There is something appealing about gimmicky restaurants. Whether it’s singing cooks and waiters, a cowboy theme with a mechanical bull or those sushi-boat places, it appeals to the little kids inside of us. The fun, the excitement, the random amusement of watching little boats float by on a stream carrying some colorful rice passengers. A parade of little balls of sushi moving incessantly past you. There’s a sense of curiosity: “Hmmm, what’s coming next?” A sense of anxiety: “Ooh, ooh, I want that one! Got to get it before someone else nabs it!” A sense of whimsical childishness: “Let me try to rearrange them to see if they get freshened up. Or maybe I can pass you the wasabi on the boat.” Either way there’s always some sort of interest that gimmicky sushi-boat places bring to the table, but does it bring anything to the palate?
Rose is a fairly new joint, opened up in the late “ber” months. Modern and sleek interiors, nothing new in that sense but fairly comely nonetheless. The main highlight is the floating sushi bar. A deep, U-shaped space with a river that’s cut from the granite counter on which tiny boats float around delivering pieces of sushi to hungry clients. It’s cute. It’s really cute. And it’s also perfect for the large dinner party where people always show up late. It gives you an opportunity to nibble on stuff while waiting to order, to abate hunger and avoid snapping at your tardy friends.
Like all floating sushi joints, the mirin-soaked and cream cheese-filled cargo of the boats could use a little work. Far from being authentic and more of a token sushi gesture, I personally thought they weren’t bad but not of much interest. The tempura batter was also off-kilter — too thick and heavy. If you’re hungry they’ll do the trick, but this place has so much potential if they get a real good sushi chef and stick to some basics, and here’s why. Although a bit vague and Nobu-esque, their website claims that their cuisine is based on the Japanese philosophy using French techniques. Despite the mediocre sushi and tempura, there were some amazing knockouts on the menu, which leads me to believe that they’re riding the right current to the limelight.
Start with the organic salads. Both the mixed greens with ponzu dressing and the julienned cabbage with sesame are nice, light and refreshing. The triple-mushroom miso soup is worth a try — rich, dark miso paste with enoki, shiitake and golden mushrooms — earthy goodness in a broth. But the true winners for me were the ginger-marinated pan-fried pork and the seared salmon with spinach chips and roe.
Thin pieces of pork that are tender enough for you to pick up with your chopsticks, take a bite and do away with the fork and knife. Not overly saucy, perfectly seasoned all the flavor is in the meat. There’s that distinct kick of ginger and spice, mellowed by the faint caramelization of the soy. Served with fresh, lightly sautéed bean sprouts that have that smoky sesame-oil aroma, this dish is a great example of balancing the right Asian inspirations with technique.
The salmon was my personal favorite. Not “sautéed, as the menu claims, but actually seared to perfection. Wild Norwegian salmon needs to be treated with the utmost respect. One cannot overcook it, nor should it be left to blah-dom without the right crispness of the skin and outer flesh. That pinkish salmon flesh should be that golden, kissed-by-the-sun color outside and vividly raw inside — the perfect balance of texture and richness. This fish is good. The Rose guys got it down right. That little ponzu sauce, the happy acidity cutting through those luscious omega-3 flavorful fatty oils … crispy bits of fried spinach on top to add some crunch and gorgeous pearls of ikura or salmon roe that pop with intense fishiness. Definitely worth the trek to check out this place.
If they focus on this path of simplicity, using fresh flavors and simple, basic techniques, shun the passé “mayo and cream cheese” trend, then add their lineup of pleasant desserts (the chocolate chili ice cream is worth a shot) and their great selection of sakes and Japanese whiskeys, I wouldn’t be surprised if the place will be as packed as a can of sardines. If you’re not up for a full dinner, then check it out at happy hour, grab some random sushi, share the salmon dish with some buddies and order a bottle of their watermelon sake or even the sparkling Zipang stuff, because as we all know, tons of ice-cold sake can make anything taste great! Kampai!
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Rose is located on 31st St. cor. 1st Avenue, Ground Floor, Grand Hamptons Tower, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, tel. 0917-597-2573, or visit www.rosemanila.com.