I may have found my new favorite Japanese restaurant in BGC. Wasshoi looks unassuming on the outside, reason why I pass it by without considering trying their food out. It’s really only recently when someone asked me if I’ve tried eating there, and because I haven’t, I thought why not give it a try?

As soon as I stepped in, I was immediately transported to a local izakaya, perhaps located in a small alley somewhere in Setagaya. It’s specific, but it is coming from actual experience. I loved the vibe of the place. And, seeing that there were Japanese customers around, I knew this was gonna be good! They’re a yakiniku place, so you can order meats for grilling, but we went for other items on the menu for this visit.

And it was! I loved the Spicy Tuna Salad, the serving of the tuna pieces was generous, and the spicy sauce was perfect with the greens. The Salmon Don also had a generous serving of salmon (8 pieces) on top of real sticky Japanese rice. My favorite from the things we ordered was the Saikoro Beef Steak – for a little over 500 pesos, you get the softest, melt in your mouth, bite of beefy goodness, perfect with a dash of wasabi. Considering we were in BGC, the price is quite reasonable. I really felt like I was in Japan for a while there.

They have so many options on the menu, both food and drinks. You can also do a bottle keep as seen on the shelf behind me. I am still on an alcohol-free streak so I didn’t break it this visit, but eventually, I want to try their highballs and other Japanese drinks. That and maybe try out their grilled items as well! They also have specialty items such as Fugu.

So yes, if you’re looking for an authentic Japanese restaurant (none of those commercialized ones) with a local izakaya feel, go to Wasshoi! If you’ve been there, let me know what your recommended menu is.