It's pretty obvious that I really love Japanese cuisine. This is why we keep going back to Japan whenever we can to eat all the sushi, wagyu, and other Japanese items that we want. But what about the months when we are not traveling? Thankfully, we can always go to Sen-Ryo Philippines, one of our favorite Japanese restaurants in the city.
With outlets all over Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, this popular chain has made its way to Manila offering its premium line of sushi, sashimi, tempura, Japanese wagyu, unagi, and more. They opened their first Philippine branch at The Podium Mall and now have two other branches in Mitsubishi Mall and in Greenhills Mall.
Sen-Ryo started in 1968 when Mr. Fumio Sairo created revolving sushi in Japan. Sen-Ryo is a premium sushi restaurant that brings an elevated Japanese dining experience. This was brought to the country by the same owners of Genki Sushi, which is also part of the Sen-Ryo chain of restaurants in Japan.
Aside from the lower floor, you can find more seats on the mezzanine level which also comes with two private horigotatsu rooms, a traditional Japanese table that has a recessed floor beneath it, and one private dining room for special gatherings.
Our friends got together one Thursday afternoon for an enjoyable lunch at Sen-Ryo at The Podium. It had been a while since we met with our The KTG blogger friends, so this was a really nice venue to catch up with the girls.
Our host Gwen Jacinto prepared a special menu for us to sample some of the new and exciting dishes at Sen-Ryo Philippines.
First, we ordered some of their refreshing beverages. The Ginza Spritz (P320) is a light and bubbly cocktail with a combination of sake, gin, passionfruit syrup, and lime juice. You can also try one of their fruit shakes like the Ripe Mango Shake (P220).
The California Roll (P450) is always a staple at Japanese restaurants here. This big serving comes with kanikama, ripe mango, cucumber and shrimp roe.
Sen-Ryo has a new and very unique sushi that actually sizzles! The Sizzling Spicy Tuna Roll is a fiery twist on the traditional spicy tuna as it is served hot on a sizzling grill. We really enjoyed this dish since it is the first time we have seen sushi rolls served like this.
If you want something more premium and traditional, the Signature Sashimi Set (P2500) is what you should order. This platter comes with seven kinds of sashimi including otoro (fatty tuna), akami (lean tuna), Norwegian salmon, Norwegian salmon belly, hamachi (yellowtail), ama ebi (sweet northern shrimp), and hotate or juicy Hokkaido scallops.
These sashimi are flown straight from Japan so you can really taste their quality and freshness. You can judge how good these are just by the way they look. It's like buying them from the Tsukiji markets!
Sen-Ryo also offers other appetizers like the Popcorn Shrimp (P650), a popcorn style shrimp served with a special dressing. I loved devouring these bite-sized shrimp poppers and almost finished the entire bowl by myself.
The Snow Crab Tempura Nigiri is another new highlight dish at Sen-Ryo Philippines. The delicate snow crab meat is cooked and served sushi style.
Noodle lovers like me will really enjoy the Seafood Yakiudon (P750), a stir fried udon mixed with seafood ingredients.
One of our favorite items in Japan is the unagi, so we were happy to find this on Sen-Ryo's menu. The Grilled Unagi (P880) is a grilled river eel with a special sweet unagi sauce.
You can also have the unagi as a rice bowl. Sen-Ryo also offers several rice bowls for those who want a complete meal in one order. The Unagi and Wagyu Beef Bowl is my favorite among their rice bowls because it comes with delicious unagi and wagyu beef on top of steaming gohan rice.
Another option is the Premium Chirashi Don (P890) with its premium sashimi and sushi on top of Japanese rice. Then there's the ever reliable Pork Katsu Don (P400) with tender pork cutlets on top of rice. This one can be enjoyed by adults and kids alike.
Finally, for dessert we had the Matcha Mille Crepe (P340) and the Strawberry Mille Crepe (P340). Both are fluffy layered cakes that Japanese desserts are well known for.
We would like to thank Sen-Ryo Philippines for hosting our small get together at The Podium Mall and showing us their new exciting menu items. Whenever we are craving for premium Japanese cuisine, Sen-Ryo always has the answer for our big appetites.
Sen-Ryo Philippines
G/F The Podium Mall, 12 ADB Ave., Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City
Sen-Ryo Opens First Philippine Branch at The Podium
Japanese food lovers have another reason to celebrate as renowned international franchise Sen-Ryo recently opened its first branch in the Philippines at the Podium Mall. With outlets all over Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, this popular chain now makes its way to Manila offering its premium line of sushi, sashimi, tempura, Japansee wagyu, and more.
