Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Love at First Bite: Ooma Japanese Rice Bar

Bruce Ricketts is on a roll. (Not the edible Japanese kind of roll.) After the successful Sensei Sushi and the well-loved Mecha Uma, he opened another restaurant called Ooma. Since I haven’t tried the first two (with first being too far and second having a steep price tag), I just have to try the pocket-friendly Ooma… ASAP.

Hello, Ooma!
The place wasn’t as packed as I thought on weekdays. Half of the restaurant was for those who made reservations and the other half was for walk-in diners.
My mom and sister went there early and got us a table and they ordered the following: Salmon Tartare Aburi Maki (PHP295) and O-Gyoza (PHP235). When I arrived, I added Scallop and Tuna Aburi Maki (PHP295), Uni Sashimi (PHP195), Tuna Tataki (PHP195), Soft Shell Crab Taco-Maki (PHP199) and Half Baked Chocolate Lava Cake (PHP185).
The O-Gyoza was meaty, juicy and delightfully cheesy thanks to the grated mozzarella and cheddar cheese
The togarashi and unagi sauce made it even more delicious. It was also served on a metal strainer which dripped out the excess oil.
The Salmon Tartare Aburi Maki was L-O-V-E. The combination of soft and fresh salmon and scallops with the cucumber, uni and shiso leaves was heavenly. There were different textures in every bite.
I also liked the Tuna Tataki. For its price, serving was generous. The sesame crust added texture to the soft tuna slices. The pickled mushrooms, fried shallots and pickled red radish and ginger garlic sauce added flavor.
The   Uni Sashimi was amazing too. It was indeed fresh and it had that slight sweet taste.  I loved it with the ponzu sauce and the white truffle oil. I ate the last bite with the shiso leaf base.
The Soft Shell Crab Taco-Maki was definitely worth the price. The crispy soft shell crab with the aligue mayo and tobiko (fish roe) is something crab lovers would love. I did.
I was already full when the Scallop and Tuna Aburi Maki arrived. I had a hard time eating the 6 rolls all by myself but it was definitely good too. Again, fresh seafood. <3

Now for dessert
My sister loves lava cake and she went crazy over this one. The soft chocolatey cake with oozing warm chocolate topped with vanilla ice cream and surrounded by ginger crumbs was perfect to end our hearty meal.

I will definitely go back and try more dishes.

Ooma is located at 3rd floor, SM Megamall Fashion Hall, Mandaluyong City. (It’s near Fireside by Kettle.)

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Comments or other recommendations? :)