• Culture
    Culture
    Filipino actors Bridgerton

    Get to know the Filipino actors in ‘Bridgerton’

    pura luka vega chappell roan church

    Matched her freak! Pura Luka Vega performs Chappell Roan’s ‘Good Luck, Babe!’ at ‘Church’

    AI and deepfake porn is a form of sexual assault—and we need to talk about it

    AI and deepfake porn is a form of sexual assault—and we need to talk about it

    • Women
    • Queer
    • Politics
    • Environment
    • Food
  • Style
    Style
    Pond's serums

    These night serums are your new solutions for radiant, glowing skin

    5 original Filipino fragrance brands to check out

    5 original Filipino fragrance brands to check out

    Here’s where you can get unique, one-off accessories—designed by you

    • Fashion
    • Beauty
    • Space
    • Shopping
  • Entertainment
    Entertainment
    Filipino actors Bridgerton

    Get to know the Filipino actors in ‘Bridgerton’

    pura luka vega chappell roan church

    Matched her freak! Pura Luka Vega performs Chappell Roan’s ‘Good Luck, Babe!’ at ‘Church’

    charlie’s angels totally spies!

    Our favorite onscreen spies, from Austin Powers to ‘Totally Spies!’

    • Celebrities
    • TV & Movies
    • Music
  • Life+Money
    Life+Money
    Single woman adopts baby

    Forming a family: When a single woman adopts a baby

    painting of baby

    A mother-to-be’s survival guide

    Navigating a friend breakup that has no bad blood

    It’s no one’s fault: When a friendship naturally runs its course

    • Career & Money
    • Parenting & Relationships
    • Sex & Health
    • Astrology
    • Travel
  • Inquirer.net
  • Lifestyle
Reading
We Found a Spot That Serves Sushi Pizza and Salmon Belly Skewers
ShareTweet
In FoodPreenRestaurant Feature
2 min read

We Found a Spot That Serves Sushi Pizza and Salmon Belly Skewers

By Jacque De Borjaon June 22, 2016
Share
Koku_Preen (2)
Salmon and Cream Cheese Sushi Pizza

It’s pretty obvious to people who live or work in Salcedo Village that it’s home to a lot of food spots. Yesterday, we discovered yet another one that deserves a spot in your list of must-visit places. Tucked in one of the new buildings along Valero Street (and conveniently located beside a spinning studio) is Koku, a Japanese restaurant that doesn’t want to be Japanese.

Koku_Preen (7)

The owner and hands-on manager Bambi Meer says that Koku was born because their family’s favorite Japanese restaurant in Subic closed down, leaving his kids wondering where they can get their next Japanese food fix. In the end, they just thought of opening their own—serving dishes that’s pretty close to their heart, or should I say, palate. Being the people behind Meat Plus in Subic, Kettle, Fireside by Kettle, and more, it just seems right.

Koku_Preen (5)
Top to bottom: Spicy Tuna Maki, Salmon Aburi Sushi, and Mixed Sushi Special

Koku offers a variety of dishes like Japanese staples sashimi, sushi, and maki—try their version of Spicy Tuna Sashimi (P269), Samurai Maki, and their melt-in-your-mouth Salmon Aburi Sushi (P288) that’s torched to perfection. But if you want to try one of each, just go for the Mixed Sushi Special (P398).

Koku_Preen (3)
Oyster Papaya

They also offer interesting starters such as their Oyster Papaya (P268)—two Japanese oysters on a bed of thinly sliced semi-ripe papaya drizzled with sweet sauce—an odd combination that’s sure to surprise your taste buds (we dubbed them as “oyster bombs”). Another dish that you should try, and is an interesting find, would be their Sushi Pizza, a crispy sushi rice patty topped with your favorite sushi fillings like salmon and cream cheese or tuna. It’s best when eaten with your bare hands during merienda.

Koku_Preen (4)
Japanese Carbonara

The idea behind the packed menu was the desire to cater to what people are craving for at any time of day—may it be some Japanese Carbonara (P198) for lunch, their version of the pasta dish which uses fried wakame and crispy salmon skin instead of bacon; Pan-roasted Salmon with Mango (P398) or their Shoyu Ramen (P300) on a cold night; to even a few orders of their Salmon Belly Skewers (heads up: the ginger on top makes all the difference) that’s perfect for a mid-morning snack or an add-on to your main dish. They even serve up coffee jelly (P138) and crème brûlée (P198) to end your meal on a sweet note. Basically, they got you covered.

Koku_Preen (6)
Pan-roasted Salmon with Mango Salsa

But you might be wondering why they use an interesting combination of flavors, textures, and even technique. That’s because these dishes are meant to be inspired by the Japanese cuisine but with the Filipino eating styles and habits in mind, hence, the skewers, pizza, and even pasta.

Koku_Preen (8)

If Bambi would describe Koku, it would be comfort Japanese. “These are all our defaults [when ordering in Japanese restaurants],” he shares, but tweaked to how they think people will enjoy it. And it sure hit us right on the taste buds.

P.S. Still thinking of the Salmon Aburi and Oyster Papaya.

Koku. G/F Two Central, 109 Valero Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City. (02) 625-5197. Open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. from Mondays to Sundays. For more information, visit their Facebook page.

 

Photos by Patrick Segovia

Follow Preen on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

 

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0

Action Required!

We embed Facebook Comments plugin to allow you to leave comment at our website using your Facebook account. It may collects your IP address, your web browser User Agent, store and retrieve cookies on your browser, embed additional tracking, and monitor your interaction with the commenting interface, including correlating your Facebook account with whatever action you take within the interface (such as “liking” someone’s comment, replying to other comments), if you are logged into Facebook. For more information about how this data may be used, please see Facebook’s data privacy policy: https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/update.

Accept    Decline

Tags
diningfoodFood FeatureJapanese

Subscribe to our newsletter

Stay in the loop


By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

ShareTweetEmailShare
Jacque De Borja
Jacque De Borja is an introvert pretending to be an extrovert, who gets insanely emotional about things—especially if they’re about dogs, women’s rights, and Terrace House.

Peek This

Pond's serums

These night serums are your new solutions for radiant, glowing skin

Filipino actors Bridgerton

Get to know the Filipino actors in ‘Bridgerton’

pura luka vega chappell roan church

Matched her freak! Pura Luka Vega performs Chappell Roan’s ‘Good Luck, Babe!’ at ‘Church’

AI and deepfake porn is a form of sexual assault—and we need to talk about it

AI and deepfake porn is a form of sexual assault—and we need to talk about it

Preen.ph © 2020. Hinge Inquirer Publications, Inc.
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • HOME
  • ARCHIVES
  • ABOUT US
  • CONTACT US
  • ADVERTISE WITH US
Previous
Meet the Instagram Husband Who’s About to Marry Tricia Gosingtian
Next
Not Invited to Rodrigo Duterte’s Inauguration? Facebook Has Your Back
  • Culture
    • Women
    • Queer
    • Politics
    • Environment
    • Food
  • Style
    • Fashion
    • Beauty
    • Space
    • Shopping
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrities
    • TV & Movies
    • Music
  • Life+Money
    • Career & Money
    • Parenting & Relationships
    • Sex & Health
    • Astrology
    • Travel
  • Inquirer.net
  • Lifestyle
  • Subscribe
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Search
Start typing to see results or hit ESC to close
fashion fashion news music Culture News movies
See all results

Subscribe to our newsletter

Stay in the loop


By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.