Kazoku: Japanese Restaurant And Bar For Families

Kazoku is the first Japanese restaurant that was built in Pinamalayan. It was a blessing to all Pinamaleño fans of Japanese cuisine because finally, there is a place where we can have a taste of Japan. Plus, they were able to introduce the food of Japan into Pinamalayan. Now, if I’m not mistaken, there are three Japanese restaurants in town aside from Kazoku namely Bashiru and Kenhiru. Despite this, we still go back to the restaurant to try our favorite Kazoku dishes.

Also, Kazoku Japanese Restaurant has recently expanded their food house and included other Asian cuisine like Filipino food and Chinese hot pot so there’s a lot more to choose from. Let’s have sneak peek.

Kazoku Special Halo Halo

I remember one summer when Kazoku Special Halo Halo trends as the best halo halo in town because it really is one of the best. They have this unique process of infusing the milk into the crushed ice making the final product creamier than ever. It’s complete with generous servings of fruits and sweets we want in a halo halo yet it still has balanced sweetness. I got the same awe when I tried their Peach Mango and Mais con Leche Flan.

Gyoza

The kind of Gyoza Kazoku have is the one with both meat and vegetables in it. And in fairness, they are big dumplings so I must say that it’s worth the price. Tastewise, it’s quite bland even with sauce and it has this bitter aftertaste, which I always find in Japanese food, so I guess that’s how it is supposed to be. I wish they also have fried gyoza because I prefer them fried to crispiness than steamed.

California Maki

I noticed that their California Maki dish is composed of thinly sliced yet big rounds of rolls. The ham was a good addition to the basic California Maki ingredients. The orange fish roe doesn’t fullt cover the sushi. The cucumber sticks are crunchy and fresh. The mango is evidently sweet unlike the crab sticks which is unrecognizable by the palate. The dressing helped and improved the flavor of the whole thing despite of its small amount.

Ebi Tempura

There are only three pieces of Tempura on this plate but it’s amazing that they were able to let it look like a lot. The breading is thick but don’t worry because the shrimp inside is also big. Kazoku’s Tempura has great resemblance to Tokyo Tokyo’s but thankfully, this one has less flour. I appreciate the fact that they didn’t put too much seasoning to the shrimp. It helped to really savor the natural flavors of the shellfish.

Chasyu-men

We had two of their ramen – the Chasyu-men, which has braised pork, and the Teriyaki Ramen, which has teriyaki chicken. The pork in Chasyu-men is bland but it fits to the saltiness of the broth. Teriyaki Ramen has smoky flavors but I think it lacks spiciness. I guess they’re using the same noodles and broth for the two. They just changed the toppings. Chasyu-men was my order but I ended up liking the teriyaki more.

Yakiniku Bento

For those who are not familiar with bento, it is the Japanese version of lunch box. “It was then used to call food that was easy to bring around during farming and hunting”. I tried their Yakiniku Bento, which is a Japanese-style grilled meat served with rice, cabbage salad and miso soup. I’m not familiar with Yakiniku but I find its sauce flavorful and quite tangy. And for the salad, I think they gave me palm heart strips instead of cabbage. The miso soup is good.

Gyudon

For me, this is a simple kind of Gyudon. I call it simple because it’s like it’s made with local ingredients trying to form a Japanese dish. But don’t get me wrong. The beef mix is truly delish. It’s saucy which is great and the beef has its own juiciness. However, it’s quite oily and you will feel it afterwards. It doesn’t have enough meat and vegetables for the rice, too. Perhaps, I just ate too much meat. Let’s think that way.

Lomi Overload

They also have Filipino Specials and their Lomi Overload is one thing that attracted us. Inspired by lomi of Corcolon Lomi House, it is overloaded with toppings as it name says. And when they say overloaded, they’re not joking because we witnessed a bowl with 75% solid food and 25% broth.