Cycle 5 – Item 192
16 (Wed) July 2014
Engawa(?) Nigirizushi
1.5
at Kushimasa
-Ermita, Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines-
with JG, AW
Kushimasa is a Japanese restaurant. Mainstream fare, from sushi/sashimi to teriyaki/teppanyaki. Reputedly, a favorite among Japanese expats/tourists.
On the balcony, a bevy of ladies from girly bar Beppin San next door usually can be seen hanging out and beckoning to potential customers on the street. Several ladies are usually stationed inside the restaurant itself during happy hour, just standing there like living mannequins, sorta point-of-sale marketing.
As anticipated, Typhoon Glenda did hit Manila this morning, though the damage was thankfully far less than anticipated. Mostly winds, some downed power lines and damaged tree, very little rain, no flooding. Nevertheless, the latest reports estimate around 100 dead, 630 injured, and 250,000 USD in damages. From my lofty perch on the 34th floor, however, the storm hadn’t seemed all that destructive at the time, please forgive me. Around 0600, the power conked out; fortunately, the emergency generators kicked in to provide enough juice for each unit to run the refrigerator (I guess they’re all connected to the same line) and a single electrical socket; so, the worst part of the storm for me was that – stuck at home, the office being closed, I had to make do without A/C all day.
Fortunately, I didn’t need to use the zombie apocalypse supplies that I had stockpiled (see 5.191 Umm … Chicken Gumbo). At least I’ll have the bare necessities for the foreseeable future.
The food was rather disappointing, given the establishment’s reputation. I arrived a bit late, after all the cooked food had been consumed. That left the sushi and sashimi, which was reasonably fresh – a relative term in Manila, meaning that it wasn’t fishy – but otherwise flavorless. The flavorless “engawa” made me suspect that some impostor fish had been substituted instead. Nevertheless, I’m willing to go back for another shot, if only for the collateral benefits.
(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)
(See also RESTAURANTS IN PHILIPPINES)