with crabstick roe and mango topped with luscious unagi eel. All sushi and sashimi were actually 50% off during that week as part of Kimpura’s month-long 50th Anniversary promotion.
It has been so long since I had a truly fresh and authentic Salmon Sashimi (P550) so I was really happy to have it here at Kimpura. Other restaurant deliveries don’t really offer the best quality so I am happy to be dining in a real Japanese restaurant. Our plate came with some California Maki (P225) as well. This was already portioned with my other friends so this is not the whole serving.
Now comes their “golden tempura” which I am so excited to eat. The Ebi Tempura (P620) has perfectly fried fresh shrimps served with a special tempura sauce. It has eight big pieces so it’s good for the entire table.
Next is another seafood specialty, the Gindara Teriyaki (P975). This premium imported codfish is seasoned with sweet wine sauce. The gindara may be a bit pricey, but its delicately soft meat is what really makes is special.
Now let’s start the teppanyaki grill! Our master chef came in with all his ingredients and is ready to fire up the table.
First on the agenda is the Yakimeshi or Mixed Fried Rice (P115). This is a Japanese style fried rice with chopped vegetables, egg, and seasoning. It is prepared and served right off the grill so you get it fresh and hot.
Now for the main event, the gorgeous US Angus Ribeye Steak (P1100). This premium Black Angus beef is grilled with a special teppanyaki sauce. All steaks are served with Japanese pickles, tossed green salad, steamed rice, soup, and dessert.
The chef carefully slices the premium Angus beef and grills it to perfection together with sauces and seasonings. It only takes a few minutes and you can really smell the wonderful aromas while he is preparing the steak. He also cooked the fatty portions separately and turned them into juicy well-done nuggets of deliciousness which I also devoured.
We also had Prawns Teppanyaki (P595) to accompany our surf and turf specialty. These sea-fresh shelled prawns are flavored with Japanese wine and also freshly-cooked on their misono tables.
To cap off our teppanyaki lunch, we finished with some Gelatin ala Mode Special (P110) and Matcha Ice Cream (P85) for dessert. Kimpura will always be a cherished destination for the thousands of loyal guests who continue to make it their special place. It has already proven that not even a global pandemic can stop it from welcoming diners who will continue making new loving memories in the next 50 years.
Fambam Japanese Dinner after the Art Fair 2018! Congrats to Luis Lorenzana for a Sold-Out Exhibit! #Lorenzana #paintings #artfair2018 #kimpura Follow Me Everywhere: https://www.instagram.com/martinstant14/ (at Kimpura)
Also #mommyduck was playing backseat cameraperson as I tried to get a perfect shot of this #tempura 😂😂😂Look it's hard to concentrate when confronted with #deliciousness #kimpura
