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Izakaya 【居酒屋】 /n/ tavern, pub; traditional Japanese bar.
Nonki 【呑ん気】 /adj/ carefree, optimistic; happy-go-lucky.

I don’t know exactly why the owners decided on the “Nonki” name, but one of the Japanese characters for it does carry the meaning for drinking, so… At any rate, I’m glad that we now have a branch of Nonki Japanese Restaurant in Davao, because their offerings are pretty good. The main restaurant is in Mandaue City, and two more branches are in the cities of Cebu and Lapu-Lapu.

I’ve only been there once (today, in fact, with a couple of high school friends), so I won’t say anything final yet. I’ll have to go back and try their other dishes. Some friends who’ve been there a lot, though, have told me that they do enjoy the food (and the ample parking) at Nonki. Plus, I saw quite a few Japanese diners, which is always a good sign.

The Gyoza (₱120) left something to be desired, but it wasn’t bad at all. I guess maybe it was the sauce that was lacking in taste. On the other hand, the other appetizer we had, the Nonki Maki Special (₱215), was a delight. It’s a dish of shrimp and asparagus rolls, sprinkled with black sesame seeds. I wonder, maybe it would’ve been a much better dish if the shrimp were fresh (I mean, not cooked)…?

Izakaya Nonki offers the full range of Japanese cuisine — dishes that you’re familiar with, and some that might surprise you. And they have a good selection of spirits, too, as well as sake. (They sell Asahi Beer in cans for ₱120.) They actually have a huge selection of Japanese food, so what I suggest is to order one of their lunch specials. I had the Nabeyaki Udon and Spicy Tuna Tekka Maki Set (₱310), which I couldn’t finish because the portions were so big! The udon was just the way I like it: supple, firm and tasty.

Another set, which Kit ordered, the Sashimi and Beef Teppan Set (₱290) looks interesting too. I think maybe I’ll try that next time. The sashimi platter has squid, octopus, salmon and gindara (I think, but I’m not totally sure if it was gindara). These lunch specials come with dessert: ice cream or fresh fruits.

They also have bento boxes. Silvia’s lunch was the Beef Teriyaki Bento (₱270), which was a good mix of beef teriyaki (good, but tasted too much of onion), a few pieces of shrimp and vegetable tempura, a couple of California maki, and heavenly rice.

Nonki looks and feels like an honest-to-goodness izakaya — complete with hollering waitstaff (“Irasshaimase!!!”) — and the service is prompt and efficient. The restaurant is in its own building, in that strip-mall type of place on F. Torres street in downtown Davao, right beside the Davao Trade & Convention Center.

They’re open daily, from 11:30am to 2:00pm, and then from 5:30pm to 11:00pm. For inquiries and reservations, call 226-3058 or text (922)894-8254.

There’s very little opportunity for me to do any cooking, so I enjoy ‘interactive food’ whenever I can — think shabu shabu or cha nuong (Vietnamese rice-paper rolls). Or better yet, Wagyu yakiniku!

At Tsuru Japanese Restaurant’s branch in Damosa Gateway, they have several tables that are installed with iron grillers, perfect for yakiniku: Wagyu, Australian short rib, and ox tongue. Even scallops! I’m no connoisseur of Wagyu (和牛, lit.: Japanese beef), but I could tell that what Tsuru serves is high-grade beef that melts in your mouth and leaves you in a heavenly state of being.

I’m watching my diet, though, so what I appreciated more was actually the US Angus Short Ribs yakiniku. It’s meatier and has a more down-to-earth flavor that agrees with me. Both types of yakiniku are priced the same at Tsuru: ₱448/100g.

The marinated beef slices are served bite-sized and ready to cook. I recommend simply searing the meat on both sides, to leave the inside fresh and tasty — overcooking it will ruin the experience, trust me. And don’t overdo the dips either. Prime-cut beef has subtle flavors that you’ll lose if you put too much sauce.

I had lunch today at Tsuru in Damosa Gateway with my long-time friend, Christian (who took these photos for me), and his fiancée, Bhambee. (The main restaurant doesn’t have yakiniku grillers, but they do have two misono tables over there.) Besides the yakiniku, we also had sushi, sashimi and tenpura. Tsuru has always been known for excellent tenpura, by the way — my Japanese friends once told me it’s the closest to Japan-made tenpura that they’ve had.

To round off the meal, each of us had ice cream! Christian and I sampled their green tea ice cream, which is homemade, and Bhambee had the Banana Bonsai. The latter is a concoction of chocolate ice cream with churros and banana tenpura.