Dream of eating at Japan's Tsukiji market? Try Haru

MANILA, Philippines - There are “geishas” somewhere in Kapitolyo in Pasig, ready to serve you and give in to your cravings … for lunch and dinner. Well, they are actually dolled-up food attendants at Haru, a Japanese restaurant owned by restaurateur Dr. Boy Vasquez of Café Juanita fame.

Haru means “spring” in Japanese. Like the cherry blossoms that herald the season, the restaurant is also “abloom” with sumptuous delights dedicated to those who love good Japanese food — be it traditional or fusion.

In fact, it is in this place where a guest can truly say the word “velvety” when describing the texture of the fresh salmon sashimi. And the raw strips of squid sashimi here are so soft and tender they feel and taste like macapuno. The tuna, saba and red snapper that complete the combo of a sashimi boat leave a sweet taste in the palate long after the tang of the wasabi-drenched Kikkoman sauce is gone.

The secret, of course, as Haru executive chef Tom Yamazaki will tell you, is in the freshness of the ingredients. To ensure the freshness of the food, Tom himself goes to the wet market every morning so he can choose the best produce. This is the training he got when he was studying in Tokyo, where he himself went to Tsukiji market to pick his own fish.

Tom knows how to put “emotion” into his creations in the kitchen. “There should be love when you cook in the kitchen,” he says, smiling shyly. Well, it is love that has made Tom stay in the Philippines for the last 25 years. He met his Filipina wife while having his films developed — Tom is also a photographer — at a stall in a mall. He is also one of the very few licensed chefs who can serve the fatally delicious blowfish. 

At the more than 300-square-meter restaurant, Tom is king, and Boy allows him to rule the kingdom of Haru, which can accommodate more than 100 people inside the restaurant and about 20 more in its al fresco extension. Every day since its recent opening, an influx of satisfied diners can be seen trooping in for the mouthwatering yet affordable food. Many are repeaters. These regular diners want to declare Haru their kingdom, too.

“It must be because of the little mounds of salt inconspicuously placed by the main door of Haru,” says Allan Tan, the interior designer who helped Boy execute his plans and dreams for the restaurant. Chef Tom believes salt attracts good vibes. 

But Allan and Boy know that the secret of the restaurant is in the “loving hands” of Tom. For example, the uni tempura that Tom prepares is so unique and so divine. An order of this dish has five pieces. If you are a sea urchin lover like me, one order is not enough. (I rolled my eyes when a friend tried to steal a piece from my plate.)

There are times when the chef himself goes out of the kitchen to serve your order. If he quietly puts karikari yaki (an oyster appetizer) on your table, please applaud Tom readily. This fried oyster dish will start your journey at Haru — a journey that will take you to food nirvana. 

The restaurant’s sukiyaki is also a bestseller. If in any event you forget your name in Haru, hyperbole intended, chances are you are partaking of the spider roll sushi with soft-shell crab. If you find yourself shouting for joy inside the restaurant — again, hyperbole intended — that’s the time you are savoring the simple yet delicious chicken dish called tori kuwayaki.

For sweet endings, there’s the super-creamy young coconut dessert. Or try the restaurant’s classic New York cheesecake or melt-in-your-mouth cassava cake.

“That’s how I wanted the customers to react to our food. It will always be an experience for them to eat here,” says Boy, who got his penchant for eating good food from his rich and colorful childhood in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija. Boy practically grew up in the kitchen of their house, where he shared good food with the people who worked in their hacienda. 

At Haru, once you’re seated and the geishas have taken your orders, the food arrives in about 10 to 15 minutes. You don’t notice the waiting time because the ambience will fully occupy your senses.

Though principally Japanese in design and feel, what with original Japanese windows from ryokan (traditional Japanese dwelling places), a closer look reveals the restaurateur’s passion for combining other Asian elements into the overall look. Guests entering Haru will see a humongous hanging Bollywood-inspired lampshade. A Tibetan chain is wound around a railing of a mini-Japanese bridge inside the restaurant, which curves over a meditation pond populated by koi fish. If you cross the bridge, don’t forget to make a wish as you listen to the gurgling of the water under your feet. Perhaps you can whisper your desires to the 12 ceramic koi fish swimming upward on a coated-glass installation. 

In one dining nook that is a favorite spot of many diners, nude geishas take a refreshing morning shower — in a painting on one of the old dividing panels found in the restaurant. Just when you fancy yourself taking a stroll to the old side of Kobe where geishas still abound, your food arrives.

Then you partake of your sumptuous meal. It’s so good you are transported to gastronomic nirvana. The food here is lovely and lip-smacking you are in danger of forgetting your name. Such is the lure of Haru.

* * *

Haru is located at 21 West Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig City. For reservations, call 631-0597.