So, what’s to stop the food and beverage people at the Makati Shangi-La from offering their guests the same DIY experience? Ongoing from March 16 to 31 is a rare temaki sushi promo at Inagiku Japanese Restaurant that literally lets diners roll their own temaki by their tableside.
A temaki is a cone-shaped roll of sushi, much like an ice cream cone. It is a different way of preparing sushi from the usual rolled or hand-pressed sushi. A wide strip of nori wrapper encloses the fillings. Guests often just dunk their cones in a dipping sauce of Kikkoman soy sauce and wasabi and bite into the cone much like you would an ice cream cone. It is a casual dining experience that is filling and unique.
Guaranteed to be a fun-filled experience for everyone, diners at Inagiku could munch on their personal hand-rolled sushi at just P250 per roll. A trolley goes around the restaurant during lunch and dinner service, and diners can choose from up to five from a variety of traditional sushi fillings for their rolls. Available fillings include tuna, marinated mackerel, watercress with tuna, salmon, hamachi, soft-shell crab, tempura maki, eel, sea urchin, crabstick, tamago, cucumber and mango.
Inagiku Japanese executive chef Kimito Katagiri says there are no rules on combining fillings for a temaki roll. It would all depend on the diner’s own preference.
A sous chef is there to help diners roll their cones, if they choose to, but part of the fun of an evening of temaki is doing the rolling yourself. A pinch of sushi rice is simply placed at the center of the nori wrapper and a choice of filling is piled up on the rice. With a deft hand, the wrapper is rolled into a cone and voila! Your very own DIY temaki roll.
And what goes well with temaki? Green tea, sake or Japanese beer, according to one on-line sushi reference site.
One reminder, though. One temaki roll often isn’t enough. So pile up on your DIY temaki before letting the temaki trolley roll along.
Of course, Inagiku’s temaki sushi promo is only a prelude to a complete dinner at the restaurant. And what Japanese dinner is complete without teppanyaki? Those who are at a lost for choices could choose from a number of bento dinners the restaurant has, complete meal choices that offer a number of traditional Japanese entrees and more.
For inquiries regarding the temaki sushi promotion and reservations at Inagiku, call Makati Shangri-La’s restaurant reservations and information center at 840-0884.