The restaurant scene in the Philippines often reflects how Filipinos have developed a palate that has an international flair. Establishments that serve different cuisines continue to pop up in different locations across the country, and Filipino foodies are mostly enthusiastic to taste another culture’s dish, one plate at a time.
One of the restaurant chains that has recently tapped the culinary wanderlust of the Philippines is the Japanese brand Yomenya Goemon. Translated as “Western Noodle Restaurant,” Yomenya Goemon entices diners with a playful take on spaghetti dishes: noodles that have Japanese and Western elements.
“The Western/Italian elements found in our dishes include pasta cooked al dente and familiar dishes like Carbonara, Pomodoro, and Bolognese Spaghetti,” says Rachel Fallarme, director for operations at Yomenya Goemon. “Meanwhile, the Japanese element comes in the fact that we made our pastas tastier and flavorful through seasonings like nori, dried seaweed, mentaiko, among others.”
Browsing through the menu, one will see mostly various renditions of spaghetti dishes, which take diners on a gastronomic journey from east to west.
One of the suggested dishes includes the Shabu-Shabu Boiled Pork with Japanese vegetables. Sprinkled with enoki mushrooms, it has tender boiled pork strips that come with a sweet and light sauce made of soy and sesame.
For seafood lovers, there is the Squid Ink Pasta, Mentaiko, and Pescatora Seafood with Tomato Sauce.
The Squid Ink Pasta has a take on “black magic,” featuring blackened noodles with firm squid rings. There’s a transition phase when eating this dish, as the squid’s flavor comes as an aftertaste a few moments after chewing the pasta.
Meanwhile, the Mentaiko is light and has firm shrimps. The Pescatora Seafood with Tomato Sauce has a light yet rich sauce complemented with mixed seafood and firm noodles.
Of course, no pasta meal is complete without pizza. Some recommendations are the Mixed Pizza and the Smoked Chicken Pizza. The Mixed Pizza has a soft crust, topped by sausages, bacon, shrimp, and mushrooms. The Smoked Chicken Pizza is cheesy with corn kernels and thin slices of chicken.
Capping off the dining experience are the desserts. There’s the Japanese Souffle Cheesecake with Strawberry Ice Cream, a fluffy pastry with a cold twist and the Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ice Cream, a flour cake that is bittersweet with ice cream and powdered sugar on top, with some whipped cream and strawberry slices.
At Yomenya Goemon, 90 percent of the menu is comprised of items served in all the countries where the restaurant is located. The remaining 10 percent is allotted for local flavors.
“The menu is special as Yomenya Goemon is able to seamlessly integrate Japanese and Western ingredients in a harmony of flavors that is recognizably Western but distinctly Japanese,” says Richmond S. Yang, managing director of Yomenya Goemon in the Philippines and one of the local franchise owners.
“The result is a perfect fusion of East and West, with Japanese Spaghetti Noodles meant to be eaten and enjoyed the traditional Japanese way, which is slurping them with chopsticks.”
Yomenya Goemon is located at the 2nd level of Greenbelt 3 in Makati City. For reservations, call 729-0586. Additional information may be seen in the restaurant’s Twitter and Facebook pages.