Craving an authentic Japanese dining experience while you still plan for your next Japan trip? We've got the spot for you to try. Hotel Okura Manila, the stunning Japanese hotel in Pasay in front of NAIA 3 just launched an authentic robatayaki lunch and dinner offering which is a must-not-miss!

Situated at Yawaragi, the hotel's main dining facility on the 5th floor, the robatayaki is a beautiful spot to enjoy the freshest ingredients grilled in authentic Japanese style. 'Robatayaki', or fireside cooking, is a style of grilling where chefs position themselves at the back of the hearth, grilling seasonal vegetables, meat, and seafood over a fire.

Hotel Okura Yawaragi

Hotel Okura's robatayaki at Yawaragi

The cooking tradition of robatayaki originated from Hokkaido fishermen who used this method as a way to have hot food while out at sea for a few days. Unable to start a fire on their wooden boats, they would bring a box of pre-lit charcoal burning for the duration of the trip. Robatayaki chefs continue to serve food on oars to pass the food around as a nod to this history.

Led by Chef Ryuji Tsuchida, the hotel's robatayaki chefs pay careful attention to detail as they prepare and bring out the flavors of seasonal ingredients. Japanese Wagyu beef, Japanese sweet potatoes (our fave!), ginkgo nuts, and kinki fish are just a few of the delicacies you will find.

At Yawaragi's robatayaki, an array of fresh seasonal produce is spread before you: surf clams from Hokkaido, salted mackerel from Nagasaki, king oyster mushrooms from Nagano, Japanese sweet potato from Ibaraki, ginkgo nuts from Aichi, and more. The chef slow cooks your in-season meal over a special grill to bring out each ingredient's natural flavors.

Chef Ryuji Tsuchida

Is your mouth watering yet? You can even enjoy the kinki fish (channel rockfish) all year round at Yawaragi. Found mainly in the deep, cold waters of Hokkaido, the kinki fish or channel rockfish is fatty and juicy with hints of sweetness. They are caught by specially trained fishermen using sustainable long-line fishing; this way, they can preserve the scales, clear eyes, and have sweeter meat.

Grilled kinki fish

Yawaragi robatayaki is open from Wednesdays to Sundays for lunch and dinner (first seating: 5:30 pm; second seating: 8 pm). For inquiries and reservations, call +63 917 842 9067, e-mail yawaragi.service@hotelokuramanila.com, or book online: https://bit.ly/BookATable-Yawaragi

To view the full menu, click here.

Hotel Okura is located at Newport World Resorts, 2 Portwood Street (formerly, E Palm Dr, Pasay, 1309 Metro Manila (facing NAIA 3)