Sen-Ryo is a premium sushi restaurant that brings an elevated Japanese dining experience. You can find the new outlet at the ground floor of the newly renovated wing of the Podium Mall. This is brought to the country by the same owners of Genki Sushi, which is also part of the Sen-Ryo chain of restaurants in Japan.
Sen-Ryo Philippines made its soft opening last November 30, 2019. The restaurant is a more upscale version of Genki Sushi, which is popular for its conveyor belt sushi items. While the Philippine branch does not have the same conveyor belt set up, you can expect to find authentic Japanese fare combining the freshest ingredients, traditional techniques, and modern technology to deliver the culinary mastery that the brand is known for.
The restaurant can accommodate up to 120 guests and comes with elegant yet casual interiors, showcasing simple wood and metal designs that blend into a harmonious display. The owners chose wood shaped like waves to represent the flow of water. This would be a good place to bring a date, especially with its relaxed and lovely ambiance.
You can find more seats on the mezzanine level which also comes with two private horigotatsu rooms, a traditional Japanese table that has a recessed floor beneath it, and one private dining room for those special gatherings.
Sen-Ryo started in 1968 when Mr. Fumio Sairo created revolving sushi in Japan. He brought in elements of modern technology to complement the nobility of traditional sushi and popularized this culture with the rest of the world. Now, Filipinos can also enjoy their premium dishes which are all flown from Japan.
Let’s start with the Shiira Carpaccio (P380) which comes with raw mahi-mahi slices drizzled with a lemon dressing. Sen-Ryo offers mostly premium seafood items combined with some Japanese wagyu beef dishes. This is probably the best combination you can find.
The restaurant offers a wide variety of rolls including the Shogun Roll (P380) which is shaped like a Shogun helmet and topped with fried lotus and fried shrimp. There’s also the Snow Shrimp Roll (P580), a california roll upgraded with shrimp plus onions and mayo on top. Try the Premium Wagyu Beef Roll (P780) with its wagyu beef striploin topped on a red cabbage and asparagus roll.
The Signature Nigiri Set (P990) comes with a combination of seven of their best sushi items. These include seared salmon with cheese, salmon, botan shrimp, and unagi, akami, kinmedai, and nodo-guro all topped over pressed Japanese rice.
For sashimi lovers, there’s the Squid Noodle Sashimi (P580) which comes with premium squid sliced into thin stripes.
The Signature Sashimi Set (P2800) is the best sashimi plate you can order with its seven premium sashimi selections. These include otoro, akami, salmon, squid noodle, botan shrimp, and scallop.
The otoro (fatty tuna) and the akami (lean tuna) are some of the best sashimi available. These are flown in from the Toyosu Fish Market in Tokyo, which is where the Tsukiji market is now based.
The Sen-Ryo Omelette (P220) is a traditional Japanese folded egg omelette served Sen-Ryo style. It takes years for Japanese chefs to perfect making these simple omelettes and Sen-Ryo continues this tradition.
A highly recommended dish would be the Wagyu Beef Yakiudon (P580). These are stir-fried udon noodles mixed with delicious wagyu beef striploin. I would love to have these for lunch or dinner at home.
They also offer a selection of skewers including the Scallop Skewer (P680) which has grilled premium Hokkaido scallops with leeks. On the other hand, beef lovers would enjoy the Wagyu Beef Skewers (P780) with its grilled and smoky Japanese wagyu with leeks.
Other grilled items to try would be the Garlic Butter Salmon (P680) with its Norwegian salmon cooked in garlic butter sauce. There’s also the Garlic Butter Shiira (P480) which has grilled mahi-mahi instead.
For desserts, Sen-Ryo has some colorful options as well. The Ohagi Mochi (P250) is a Japanese rice cake filled with Japanese red bean paste in glutinous rice.
You must try the Mt. Fuji Jelly (P280) which is a fun and creative soda-flavored jelly with mixed berries and ice cream. You won’t find this type of soda jelly being offered anywhere else in the country.
Other desserts include the Apple Tempura (P250) with apple slices cooked in tempura batter and served with ice cream. The White Peach Jelly (P350) has Japanese peach compote served with Vanilla ice cream.
Sen-Ryo is another great addition for foodies craving for authentic Japanese cuisine. There’s really no need to go to Tsukiji anymore because you can find the freshest sushi and sashimi right here in the Philippines. Congratulations to Eric Teng and his team of Japanese chefs for bringing in this renowned franchise.
Sen-Ryo
Ground Level, The Podium Mall, ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City
