Sugi Restaurant
Greenbelt and Greenhills, Metro Manila, Philippines
Last Visit: Oct 2009 *** WARNING - BAD CAMERA REVIEW!! ***
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"...everything in this restaurant looks better than it actually is..." |
OVERALL
There are restaurants that you go to EAT, and there are restaurants that you go to LOOK. I am notorious in adamantly against any "eating the decoration" type of restaurant; however, when it comes to Japanese and European restaurants, I need to be more forgiving, because these cultures insists that the dining experience is more than just the food in your mouth. Sugi has definitely succeeded in providing very nicely designed facility to have a reasonably good Japanese meal.
FOOD 
Given my Taiwanese background and past frequently trips to Japan, it's pretty hard to impress me with Japanese food, especially when authenticity is in question. That's why when I'm in Manila, I very seldom go for Japanese food. Sugi, like a couple other "business" type of Japanese restaurants, offers very solid Japanese food with a fairly complete selection ranging from sashimi to noodles to grilled items. The small issue for me is that I can't help but to notice the slightly distorted flavors in order to appeal to the Southeast Asian taste buds.
The couple times I've eaten here, I had similar selection of dishes - starting with sashami and some sushi rolls, and then grilled meats and vegetables, wrap up with fried rice. Overall the quality of ingredients and preparation is 
very good, but I wouldn't say top notch compared to what we can get in say California. The salads and desserts are simple but refreshing, much like what you would get in a US Japanese restaurant.
If you really care of authenticity, then you are better off at Tsukiji ramen restaurant or one of those old joints in Pasong Tamo; however, if you want the convenience of Greenbelt or Greenhills and a rather pleasant setting, you'll still be fine with the food at Sugi.
SERVICE
The waiters and waitresses here are very professional and well-trained. Some are a bit inexperienced or even nervous, but overall they do know that they work in a fine Japanese restaurant and they can't just mess around with the service, a very key ingredient in Japanese dining experience. Since I went twice during lunch time, I've noticed that they do respond pretty quickly in order to satisfy the business lunch crowd.
AMBIENCE
Too bad I've never been able to bring a good camera to this place - because everything in this restaurant looks better than it actually is. I suspect that the owner is either an artist or an interior design. It's not that big, bright or open, but the decorations have a soothing and calming effect on the nerves, perfect after a hectic morning of pretending to be busy in the office.
VALUE The prices are not too outrageous (unlike Toki!!!) but the portions are tiny; so, the value from the food is very average; however, if you throw in the prime location and the nice ambience, it's not so bad afterall.
BOTTOMLINE
If you had checked out the Sugi website, you'd really understand what I mean. Even the website looked very good, proving my point that whoever owns this restaurant is an artist, but probably not a food connoisseur. The Japanese food, however, is good enough for this part of the world and given that they made the minor "adjustments", I'm sure you and your Filipino friends will have a good experience there.
BTW
I've never been to the one in Greenhills, so it'd be nice if you could add some comments on that one!
