The first week of November is always dedicated to my dad. Nobody else could steal that week from him. That’s a firm priority for us. Our family would seriously give up other plans for the schedule to be exclusive for dad. 

Last Thursday, November 3, was not just another birthday to celebrate. It was dad’s golden year a.k.a. 50th birthday. In case you forget about how we usually celebrate ‘birthdays’, I’d like to remind you guys that ours is “birthWEEK”. Every member of the family consistently practice the celebration of birthWEEK. To start off dad’s golden birthWEEK, we all decided to bring him to Sugi.

Most of you probably know Sugi already. You might be seeing it around Greenhills or Makati area, or maybe heard it from your friends since it is quite senior in the restaurant industry. One reason why we chose Sugi is that we wanted to be sure of dad’s first celebration for his birthWEEK. We know that we won’t go wrong with Japanese foods if we pick Sugi. It was more of a safe and assured restaurant pick. 

Creamy Spicy Tuna (Php 340) – My mom and I couldn’t get enough of this food! A mix of tempura flakes, tuna sashimi, cream and spices. Nothing is really wrong about this dish for me. The crunchiness of tempura flakes goes well with the soft structure of the tuna sashimi. Taste it and see how creamy and spicy blend exquisitely. If I can learn how to make this everyday, I would do it for my daily snack. 

Seafood Teppanyaki (Php 560) – For the size and the quality of the seafood, I think the price is just alright. I saw the difference from other Japanese restaurants by tasting the fish and shrimps. They really tasted delicate, so fresh from the sea. Together with hot and steaming Gohan (Rice), I was pleased with what I ordered. Indeed, choosing Sugi wasn’t a mistake for ordering their Teppanyaki.

Tofu Gyuniku Steak (Php 480) – From my point of view, I was disappointed on how the dish looked. The plate was full of tofu and only had baby strips of beef. However when I got the serving spoon and scooped from the bottom, I found out that it wasn’t really disappointing at all. Well it was a fact that the tofu cubes were big but there were more strips of beef underneath those tofu cubes. The thinner the slice, the more you can taste its flavor. My mom is a fan of thin slices of meat. So obviously, she gave the dish a thumbs up. FYI: For easier digestion, better get thin slices of beef like this dish. 

Chicken Teppanyaki (Php 230) – One main comment about this: not enough sauce :(. I find this dish already appetizing despite the flaw of lacking in sauce – sweet sauce and juicy meat. Plus, the onion actually added a strong flavor that made its sweetness subside in a way. I know it might ruin the plating presentation if the dish would have overflow if sauce. 

The low volumed restaurant turned into a birthday party when the servers began to shout out loud and sing out loud Happy Birthday to my dad. Even I, who told the servers to sing for dad, was surprised when they shouted and sang as they wear their Kimono uniform. 

Dad looked embarrassed when they were singing for him. It really shows that he’s afraid of the spotlight. Hehe. But after the singing part, I saw through his eyes how thankful and joyful he was. Seeing my dad be a happy bee makes me be a Jilly Bee! 😉

Happy Birthday DAD! You will always be 49 to me, in terms of physical appearance. Haha kidding. But seriously, you are the best back scratcher in the world! I can always fall asleep when you scratch my back. You know I love you to the max! <3 <3 <3

Cheers,

Location: G/F Greenbelt 2, Ayala Center, Makati City

Budget: PHP550++

Rate: 8.5/10