Izakaya Himawari Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Dumaguete

When I had my first taste of the ramen broth, it was actually quite enjoyable. The flavor was good and it seemed like a promising start to the meal. However, my excitement took a downturn when I tried the chashu. Unlike the chashu I've had before, which is usually tender and practically melts in your mouth, this one was unexpectedly tough. It felt like I was chewing on a piece of meat that had been cooked for too long. To make matters worse, the chashu lacked the usual deliciousness and seemed rather bland, reminiscent of chewing on old, chewy lechon meat. It was a letdown in comparison to the expectations set by the flavorful broth.

As I progressed to the noodles, I encountered another obstacle. The dish seemed to be overwhelmed by an excessive amount of garnish, particularly the abundance of spring onions. With each bite, the strong flavor of spring onions overpowered the overall taste of the ramen. It was quite disappointing as the excess of spring onions took away from the balanced experience that I was hoping for, making it challenging to fully appreciate the broth and other elements of the dish.

Even the chicken, which one would assume could salvage the meal, fell short. The lack of freshness and flavor in the chicken was quite noticeable. It didn't contribute much to the dish, and it was another aspect that failed to meet expectations. The salad was decent, but it had potential for improvement. Increasing the amount of mangoes would have elevated the salad's taste, offering a pleasant contrast of sweetness to the overall mix.

In conclusion, while the ramen broth initially showed promise, the meal as a whole left much to be desired. The tough and flavorless chashu, the overwhelming presence of spring onions, and the uninspiring chicken collectively overshadowed the positive aspects of the dish. The salad's potential was somewhat realized but could have been further enhanced with a better balance of ingredients. It is my hope that these observations serve as constructive feedback, encouraging the establishment to refine their offerings and provide a more satisfying dining experience...

I’ve dined at this place a couple of times and have also been to various Japanese restaurants around the city, in Cebu, and even in Japan—so I was really hopeful about this one.

There are a few areas that I think could use some improvement. First, the hospitality. One thing I admire about Japanese culture is the warm and attentive service. I’ve seen other local Japanese restaurants embrace this aspect really well—some even train their staff to greet customers in Japanese, which adds to the authentic experience. But here, despite the restaurant being authentically Japanese, the crew lacks that welcoming vibe. The staff felt a bit distant and unengaged, which was quite noticeable.

The ambiance, however, is nice—it gives off the nostalgic vibe of Shinjuku’s Memory Lane, which I truly appreciate. It really feels like being transported to Japan.

As for the food, some dishes were quite good—like the gyoza, okonomiyaki, and gyudon. However, the miso soup was a bit too salty, and the karaage was slightly burnt, which affected the taste. The ramen also didn’t quite capture that authentic flavor I was hoping for. Additionally, the serving time was quite slow, even with only a few tables occupied.

I genuinely want this place to succeed and improve, especially because the setting is so immersive and clearly inspired by the beauty of Japan. I love Japan—the people, the culture, the food—and I hope this restaurant can eventually reflect more of that spirit not just in design, but also in...

We had dinner here yesterday March 29, Good Friday. All of the food we ordered, except for one, were great specially the pork okonomiyaki. Their California roll though was terrible. The spicy tempura was awesome, crispy hot at its best. The salt and pepper karaage was also terrific. I think they were overwhelmed with the number of people ordering through grab and the number of guests that night. There were 3 dishes on our order which took so long to come out of the kitchen we decided to just have them cancelled so we can go. We arrived at 7 pm, placed our order with the server by 710. At 830 Pm we were still waiting for them. It was getting unreasonable to wait so I spoke to the Japanese owner and asked him if we could just cancel those and he said it would be ok. Our bill came out to 1930.00 which I think is fair since we ordered mostly the large servings. What I found funny was that the server gave us 1 bowl of rice 1st out of everything we ordered. It was just sitting there lol for a good 15 minutes before any other dishes that would go with it came out of the kitchen. The salad never came. I think they should be mindful of the sequence of how the dishes should be served. The Japanese owner though was very polite and apologetic. I wish I could give them a higher rating but I have to be honest about our dining experience. I also gave them a 3 for the atmosphere because the smell of cigarette smoke was so...