Nagomi

I was invited to have lunch at Nagomi in El Pueblo center at the Ortigas Center, and I was surprised to find that the restaurant had a large floor area with a couple of function rooms too.  From the outside, the nondescript entrance didn't call much attention.  The signboard wasn't at all visible to passers-by, so I figured that the place was more like a fast-food or casual dining spot rather than a full-service restaurant.  Turns out that the restaurant is a popular dining destination in the Ortigas area, and when we were on a Thursday noon, it was around 60% full.

I was furthermore surprised to find out that the restaurant had lunchtime bento boxes priced below P400, and I ordered the one with sashimi and shrimp tempura.  It was nicely prepared; the sashimi was very fresh and the tempura has just the right amount of crispiness.  The interiors were very clean and modern; the restaurant had fast service, and our only complaint that a teacup was a bit smudged and not rinsed properly.

The salad was very colorful, the sauce had the right sweet & sour combination; distinctively Japanese without the overpowering taste of mirin and sesame.  If you take the ala carte dishes, I mentally computed an average food check of around P650 per head easy, so the teishoku (set meal) choices for fast working lunches are always a steal!